The 404 675: Where we watch Katy Perry on COED Magazine (podcast)
COED Magazine produces sexy (but SFW!) content that makes a perfect match for CNET's The 404 Podcast, so we're excited to have Editor-in-Chief Stephen Gebhardt in the guest chair today to chat about the genesis of COED Mag, a scourge of suggestive Katy Perry GIFs, 15 signs you're an Internet weirdo, and "Back to the Future" returning to movie theaters! As you might've guessed, Wilson spends the entire episode shaking his head and fielding calls from the FCC.DragCloseThis content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.COED Magazine is a comprehensive Web publication that caters to a lot of different interests like MMA, sports, tech news, and media, but you can guess the main focus of a Web site with "COED" in the name (queue Wilson scrambling to remove screenshots from the video recording).Stephen tells us that Katy Perry is driving a ton of traffic to the site, thanks to her appearance on SNL and her cleavage-filled appearance on "Sesame Street." To cash in on her fame, COED presents the 15 most suggestive Katy Perry animated GIFs. If you're like us, these are sure to end your workday productivity, so don't say we didn't warn you.We also enjoyed this article on the 15 signs you're an Internet weirdo, but mostly because almost all of them apply to The 404 in one host or another. For example, #10: You can't go five minutes without checking your e-mail obviously applies to Wilson, while #1 You play games more hours per week than you work at an actual job sounds like Jeff, and me? Well, it might be easier to read the list and guess which don't sound like something I'd do in the privacy of my own browser.There's plenty more fun on today's episode with Stephen Gebhardt, including a list of 10 movies about video games that don't suck and some news about "Back to the Future," so enjoy the episode and follow along at COED Magazine!Episode 675PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video  Follow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
No Beatles on iTunes tomorrow
No Beatles on iTunes tomorrow
Today, as the various sound systems in the room are reminding us, is unofficially Beatles Day: 09/09/09. Given that Apple has announced a press conference on the same day (US time), it seemed natural it would make an announcement to coincide with the worldwide release of The Beatles: Rock Band and the remastered albums. Sadly, an EMI executive has scotched that idea."Conversations between Apple and EMI are ongoing and we look forward to the day when we can make the music available digitally. But it's not tomorrow," Ernesto Schmitt, EMI's global catalogue president told the Financial Times.Apple has had a long-standing feud with Apple Records (distributed by EMI) over the rights to the "Apple" name. The Beatles' label was happy for the two companies to coexist as long as the Cupertino company didn't sell music. So, you can imagine how this relationship soured when the iTunes store went live...Apparently the hold-up is about some outdated fears of piracy on EMI's behalf, and not the band. "If one [EMI] employee decides to take it home and wap it on to the internet, we would have the right to say, 'Now you recompense us for that'. And they're scared of that," Paul McCartney told FT. Did Sir Paul really say "wap"?We're pretty sure that right now lossless FLAC encodings of both the stereo and the highly-sought after mono recordings released today will be freely available on the internet. EMI needs to get with the times.But what does that leave for Apple to announce tomorrow? The strongest rumours surround iPod Touches with integrated cameras, the possible "death" of the iPod Classic, and the release of iTunes 9 with Blu-ray support. We still hold out hope for a Beatles iPod ala the U2 Special Edition, and an iTunes release "in the future". [Financial Times via Gizmodo]
Today, as the various sound systems in the room are reminding us, is unofficially Beatles Day: 09/09/09. Given that Apple has announced a press conference on the same day (US time), it seemed natural it would make an announcement to coincide with the worldwide release of The Beatles: Rock Band and the remastered albums. Sadly, an EMI executive has scotched that idea."Conversations between Apple and EMI are ongoing and we look forward to the day when we can make the music available digitally. But it's not tomorrow," Ernesto Schmitt, EMI's global catalogue president told the Financial Times.Apple has had a long-standing feud with Apple Records (distributed by EMI) over the rights to the "Apple" name. The Beatles' label was happy for the two companies to coexist as long as the Cupertino company didn't sell music. So, you can imagine how this relationship soured when the iTunes store went live...Apparently the hold-up is about some outdated fears of piracy on EMI's behalf, and not the band. "If one [EMI] employee decides to take it home and wap it on to the internet, we would have the right to say, 'Now you recompense us for that'. And they're scared of that," Paul McCartney told FT. Did Sir Paul really say "wap"?We're pretty sure that right now lossless FLAC encodings of both the stereo and the highly-sought after mono recordings released today will be freely available on the internet. EMI needs to get with the times.But what does that leave for Apple to announce tomorrow? The strongest rumours surround iPod Touches with integrated cameras, the possible "death" of the iPod Classic, and the release of iTunes 9 with Blu-ray support. We still hold out hope for a Beatles iPod ala the U2 Special Edition, and an iTunes release "in the future". [Financial Times via Gizmodo]
Don't miss a second of the State of Origin
Don't miss a second of the State of Origin
Heads up, footy fans: an official Channel Nine iOS app for catching the State of Origin is here. Although there are a few unofficial State of Origin apps on iTunes and Google Play, if you want to catch everything, Jump-in from State of Origin broadcast partner Channel Nine is the way to go. Because it's from the channel that's airing the matches, it's able to provide a bunch of information as it happens. This includes up-to-the-minute live matches that you can watch directly from inside the app, scores, match statistics and player statistics.It's the replay options that really shine, though. Within minutes of any in-game event, you can watch a replay from up to 16 different camera angles of your choice, in real time or slow motion. And, because the State of Origin is already one match down, you can check out highlights from the first match that played on 5 June.To tide you over, you can also check out a bunch of other State of Origin highlights, including historical footage, player profiles and polls â€" and you can follow the Twitter feed for the hashtag #Origin.At the moment, the app is only for iOS, but other OS users can access it through the mobile website. "We want to make sure we can bring the best Jump-in experience to all users. To do this, we are first working on a new web version of Jump-in," said Bec Haagsma, director of Convergence at developer Mi9. "Users will be able to access all of Jump-in's great iOS features via jump-in.com.au from any device. We know that some consumers still prefer to access these types of experiences through an app, so will also be releasing an Android app experience to market in 2014."Jump-in for iOS (free)
Heads up, footy fans: an official Channel Nine iOS app for catching the State of Origin is here. Although there are a few unofficial State of Origin apps on iTunes and Google Play, if you want to catch everything, Jump-in from State of Origin broadcast partner Channel Nine is the way to go. Because it's from the channel that's airing the matches, it's able to provide a bunch of information as it happens. This includes up-to-the-minute live matches that you can watch directly from inside the app, scores, match statistics and player statistics.It's the replay options that really shine, though. Within minutes of any in-game event, you can watch a replay from up to 16 different camera angles of your choice, in real time or slow motion. And, because the State of Origin is already one match down, you can check out highlights from the first match that played on 5 June.To tide you over, you can also check out a bunch of other State of Origin highlights, including historical footage, player profiles and polls â€" and you can follow the Twitter feed for the hashtag #Origin.At the moment, the app is only for iOS, but other OS users can access it through the mobile website. "We want to make sure we can bring the best Jump-in experience to all users. To do this, we are first working on a new web version of Jump-in," said Bec Haagsma, director of Convergence at developer Mi9. "Users will be able to access all of Jump-in's great iOS features via jump-in.com.au from any device. We know that some consumers still prefer to access these types of experiences through an app, so will also be releasing an Android app experience to market in 2014."Jump-in for iOS (free)
DOJ inquires about Apple's hold on digital music
DOJ inquires about Apple's hold on digital music
The sources said investigators have begun speaking to a number of digital music retailers and top record labels about Apple's response to the "MP3 Daily Deal," an Amazon promotion that involved slashing prices on specific titles and pushing them heavily the day they were released. Amazon sometimes negotiated with the labels to get exclusive access to the music for a day, and the labels and their artists would often support the Daily Deal by promoting it on their Web sites.Apple managers had informed the labels that any music included in Amazon's promotion would receive no promotion at iTunes, music industry sources told CNET in April. In one case, an industry source said then, Apple complained to Sony Music Entertainment after seeing material from Alicia Keys touted as part of the Daily Deal.The sources who spoke to CNET on Tuesday said government investigators don't appear to be solely interested in Apple's impact on Amazon but are more focused on finding out the ways Apple has used its dominant market position to compete.The DOJ inquiry is in its earliest stages, the sources said. The Justice Department routinely goes on fact finding missions before launching more extensive investigations, but these do not always result in the government filing charges.Representatives from Apple and the Justice Department did not respond to interview requests.To see an updated story on DOJ investigation, click photoApple wields enormous power in the music industry. Research firm NPD Group said sales of digital music at iTunes represent 70 percent of the market.Scott Ambrose Reilly, an Amazon executive who left the company's music division in April for a post in the Kindle unit, suggested in an e-mail to music industry insiders at the time that Apple had felt threatened by The Daily Deal."How can I not be proud of the Daily Deal that has been so successful it riled the Cupertino beast?" Reilly wrote.The New York Times was first to report on the inquiry about the investigation.
The sources said investigators have begun speaking to a number of digital music retailers and top record labels about Apple's response to the "MP3 Daily Deal," an Amazon promotion that involved slashing prices on specific titles and pushing them heavily the day they were released. Amazon sometimes negotiated with the labels to get exclusive access to the music for a day, and the labels and their artists would often support the Daily Deal by promoting it on their Web sites.Apple managers had informed the labels that any music included in Amazon's promotion would receive no promotion at iTunes, music industry sources told CNET in April. In one case, an industry source said then, Apple complained to Sony Music Entertainment after seeing material from Alicia Keys touted as part of the Daily Deal.The sources who spoke to CNET on Tuesday said government investigators don't appear to be solely interested in Apple's impact on Amazon but are more focused on finding out the ways Apple has used its dominant market position to compete.The DOJ inquiry is in its earliest stages, the sources said. The Justice Department routinely goes on fact finding missions before launching more extensive investigations, but these do not always result in the government filing charges.Representatives from Apple and the Justice Department did not respond to interview requests.To see an updated story on DOJ investigation, click photoApple wields enormous power in the music industry. Research firm NPD Group said sales of digital music at iTunes represent 70 percent of the market.Scott Ambrose Reilly, an Amazon executive who left the company's music division in April for a post in the Kindle unit, suggested in an e-mail to music industry insiders at the time that Apple had felt threatened by The Daily Deal."How can I not be proud of the Daily Deal that has been so successful it riled the Cupertino beast?" Reilly wrote.The New York Times was first to report on the inquiry about the investigation.
Report- MacBook supplies dwindling
Report: MacBook supplies dwindling
While much of the attention on Macs in the past few months has revolved around an update to the MacBook Air, there are signs that Apple's entry-level notebook could soon be getting a refresh as well.AppleInsider reports that supply of the $999 MacBook has gone dry at places like Amazon, J&R, MacConnection, and On Sale. The computer is also back-ordered at BestBuy.com and Apple authorized reseller Abt. Apple itself lists the computer as in stock, and shipping within 24 hours. The MacBook's last update was in May of last year, with Apple bumping the existing model to include a faster processor and Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics. With Apple adding the new Thunderbolt I/O to both itsMacBook Pro and iMac line, there is a chance the MacBook could get it as well. Thunderbolt is seen as a high-end addition, though its inclusion in the iMac suggests that the company is not above putting it in a machine aimed at consumers.Since the release of the latest MacBook Air in October there have been questions about whether Apple plans to keepthe MacBook around considering its price tag bumps up with the company's entry-level MacBook Air, which has gone on to become quite popular since its redesign and price cut. It's worth noting that in late 2009, Apple said that the MacBook was Apple's best-selling computer ever, selling more than 10 million units since its launch. The timing of all this is of special interest considering the upcoming release of Lion,the next version of Apple's Mac OS. At the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, the company announced Lion would be made available as an upgrade to Snow Leopard users sometime in July. If Apple is planning to release an upgraded MacBook around that launch, these shortages suggest that release is coming sooner rather than later.
While much of the attention on Macs in the past few months has revolved around an update to the MacBook Air, there are signs that Apple's entry-level notebook could soon be getting a refresh as well.AppleInsider reports that supply of the $999 MacBook has gone dry at places like Amazon, J&R, MacConnection, and On Sale. The computer is also back-ordered at BestBuy.com and Apple authorized reseller Abt. Apple itself lists the computer as in stock, and shipping within 24 hours. The MacBook's last update was in May of last year, with Apple bumping the existing model to include a faster processor and Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics. With Apple adding the new Thunderbolt I/O to both itsMacBook Pro and iMac line, there is a chance the MacBook could get it as well. Thunderbolt is seen as a high-end addition, though its inclusion in the iMac suggests that the company is not above putting it in a machine aimed at consumers.Since the release of the latest MacBook Air in October there have been questions about whether Apple plans to keepthe MacBook around considering its price tag bumps up with the company's entry-level MacBook Air, which has gone on to become quite popular since its redesign and price cut. It's worth noting that in late 2009, Apple said that the MacBook was Apple's best-selling computer ever, selling more than 10 million units since its launch. The timing of all this is of special interest considering the upcoming release of Lion,the next version of Apple's Mac OS. At the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, the company announced Lion would be made available as an upgrade to Snow Leopard users sometime in July. If Apple is planning to release an upgraded MacBook around that launch, these shortages suggest that release is coming sooner rather than later.
Report- Jobs disses Adobe Flash as 'CPU hog'
Report: Jobs disses Adobe Flash as 'CPU hog'
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has reportedly continued his campaign against Adobe's Flash video technology, this time at a meeting with The Wall Street Journal, according to a report in Valleywag.People who were at a recent meeting Jobs had with some of the paper's executives told the Gawker-owned site that Jobs dismissed Flash as "a CPU hog," full of "security holes," and "old technology" and would therefore not be including the technology on the iPad, or presumably, the iPhone. (Adobe did recently promise to make the Mac version of its browser plug-in faster.)It's not the first time we've heard this. At an Apple shareholder meeting two years ago Jobs explained why Flash wouldn't be on the iPhone any time soon. He told those present that the full-blown PC Flash version "performs too slow to be useful" on the iPhone, and that the mobile version--Flash Lite--"is not capable of being used with the Web."More recently, word leaked out from Apple's employee-only meeting after the iPad introduction that Jobs had slammed Flash. According to a report on Wired, he responded to an employee question that "whenever a Mac crashes, more often than not, it's because of Flash," and that "no one will be using Flash. The world is moving to HTML5."The lack of support in the iPad and the iPhone for the software that's essentially the Web standard for displaying online videos has drawn complaints, but mostly from a more technically inclined crowd. The likely reason Jobs is discussing Flash behind closed doors with employees and potential partners and not publicly? The vast majority of people he wants to buy his devices don't know what Flash is, and if they do, they don't care. They just want a device that works.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has reportedly continued his campaign against Adobe's Flash video technology, this time at a meeting with The Wall Street Journal, according to a report in Valleywag.People who were at a recent meeting Jobs had with some of the paper's executives told the Gawker-owned site that Jobs dismissed Flash as "a CPU hog," full of "security holes," and "old technology" and would therefore not be including the technology on the iPad, or presumably, the iPhone. (Adobe did recently promise to make the Mac version of its browser plug-in faster.)It's not the first time we've heard this. At an Apple shareholder meeting two years ago Jobs explained why Flash wouldn't be on the iPhone any time soon. He told those present that the full-blown PC Flash version "performs too slow to be useful" on the iPhone, and that the mobile version--Flash Lite--"is not capable of being used with the Web."More recently, word leaked out from Apple's employee-only meeting after the iPad introduction that Jobs had slammed Flash. According to a report on Wired, he responded to an employee question that "whenever a Mac crashes, more often than not, it's because of Flash," and that "no one will be using Flash. The world is moving to HTML5."The lack of support in the iPad and the iPhone for the software that's essentially the Web standard for displaying online videos has drawn complaints, but mostly from a more technically inclined crowd. The likely reason Jobs is discussing Flash behind closed doors with employees and potential partners and not publicly? The vast majority of people he wants to buy his devices don't know what Flash is, and if they do, they don't care. They just want a device that works.
Report- iPod refresh coming sooner than expected
Report: iPod refresh coming sooner than expected
A report from Brazilian news site MacMagazine says Apple's annual refresh of its iPod line is little more than a week away.Citing "a reliable source within Apple," MacMagazine pegs the unveiling of the next-generation iPods between August 14-16, the first two days of which are a Saturday and a Sunday, leaving Monday the 16th as a more likely candidate. For the last four years, Apple has held its iPod press events in early September, and is widely expected to follow suit this year. In the past, the company released new iPod models on an annual basis as early as March or April, and as late as October--as it did in 2005 with the introduction of the iPod Video.Rumored details of the next-generation iPod Touch have been trickling in over the past few weeks. The latest reports have pointed to the addition of a gyroscope, a so-called retina display, and both a front- and back-facing camera to facilitate the company's FaceTime video chat feature. All of these upgrades were made to this year's iPhone as well.Besides updates to the iPod Touch, rumors posted on site iLounge earlier this week made mention of a touch-screen display redesign for the iPod Shuffle, and a refreshed iPod Nano. iLounge also says that a 7-inch display version of the iPad is in development but that its release is likely to be "later this year." While Apple may choose to keep its event focused on just the iPod, it did promise a version of its shared iOS with multitasking coming to the iPad sometime "this fall." (Via AppleInsider)
A report from Brazilian news site MacMagazine says Apple's annual refresh of its iPod line is little more than a week away.Citing "a reliable source within Apple," MacMagazine pegs the unveiling of the next-generation iPods between August 14-16, the first two days of which are a Saturday and a Sunday, leaving Monday the 16th as a more likely candidate. For the last four years, Apple has held its iPod press events in early September, and is widely expected to follow suit this year. In the past, the company released new iPod models on an annual basis as early as March or April, and as late as October--as it did in 2005 with the introduction of the iPod Video.Rumored details of the next-generation iPod Touch have been trickling in over the past few weeks. The latest reports have pointed to the addition of a gyroscope, a so-called retina display, and both a front- and back-facing camera to facilitate the company's FaceTime video chat feature. All of these upgrades were made to this year's iPhone as well.Besides updates to the iPod Touch, rumors posted on site iLounge earlier this week made mention of a touch-screen display redesign for the iPod Shuffle, and a refreshed iPod Nano. iLounge also says that a 7-inch display version of the iPad is in development but that its release is likely to be "later this year." While Apple may choose to keep its event focused on just the iPod, it did promise a version of its shared iOS with multitasking coming to the iPad sometime "this fall." (Via AppleInsider)
Report- iPhone 5 to be a dual-mode 'world phone'
Report: iPhone 5 to be a dual-mode 'world phone'
Apple's upcoming iPhone 5 will support access to both CDMA and GSM networks, allowing it to operate in most countries around the world, a source tells TechCrunch.An unidentified app developer reportedly pulled information from registration logs that show two distinct mobile network codes (MNC) / mobile country codes (MCC). These codes, which are believed to have been entered by testers of a single device using Apple's upcoming mobile operating system iOS 5, are unique mobile network identifiers belonging to Verizon and AT&T, TechCrunch said.Apple now caters to both companies, but the devices are not designed to operate on each other's networks; Verizon's works on the CDMA standard, while AT&T's iPhone 4 operates on a GSM network, the dominant global wireless technology and the standard in Europe. While the iPhone 5 has been long rumored to be a CDMA/GSM world phone, Verizon's iPhone has always had this capability, although it's not activated. Teardowns of the device showed that it sports the Qualcomm MDM6600 chip, the same chip that's used in the Droid Pro world phone.TechCrunch concluded that a dual-mode phone would suggest that the iPhone 5 would not support LTE. However, Apple's latest developer builds for iOS 5 contain a snippet of code that mentions LTE, according to enthusiast site MacRumors, prompting speculation that the company may be testing 4G internally.The hotly anticipated next edition of Apple's smartphone is expected to be released in October.
Apple's upcoming iPhone 5 will support access to both CDMA and GSM networks, allowing it to operate in most countries around the world, a source tells TechCrunch.An unidentified app developer reportedly pulled information from registration logs that show two distinct mobile network codes (MNC) / mobile country codes (MCC). These codes, which are believed to have been entered by testers of a single device using Apple's upcoming mobile operating system iOS 5, are unique mobile network identifiers belonging to Verizon and AT&T, TechCrunch said.Apple now caters to both companies, but the devices are not designed to operate on each other's networks; Verizon's works on the CDMA standard, while AT&T's iPhone 4 operates on a GSM network, the dominant global wireless technology and the standard in Europe. While the iPhone 5 has been long rumored to be a CDMA/GSM world phone, Verizon's iPhone has always had this capability, although it's not activated. Teardowns of the device showed that it sports the Qualcomm MDM6600 chip, the same chip that's used in the Droid Pro world phone.TechCrunch concluded that a dual-mode phone would suggest that the iPhone 5 would not support LTE. However, Apple's latest developer builds for iOS 5 contain a snippet of code that mentions LTE, according to enthusiast site MacRumors, prompting speculation that the company may be testing 4G internally.The hotly anticipated next edition of Apple's smartphone is expected to be released in October.
Report- iPad preorders numbering in 'hundreds of thousands'
Report: iPad preorders numbering in 'hundreds of thousands'
Few outside of Apple have seen an iPad in person, but that hasn't stopped a rush of preorders for the touch-screen tablet device.Sources have told The Wall Street Journal that Apple has "sold hundreds of thousands" of iPads since the device went on presale March 12. If this keeps up, Apple could end up selling more iPads in the first three months than original iPhones sold the first three months after its debut, according to those sources.It's unclear if that means actual sales only, or if that includes reservations for in-store pickups of the device. Apple.com is taking reservations for customers who want to pick up a device in a store on the first day of sale, April 3, but it doesn't require a credit card to be put down. That means if they don't pick up the device by 3 p.m. that day the iPad reservation is canceled. In other words, a reservation should not yet be counted as a sale, but again it's not entirely clear how the iPad presales are being counted.Also of note in the Journal's story: Apple is coming down to the wire on striking content deals for the iPad. Negotiations are ongoing between Apple and media companies for discounted TV shows via iTunes, according to the Journal's sources. Partnerships between Apple and newspapers, magazines, and textbook publishers are also still yet to be cemented, and have "been put on the backburner" in favor of other types of content, the report says.Besides content, some accessories for the touch-screen device are also a little behind schedule. Both the keyboard dock/charging station and the 10W USB power adapter won't be available until May.
Few outside of Apple have seen an iPad in person, but that hasn't stopped a rush of preorders for the touch-screen tablet device.Sources have told The Wall Street Journal that Apple has "sold hundreds of thousands" of iPads since the device went on presale March 12. If this keeps up, Apple could end up selling more iPads in the first three months than original iPhones sold the first three months after its debut, according to those sources.It's unclear if that means actual sales only, or if that includes reservations for in-store pickups of the device. Apple.com is taking reservations for customers who want to pick up a device in a store on the first day of sale, April 3, but it doesn't require a credit card to be put down. That means if they don't pick up the device by 3 p.m. that day the iPad reservation is canceled. In other words, a reservation should not yet be counted as a sale, but again it's not entirely clear how the iPad presales are being counted.Also of note in the Journal's story: Apple is coming down to the wire on striking content deals for the iPad. Negotiations are ongoing between Apple and media companies for discounted TV shows via iTunes, according to the Journal's sources. Partnerships between Apple and newspapers, magazines, and textbook publishers are also still yet to be cemented, and have "been put on the backburner" in favor of other types of content, the report says.Besides content, some accessories for the touch-screen device are also a little behind schedule. Both the keyboard dock/charging station and the 10W USB power adapter won't be available until May.
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