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The Monday following any holiday break is generally a less productive one as all of us attempt to get back into their normal weekday rituals, and yesterday was no exception. We found Cyber Monday a bit lacking this year, but hopefully you picked up something cool to shake the doldrums. If not, maybe our quick recap of the day’s events will get your work week off to a better start…
Apple Seeds OS X 10.8.3 Beta to Developers
MacRumors reported on Monday that Apple is moving on to the next phase of OS X Mountain Lion as developers are now being seed OS X 10.8.3. This is the first beta of the update, which is better known as Build 12D32, and the website notes that developers must first install an OS X Software Update Seed Configuration Utility prior to upgrading. There are no details of what OS X 10.8.3 might cover (or when it will be available to the public), but developers are being asked to focus their testing on AirPlay, AirPort, Game Center, and Graphics Drivers at this time.
PRWeb Issues Statement on Fraudulent Google-ICOA Press Release
Whoops! On Monday, TechCrunch and a number of other websites incorrectly posted news that Google had acquired broadband Wi-Fi firm ICOA Inc. for $400 million. There was just one problem: The press release the information was taken from wasn’t true. PRWeb has now come forward with a brief statement on the issue, although it doesn’t quite explain how the fraudulent copy got unleashed in the first place. “Even with reasonable safeguards identity theft occurs, on occasion, across all of the major wire services,” the statement noted. “We have removed the fraudulent release and turned the matter over to the proper authorities for further investigation.”
Firefox 18 Beta Brings Retina Display, WebRTC Support
Sure, you and your company have barely got acquainted with the release version of Firefox 17 pushed out last week, and already there’s a beta of Firefox 18 available. But this one is kind of a big deal, at least for MacBook Pro with Retina Display owners. Yes indeed, the Firefox 18 beta includes support for all those luscious pixels when using OS X 10.7 and up. And that’s not all: There’s preliminary support for WebRTC, the free, open source real-time communications protocol also supported by Google and Opera. Curiously, the original release notes also included a mention of browser-based PDF viewing as well, but Firefox developer Mozilla must have changed their mind at the last minute on that one. In any event, you can grab the latest beta from Mozilla’s website right now.
Google Voice iOS App Now Optimized for iPhone 5, iOS 6
Google has been notoriously slow to update their iOS apps for the iPhone 5’s taller display, but they finally got around to pushing an update for the official Google Voice app on Monday. Sure, it may not be as pretty as paid third-party apps that use the service, but it’s one of our most-used apps and it was kind of a bummer to see it all squat on our iPhone 5. That problem has now been resolved, along with optimizations for iOS 6 in general, including bug fixes and performance enhancements. Those all come with a price, however — the app is now limited to iOS 4.3 or above, but we figure that’s not much of a hardship for most folks anymore.
Nintendo Claims 400,000 Wii U Consoles Sold at Launch
Curious if Nintendo’s new Wii U is flying out the door a week after its pre-Thanksgiving launch? According to CNET it definitely is, although the console maker continues to sell a whole lot of original Wiis at the same time. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime sold 1.2 million units during Thanksgiving week, but that number includes all of the company’s current hardware lineup. The Wii U sold 400,000 units compared to the original Wii’s 300,000, while Nintendo’s portable 3DS and DS products sold 500,000 combined. And if you’re having trouble finding a Wii U to buy in the first place, you’re not alone: “Wii U is essentially sold out of retail and we are doing our best to continually replenish stock,” Fils-Aime said. “Retailers are also doing their best to get the product to store shelves. But as soon as product hits retail, they’re selling out immediately.”
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