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01-29-09 / 11:44 PM : Omnisphere update / impOSCar 2 videos (cjed)
SonicState also released videos from Omnisphere update (new sounds, two times more than in the initial version) and impOSCar 2.
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01-29-09 / 11:28 PM : Cappuccino : first screencast (cjed)
A first screencast of Cappuccino (starter sample application) is available here. It is based on the starter application and adds a button that switches a label's text (toogle button like).
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01-29-09 / 11:16 PM : Roland V-Piano Behind Closed Doors (cjed)
SonicState provides a new video (high quality) featuring the Roland V-Piano, where we can hear more distinctly the sound, expression (and customization), than in the previous first official videos. Notably it seems more realistic than Pianoteq, less muded, and notably each note has its own distinct character (as on a real piano), instead just declining the same tone.
On that point we can read a very interesting comment at musicplayer forums :

I’ve got to say, I've been working with physical modeling since the VL1 (1995) and did heavy amounts of programming of that beast. Over the years, I think I demoed/bought nearly every PM synth (soft or hard) that I've come across. My conclusion is that PM is most successful when a) the waveform is simple and unchanging and b) the tone is expected to be the same note-to-note. Examples are VAs and organ clones. As the waveform gets more complex and is expected to evolve over time (e.g. brass, woodwinds, strings, pianos), PM, in my experience fails to deliver the goods. Also, with real EPs and acoustic pianos, each note has a somewhat distinct character. When adjacent notes sounds identical, my ears hear it as something is amiss, especially in chromatic passages. There is a nauseating sameness to the tone, because the notes are generated in the same fashion.

I would be more optimistic about PM if I had seen serious evolution in the past 15 years, but I can’t say I have. I do think PianoTeq’s piano model is noteworthy. I just don’t think it sounds accurate enough. When I play against QL Pianos or Bluthner Digital One there is no comparison to my ear.

I’m of the opinion the best solution might be a hybrid approach. Digidesign’s Velvet seems to use sampling for waveform accuracy but allows much of the control you’d find in a PM EP. The Trumpet is sample-based but allows the continuous control of timbre you’d find in a PM horn—but The Trumpet sounds infinitely better than PM trumpets.

A year ago at this time I was cautiously optimistic about the ‘modeled’ EPs in the new RD700GX. After working with the 700GX for a week I came to the conclusion the EPs offered nothing usable for me. Had they been on the level of Mr Ray 73 or Lounge Lizard, I’d probably own a 700GX. I am cautiously optimistic about the V-Piano and look forward to playing one (if I can find one).

I might well be in the market for a V-Piano IF it’s an outstanding instrument. It has to top my software pianos. But I’m expecting issues. Roland does have, IMO, a good track record for continuous improvements. The Fantom and V-Synth have had numerous, free updates.
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01-28-09 / 11:53 PM : Apple : iPhone multitouch interaction patent (cjed)
While Apple won the rights about a 358 pages patent dealing with iPhone multitouch interaction, Macgeneration provides an interesting interview on that topic.
Moreover, Apple succeeded on another point, the incoming of a past leader from IBM hardware division.
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01-26-09 / 10:58 PM : NI Acoustic Refractions soundpack (cjed)
Native Instruments released ACOUSTIC REFRACTIONS, a new Kore Soundpack, based on ABSynth, FM8 and Kontakt (samples) KORE modules. The 100 included sounds are morphings from base elements created with ABSynth and FM8, and from 500 Mb original texture samples : ice instruments, spinning washing machines, traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge, carpets being ripped, underground parking garages, and rain on a car windshield. Then we are close to Omnisphere concept. The provided demos are great (notably Morning Lullaby and Train Wreck, whose bass line reminds a song from Myst 2/Riven).
It is priced 79$ (through download).
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01-26-09 / 10:42 PM : AF : Korg M-50 review (cjed)
Audiofanzine provides a full review of Korg M-50. However, globally, the provided samples are far more less convincing (except this arrangement) than the test made during Salon de la Musique. A D-50 does better, and even a D-20 for some sounds. We are very far from the JV and XV quality (notably for orchestral stuff, and even for electric guitars).
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01-23-09 / 10:10 PM : GForce impOSCar 2 (cjed)
GForce presented impOSCar 2, that brings le PWM (Pulse Width Modulation, as with the D-20 and D-50) on both oscillators, additional LFOs, new modulation and routing options, a pink noise generator, an enhanced arpeggiator, a revamped interface (3 sizes available), etc. Video demos are provided, and an upgrade plan from the first version of impOSCar is planned (no pricing yet, nor release date, but the MusikMesse timeframe is suggested).
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01-22-09 / 11:28 PM : EastWest SILK demos available (cjed)
Demos of SILK are now available on the description page at soundsonline. The first reviews about these are very positive (and the verb is PLAY :-)). Ethno World 4 still included phrases besides the playable instruments, in order to show the particular playing techniques.
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01-22-09 / 11:07 PM : EastWest PLAY 1.1.13 update (cjed)
EastWest provides a 1.1.13 update to PLAY. We can read the details here :
- added impulse responses for convolution reverb
- fixed doubling of drop down menus in Pro Tools 8
- fixed crash when turning streaming on/off with certain instruments
- PLAY window can be moved in Logic 7 at lower resolutions
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01-22-09 / 10:58 PM : Korg M3 Xpanded : original piano is back (cjed)
Quickly after the M50 release, Korg provided for free sounds/samples extensions for the M3. Now they add a 4th extension (EX-USB-PCM04), but it only includes (brings back) the original piano samples from the M3 1.0 verison, that had been removed (the free EX-USB-PCM03 extension added a larger 4 velocity layers piano).
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01-22-09 / 10:41 PM : Apple : security Guide for MacOSX (cjed)
Apple published a security guide for MacOSX. It is very comprehensive (260 pages), very technical, and targeted for advanced administrators, for sensible context (administrations, defense, etc.) :
This document is intended for use by security professionals in sensitive environments. Implementing the techniques and setting found in this document will impact system functionality and may not be appropriate for every user or environment.

The document introductory lists the new security features added by Leopard :

Better Trojan horse protection. Mac OS X Leopard marks files that are downloaded to help prevent users from running malicious downloaded applications.

Stronger runtime security. New technologies such as library randomization and sandboxing help prevent attacks that hijack or modify the software on your system.

Easier network security. After you’ve activated the new Mac OS X Leopard application firewall, it configures itself so you get the benefits of firewall protection without needing to understand the details of network ports and protocols.

Improved secure connectivity. Virtual private network (VPN) support has been enhanced to connect to more of the most popular VPN servers without additional software.

Meaningful security alerts. When users receive security alerts and questions too frequently, they may fall into reflexive mode when the system asks a security-related question, clicking OK without thought. Mac OS X Leopard minimizes the number of security alerts that you see, so when you do see one, it gets your attention.
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01-22-09 / 10:28 PM : Apple record results (cjed)
Apple published record results (historical, as we have been used from year to year) for the first 2009 fiscal quarter : 12 billions $ of revenue and 2,3 billions $ of net income (and 34,7% of gross margin), while most companies like Intel see their profit droping from 90%.
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01-22-09 / 10:17 PM : HTC G2 : keyboard finally not good ? (cjed)
Gizmodo published photos of the upcoming HTC G2. This phone finally removes the physical keyboard (that was said not to be even practical)... so Apple did right two years ago with the iPhone :-) ? Still no real challenger, even considering the old Apple hardware chief (that didn't accept the move to Intel) in charge of the development of new Palm phones.
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01-21-09 / 11:47 PM : Flight Stunts : action air game (cjed)
Flight Stunts is a new air sim game for iPhone, targeted for fun action (contrary to X-Plane). It provides 20 various missions, in many environments (including modeled buildings). It is expected in a few days on the AppStore. We can still watch a video here.
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01-21-09 / 11:40 PM : 1112 Episode 01 Lite / HydroTilt Lite / LightBike (cjed)
A lite version of the adventure game 1112 Episode 01 is available at the AppStore. We can also find a lite version of HydroTilt (5 levels among the 30 levels of the full version), and LightBike Free (only one level in that lite version), a Tron like game.
Finally Rolando price drops from 9,99$ to 5,99$.
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01-21-09 / 11:16 PM : Gish creator interview/No Quarter/Gish2 (cjed)
The site rockpapershotgun.com provides an interview of famous Gish game's creator, presents his next game, No Quarter, his work on flash, and the development status of Gish 2.
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01-21-09 / 11:11 PM : QuickTime 7.6 available (cjed)
QuickTime 7.6 is available through Apple's site or system software udpate. It fixes some security holes and brings better quality of H264 single pass video encoding (also enhances AAC encoding).
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01-21-09 / 12:47 AM : Garritan World Instrument collection / AKAI EWI (cjed)
Finally Garritan presented a new library (ethnic), Garritan World Instrument collection, that includes the following instruments families : flutes (native American flutes, bamboo flues, Irish flutes, Chinese and Japanese flutes, Indian flutes, clay flutes, pan flutes, nose flutes), percussions (Taiko drums, Gamelan ensemble, Log drums, tablas, ewe drums, balaphon, Udu drum, talking drum, steel drums, Latin percussion), plucked and bowed strings (including Indian Sitars, Japanese koto and shamisen, African kora, Middle Eastern oud and santoor, and erhu). We also find a didgeridoo, Middle Eastern reed instruments, accordions, Tibetan bowls, harmonium.
The temperament can be adjusted, as well as the playing (dynamics, vibrato, tongue/slur techniques, airflow, auto legato, auto-variability, auto-portamento, trills), and wind instruments can be controlled using a breath controller like the new AKAI EWI USB one. Pricing will also be provided later.
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01-21-09 / 12:32 AM : Garritan Orchestral Strings 2 (cjed)
Garritan also unveiled Garritan Orchestral Strings 2, that will be available during the first quarter (pricing will be provided later). This library includes solo strings instruments (Stradivari violin, solo Pallotta viola, solo Gofriller cello, solo Amati double-Bass), sections (1st violin section, 2nd violin section, viola section, cello section, double-Bass section), and Full strings. Ther ARIA player offers a new dynamic morphing feature between articulations, that allows to control the amount of vibrato. Provided articulations are : sustains (many), staccato, marcato, spiccato, martelle, pizzicato, sautille, portamento, ricochet, col legno, tremolo, trills (many intervals), harmonics, altra corda, con sordino.
Some advanced playing effects are available (Penderecki), as well as advanced settings : bow position control (sul tasto and sul ponticelli), up and down bowing, realistic legato and portamento, body/sympathetic resonance behavior modeling, adjustable noise (bow, pluck and snap noise) and controllable loose/tight articulations.
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01-21-09 / 12:17 AM : Garritan Personal Orchestra 4th Edition (cjed)
Garritan presented during the NAMM Personal Orchestra 4th Edition, based on its new 64 bits ARIA player. It includes strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, keyboards (including a Steinway piano), Stradivari violin (with controllable vibrato), brass sounds - new in GPO - derived from Project SAM library (solo and sections), concert harps, celesta, concert pipe organ, etc. It is priced 149$ (through download).
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01-19-09 / 11:47 PM : Cubase 5 : VST Expression / Cocoa (cjed)
Steinberg presented Cubase 5 (600 euros, and 400 euros for the Studio version). It includes new Loops and Beat tools (LoopMash, Groove Agent ONE, Beat Designer), pitch correction plugins (VariAudio for voice and PitchCorrect for instruments), a VST3 convolution reverb, and an easy articulations management for samples libraries thanks to VST Expression (a 90 days trial version of HALion Symphonic Orchestra is bundled). The included Expression Set 01 brings 14 new instruments that feature multiples articulations : Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass, Fretless Bass, Pick Bass, Nylon Guitar, Steel Guitar, Clean Guitar, Distortion Guitars 1&2, Solid Guitar, Tenor Sax, Solo Trumpet, Brass Section and Large String Section.
Finally the MacOSX version has been completely rewritten in Cocoa, paving the way for easy 64 bits management. The 64 bits support will indeed be added by a later 5.5 update.
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01-18-09 / 10:24 PM : Yamaha SY99 demo : still impressive (cjed)
We can watch at youtube a stunning demo of impressive patchs from the old Yamaha SY99 (shipped in 1991). I remember a man in a shop that demoed it (he also did great demos of the SY77 before, and YS200 and V50 even before, and SY85 later) !
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01-18-09 / 10:05 PM : EastWest RA PLAY version / Sillk (cjed)
The PLAY version of RA has also been announced for January, 26 (special price, 355$, 395$ later), and the crossgrade from the NI version is priced 99$ (149$ later).
From a soundsonline forums thread, it seems the common instruments (Erhu, Duduk) in the new Silk ethnic library offer more articulations than with RA.
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01-18-09 / 09:32 PM : Roland V-Piano (cjed)
Roland presented the V-Piano, that uses same principles as Pianoteq : full modeling of piano elements (no samples), leading to better expression (no sample layer switching). As with Pianoteq, completely original sounds can be created. Globally the V-Piano sound seems richer, with a rounder and more convincing attack. It features the new Progressive Hammer Action III Ivory feel Keyboard with Escapement, and includes a sequencer and additional GM2 sound module. The pricing isn't available for now, but considering the MIDI out, it could be a high end master keyboard.
Besides the 4 great Roland videos (in H.264/AAC), we can watch some demos from the NAMM (here and there). A dedicated site is being developed.
Then, is it the return of historic companies, that master integrating of hardware (keyboard, converters, DSP) and software (PCs processors are general purpose, so they can't provide the same power - ie the latency is higher and global performance isn't stable) ?
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01-17-09 / 11:57 PM : iPhone Bugdom2 2.0 / Cube 1.5 (cjed)
Pangea Software provides a major 2.0 update (free) to the iPhone version of Bugdom 2. It includes a new optional control mode based on a virtual gamepad, useful for some levels. However the accelerometer is required for some special levels (Gutter and Balsa Airplane), as it is better suited.
Finally the Cube FPS has been updated to 1.5 version, that brings a new control scheme, better performance, and fixes a bug that prevented display of multiplayer servers.
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01-17-09 / 11:44 PM : X-Plane 9.06 : new scenery & more (cjed)
A sixth update of X-Plane for iPhone is available for free at the AppStore. The previous update added more planes. This time the major expectations have been met : new scenery (San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Southern California, the Grand Canyon, Catalina Island, and Hawaii), better textures rendering and more various landscapes. The framerate also has been improved, and the flight model is more accurate. We can read the details on the dedicated web site.
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01-17-09 / 05:41 PM : iPhone FreeDrumPad/Burning Tires/Toy Tanks (cjed)
Among new applications and games at the AppStore we can find FreeDrumPad, and two new games from FishLabs (editor of Powerboat Challenge 3D) : Burning Tires Lite and Toy Tanks 3D Lite.
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01-17-09 / 05:34 PM : iPhone : SlotZ Racer & Zero Chance (cjed)
SlotZ Racer from Freeverse is finally available on the AppStore, priced 0,99$ (2,99$ later). First articles and user reviews are very positive (see details here). A new 3D game (that reminds Descent), ZERO CHANCE (do a search of the full name in upper-case in iTunes), is also available for 3,99$ (we can watch a video here).
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01-17-09 / 02:10 AM : Roland VP770 / SuperNATURAL ARX-03 Brass (cjed)
Roland presented the VP770, that includes (besides original VP-550 strings and choirs ensembles) a new SuperNATURAL modeling (for Brass sounds). The SuperNATURAL ARX-03 Brass extension is also available for Phantom G (see details here).
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01-17-09 / 01:57 AM : EWQL Silk : extension to RA (cjed)
EastWest also presented Quantum Leap Silk, an ethnic library (PLAY based) that can be seen as an extension to RA (but doesn't require it). It includes 25 instruments (20 Gb of samples) and 5Gb of phrases. Among the instruments (persian, china, indian) we can find Erhu and Duduk, that were still present in RA. The library is priced 535$.
As expected the min requirement for mac is now a G5.
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01-17-09 / 01:48 AM : EastWest PLAY 2 / SC Play / SD2 Pro (cjed)
EastWest unveiled PLAY 2, that provides deep editing (mapping, scripts, etc.). A PLAY version of Symphonic Choirs is also available, that includes WordBuilder (features a slightly revamped interface).
Finally an extension to Stormdrum 2, SD 2 Pro, is available for 149$. It includes 2,5Gb of new samples and 1,5Gb of loops.
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01-17-09 / 01:38 AM : Spectrasonics Omnisphere sound update/Trilian (cjed)
Spectrasonics provides for free an update to Omnisphere, that brings 2000 new patchs (2000 initially).
The successor to Trilogy, Trilian, has also been presented. It is expected to ship in May, and is priced 299$.
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01-17-09 / 01:29 AM : NAMM : Ableton Live 8 (cjed)
Ableton presented Live 8 during the NAMM 2009 : new groove engine, new warping engine, looper, new effects, workflow enhancements. A video is available.
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01-17-09 / 01:20 AM : AppStore : 15000 apps/500 millions downloads (cjed)
Apple announced 500 millions of downloads on the AppStore since its opening in July, and 15 000 softwares available. Google Android Market is far behind : The App Store launched with over 500 applications; Android with 62. Now, over one month into Android Market, we have yet to see even 500 Android applications available for download, with the most recent analysis placing total count at just 472.
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01-15-09 / 12:08 AM : Snow Leopard : a little revamped Aqua ? (cjed)
Macrumors think that Snow Leopard could use a refined Aqua user theme. We still expected that, as it was done for all OSX revisions, with some good things and some not so good : better dialogs, toolbars and windows in Leopard (also better drop menus), but derouting menu bar, and unatractive folders icons (were great in first OSX versions), leading to use of list view most of the time.
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01-14-09 / 12:15 AM : iCine for iPhone (cjed)
Following the iPhone targeted version of the Allocine website, and Premiere standalone iPhone application, we can now discover iCine, that brings same features as Premiere (localization of theatres using GPS, resumes, reviews, trailers), but also adds an offline mode. Both applications are free.
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01-13-09 / 11:48 PM : iPhone : Hellfire / Paper Pilot (cjed)
Two new air simulation games ara available for iPhone : Hellfire, a combat chopter simulator (with missions) - watch the video here -, and Paper Pilot (2,99$ at the AppStore), that allows to take control of a paper plane in a 3D modeled interior environment (with advanced lightning).
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01-13-09 / 11:32 PM : NI : announces and NAMM 2009 start January, 15 (cjed)
Native Instruments states that it will make three important announcements during the Winter NAMM 2009 opening, on January, 15 :Good things come in threes, so there will be news for producers, guitarists, and DJs alike, including one creativity-inspiring innovation you don't want to miss. About composers, we can still thank NI for having provided for free the Kore Soundpack Compilation Vol1 - 93 sounds -, and for some great sounds bundled with Kore Player (50 sounds).
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01-13-09 / 11:19 PM : EdgeSounds : Pipe Organ (cjed)
EdgeSounds presents Pipe Organ, a 4,2 Gb samples library (24bits/96 Khz) for Kontakt 2 and GigaStudio. It features a German pipe organ built in late 1970's (20 sound banks included). It is priced 99,95$. Audio demos are available.
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01-12-09 / 11:34 PM : iPhone games prices drops : Brothers In Arms (cjed)
At the toucharcade.com page that monitors AppStore games/applications prices drops, we can see that the game Brothers In Arms is now 5,99$ (from 9,99$). Dizzy Bee 2 price is now 2,99$ (was 4,99$).
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01-12-09 / 11:10 PM : EZDrummer Jazz EZX/Superior 2 crossgrade (cjed)
Toontrack presented a new expansion for EZDrummer, Jazz EZX. Audio demos are available. An EZDrummer crossgrade to Superior Drummer 2.0 (20 Gb of 24 bits samples - 1Gb of 16 bits samples in EZDrummer) is provided for 249$ (349$ base price). It requires a dual 1,25Ghz G4.
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01-10-09 / 12:48 AM : Sonart Yamaha C7 Grand Piano free ! (cjed)
Sonart provides for free at download, YAMAHA C7 GRAND PIANO. This piano library includes 800 samples (1,68 Gb, 20 velocity levels) and was previously priced 89$ (Kontakt 1 & 2.1, EXS24, Giga 2, Giga 3 and HALion formats). The provided rar archive weights 360 Mb and uses 2,5 Gb on disk once uncompressed (1,68 Gb for Kontakt format and 826 Mb for Giga format). Audio demos are also available.
That is the third gift for that new year, following NI Kore soundpack Compilation Vol1 and Ueberschall Season Greetings.
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01-10-09 / 12:37 AM : Quake Live preview (cjed)
A preview of Quake Live is available here. That version, free and operating from a web browser, offers the same technical specifications as Quake III (similar rendering quality).
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01-10-09 / 12:22 AM : Various LCD quality also from Apple (cjed)
We remember the Samsung displays LCD various quality. We could suppose that such unfair trick was widely spread in the industry (a product's reference doesn't mean so much these days). It seems even Apple does that for entry line models (new MacBook), as reported by lesnumeriques.com (also unveiled the Samsung case two years ago).
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01-10-09 / 12:11 AM : PowerVR SGX543 / iPhone OS 3.0 and OpenCL ? (cjed)
During CES 2009, Imagination Technologies presented the PowerVR SGX543, the latest chipset from the family used on the iPhone. This new version can be scaled (multi-core) and supports GPGPU acceleration (CUDA, OpenCL). Then a 3.0 version of iPhone OS including OpenCL management could be unveiled after Snow Leopard introduction.
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01-08-09 / 10:39 PM : DeSmuME 0.9 available (cjed)
A new version, 0.9, of Nintendo DS emulator DeSmuME is available. It is faster and offers extended compatibility : hundreds of new code improvements: We now have an almost 100% reworked 3D core, which is shared amongst all ports for the first time, and have better save states. Compatibility has been improved across the board. The huge number of reworked systems and small fixes is noticeable on some games and homebrew games are running better–or even running at all for the first time.
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01-08-09 / 01:15 AM : Edge for iPhone / Toy Bot Diarie 3 (cjed)
The game Edge, that reminds Marble Madness (but uses a cube instead, is more dynamic and features volontary Tron like minimalist graphics), is finally available at the AppStore (5,99$). It contains 26 levels and 13 futuristic musics that seem great from first reviews (the game is said however to be a little too easy - can be completed in a few hours). We can watch a stunning video here.

We can also find since mid-December the third episode of Toy Bot Diaries (3,99$), that this time takes place in space/space station, and is longer than the previous titles.
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01-07-09 / 01:12 AM : iLife/iWork9/MacBookPro 17'/later 25 year anniversary ? (cjed)
Apple also presented iLife 09, iWork 09, and a new MacBook Pro 17'.
It is the first keynote with so few announcements, as we expected at least new imacs fitted with the new Intel processors. We can then expect these announces later, during the Macintosh 25 years anniversary.
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01-07-09 / 12:45 AM : iTunes Plus : 8 millions DRM free songs (cjed)
During the Macworld Expo keynote, Apple a announced an extended catalog of DRM free songs with 256 kb/s encoding (iTunes Plus, that was previously limited to EMI titles) : now 8 millions songs from all majors are available in that format. They were previously priced 1,29$ (99$ for DRM songs at 128 kb). Pricing is now variable (obtained by majors after pressure on Apple) : 1,29$ for new releases and most demanded songs, 99 cents for other songs aged less than 6 years, and 69 cents for some songs (older and/or less demanded).

Apple stated that the proportion of songs at 69 cents will be higher than those from the two other categories. However the majors don't care about the number of different references they sold, what they are interested in is to sell a lot of a few titles, new realease and some very famous songs, priced max.

Moreover it is now possible to buy music at the ITMS from an iPhone using the cell network (3G). Before it was restricted to Wifi connections.s
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01-05-09 / 11:46 PM : Debugging Cappuccino Using Safari (cjed)
A new article in the Learn section of Cappuccino.org presents the configuration of debugging from Safari, using the developer version of the browser (WebKit, adds a Develop menu).
Then testing of CP2JavaWS should be easier (was done using basic alert...). The try of Firefox's firebug plugin wasn't really satisfying.
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01-05-09 / 03:52 AM : CP2JavaWS : Cappuccino/Java services bridge (cjed)
CP2JavaWS is a bridge between Cappuccino rich desktop applications and Java services deployed on a web server. It consists of a proxy (client side) and a servlet (server side), and manages parameters namespace, encoding, ordering and JSONP (cross-domain) if needed.
An early beta version can be found at the project's sourceforge page (includes working examples). This framework is provided under the GNU LGPL license (a copy is included, as copyrights in source files).

Usage
On the client-side :
var endPoint = [CP2JavaWSEndPoint createForURL:@"http://localhost:8080/CP2JavaWSServletTest/CP2JavaWSEndpoint1"];
var remoteService = [endPoint proxyForJavaServiceInterface:@"com.cp2javaws.demo.services.IDemoService1" delegate:self sameDomain:false];
//[remoteService addMappingForObjJClass:@"CPMyObject" andJavaClass:@"com.company.MyObject"];
[remoteService method1:@"arg1StringValue" andWithArg2:2 andWithArg3:new Date() delegateRespHandler:@selector(manageServiceMethod1Response:) delegateFailHandler:@selector(manageServiceMethod1Fail:)];

On the server-side :
Just subclass the provided CP2JavaWSJSONServlet servlet and implement the (abstract) method protected Object getService(Class serviceInterface).

Limitations
- support for custom objects is limited in this first (early) release : deserialization and serialization of complex objets works on the server side (JSON value from request parameters and JSON value returned by the servlet), but it isn't fully fonctionnal on the client side (also due to the reason below).
-as Cappuccino Foundation classes and runtime do not yet implement the full Objective-C refection APIs (methodSignatureForSelector isn't implemented and Method-->method_types isn't used), there isn't any mean to check for arguments passed through the proxy during remote service method invocation. In GWT such checking is made against a delcared Java interface for the remote serivce. Once required APIs are available in Cappuccino, we we will be able to check for arguments (count and type) against an Objective-J interface (protocol) delcared for the remote service (will correspond to the remote service Java interface).
- as the service method's signatures aren't available, number arguments (always of class CPNumber and javascript type 'number') can't be accurately recognized : we can't determine from what init method CPNumber instances have been created for example (and afer all there is the problem of arguments passed as primitive values ), so only a provided interface/protocol will help. For now we just check if the number value is an int or a float (and we can't rely on the passed value length - could be higher than the expected type max value). We assume integers as to be java.lang.Integer on the server side (ok because use 4 bytes), and floats as to be java.lang.Double (8 bytes, ok for most high numbers and high precision).
- support for cross-domain (JSONP) is included but still needs some check as jsonData is returned as an untyped javascript object (ok with CPURLConnection, returns a string).

Why using JSON / namespace consideration / CP2JavaWS comparison with GWT / Spring 3 REST servlet
JSON is intended to be used as a simple serialization format for REST exchanges, so it doesn't manage namespace problematics. We can read a useful article about its limitations and read a thread that explores possible extensions for JSON to be namespace aware :
http://blogs.sun.com/bblfish/entry/the_limitations_of_json
http://groups.google.com/group/json-schema/browse_thread/thread/dd1a8c9e55035c67

A more robust solution would have been to use a format such as XStream one, but it would have required an Objective-J implementation of that framework. Like Ojbective-C, Objective-J still provides its own object serialiazation format through coders (objects data are available as CPData). However on the other side (Java server) an implementation would have also been required, and the CP classes definition would be required (for custom complex classes, in order to access to their coder definition), either at runtime or in the generation tool alla GWT if using one. GWT produces javascript serializers for Java objects definitions (their serialization informations) and doesn't rely on an existing coder/decoder format on the client side, so additional information isn't required.

GWT doesn't face this problem as the client code (generated into javascript) is written in Java, so the generation tool can use the same serialization Java APIs (furthermore each service parameter object is defined only once. With CP2JavaWS it has to be defined both in Java and in Objective-J). However the powerful (and fully tested since NeXT era) AppKit/FoundationKit frameworks and Interface Builder available in Cappuccino overcome that little overhead.
Moreover Cappuccino allows mixing Objective-J code and javascript code (in a completely transparent manner, as Objective-C with C/C++ code), what is interesting considering the Objective-J code is compiled (by a JIT pre interpreter) into javascript at runtime.
GWT uses a generation step to allow client-side javascript<-->JSON serializers/deserializers generation, as they have to be static (are javascript code). Objective-J runtime dynamic feature doesn't require any manual generation step, as the end javascript is produced at execution time. The CPJSObjectCreateJSON and CPJSObjectCreateWithJSON methods could even eventually be used from/to Objective-J objects variables as they are finally (after the pre-interpreter work at runtime) converted into javascript.

CP2JavaWS only uses JSON for complex service arguments objects and service return (for both simple and complex result objects). For the former the java type is appended to the request parameter name, not the value (so JSON string value - for complex arguments - is a standard one. Simple argument values are passed as is - not in JSON).
In the service response, as there is no other place to provide the result object type, the class name is prepended to the JSON string (before the starting "{")), so it isn't regular JSON. To have a consistent decoding on the client-side (being able to use the same CPJSObjectCreateWithJSON for simple and complex result object - we then extract recursively each JSObject field and set in as an attribute for the newly created CP class), simple result objects are also encoded into JSON : that string however only contains one property, whose name is fixed ("result").

The Spring project also plans to provide such of REST bridge servlet for Spring 3 version, and the namespace problematics are widely discussed. We can find an example of JSON to Spring beans request parameters mapping servlet here : http://weblogs.java.net/blog/rexyoung/archive/2008/11/how_to_bind_fro.html.

Why not a Java to Objective-J generation tool for Cappuccino, like with GWT ?
I thought about such GWT like Java to Objective-J generation tool when I wrote notes/ideas about CP2JavaWS bridge late December (only for the remote service bridge, the GUI would have still been defined with CP classes and InterfaceBuilder, not in Swing). However I rejected that idea because it is sort of simplification/cheat : on one hand it allows far more easier development of the solution, it can lead to more optimized code (faster because of static code produced, no dynamic feature), it allows writing code in Java (and business objects used as services's parameters and return are declared only one time). But on the other hand it breaks the development cycle and isn't elegant.
After all, what would we say if object-relationnal mapping frameworks required to use a tool to generate some DAO from the mapping files ? Instead they use reflection APIs to dynamically generate objects from mapping description files. I know some implementations (based on the JDO specification) are based on a bytecode enhancement step (to compare with GWT generation step), that allows datastore type abstraction (database, but also filesystem, CICS, etc.) and better performance. But the result is that most people stayed with standard reflection based solutions (notably Hibernate, a defacto standard - not even based initially on any specification...)
Google had no other way to make GWT work than to use a generation step, because their end client code is pure javascript (so no way to implement such remote service proxy). Thanks to Cappuccino Objective-C runtime (converts Objective-J code into javascript at runtime using a JIT pre-interpreter), the proxy could be implemented without requiring a generation step.
The dynamic approach for Cappuccino to remote services seems better for me. s
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01-01-09 / 11:59 PM : iWork RDA version using SproutCore ? (cjed)
Following Google (and soon Microsoft), Apple could unveil a RDA (Rich Desktop Application) of iWork, through SproutCore (still used for MobileMe).
Moreover Steve Wozniak is expected to appear at the January Macworld.
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