Apple Announces 'Hour of Code' 2014 Campaign for Students, Offers Free Programming Workshops in December

Apple today announced that it will once again join Code.org's "Hour of Code" campaign, hosting a free one-hour introduction on the basics of computer programming at various Apple Stores on December 11. The company also plans to host other workshops and special events for Computer Science Education week, from December 8 to 14.



"Hour of Code" is an initiative that's sponsored by non-profit website Code.org, which hosts a variety of tools for learning and teaching programming. Each year, the site hosts a global movement aimed at reaching millions of students through a free workshop that teaches basic programming techniques.

Computer Science Education Week is December 8-14. We're supporting Code.org by hosting workshops and other special events at your local Apple Store. Join us on December 11 for the Hour of Code, a free one-hour introduction to the basics of computer programming.

Along with the one-hour workshop being hosted at many Apple Stores around the world, Apple has also set up special events featuring developers and engineers that will take place over the course of the week in select cities.



The Apple Store in SoHo, New York, for example, will feature the team behind Hopscotch, a visual programming language designed for young programmers, and the Apple Store on Regent Street in London will feature NaturalMotion, the team that has created games like Clumsy Ninja.

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Posted in 2014 at 05:47PM, December 04

This is the ‘first ever’ free international calling plan from a U.S. carrier

FreedomPop on Wednesday announced a brand new offer for smartphone owners who might interested in its free plans: The “first-ever completely free international calling service for smartphones.”

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Posted in 2014 at 05:47PM, November 12

Tech companies need to start putting serious muscle behind supporting net neutrality

After the president announced his plan to ensure net neutrality by reclassifying broadband providers as utilities, my inbox predictably got flooded with hysterical missives from carriers who are warning that forcing them to abide by net neutrality rules would completely destroy the Internet as we know it. Soon afterward, many congressmen and senators started piling on and declaring that this new net neutrality plan was an "Obamacare for the Internet," as Texas Republican Ted Cruz put it.

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Posted in 2014 at 05:47PM, November 10

Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 Build 13F24 to Developers [Mac Blog]

Apple today seeded Mavericks 10.9.5 build 13F24 to developers, just over a week after seeding the fourth OS X 10.9.5 beta, build 13F18, and more than a month after releasing OS X 10.9.4 to the public.



The beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Mac Developer Center.



It is unclear what improvements the 10.9.5 update will bring to Mavericks, but it is likely to include bug fixes and stability enhancements. Apple is asking developers to focus on USB, USB Smart Cards, Graphics, Safari, and Thunderbolt.



Along with working on improvements to Mavericks, Apple is also beta testing OS X Yosemite, which is due to be released in the fall. The last Mavericks update, 10.9.4, added several Wi-Fi fixes and improved wake from sleep reliability.

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Posted in 2014 at 05:47PM, August 27

Apple Job Postings Point Towards Continued Work on Voice Over LTE

Several new job listings suggest Apple is continuing to work on building support for Voice Over LTE (VoLTE) into its line of mobile devices. VoLTE is designed to allow carriers to send voice calls over LTE networks, right alongside data. On the consumer end, this results in higher quality voice calls and faster call connection times.



Subscribers on CDMA networks (Sprint and Verizon) will further benefit from VoLTE, as it allows the simultaneous use of data and voice, something that's not currently possible.





First discovered by LightReading (via Gigaom ) job openings at Apple include Cellular Systems Protocol Engineer and Senior Baseband Audio Engineer. The protocol engineer position requires hands-on experience with VoLTE, among other wireless technologies, while the senior position also asks for experience with the VoLTE specification. Several additional positions also ask for experience with Session Initiation Protocol, which is essential for creating a connection between devices and LTE networks.

The company is currently advertising for a cellular systems protocol engineer, calling for experience with "VoLTE" and "IMS." Other positions are calling for experience with the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) protocol. [...]



Apple is also looking for a senior baseband engineer to work on "cutting-edge" audio for its devices, which will include the Adaptive Multi-Rate Wideband (AMR-WB) speech compression codec, which is part of the VoLTE specification. The engineer will help to "implement, port, and deploy AMR-WB, AMR-NB, CELP, EVRC-B, EVRC, EVS Vocoders, and Jitter Buffers on Mobile devices," according to the ad.

VoLTE is in the early stages of a rollout, with a full implementation hinging on support from both carriers and device makers. In the U.S., carriers have already begun exploring and investing in VoLTE technology. Earlier this year, Verizon Wireless announced plans to roll out Voice Over LTE in 2014, promising "an HD Voice experience."



AT&T and T-Mobile have also announced support for VoLTE on a limited number of devices and in a limited number of markets, also promising higher quality calls. VoLTE is also picking up steam in other countries around the world, with several global carriers now offering support for the technology.



While Apple is posting new job listings related to VoLTE, it is likely the company has been working on the technology for some time, in response to a carrier shift towards VoLTE. Previous reports from 9to5Mac have suggested that Apple may enable support for VoLTE alongside the launch of iOS 8, with support built into the iPhone 6.



Because the Qualcomm LTE chips used in Apple devices since the iPhone 5 natively support voice, it is also possible that existing devices, in addition to the iPhone 6, will be able to offer support for VoLTE following a software update. It does, however, remain unclear if this is a feature that will roll out immediately with the launch of iOS 8 or in a future iOS 8 update in late 2014 or early 2015.

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Posted in 2014 at 05:47PM, August 21

OS X Yosemite to Launch in Late October, 12-inch Retina MacBook and 4K Desktop in the Works

Following an earlier report on the launch of the iPhone 6 and iOS 8, 9to5Mac has released a second report with details on OS X Yosemite and Apple's fall Mac plans. As has been previously mentioned, OS X Yosemite will launch in October, following iOS 8's September release alongside the iPhone 6.



The final Yosemite Developer Preview is expected to be seeded to developers on September 29, with a final golden master build coming around October 10, which suggests a late-October public launch date for Yosemite.





October will also see the potential introduction of the iWatch, as has been widely rumored, and Apple may also be planning to unveil several new products designed to promote Yosemite, including a smaller 12-inch MacBook with a high-resolution display and a new desktop computer, which may be an iMac or a standalone monitor with a 4K resolution screen.



Along with providing a few details on the desktop Retina machine, 9to5Mac's report echoes several details on the 12-inch MacBook previously shared by rumor sites, suggesting it will have a Retina display and a "thinner and slightly lighter aluminum body."

Apple believes that this new Retina MacBook will be a significant step forward in the laptop industry, and it is currently unclear if Apple will label this machine as a smaller MacBook Pro, a new MacBook Air, or as an entirely new line.



While it is possible Apple will market the aforementioned 4K desktop as a "Retina" machine, the technology for true pixel-doubling of the current 27-inch iMac and Thunderbolt Display's 2560 x 1440 resolution is not ready for market.

9to5Mac's sources indicate the 12-inch Retina MacBook and the iMac are on pace to ship in late in the third quarter or in the fourth quarter, but could be pushed back to early 2015, which is in line with recent rumors about the 12-inch Retina MacBook. A report has suggested the notebook's launch will be pushed back due to continued Broadwell delays.



Rumors have also long focused on a possible Retina iMac and/or a 4K display, and back in June, hints of a Retina iMac were found in the OS X Yosemite beta. Less has been said about a potential 4K display in recent months, but an update to Apple's Thunderbolt Display is long overdue.



Along with new Macs, Yosemite's introduction may also include updates to both iMovie and Final Cut Pro to improve support for video captured with 4K cameras.

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Posted in 2014 at 05:47PM, July 23

Hearthstone Expansion 'Curse of Naxxramas' Now Available on iOS and Mac [iOS Blog]

Curse of Naxxramas, the first expansion for Blizzard's popular Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft collectible card game, is now available for download on PCs, Macs, and iPads.



Like Naxxramas in World of Warcraft, Curse of Naxxramas in Hearthstone is a floating necropolis organized into five different wings, including the Arachnid Quarter, Plague Quarter, Military Quarter, Construct Quarter, and Frostwyrm Lair.





Blizzard's Curse of Naxxramas launch event will see one new wing opening each week for approximately a month, beginning with the Arachnid Quarter. Every wing contains enemies and bosses that must be eliminated, and successfully defeating bosses will add new cards to a user's collection. Naxxramas introduces 30 new cards to Hearthstone.

The ancient necropolis Naxxramas, a base of operations for the powerful archlich Kel'Thuzad and his plague-bearing undead host, comes to Hearthstone in a single-player Adventure that anyone can undertake.



Progress through each of the five unique wings of the dungeon and gain new cards for your Hearthstone collection by defeating the iconic bosses you'll face along the way: the oversized arachnid Maexxna, the fungal horror Loatheb, and the shambling abomination Patchwerk are just a few of the horrors awaiting you. Each boss has its own unique cards and hero powers at its disposal to challenge even the most seasoned of card-slinging adventurers.

Curse of Naxxramas includes a unique game board with interactive corners and there are also nine different class challenges to complete.




New cards in Curse of Naxxramas


Players can permanently unlock the Arachnid Quarter for free on all platforms by downloading Naxxramas on any platform, completing the tutorial, and completing a game in the Naxxramas area.



While the Arachnid Quarter is free, subsequent expansions will cost in-game gold or real money to unlock. Each wing is priced at 700 gold or $6.99, but users who participate in the launch event can unlock the full expansion for $19.99. Pricing goes up after the event and there are also various packages available for users who want to purchase content using a combination of in-game gold and money.



Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft for the iPad can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]



Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft for Mac can be downloaded from Blizzard's website for free.

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Posted in 2014 at 05:47PM, July 22