AAPL crosses $200 mark for the first time
On its first day after Dow Jones trading resumed following the Christmas break, Apple stock has crested the symbolic $200 mark -- if temporarily.
Following a brief sell-off, shares climbed steadily and remained above the $200 level for about an hour in mid-afternoon trading, peaking at $200.96. The stock ultimately gained only slightly as the session closed, finishing at $198.95.
The gains are believed by analysts and investors to reflect an optimistic outlook on Apple's iPod sales during the holidays, which are allegedly the only ones
unfazed by a downturn in the media player market as a whole.
Innolux may play role in 3G iPhone
The timing for the 3G iPhone may have been revealed by Taiwanese part supplier Innolux, according to a
report from the region's Economic Daily News picked up by DigiTimes.
The paper refers to "industry sources" who claim Innolux will begin supplying touchscreens for the iPhone during the second quarter of 2008. To date, rival manufacturer Wintek has
enjoyed much of the success along with multiple Japanese companies.
While potentially a coincidence, the timeframe lines up with assertions made by CNBC host Jim Goldman that an iPhone with faster 3G Internet access will be
available by June.
Report: Apple investigating Brooklyn retail location
Apple is strongly considering one of Brooklyn's most upscale districts for its first retail shop in New York City outside of Manhattan and Staten Island, according to
real estate sources in contact with ifo Apple Store.
The Mac maker is said to be considering 345 Adams Street, a public location in the borough's west end of which 40,000 square feet is being converted from offices to retail space.
A Marriott hotel sits nearby, but the space itself is allegedly coveted by several well-known retailers, including Banana Republic, Barney's, and The Gap.
Nokia invites Apple to its Ovi mobile portal
Nokia would be
willing to link its Ovi web portal to the iTunes Store if Apple returns the favor, says one of the Finnish handset maker's board members, Anssi Vanjoki.
"In Finnish, Ovi means door," he says. "And our door is open. Of course, Apple can get into our portal. We even invite [Apple chief] Steve Jobs to do so."
The executive does not elaborate on how such a service would work, however. Protected songs from Apple's music service are incompatible with Nokia's cellphones and would require a license for FairPlay copy protection -- a grant which Apple has historically resisted and provided only once as part of its early attempts at cellphone music.
Motorola's 2005-era ROKR had the ability to play the otherwise locked files through its iTunes client but lost that ability a year later, when Apple changed its protection formats in a way that prevented the playback of newer iTunes purchases.
 (Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze) 'Tis the day after Christmas, and all through the land, people play with gadgets that fit right into the hand. Some tinker with iPods, others play with a Zune, but they have one thought in common: "Can I accessorize soon?" Well, Santa's passed out--it's his first rest all year--so you'll have to get up and find your own audio gear. But before you bundle up to brave the snow, wind, and fog, make sure you check out our iPod accessories blog. CREATIVE ZEN ACCESSORIES * Creative TravelSounds: Get one for the Zen V or the Zen Stone (or--hey--even an iPod). * Creative Universal Power Adapter: Take all of your Zens on a trip around the world. * Creative armbands, wristbands, and skins: For the Zen V, the Zen Stone, and the Zen Stone Plus...or get a three pack of silicone cases for the Zen. * Creative Zen Clear Case: With a belt clip, so your player is never far off. * Speck ToughSkin for Zen V: Is this tiny player a little too sissified for you? Make it rugged! MICROSOFT ZUNE ACCESSORIES * Altec Lansing M604: A nice-sounding speaker system with a remote. * DLO Hip Cases: Stylish leather sleeves for the 30GB Zune and its flash brethren. * DLO Shell for Zune: This clear, polycarbonate case will protect your 30GB player and prop it up perfectly for watching videos. * Zune Car Pack: An FM transmitter for those long trips down the road. * Speck CanvasSport Case: Disguise your Zune as a Chuck Taylor. SAMSUNG YP ACCESSORIES * Samsung BS300 Bluetooth Speaker: This ultraportable wireless speaker is begging to be introduced to your T10 or P2. * Speck ActiveSport Lite Armband: Take your K3 to the gym and burn off those holiday pounds. * Noreve Tradition: This colorful leather case for the T10 is worth an import. * DLO ActionJacket for P2: Elegance does not equal laziness. SANDISK SANSA ACCESSORIES * Altec Lansing inMotion im510: Share the tunes from your Sansa e200. * Speck TechStyle-Capsule: Hide your Sansa Express completely from view. * DLO TransDock Micro for Sansa: Transmit tunes to your car stereo. * DLO JamJackets for Sansa: Protect your c200 or e200 from dust and scratches with this clear silicone case. * Griffin Centerstage for Sansa: Protect your e200 and prop it up for watching video. * DayDeal Fold-Up Amplified Speakers: These will work with any MP3 player, but the small size is particularly suitable for the Sansa Clip. SONY WALKMAN ACCESSORIES *
Filed under: Open Source, Beta Beat  Chances are, some of the Christmas switchers are just now realizing that they've got to find a way to stay in IM-touch with the MSN, Yahoo and other chat service users out there in PC land. Sure, you could run separate clients for each service (or iChat alone for AIM, .Mac and Google Talk/Jabber), but what fun is that? Enter the duck: Adium, the open source and free multiservice chat client. Adium's latest beta, 1.2b5, quacked out the door just before the holiday and is available for download now, as is the 1.1.4 stable release. The 1.2 milestone adds improvements for AppleScript, Bonjour, XMPP, group chat and more; with only a few bugs listed it's probably going to be finished pretty soon (assuming the dev team isn't over-wassailed this week). Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Looking across Apple's entire hardware line, AppleTV sticks out as the product Apple devoted little attention to in 2007. Rumor sites, insiders, and analysts are all predicting major changes for AppleTV in 2008. There are several directions Apple could pursue with AppleTV from a stronger focus on high definition video downloads to an integrated HD-DVD or Blu-ray drive or even PVR functionality. What AppleTV upgrade would persuade you to consider purchasing AppleTV for your home? * The addition of a Blu-ray or HD-DVD drive * Offering higher quality iTunes Movie and TV downloads (720p or better) * Launching an iTunes video rental service * The introduction of basic PVR functionality (think TiVo) * None of the features above would warrant my consideration of AppleTV View Results  Loading If you have any comments about AppleTV please comment below.
Filed under: Apple Financial  Post-holiday investor confidence in Apple's end-of-year performance appears to be high. Way high. Like, all time crazy high. Witness today's intraday price peak for AAPL, rising above $200/share for the first time. There may be more upside to come with the quarterly numbers. Shaw Wu of ATR as quoted by the AP: "It's looking like Apple's most optimistic guidance in eight quarters [forecast sales of $9.2 billion and profit of $1.42 a share] is turning out to be conservative after all." What more is there to say? Well, one more thing: Your Mac Life is offering a chance to win a single share of Apple stock if you pick the day it first closes above $205. Fun! disclaimer: I hold AAPL shares.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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For children, it can lead to tear-rimmed eyes. For adults, it can lead to swearing. And for kittens, it can lead to the loss of pie privileges. Yes, it's the lost mitten--or glove. But have no fear. According to a story in the New York Daily News, a new site for New Yorkers slipped on to the scene up earlier this month: OneColdHand-NYC.com. The purpose of the site is to reunite found mittens and gloves with their rightful owners. Will New Yorkers warm up to the concept? Who knows. But the site's appearance does follow last month's successful introduction of the original OneColdHand.com by Jennifer Gooch, who is working on her master's degree in art Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. Let the sounds of muffled applause fill the land.
For children, it can lead to tear-rimmed eyes. For adults, it can lead to swearing. And for kittens, it can lead to the loss of pie privileges. Yes, it's the lost mitten--or glove. But have no fear. According to a story in the New York Daily News, a new site for New Yorkers slipped on to the scene up earlier this month: OneColdHand-NYC.com. The purpose of the site is to reunite found mittens and gloves with their rightful owners. Will New Yorkers warm up to the concept? Who knows. But the site's appearance does follow last month's successful introduction of the original OneColdHand.com by Jennifer Gooch, who is working on her master's degree in art Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. Let the sounds of muffled applause fill the land.
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Valleywag points us to the Financial Times who is outing Apple (try shutting them down Steve) and 20th Century Fox's love affair on the home movie front. They are the first outted studio to offer movie rentals - most likely to be announced at Macworld. Sony, Paramount, Warner Bros. and, of course, Disney are expected to be announced at the event but others including internationals should follow.
The 