Apple offers Snow Leopard for free to MobileMe subscribers

According to an email from Apple sent to MobileMe subscribers, the company has begun giving away free copies of Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6). Although a seemingly charitable move on the surface, this may actually be a necessary action to keep customers happy. The giveaway appears to be an attempt to convert MobileMe users over to iCloud before the service is laid to rest on June 30, after which time the deal expires.

Currently, only Lion (OS X 10.7) provides official support for iCloud. With the imminent death of MobileMe closing in and Apple's reluctance to integrate iCloud into older versions of Mac OS X, the company has decided upon this convoluted fix -- issue free Snow
Leopard DVDs to all MobileMe customers and let them upgrade to Lion from the Mac App Store for $30.
In 2008, MobileMe was rolled out as a replacement for its six year old predecessor, .Mac. The service offers a number of cloud-centric 

features such as online storage space, data synchronization across multiple devices, online calendar, contacts, email and GPS-based device location services.

Several months ago, Apple unveiled their new iCloud service and announced it would be replacing MobileMe. Subscribers of MobileMe have been able to migrate their accounts to iCloud since the launch of iOS 5 in November. Users who have not upgraded yet will need to do so before June 30 or may run the risk of losing their data.

If you're a MobileMe subscriber and are interested in the Snow Leopard upgrade, visit this link to apply 

Gmail Meter analyzes your e-mail account for patterns, generates stats

A person's e-mail account can offer insight to that particular person. For example, do you promptly reply to other e-mails or do let them stew for a while? Are your replies paragons of brevity or do your replies blossom into complexly flowing, compartmentalized works of artisanally crafted, nuanced literature? Gmail Meter promises to give you greater insight into your Gmail habits and by extension, greater insight into yourself.

Developed by Romain Vialard, Gmail Meter is a Google Apps script which analyzes the contents of your Gmail account and
provides you with statistics like volume data, traffic patterns, response times, word count, thread lengths and even more. In fact, it goes well beyond the shallow insights offered by Google's own Account Activity feature, a free service the company announced a few weeks ago.
As a Google Apps script, Gmail Meter is installed via Google Docs and the statistics are dumped into a Google Docs spreadsheet of your choosing. If you've never installed an app script using Google Docs before (I imagine most people out there have not), the process may seem a little abstract. For that reason, the video below illustrates how to get it installed. For those who would prefer it, check out this thorough, written installation guideover at Google Developers.

The basic premise is make a Google Docs spreadsheet, add the Gmail Meter script to your spreadsheet, include a trigger which will initiate the script, authorize the script to access your Gmail and then patiently wait. This process can take some time, but your perseverance will be rewarded with an e-mail notification letting you know the script did its thing.

Sony launching PlayMemories Online next week with 5GB of free storage

Sony has announced that their media-sharing service will go live next week in six countries. Users in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US will have access to 5GB worth of free media storage starting May 25.

Dubbed PlayMemories Online, the content-sharing service will allow users to upload images and videos from their Sony camera using PlayMemories Home software on either a Windows PC or Mac.

Additionally, pictures can be sent to the service through Android smartphones or tablets using an app that will be downloadable through the Google Play store. Select Sony cameras with built-in WiFi will be able to send photos to handsets or tablets to upload.

Once online, content can be viewed through a number of different outlets. Bravia TV owners and Sony digital picture frame users can stream images directly to each device while gamers have access to the same content using a PSP or PS Vita.

The cloud storage service was originally announced last month, adding Sony’s name into the already plentiful remote storage / sharing market. The Japanese multinational conglomerate is hoping that the ability to access content from a vast number of devices will draw even more customers to their solution. It’s similar to what Apple has in place with iCloud where users can access the same content across all iOS devices.

No word yet on if additional storage will be available to purchase.

Adobe announces Creative Suite 6, moves to subscription pricing

Adobe today announced the latest version of its Creative Suite software package for designers, web developers and other creative professionals. The latest release, CS6, includes updated versions of Photoshop with new content-aware tools and hardware acceleration support, Premier Pro with a much simplified UI and new image stabilizing features, as well as Dreamweaver and Flash with the latest web technologies.

In total there are 19 products available individually or as part of four different CS6 bundles that go from $1,299 to $2,599. The full list of changes and new features in each program is too extensive for a single post, but Adobe has provided the graphic below highlighting some of the most notable ones.

Perhaps the most noteworthy bit of today's announcement is the introduction of a new monthly subscription program that will make the pricey software package more accessible to small businesses and freelancers who may not want to shell out thousands of dollars upfront for a packaged software suite.

Dubbed Creative Cloud, the new subscription plan includes a full compliment of Adobe's Creative Suite 6 apps hosted online for $50 a month with an annual contract or $75 on a month-to-month basis. You'll be able to download run any of its apps on up to two machines (not simultaneously), and receive 20GB of cloud storage to to store and share up to five projects online on Adobe's servers with Dropbox-like sync capabilities.

Creative Cloud will even throw in a few features that are only available for extra montly fees to buyers of a CS6 packaged bundle. This includes Typekit to make sure any font you want to use for a web project is 'web safe', Edge for creating Flash-like interactive websites but powered by standards, and Muse, which lets designers layout websites visually and generate standards-compliant HTML code from their designs.

At $50 per month it would take users more than four years to spend the same amount of money they would by purchasing a new copy of the Adobe Creative Suite 6 Master Collection. That sounds like a decent deal and marks a shift of strategy for Adobe as it looks to retain customers and upsell them new services later on.

Adobe is also offering a team-pricing structure for organizations which will cost $70 per "seat", as well as education version for $30 a month and a $30 limited time deal for CS3, CS4, CS5 and CS5.5 users.

Dropbox improves sharing capabilities with public link feature

Dropbox already offers arguably the simplest solution to synchronize and access your own files across PCs, tablets, and smartphones. Now, the company is taking a step further by making it much easier to share files with others, even those that do not have a Dropbox account. All you need to do is share a public link.

This is just an extension of Dropbox's existing sharing capabilities but will make a big difference to users of the service. Up until now sharing on Dropbox requiered users to throw files into the Public folder located in its default sync folder and only then they could get a public link for said file. But requiring the use of a special folder meant most users were unaware that the feature existed, the company admits.

The other option was sharing entire folders but this was only possible between Dropbox users.

Starting today, you'll be able to get public links for individual files or entire folders no matter where these are located inside your Dropbox folder, and share them with anyone regardless if they are Dropbox users or not. Creating a link is as simple as right-clicking a file or folder and selecting 'Get link.' Dropbox's mobile apps and the web interface also have this new functionality baked in so you can share from any device.

Anyone who receives the link will be taken to a page where the file can be downloaded or easily previewed inside the browser. The latter supports many kinds of documents, including native Photoshop files, multiple-page PDFs, Word files, high-resolution photos, large video clips, and more.

Microsoft SkyDrive takes on Dropbox with app for Windows and OS X

Google is expected launch its cloud storage service any time now and Microsoft's competing service SkyDrive received a major overhaul to prepare for battle. Similar to Dropbox, Skydrive now has dedicated apps for Windows and OS X, which integrate right into the OS by creating a folder where users can drag-and-drop files and have them automatically uploaded to their online lockers and synchronized accross devices.

The move essentially combines the product part of Microsoft's consumer cloud strategy (Live Mesh) with the service side (SkyDrive) to offer a simplified cloud storage solution. Not all of Mesh's features have been incorporated into the new client, however, and the amount of storage offered for free to new users has been cut down from 25GB to 7GB, with paid options at $10, $25 and $50 per year for 20GB, 50GB or 100GB.

That's still not a bad deal considering rival services such as Dropbox charge $99 or $199 a year for 50GB or 100GB of storage, respectively. Furthermore, any users that signed up for SkyDrive before April 22 and have uploaded at least one file to the service, can get a free upgrade to 25GB by going to the Manage Storage page at SkyDrive.com. Existing users with at least 4GB uploaded will pick up the 25GB update automatically.

Microsoft also updated its SkyDrive apps for Windows Phone and iOS, and of course, you can still get access to your files anytime from any computer by signing in to SkyDrive.com using a browser.

Another key feature is the ability to remotely "fetch" files that are outside of the SkyDrive folder on any Windows PC. As long as the computer is on and running SkyDrive, you can browse and access any file on your disk from anywhere (after a two-step authentication process), just like you would if you were sitting in front of that PC.

It's unclear if Microsoft’s Live Mesh service will be shut down as customers transition to SkyDrive and if other features, like the ability to sync Internet Explorer settings, will be ported over to the new client.

You can download the new Skydrive client apps for Windows and OS X here.

Microsoft to showcase cross-platform Spotify competitor at E3 2012

Microsoft is expected to preview their new music service during E3 2012. Sources familiar with the company’s plans say the Zune replacement will be a cross-platform service that works on browsers in Android, iOS, Windows 8 and on the Xbox 360.

Codename Woodstock, the service will allow users to share tracks and create group playlists alongside heavy integration with Facebook. There could also be a “scan and match” function similar to iTunes Match that would let users scan their existing music library and match it with higher quality offerings.

The service will likely be a direct competitor to Spotify and since tracks will be playable in a browser without any special plug-ins, it could be more versatile than its rival. Spotify requires users to download a desktop or mobile client to use.

It’s clear that Microsoft is serious about transforming the Xbox into a full-fledged entertainment center. Woodstock would further bolster the system’s streaming capabilities that already include services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Recent deals with Comcast and Verizon further strengthen the entertainment bundle.

Despite showing the software at E3, The Verge doesn’t expect Microsoft to launch Woodstock until later this year to coincide with the release of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices. There is no word yet on how much the service might cost but we expect it to be in line with Spotify’s current asking price. Zune Pass subscribers will likely be able to keep their subscription or migrate to the new service, the publication says.

Valve confirms Steam and Source engine for Linux

It's been a long wait but it looks like Linux users will finally get some native gaming action on Steam soon, according to Michael Larabel of Phoronix. Despite denying the existence of a port last year, the revelation comes straight from Valve's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, where Larabel met with Gabe Newell to discuss their plans for the open source operating system.

Apparently Valve has been working towards a Linux port of both the Steam service and Source engine for a while, but given the company's flat structure and absence of managers assigning tasks, there has been no real direction and focus on the project -- like some of you joked when the employee handbook leaked. Developers worked on the Linux client when they could and wanted to, but now Newell has become personally involved in the project, prompted by a seemingly newfound love for Linux and his disappointment of Windows 8.

According to Phoronix, Valve has already hired at least one Linux OpenGL developer and is looking to hire more. Exactly when the Linux version of Steam will arrive is unclear, but the photo above offers some proof of progress, showing Left 4 Dead 2 running natively on Ubuntu 11.10 with AMD Catalysts drivers.

Larabel says Valve chose Left 4 Dead 2 for their initial port because of its stable codebase, but once the Source engine has been successfully ported other AAA games will follow. The company also plans to lobby other game developers using Steam and the Source Engine to bring their games to Linux natively.

Lastly, the report claims Valve and Gabe Newell's interest in Linux goes beyond what would be expected of any normal game company. Though Larabel didn't elaborate on that, one possibility is that the company might be looking into Linux to power its "open hardware platforms", which they recently expressed an interest in, to create 'mobile and living-room devices' as an alternative to existing proprietary console technologies.

Firefox 12 released with long-awaited automatic updates

Mozilla has released the latest version of Firefox which, among other changes, introduces automatic updates on Windows. After updating Firefox 12, the browser should download and install future builds entirely on its own. This offers at least two immediate benefits: you'll have one less application nagging you about updates, and it should put Mozilla on track to having a less fragmented installed base.

Those points are especially relevant since the developer initiated its rapid-fire six-week release cycle in early 2011. Of course, if you'd rather not receive updates automatically, you can quickly the
disable the feature in the advanced options (Firefox button > Options > Advanced). In that menu, you can configure the browser to notify you about (but not install) new versions, or to simply ignore all updates.

Download Firefox 12: Windows | OS X

Firefox 12 also brings other improvements, including better WebGL performance on certain Macs (courtesy of a bug fix) and the ability to start downloads by pasting a file's URL into Firefox's download manager. You'll also find support for line breaks in the title attribute as well as line numbers in a page's source code. Mozilla also mentions 85 improvements to built-in developer tools and these security fixes:

• MFSA 2012-33 (High) Potential site identity spoofing when loading RSS and Atom feeds
• MFSA 2012-32 (Moderate) HTTP Redirections and remote content can be read by javascript errors
• MFSA 2012-31 (Critical) Off-by-one error in OpenType Sanitizer
• MFSA 2012-30 (Critical) Crash with WebGL content using textImage2D
• MFSA 2012-29 (Moderate) Potential XSS through ISO-2022-KR/ISO-2022-CN decoding issues
• MFSA 2012-28 (Moderate) Ambiguous IPv6 in Origin headers may bypass webserver access restrictions
• MFSA 2012-27 (High) Page load short-circuit can lead to XSS
• MFSA 2012-26 (High) WebGL.drawElements may read illegal VRAM due to FindMaxUshortElement error
• MFSA 2012-25 (Critical) Potential memory corruption during font rendering using cairo-dwrite
• MFSA 2012-24 (High) Potential XSS via multibyte content processing errors
• MFSA 2012-23 (Critical) Invalid frees causes heap corruption in gfxImageSurface
• MFSA 2012-22 (Critical) use-after-free in IDBKeyRange
• MFSA 2012-21 (Critical) Multiple security flaws fixed in FreeType v2.4.9
• MFSA 2012-20 (Critical) Miscellaneous memory safety hazards (rv:12.0/ rv:10.0.4)

Microsoft Security Essentials 4.0 released, free anti-virus without the nag

Microsoft has just released version 4.0 of its free anti-virus utility, Microsoft Security Essentials. Since MSSE's release in 2009, its effectiveness, speed and features have been well-received. As a result, the anti-virus program enjoys a great deal of popularityin the U.S. and remains a TechSpot Editor's Pick along with two other solid, free AV offerings: Avast!and Avira.

A Microsoft spokesperson had this to say about the new release:

This update to Microsoft Security Essentials is part of the standard product update release cycle. This service update contains product enhancements to improve performance and user experience. We have improved on Microsoft Security Essentials' Automatic Remediation, which will automatically quarantine highly harmful threats without prompting the user to take action as well as minor bug fixes in set up, malware remediation and other areas."

Source: cnet.com

In beta since late 2011, the final release of MSSE 4.0 brings users a familiar but updated interface and "enhanced automatic remediation". In plain English, this means MSSE will now immediately quarantine files that it believes are high-risk, rather than waiting for user intervention. As we have all discovered by now, anti-virus utilities aren't absolutely correct 100 percent of the time, but this feature aims to limit the amount of damage done during the lag time between the introduction of a dangerous file and the user's reaction.

Spynet, which was introduced with Windows Defender in Vista, has been replaced with MAPS (Microsoft Active Protection Services). However, there is no indication this is more than just a name change for the community-based detection service.

The latest release of MSSE is supposed to be pushed out automagically through the Automatic Windows Update service. However, based upon past experiences of others and myself, major MSSE version upgrades have remained a manual installation-only affair. Current MSSE users, especially using 2.0 or earlier, should consider upgrading manually.

Also, in order to install MSSE, your installation of Windows must pass the Windows Genuine Advantage validation. If you're running a pirated version of Windows -- as always -- you do so at your own peril. 

• Download Microsoft Security Essentials 4.0 for Windows XP, Vista & 7

Catalyst 12.4 brings anti-aliasing improvements, XP support for HD 7000

Like clockwork, AMD has unleashed its monthly driver update for Radeon owners, bringing new features and the obligatory list of bug fixes. Among the more notable additions is support for the Radeon HD 7000 series on Windows XP -- something missing in previous versions. AMD also promises various image quality enhancements when using super sampling anti-aliasing, morphological anti-aliasing and texture filtering in certain situations:

Super Sampling Anti-Aliasing: Level of Detail (LOD) Image Quality Enhancements

• Supported on the Radeon HD 7000 series.
• LOD Image quality enhancements have been improved when enabling super sample anti-aliasing and adaptive anti-aliasing through the Catalyst Control Center for DX10 and DX11 applications.
• Applications must support in game anti-aliasing for the feature to work (forced AA through the CCC is not supported for DX10 and DX11 applications).

Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA): Significant Performance Enhancements

• Supported on the Radeon HD 7000, 6000 and 5000 series.
• MLAA now operates up to 80% faster than previous versions.

Texture Filtering Quality Improvements

• Supported on the Radeon HD 7000 series.
• Improvements have been made to the texture filtering algorithm (for DX9, DX10 and DX11 applications) to increase the quality of rendered textures, with no impact to performance.

Bug fixes are aplenty, with around a dozen mentioned for Windows 7 alone. Skyrim no longer hangs on single GPU machines with Catalyst 12.3 CAP1 and later CAP release, nor should you experience flickering square corruption anymore. VSync is no longer disabled in Rage after task switching, duplicating displays no longer produces random corruption, and tearing should be cleared up when using a third screen in 3x1 and 1x3 Eyefinity setups.

Google Translate used by 200 million people each month

Google has announced via blog post that their Google Translate service is used by more than 200 million people each month. Broken down further, in any given day, Google translates the equivalent to as much text as you’d find in 1 million books.

Franz Och, a research scientist with Google Translate, discusses how Google’s translation service has progressed over the years. In 2001, Google started offering a service that would translate eight different languages to and from English. It used state-of-the-art commercial machine translation (MT) and while it did work, it wasn’t very effective or efficient.

The service didn’t improve much over the next couple of years, either. In 2003, Google made a concerted effort to better the service, hiring Och away from his research position at DARPA. Using the search giant’s massive computing infrastructure, the team was able to get some pretty strong results although it still wasn’t quick enough for practical use. It took Google 40 hours and 1,000 computers to translate 1,000 sentences.

The team continued to optimize the system and only a year later, the service could translate a full sentence every second. The MT approach was unveiled in April 2006 and within the past six years, the translation division has worked on quality and language coverage.

Users can now translate 64 different languages through translate.google.com or via mobile apps and Chrome. The ultimate vision is a world where anyone can consume and share data, regardless of what language it’s presented  in.

Spotify launches long-awaited iPad app

Spotify users are finally getting the native iPad application they've been clamoring for some time. The app is available for free on the App Store, but like the company's existing mobile apps, it requires a $9.99 per month Premium subscription to use. That said, those without a Premium subscription can still try it free for 48 hours and also sign up for a further 30-day trial if they haven't done so in the past.

As you would expect, the app is optimized for the new iPad's Retina display and makes use of the extra screen real estate with high-resolution cover art images that can be scanned with a swipe, as well as menus and playlists presented in a layered UI that's somewhat reminiscent of Twitter for iPad.

Spotify for the iPad also comes with gapless playback and crossfade, two features the streaming music service launched in February, while supporting Apple's AirPlay technology for streaming music on compatible iOS devices and speaker systems. Check out the promo video above for a quick glimpse at some of these features.

The company wouldn't comment on whether an Android tablet version will follow any time soon.

For those unfamiliar with the service, Spotify offers free, ad-supported music streaming on the desktop from a catalog of over 17 million tracks. A $4.99 monthly plan gets rid of the ads and playback limitations, while the $9.99 per month plan enables streaming from mobile phones, tablets and other compatible devices.

Spotify has received plenty of attention since it arrived 10 months ago in the US, and it was already quite popular in Europe prior to that. But they are far form being alone in the music streaming market, with Rhapsody, Slacker, Pandora, Rdio, MOG, and a few others battling it out for a piece of the pie.

Apple rejects Dropbox apps, companies working to resolve differences

First identified as a series of support requests, Dropbox confirmed that Apple has begun rejecting any apps which depend on the Dropbox SDK. The problem purportedly stems from both recent changes in the Dropbox SDK and Apple's exhaustive developer agreement terms.

At the heart of the matter is Apple's prohibition on in-app purchases; moreover, purchases which attempt to bypass the App Store.

Hoping to receive a healthy 30 percent cut of in-app revenue, Apple requires developers to delegate micro-transactions and other in-app purchases to the App Store. If developers break the regulation or try
to cleverly work around it like Amazon and Sony have tried (e.g. opening Safari to purchase items outside of the app) their app can and most likely will be rejected.

The terms which spell out this agreement for developers are nothing new. In fact, the terms have been in the app review agreement for well over a year now. However, Apple did make one recent change -- the company has extended this policy to include in-app subscriptions. 

Apps that link to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions to be used in the app, such as a "buy" button that goes to a web site to purchase a digital book, will be rejected.

Source: macstories.net, Apple App Store review guidelines

Since Dropbox offers a paid subscription service that can be purchased via apps which feature Dropbox integration, Apple began rejecting those apps.

In response to Apple's heavy-handed curatorship, Dropbox has posted a new version of its SDK which removes the ability to create an account. However, the measure is intended to be temporary. Previously, developers had tried inserting a link which led to a web-based sign up via Safari, but that did not satisfy Apple's terms either.

Currently, Dropbox says it is in talks with Apple in order to produce a solution which will continue to provide an "elegant user experience". 

Amazon Cloud Drive gets desktop app for Mac and Windows

Amazon's Cloud Drive has been around for a while, but yesterday the company made it much easier to upload files from its servers by releasing dedicated apps fow Windows and OS X. The move comes hot on the heels of Google Drive's launch last week and Microsoft revamping its SkyDrive cloud storage solution.

Unlike the aforementioned two, as well as services like Dropbox, Cloud Drive doesn't create a specific folder that syncs its content automatically to your Amazon-hosted storage. Rather, you use a contextual menu or drag files onto the cloud icon in your taskbar to upload them, and have to manually re-upload stuff if you make changes that you want stored in the cloud. When you want to download or manage and move files to appropriate folders on your Cloud Drive account, you have to access the service via a web browser.

There's no support for syncing data between multiple devices using the cloud as an intermediary, and you also don't get any features to share files publicly or with other users. In other words, it’s a simple one-way tool for uploading specific files or folders to the cloud, with the ability to pause or resume interrupted transfers.

We wouldn't be surprised to see Amazon adding some of these features with later builds of the application -- it seems like the way to go if they want to compete with other cloud-based storage providers.

Amazon Cloud Drive comes with 5GB of free storage space and is available to anyone with an account at Amazon.com. You can upgrade to several tiered packages at a dollar per gigabyte: 20GB for $20 a year, 50GB for $50 and so on up to 1000GB. Songs purchased through Amazon MP3 don't count toward your Cloud Drive storage limit on any plan, while paid tiers also allow unlimited storage of digital music acquired elsewhere.

Windows 8 won't support DVD, Blu-ray playback by default

Microsoft has pounded another nail in the coffin for optical media with the revelation that it won't be including DVD playback support by default in Windows 8. With a post on the Building Windows 8 blogyesterday, the company explained that DVD and Blu-ray playback as well as watching broadcast TV on PCs is in decline, and thus it no longer feels that the cost of licensing specialized decoders across all copies of Windows is justified.

Windows Media Player will continue to be offered in all versions of Windows 8 and allow playback for internet video and other files, but without DVD playback capability. Instead, those who need the functionality can purchase the Windows Media Center upgrade separately, or use third-party software.

The Windows Media Center update will be available to Windows 8 customers via the Add Features to Windows 8 control panel (formerly known as Windows Anytime Upgrade), bringing full integration with DVD playback, broadcast TV recording and playback, and VOB file playback. Exactly how much the upgrade will cost should be announced closer to Windows 8's launch, but Microsoft says "it will be in line with marginal costs".

While the move might seem a bit drastic it probably will be just a minor annoyance considering there are tons of free third-party video players out there that support DVD playback, including the popular VLC. Moreover, Windows 8 will run on a variety of form factors that don’t have optical drives to play DVDs, including tablets and ultrabooks, so the decision to avoid paying licensing fees for these devices seems reasonable.

That said, faithful Media Center users will still be disappointed with news that it will be sold as a separated add-on, rather than being integrated into the OS as was the case with the last two releases of Windows.

HTC One X for AT&T now available, sans unlocked bootloader

AT&T has released the HTC One X for purchase on their network but astute buyers have already noticed a glaring issue with the smartphone. It seems that HTC has locked the bootloader on their new flagship phone through AT&T, reneging on a promise that the company made to customers last year.

MoDaCo has had the One X from AT&T in their possession for the past two weeks and just assumed that the locked bootloader might be a non release issue. But now that the phone is officially on sale to the general public, not much has changed.

Engadget contacted HTC for comment and received the following reply: 

HTC is committed to listening to users and delivering customer satisfaction. Since announcing our commitment to unlockable bootloaders, HTC has worked to enable our customers to unlock the bootloader on more than 45 devices over the past six months. In some cases, however, restrictions prevent certain devices from participating in our bootloader unlocking program. Rest assured, HTC is committed to assisting developers in unlocking bootloaders for HTC devices and we'll continue to unlock additional devices in the future.

The wording is a little suspect regarding the restrictions that prevent the device from being unlocked, but it sounds like AT&T likely played a role in that decision. The publication notes that they have reached out to AT&T for comment but as of this writing, there’s no official word from the telecom.

HTC chief Peter Chou announced via Facebook post a year ago that the company would no longer lock bootloaders on future handsets. The company said they made the decision to do so after overwhelming feedback from their customer base that wanted more control over their handsets.

Here’s to hoping that the unidentified restrictions don’t turn into a common occurance.

Samsung hands out prototype Tizen handsets to developers

Those in attendance at the Tizen developer’s conference in San Francisco are being given Samsung prototype devices loaded with version 1.0 of the budding operating system. The crew from The Handheld Blog was in attendance and has plenty to share on the subject.

 The Samsung handset in question features a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen, a Cortex A9 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front shooter. There’s also a micro-USB port, WiFI, GPS, NFC and a standard audio / video decoder.

The OS borrows heavily from Samsung’s TouchWiz UI with a pull-down notification system and support for tethering right out of the box. Additionally there is integrated Facebook, Google and Twitter account support which will make it easier to sync contacts with the various social networks.

The author notes several times that this is essentially a barebones version of the operating system that doesn’t represent what the final version will look like. New features and performance tweaks are all but guaranteed before the OS is ready to launch.

If you are unfamiliar with Tizen, it’s a joint effort operating system being developed by Intel and Samsung. The platform is open-source and based on Linux with a heavy focus on HTML5 and other web standards. Tizen uses elements from MeeGo, a failed OS that was a combination of Intel’s Moblin and Nokia’s Maemo. MeeGo was officially discontinued in September 2011 in favor of Tizen.

We expect to hear more about Tizen and its future very soon.

Adobe now shipping Creative Suite 6, Creative Cloud launching May 11

Adobe is now shipping the final release of Creative Suite 6 (CS6) which includes a multitude of software suites available individually or as one big bundle. Design and creative professionals can now get their hands on full versions of Dreamweaver, Fireworks, InDesign and Photoshop (just to name a few) although users will need to have the necessary hard drive space and plenty of spare cash since the subscription-based model won’t be available until May 11.

Software optimizations are said to bring better performance and speed suite-wide while some programs have also received a visual upgrade. We highlighted some of the new Photoshop CS6 features in March when Adobe released a beta version that was free to download and evaluate. Key features in Photoshop CS6 include a content-aware tool, a Camera RAW sub-application and a set of video editing tools.

Individuals that work part time or might not otherwise want to drop big bucks for the entire suite can sign up for Creative Cloud, Adobe’s subscription-based program that starts at $49.99 per month. With Creative Cloud, users have access to the entire CS6 bundle as well as exclusive online content with a membership license. Contrary to what the “cloud” name might imply, software is installed locally on the user’s computer instead of remotely on a server in the middle of nowhere.

This could be the perfect solution for freelance designers that need access to Adobe software at a fraction of the full suite price. And speaking of pricing, the Master Collection will set you back a cool $2,599. Smaller packages are available as well, including Design & Web Premium for $1,899, Design Standard for $1,299 and Production Premium for $1,899.

Individual software pricing can be found in the chart above. Student and teacher discounts significantly reduce the overall price but of course one must prove they are eligible for said discounts.

AT&T CEO knocks Google for slow Android smartphone updates

Who do you blame for not updating your Android smartphone in a timely manner? Well if you are AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and someone asks you that question, you point the finger directly at Google.

Stephenson was at a panel discussion recently held by the Milken Institute when an audience member asked why it took so long to get updates for Android through some manufacturer’s hardware and if there was anything that could be done to speed up the process. The CEO replied by saying that there was indeed an issue and that Google determines what platform gets the newest releases and when.

He said that it’s a negotiated arrangement and it’s something that his company works at hard. Stephenson further followed up his answer by praising Windows Phone and iOS but said that Android has “got some work to do” particularly as it relates to security.

This quote caught Google’s attention which prompted the search giant to issue the following statement to9to5Google:

“Mr. Stephenson’s carefully worded quote caught our attention and frankly we don’t understand what he is referring to. Google does not have any agreements in place that require a negotiation before a handset launches.  Google has always made the latest release of Android available as open source at source.android.com as soon as the first device based on it has launched. This way, we know the software runs error-free on hardware that has been accepted and approved by manufacturers, operators and regulatory agencies such as the FCC. We then release it to the world.”

Computerworld further highlights that it’s actually the manufacturer and carriers that typically delay update rollouts due to tweaking and modifying the software. At this point, it takes even more time for the carriers to perform tests and tweaks of their own.