In a note to clients -- as reported by "Yahoo! Finance" (http://macte.ch/ctWwT), following are the major announcements for Apple in 2011 with their probabilities and time tables: ° Verizon launch of the iPhone: Probability 95% (Munster expects this in the March quarter) ° Mac App Store: Probability 100% (well, we know he's got this one right as Apple has announced a Jan. 6 launch) ° iTunes cloud services: Probability 90% ° iPad geographic expansion: Probability 100% ° iPad subsidies from carriers: Probability 80% ° Mac OS X Lion: Probability 100% (summer 2011) Munster also expects a fifth generation iPhone to ship this summer with NFC capability. NFC is a short-range wireless connection technology that would turn the iPhone into an electronic wallet or security passkey, the article says. NFC is already in use in Asia and is expected to explode here in the next three to five years, especially if Apple adopts the technology. The analyst thinks Apple will release the generation iPad in...

iHome (http://www.ihomeaudio.com/) has introduced a new line of iPad audio solutions. They're due later this year; pricing hasn't been announced. The solutions include the: ° iDM12 Rechargeable Portable Bluetooth Speaker System for iPad/iPhone/iPod: a micro sound bar for the media watcher on the go, the iDM12’s protective magnetic casing detaches to serve as a stand for either portrait or landscape orientation. Need to leave the room but don’t want the music to stop? Bring it with you and stream the tunes via the Bluetooth connection. ° iDM15 Rechargeable Portable Stereo Bluetooth Speakers with Speakerphone (pictured): a package that sports two small speakers wrapped up in a protective travel case that transforms into an iPad, iPhone, or netbook stand when speakers are in use. These mini-speakers are equipped with the latest in Bluetooth technology. ° iDM70 Protective "Sound Sleeve" Case and Stand for iPad with Built-in Rechargeable Stereo Speakers: a premium iPad case, protective...

Basil Salad Software has announced the upcoming availability of News Anchor 2.0 (http://newsanchormac.com/wp/) for Mac OS X. It's a hands-free RSS/ATOM feed reader, allowing you to enjoy news feeds along with your breakfast. News Anchor packages news feeds into a television-like news broadcast using text-to-speech technology. With its one-click hands-free operation, you can listen to your news feeds while having meals or doing other tasks. News Anchor will be available to download from the Mac App Store when it launches on Jan. 6. It requires Mac OS X 10.6.6 or higher. Pricing hasn't been announced.

The Canby School District in Oregon has issued an iPod touch to every third-grader, reports "The Oregonian" (http://macte.ch/1EEpa). Since first implementing a pilot project at Philander Lee Elementary three years ago, the district has used about $250,000 in state and federal grant and rebate money to purchase the Apple gadgets. In addition, the parent-teacher association at Lee Elementary raised about USS$12,000 to buy 60 iPod touches for the school's fourth- and fifth-graders, and another parent organization pitched in about $15,000 for 30 iPads at Eccles Elementary School, says "The Oregonian." The choice of equipping third-graders first was intentional, according to Joseph Morelock, the district's technology coordinator. The third grade is the first to take state tests, and administrators are eager to help students pass math achievement standards that have recently been raised, he told "The Oregonian." In presentations, Morelock has shown that several classrooms using the iPod...

PocketNow (http://macte.ch/nxxe2) reports that that Verizon Trademark Services LLC, the company that owns verizon.com and verizonwireless.com, now also owns iphoneonverizon.com and iphoneforverizon.com. The site's Evan Blass says the sites were once owned by Jim Benton of HolyShnikes.com. Other domains that Verizon and/or Apple would probably want, including "verizoniphone.com," seem to have already been snatched up by squatters with thousands of other registrations. Presumably they'll either be sold or populated with paid content once the handset is announced, Blass says.

Happy New Year and wishes for a great 2011 from the gang at "MacTech," "MacNews" and "AppleCentral." Thanks to our readers and advertisers for making 2010 a great year -- and 2011 will be even better for all those who love Apple and Apple-related products.

Black Cat Systems has updated MultiMode (http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/multimodeOSX.html), a Mac OS X application that lets you Mac decode several different modes of non-voice communication often heard on shortwave, to version 6.2.2. This version corrects some bugs related to Weather Fax mode. MultiMode is an US$89 application that lets your Mac decode and transmit several different modes of non-voice communication often heard on shortwave and ham radio. It allows you to decode and display morse code, RTTY, FAX, SSTV, ACARS, PSK31 and many other modes on your Mac, without any extra hardware. MultiMode now also allows you to transmit in most of the modes of operation. A lite version is also available that decodes CW, RTTY, and weather fax modes, which is ideal for the sailor and boating enthusiast. MultiMode Lite is also available, which offers reception of CW, RTTY, and FAX modes only. MultiMode Lite is ideal for sailors who need to be able to view weather charts and reports...

By Greg Mills It was only a matter of time; now an Android Trojan has been identified in the wild. The new Trojan has been named "Geinimi." The trojan was first found in China and is very likely to spread. The trojan is specific to Android so iPhones and iPads are unaffected. The security firm Lookout posted a Security Alert that can be found at http://blog.mylookout.com/2010/12/geinimi_trojan/ . The malware was detected in games found in third party Android app stores in China.  The worm is sophisticated and gets into Android phones hidden in games downloaded over the Internet. Such games as Monkey Jump2, a baseball game and a sex position app are known to have been infected. The malware takes over the phone and hooks up to any of 10 remove servers. The remote servers can pump the phone for private information and compromise security. Lookout has posted a solution for those affected.   What this does is confirm the fact that the open source notion of Android has weaknesses that are...

Following a mandate from the European Commission, the European Standardisation Bodies CEN-CENELEC and ETSI have now made available the harmonized standards needed for the manufacture of data-enabled mobile phones compatible with a new common charger. This is the most recent development in the process towards a global common mobile phone charger initiated by the European Commission. It follows the June 2009 agreement of fourteen leading mobile phone producers to harmonize chargers for data-enabled mobile phones (i.e. that can be connected to a computer) sold in the European Union. "I am very happy that the European Standardisation Bodies have met our request to develop within a short space of time the technical standards necessary for a common mobile phone charger based on the work done by industry," says European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship. "Now it is time for industry to show its commitment to sell mobile phones for the...

Amazon.com has released its "Best of 2010" lists, which include the bestselling, most-wished-for and favorite gift products as determined by Amazon.com customers in 2010. The list includes data from Jan. 1 to Dec. 15. The 13-inch MacBook Pro was the best-selling computer on the lists. It was also the "most-wished-for" computer on the Amazon.com list. Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 for the Mac and Windows was the most popular gift item in the software category.

Skype has announced the new version of its iPhone application that brings video calling over both 3G and WiFi networks. Available to download from the Apple App Store, it allows iPhone , iPad and iPod touch owners to make and/or receive free Skype video calls for the first time. Now, users can make and receive free Skype-to-Skype calls, call mobiles and landlines around the world at very low rates, and now share more moments together with video on Skype for iPhone, says Neil Stevens, general manager of Skype’s consumer business. With video calling representing approximately 40% of all Skype-to-Skype minutes for the first six months of 2010, Skype users have been eager to get Skype video calling on their mobile phone, he adds. The new Skype for iPhone app is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch 4th generation with i0S 4.0 or above. Video receiving capabilities are available on the iPod touch 3rd generation and iPad. Calls can be made between devices using the new...

IDFusion Software has announced Bodega 1.3 (http://appbodega.com), an update of its "corner store" for Mac apps. The update addresses various bugs and other reported issues, as well as provides across-the-board feature and performance enhancements. Bodega is designed as an one-stop shop for software needs. Users can browse the top- rated and most-downloaded applications. The storefront gives users links to press clippings and blog postings, so they can see what tech writers have to say about an app. Bodega lets customers buy directly from developers. When Bodega finds outdated apps, downloading an update takes a single click. It requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher.

A 68-year-old Idaho man named Russell Miller was arrested Tuesday night for punching a teenager who refused to turn off his iPhone on an airplane, reports the "Daily Mail" (http://macte.ch/yO5IS). Witnesses said a 15-year-old boy completely ignored the routine instructions for passengers to switch off cell phones and electronic items. Miller, was enraged by the teen’s rudeness and lashed out, says the "Daily Mail." ‘He punched him so hard there was a mark on the teen's arm. That gave us probable cause to believe the reports from the other passengers,’ said Lieutenant Kent Lipple, of Boise Police. After the fight, the pilot radioed the air traffic control tower in Boise and requested police officers to meet the plane when it landed late Tuesday night. Miller was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery and was booked into Ada County jail.

According to a suit filed in a U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, Nicole Sullivan, 22, began work at the SoHo Apple Store in 2008. In April of 2009, she took a leave of absence due to a nervous disorder, and sought the services of a psychiatrist. Sullivan was given disability leave through an independent company, and was reportedly assured by the third party that the details of her medical condition would not be released to Apple. However, when Sullivan returned to work in August of 2009 after she was cleared by a psychiatrist, she said it was "obvious" to her that the store's employees, and "especially" its human resources director, were aware of her medical condition, notes "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). In her four month leave, Sullivan's job was replaced, and she was reportedly told that she would remain in a "holding pattern" until proper work was found for her. The lawsuit says she applied for several jobs at the store, but was denied for...

Intel has announced the Intel Solid-State Drive 310 Series, an ultra-small solid-state drive (SSD) that delivers Intel X25-class SSD performance, but in one-eighth the size. It measures 51mm-by-30mm and is 5mm thick. When paired with a high-capacity hard disk drive (HDD) in a dual-drive system, the Intel SSD 310 can improve overall computer system performance by up to 60 %, according toTom Rampone, Intel vice president and general manager of Intel’s NAND Solutions Group. The Intel SSD 310 Series contains 34 nanometer Intel NAND flash memory and is available in an m-SATA form factor in 40GB and 80GB capacities at US$99 and $179, respectively. The Intel SSD 310 supports SATA signals over a PCI Express (PCIe) mini-connector for on-board, compact storage in single-drive netbooks, tablets or handheld devices. Weighing just 10 grams, the compact size also enables dual drive all-in-ones, notebooks or small-form-factor (SFF) desktops to help accelerate boot time and access to frequently used...

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has re-filed his patent suit against Apple, Google and several other major tech companies, adding specific examples of the alleged infringement, reports "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). In August it was announced that Interval Licensing, a tech licensing company controlled by Allen was suing 11 companies, including Apple, for violating patents on “fundamental web technologies” developed by Interval Research, the now-defunct Silicon Valley lab that Allen created with Xerox PARC veteran David Liddle in the 1990s. In addition to Apple, Facebook, Office Depot, Yahoo, YouTube, Netflix and eBay were targeted. Not surprisingly, Microsoft wasn't on the list. A total of four Interval Research patents were cited in the complaint, which seeks unspecified monetary damages for alleged patent infringement. Allen’s firm called the patents at issue in the suit “fundamental to the ways that leading e-commerce and search companies operate today." However,...

Shipments of 9.7-inch iPad panels from LG Display reached 1.5 million units in November 2010, and fellow supplier Samsung Electronics' shipments reached 1.2 million units for the month, according to "DigiTimes" (http://macte.ch/e0SNe). LG Display is estimated to land orders for 35 million iPad panels in 2011, and Samsung and Chimei Innolux (CMI), who is scheduled to join iPad supply chain in the first quarter of 2011; each will each receive orders for 15 million units, says "DigiTimes." Based on these estimates, iPad panel shipments (including first and second generation models) will reach 65 million units in 2011, which is significantly higher than market estimates of 45-48 million units for the year, the article adds. "Market players noted that the 65 million unit shipment goal indicates that Apple is very optimistic about the tablet computer market in 2011, and it may also mean that Apple is overbooking panel capacity," says "DigiTimes."

Empire Brands (http://www.empirebrandsinc.com) will be releasing its new 3D series line of headphones, at CES 20111. They include earbuds (Empires, Little Buds, Jaw Breakers and Metallics) and headphones (Reverb, Tour and Chill). The soon-to-be-released 3D series is the flagship line of headphones in the Wicked Audio line-up. These headphones sport raised, colorful artwork, offering a visually striking 3D appeal, according to Paul Marshall, vice president of sales, Empire Brands. They also feature maximum noise isolation, which inhibits ambient noise, ensuring pure sound quality., while the adjustable headband and padded earcups offer the utmost in comfort, guaranteeing the most enjoyable listening experience, he adds. The 3D series will be available next month for US$29.99 at FYE, and a number of select international retailers. 

The suit, filed in federal court in Northern California, seeks both monetary damages and a court order to stop the profiling. It's similar to another lawsuit (http://macte.ch/yTIvy) filed Dec. 23 in federal court in San Jose, California, on behalf of Jonathan Lalo of Los Angeles County, and seeks class-action status. Both lawsuits claim iPhones and iPads are encoded with identifying devices that allow advertising networks to track what applications users download, how frequently they’re used and for how long. The transmission of such data violates computer-fraud and privacy laws. The tracking is possible because Apple assigns a UDID (Unique Device Identifier) to each iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, and apps can access that number. Advertising companies figured out this number can be used for tracking, much like a cookie in a browser, says "Wired." If an app passes that number along to an advertiser, the advertising company can use it to build up a profile of the user, as well as keep...

Apple has posted two new job listings for the title of "iOS Software Engineer." While the two full-time positions discovered by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com) have different job descriptions, both describe an emphasis on remote storage for data access. Here are the two job descriptions: "Apple is hiring outstanding operations engineers to deliver and manage the next generation of hosted infrastructure serving Apple products and devices. Seize this ground floor opportunity to help us build the world's best hosted platforms at massive scale. "Apple is hiring experienced software engineers to work on distributed computing for data with non-trivial properties, and efficient online services for data access. This is an opportunity to contribute to the backend foundation for Apple products, devices and overall experience delivered to millions of Apple customers." Some may view the hirings as further evidence of a cloud-based iTunes or other MobileMe-style services from Apple,...

Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair said recent retail checks point to significant end demand for the iPad (and other Apple products) reports "All Things D" (http://macte.ch/APDJ1). “Even with a handful of tablet competitors hitting the market, the iPad remained the only game in town in our holiday checks largely because many of the tablets hitting the market are junk for lack of a better word,” he told clients. “They are underpowered, poorly constructed and largely not ready for prime time.” The holiday season is always particularly kind to Apple, but this year it may have been even kinder than usual, notes "All Things D." In addition to the iPad’s continued momentum at market, Blair observed stronger than expected holiday sales of iMacs, MacBook Pros and the new 11-inch MacBook Air.

Another day, another lawsuit. A lawsuit accuses Apple of enabling some of its products to transmit users' personal data to advertising networks without the users' permission, "Bloomberg News" (http://macte.ch/7twJw) reports. The lawsuit was filed Dec. 23 in federal court in San Jose, California, on behalf of Jonathan Lalo of Los Angeles County, and seeks class-action status. The suit says iPhones and iPads are encoded with identifying devices that allow advertising networks to track what applications users download, how frequently they’re used and for how long. The transmission of such data violates computer-fraud and privacy laws. iPhones and iPads are set with a Unique Device Identifier, or UDID, which can’t be blocked by users, according to the complaint. "Bloomberg News" notes that Apple says it reviews all applications on its App Store and doesn’t allow them to transmit user data without customer permission, according to the complaint. "Bloomberg News" says the lawsuit...

Apple will release three versions of the "iPad 2," supporting either or a combination of Wi-Fi, UMTS and CDMA, for 2011 with mass production to start as early as the later half of January, according to a "DigiTimes" report (http://macte.ch/fzX2z). Apple will ship about 500,000-530,000 units to channels in January with shipment ratio of Wi-Fi, UMTS and CDMA models at 3:4:3, the article says, quoting "industry sources" and "upstream component makers." Apparently, Apple plans to work more closely with telecom carriers by offering more wireless solutions for iPad 2 to satisfy market demand. In addition to wireless functions, Apple is also working on strengthening the iPad 2's anti-smudge and anti-reflective treatments in order to compete against Kindle and attract more consumers, the sources noted. As for iPad 2, "DigiTimes" estimates that the device's shipments in 2011 will reach 40 million units, accounting for 65-75% of the global tablet market.

Strong tablet computer demand for gadgets such as the iPad continues to impact netbook market and several brand vendors in Taiwan have dropped their netbook price further to attract consumers, according to "DigiTimes" (http://macte.ch/QB21H). Quoting sources from channel vendors, the article says the current channel demand for netbooks is very low and the only advantages that the devices have now are low-price and capability of bundling with telecom carriers. However, since telecom carriers are turning their focus to smartphones and tablet computers, netbook shipments in 2011 are expected to see an obvious drop. On the other hand, tablet PC shipments are expected to reach more than 20 million units in 2010 and over 40 million units in 2011, notes "DigiTimes."