itunes

iTunes hanging after installing OS X 10.6.7

A number of people have found that after installing OS X 10.6.7 the installation seems to have worked fine, but when they try opening and running iTunes they encounter problems with the program hanging. Sometimes the program hangs when the iTunes store is accessed, and sometimes when checking for updates, or at other times when the program is immediately opened.

People have tried tackling this issue by performing a permissions fix using Disk Utility, along with quitting and relaunching the program and reinstalling it. Despite these efforts the problem persists, but there are a couple of possible quick … Read more

YouTube's spin on 'American Idol'

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Motorola will sell the Wi-Fi-only Xoom for $599.

YouTube announces YouTube Next Up, its spin on "American Idol" for the Web.

The European Union is going to revamp its 16-year-old online privacy laws.

Apple changes in-app purchase protocol so that any additional purchases require a password.

Samsung releases a new line of laptops for students and office workers.

Google updates collaboration messaging within Google Docs.

Mozilla announces that Firefox 4 will be available for download next week on March 22.

Facebook is not a measure of your self-worth

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Opera launches a mobile browser-based app store

A new iPad magazine app called Zite arrives

Foursquare launches version 3.0 of its mobile app with more emphasis on rewards and recommendations

Mitsubishi has built an elevator that you can operate with voice commands

A new study shows that women who base their self-worth on their appearance share far more photos of themselves on Facebook

Do we need the Internet for a revolution?

In the last two years I have read at least a dozen books that champion the Internet as the key to personal and political freedom. Scholars and academics have come to see digital communication as a near messiah in power and prescience.

However, I believe that the current revolution in Egypt should temper our faith in the Internet.

The Egyptian government has cut off the digital tools that we have come to rely on. All ISPs are shut down, cell phone service has been cut, and Al Jazeera has lost its license to broadcast within the country.

Yet the people … Read more

Apple gifting $10,000 for its 10 billionth App Store download

Less than 3 years after its celebrated opening, despite pointed punditry and challenging growing pains, Apple's App Store is about to claim 10 billion App downloads. To celebrate, as they did when iTunes reached 10 billion downloads, Apple is giving away a $10,000 iTunes gift card to the person that purchases the 10 billionth download.

"As of today, nearly 10 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store worldwide. Which is almost as amazing as the apps themselves. So we want to say thanks. Download the 10 billionth app, and you could win a $10,000 … Read more

Michael Jackson on Ping

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Verizon gets ready to turn on its 4G network

YouTube lets you skip ads you don't care for

Microsoft launches an Xbox Live Rewards program to repay your loyalty

Amazon.com adds Wikipedia pages to its site to help you make more informed shopping choices

Dish Network lets you watch content from your cable box on your iPad via a Sling Media device

Netflix gets new indie films in its streaming video service from film studio FilmDistrict

Google updates its mute feature in Gmail

A new Michael Jackson song debuts exclusively on Ping, … Read more

We built this city

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

The makers of FarmVille are set to launch CityVille

Apple had to battle Amazon and Google for rights to The Beatles' music

AT&T has a MiFi wireless router now too, catching up to the other major carriers

You can now edit Google Docs on a mobile device

Google makes peace with book publisher Hachette Livre in France with an agreement to scan and sell digital books

A Japanese vending machine uses facial recognition to recommend a drink based on demographics

iTunes 10.1 brings AirPlay feature

No iOS update yet today, but Apple did release an update to iTunes for Windows and Mac.

iTunes 10.1 is out now, and with it comes AirPlay, the new feature that will allow videos to be streamed to an Apple TV. Apple introduced the feature at its digital music and content event in September.

AirPlay is also supposed to allow streaming of audio and video from any iOS device--iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad--though that feature won't be turned on in those devices until the long-awaited iOS 4.2 update is released.

Earlier this week it was rumored that … Read more

Baby browsers and other utilities

Though the Big Five browsers duke it out to see which one can come up with the best mix of speed, compatibility, and add-ons, social networking bruisers Flock 3 and RockMelt beta have taken off the kid gloves to beat each other senseless over Twitter and Facebook integration. We pit the two minor leaguers against one another in a head-to-head blog with plenty of video goodness to keep you interested.

In other news, iTunes 10.1 is out now, and with it comes AirPlay, the new feature that will allow videos to be streamed to an Apple TV. Apple introduced … Read more

Oxford, Rice, Open University release eBooks on iTunes U

Oxford University, The Open University, and Rice University are three of the first schools to release eBooks on Apple's iTunes U, the part of the iTunes Store dedicated to offering free educational content.

The Open University has released 100 free, interactive eBooks and promises an additional 200 titles by the end of the year. The school said its eBooks aren't just digital versions of existing books, but rather books that are designed specifically for the electronic format.

As an example, Martin Bean, vice chancellor of The Open University, said that if you are learning about Schubert, you can … Read more