Ever wonder what graphics really looks like side-by-side comparing VMware Fusion 3 to Parallels Desktop 5? This video will show you a wide variety of graphics tests, running on side-by-side machines so that you can see for yourself.

Here are the latest iPhone/iPod touch/iPod/iPad apps announced. You can find ‘em at the Apple App Store.

Filed under: Cult of Mac, iPad

TUAWHow soon is now? Pre-order timing for iPad confirmed, 5:30 am PT originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From Tech Trader Daily:

Apple (AAPL) plans to offer a “full-on solution” for multitasking in version 4.0 of the iPhone OS, according to AppleInsider.

An inability to run more than one application at a time is one of the most frequent criticisms of the iPhone OS - and the ability to multitask is often touted as a point of differentiation by rival handset makers. The new version of the iPhone OS is expected to launch this summer.

The story is attributed to “people with a proven track record in predicting Apple’s technological advances.”

The piece notes that there has never been a technical issue preventing the phone from running multiple third-party apps at the same time; the issue is that the phone’s security model takes that approach to prevent apps from running in the background without the user knowing it, eliminating potential spyware, adware and viruses.

AAPL today is down 46 cents, or 0.2%, to 224.38.

PopCap's games aren't ones that require eight-figure budgets and massive media campaigns, but we defy you to find anyone who plays games on any sort of basis who hasn't poured hours into Peggle, Plants vs. Zombies, or one of the studio's other addictive hits. While the company initially made its mark on Mac and PC, the last couple of years have seen expansion to other platforms, notably the iPhone, which has hosted pitch-perfect iterations of those aforementioned favorites.

Now, with the iPad release looming on the horizon, the big question is this: What's PopCap planning for Apple's tablet, and how soon will we be able to play it? Andrew Stein, director of mobile platforms at PopCap, wasn't able to share many specifics in a recent phone interview, but did offer some insight into how the company approaches new platforms, as well as what opportunities they see in iPad development.

Plants vs. Zombies on the iPhone

"The iPad offers a new experience for both developers and customers, given that it has higher performance," says Stein. "Having the additional horsepower under the hood and the bigger screen, the higher-resolution graphics give a tableau for developers to get more creative with games. We can do things with the iPad that we can't do on a smaller iPhone screen."

In particular, Stein believes the large 9.7-inch screen will initially surprise iPad users, and likens the upgrade from an iPhone to that of bumping up to a new video game console. "I think that the size of screen is going to make the experience much more immersive, and it's going to be more than what people expect. In my mind, it's kind of the same as going from playing Xbox or PlayStation 2 on a 27-inch TV to playing Xbox 360 on a 46-inch high-def screen," asserts Stein. "It's right there in your face -- the leap is greater than what you might think from just the increase in size."

Not only will the larger display and faster processor lead to better-looking versions of existing games and play modes, but Stein also believes the iPad's unique capabilities will lead to new ways to play, and trigger an iPhone-like wave of developer ingenuity.

"You'll start to see potentially new game modes that are new and haven't been done before. I think multiplayer becomes very interesting on that device, because with the bigger screen and all the multitouch inputs, you have the possibility of having a couple people using it at once -- whether it's sitting on a table with people on the side, or multiple people holding it at once," explains Stein. "It's still to be determined how people will want to use the iPad once it gets on the market, but I think we'll start to see the same burst of creativity on the iPad as we saw with the iPhone."

Peggle on the iPhone

Stein says PopCap is tinkering with the latest iPad software development kit (SDK), and that they're working on a couple unnamed iPad projects at this time. According to his engineers, the SDK is a "very robust, mature development environment," leaving Stein and his team to focus on the why of bringing their games to iPad, rather than the how.

"When we bring games to platforms, we really adapt them to the platform. You won't see us just porting over iPhone games to the iPad, [and releasing] basically the same game but bumping up the graphics a bit. There are going to be new modes. It's going to be a richer, deeper experience, and really try to take advantage of the specific strengths of the device," says Stein. He goes on to note that their titles may "include things that might be brand new to the iPad that we've never done on another platform, because there's never been a platform that offers what the iPad does. That's the main thing. What's the game vision we want to bring to the device?"

While Stein believes 3D game will prosper on the iPad due to its enhanced capabilities, he still thinks casual games will be most popular on what he calls the "family media device," as players of all ages and tastes will be keen on playing a quick game of Bejeweled 2 on the iPad.

"It's kind of that device that would be floating around the house that people could grab and jump online, or play a game, or watch a video, or surf the web while they're watching TV," explains Stein. "It's going to be honestly tough for Apple to duplicate the success of the iPhone and iPod touch. But I've also learned never to underestimate Apple at what they can do. We're looking at it pretty aggressively, and at this point, I'm just going to assume it's going to be successful."

It seems likely that many, if not most of PopCap's notable properties will make an iPad appearance in due time, but Stein made it clear that whenever we do see PopCap's first iPad project, it'll follow a lot of care and consideration. "It's not going to be just a rough, quick and dirty port of Peggle to iPad," he explains. "We tend to do more than just the bare minimum."

Filed under: Software Update, Security

• Performance improvements for Top Sites
• Stability improvements for plug-ins, and for sites with SVG graphics and online forms
• Fixes issues affecting settings changes to some Linksys routers and iWork.com user comments

TUAWSafari 4.0.5 now available in Software Update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

By Sarmad Ali, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

The Internet has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010–but should it be?

The nomination was proposed by the Italian version of technology magazine Wired and has so far been endorsed by 11 people including 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi and Nicholas Negroponte, founder of One Laptop Per Child.

Backers of the Internet’s candidacy for the prize cite its achievements in bridging differences and promoting dialogue among different nations. On the promotional site for the Internet’s campaign, called Internet for Peace, supporters contend that the Internet “is much more than a network of computers; it is an endless Web of people.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site

More and more airlines are adding in-flight wireless, which means you can now Twitter from 30,000 feet. Go ahead and tell your friends–over and over and over.

But while it’s technically possible to use that same technology to Skype with your friends or families or whomever, airlines won’t let you do it.

The reason should be self-evident, but not to Federated Media’s John Battelle. Who apparently does this all the time.

Except on a flight this week, when a United Airlines attendant told him that using Skype in flight is a security violation.

That’s not true. But with the help of the Web–and, apparently, State Department employee Katie J. Stanton–Battelle pieces it together: Airlines ban in-flight video chat because it’s incredibly annoying for everyone who’s not chatting.

Or in Federal Aviation Administration-speak, the airlines are “simply responding to the overwhelming majority of their customers, who prefer silent communications to the public nature of Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) calls.”

Battelle insists his Skype chats provoke nothing but “amusement” from his seatmates. But my hunch is that it’s only dumb luck that has kept him from getting pummeled by a fellow passenger to date. That United attendant did him a real favor.

Global smartphone shipments grew 37.2% last year -- and the iPhone saw a 97.9% year-over-growth in shipments. While Apple saw the greatest success, Nokia's shipments also jumped 37.3 percent and Research in Motion saw a spike of 41.2 percent.

At this year’s Game Developers Conference® (Booth BS506, Moscone South), Dolby Laboratories has announced new tools that will soon make it possible for gamers to enjoy Dolby Axon surround voice chat on more of their favorite gaming platforms -- including the Mac.

Dolby unveiled new software developer kit (SDK) ports that enable game developers to integrate the Dolby Axon surround voice technology to Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360versions of multiplayer online game titles. General availability of these ports is planned for April.