issues

Fired Facebook commenters ordered back to work

Five people who were fired from their jobs after posting complaints on Facebook about working conditions will now be able to return their positions, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a federal organization that safeguards employee rights, announced yesterday.

Last week, administrative law Judge Arthur Amchan ruled on the case between the five employees and their former employer, Hispanics United of Buffalo. According to the information included in the judge's decision, the five employees last year took to Facebook to discuss their issues with other employees, as well as how much work they take on. Soon after, the five … Read more

Mac OS X Lion known issues: Adobe products

Adobe has released an initial knowledge base article detailing some of the early known issues when upgrading Mac systems to OS X 10.7 Lion.

For all products, items stored in the Library folder in Mac OS X Lion are now hidden. Adobe products store several files in the Mac Library folder including preferences, presets, and other customization applications and settings. To view the Library folder in Mac OS X Lion:

From the Finder menu bar navigate to Go > Go to Folder. Type: ~/Library Click Go, and you will be presented with a Finder window with the Library folder … Read more

What the i4i-Microsoft patent case means for software users

You may have read last week about Microsoft losing a patent-infringement case to Canadian software vendor i4i. The patent in question covers a technique for implementing XML in word-processing software.

If you use a recent version of Word or nearly any other word-processing program, you probably benefit from the software's use of XML, which makes your files smaller and more efficient, among other advantages. It's only right that whoever invents a technique that improves software should be rewarded.

The question the courts wrestled with in the i4i-Microsoft case is whether the innovation i4i patented is actually patentable. In … Read more

White iPhone 4 unboxed and tested in Italy

Italian technology blog iSpazio has kicked off what is sure to be the first of many tests of the newest iPhone release from Apple--the white iPhone 4. The blog ran tests on the proximity sensor as well as the infamous attenuation problems suffered by the AT&T iPhone 4 and the Verizon iPhone 4.

The delay in the availability of the white iPhone 4 has been largely attributed to problems with the white paint. Specifically, the way the paint was interacting with Apple's new glass technology was causing problems with the proximity sensor and allowing light leakage when … Read more

Apple adds touch-screen manufacturer to alleviate iPad 2 supply issues

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has signed on Chimei Innolux Corp. to assist with touch-screen production to help meet the overwhelming demand for the iPad 2.

Chimei Innolux will begin supplying the components next month, said the people, who declined to be identified because the details aren't public. Taiwan's TPK Holding Corp. and Wintek Corp. (2384) remain Apple's key suppliers of the sensors that help the iPad tablet computer recognize finger movements, the people said.

Current shipping times from Apple for all models of the iPad 2 are two to three weeks, though with the addition of … Read more

Apple investigating Verizon iPad 2 3G issue

Apple says it's looking into an issue that requires some iPad 2 owners with built-in Verizon 3G to reboot their devices to re-enable 3G after turning it off.

In a statement by an Apple representative released to All Things Digital today, the company said it is aware that some iPad 2 owners with the Verizon 3G model are having connectivity issues and is investigating it. The number of those affected is "small," the company said.

Complaints began mounting on an Apple Support Discussions board in the days following the release of the iPad 2 with some users finding that the software switch to turn the 3G antenna on and off was not reactivating without first powering down the unit.

The Verizon version of the iPad 2 is the first iPad to ship with CDMA service. Verizon's 3G service is also offered on the CDMA version of the iPhone 4, which went on sale earlier this year. Both devices use the same software mechanism to turn the 3G modem on and off. … Read more

iPad 2 as e-reader: Glare still an issue

Let's get something out of the way right off the bat. I have an iPad. The original. I use it as an e-reader. I like it as an e-reader. I consider it a very good e-reader. But it's not perfect.

Like a lot of other people, after the lines died down last Friday, iPad 2 launch day, I took a trip to my local Apple store to mingle with the crowds and handle the object that has been getting so much attention. My mission, however, was a little more focused than some people's. Sure, I took the Web browser for a spin and tried to get a feel for how much zippier the thing might be. But I largely ignored the built-in front and back cameras and other new features such as the Garage Band app because plenty has already been written about that stuff.

What I was most curious about was how the iPad 2 performed as an e-reader and whether Apple had done anything to the screen to make the reading experience better. … Read more

Light leak, yellowing affecting some iPad 2 users

Second-generation products tend to have most of the kinks worked out, though for some, the iPad 2 is exhibiting issues with the screen that have appeared in past Apple products.

One of those issues is light leaking from around the bezel into the display. A handful of threads on Apple's support forums (1,2), as well as a poll of users on Engadget, have called it out, with some taking photos that show light spreading out from one or more of the iPad 2's four screen edges. These leaks do not appear as focused light, but rather a … Read more

Consumer Reports reignites 'Antennagate,' cites Apple's Verizon iPhone 4 issues

Renewing an issue that just does not seem to want to die, Consumer Reports says Apple's Verizon iPhone 4 suffers from the same "death grip" antenna issues as the original device, released last summer amid widespread controversy.

The Verizon iPhone 4 has a problem that could cause the phone to drop calls, or be unable to place calls, in weak signal conditions, Consumer Reports engineers have found in lab tests.

The "death grip" occurs when users hold the iPhone in a way that covers the antenna band, located on the bottom of the left side of the phone. As with the AT&T version of the iPhone 4, any case (or cottage industry "band-aid" product) would alleviate the problem, which is caused by the conductivity of human skin interfering with the cell phone signal.

Consumer Reports tested the new Verizon iPhone 4, along with several other popular Verizon smartphones.… Read more