You gotta wonder what life is like inside the walls of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. While analysts tend to be hard even on companies like Apple who are on top of the world, they particularly seem to like kicking companies like RIM when they're down -- and that's exactly what happened on Tuesday, with a report that BlackBerry 10 may now be delayed until March of next year, which seems like an eternity in mobile OS time. But wait! There's more...
Time passes quickly, and with Mozilla's "rapid release" schedule for Firefox, that means the version you're using has probably been replaced already. Sure enough, Mozilla pushed out Firefox 16 on Tuesday, adding preliminary VoiceOver support for OS X which is turned on by default, as well as initial web app support for the Mac, Windows and Linux. Developers also get a trio of new changes, and all users get a handful of bug fixes, as well as improvements around JavaScript responsiveness through what Mozilla calls "incremental garbage collection." If you're a Firefox user, you know what to do next… assuming you haven't already pulled the trigger, that is.
The folks at Just Landed have been keeping busy since we reviewed the app several months back, and a new update this week not only adds support for the iPhone 5 but also improves the quality app in several other ways. Just Landed now prompts the user to send a text message to the person you're picking up, even as you roll into the terminal -- even automatically filling in the message with helpful information such as the baggage claim number. The in-app airline code search now offers its own version of a spell check while helping users input the flight number directly. Last but not least, Just Landed now integrates with iOS 6 Maps, offering turn-by-turn directions for actually getting to the airport to make your pickup. With more than 150,000 users in 20 different countries, Just Landed is ready and waiting to take you on your next airport run -- but first you'll need to stop by the App Store and download it.
According to Forbes, the bad news for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion just keeps on coming. Jefferies analyst Peter Misek filed a research note earlier this week claiming that RIM's eagerly-anticipated BlackBerry 10 mobile OS is not likely to launch until March of next year. That estimate still falls within the company's loose "first quarter of 2013" predictions, but most industry observers were hoping for January instead. Misek also has little hope that RIM will be acquired or even license their technology in the near future, which is seen as crucial to the company's chances of being a third dominant mobile platform after iOS and Android.
The folks at FxFactory continue to bulk up Final Cut Pro X's tool chest, and this week their partner Idustrial Revolution has released XEffects 3D Transitions, a $49 collection of 24 transition effects all built in 3D space with camera moves, variable focal lengths, shallow depth of field, lighting and reflections. "Gorgeous glossy transitions all animating with 3D depth that make other effects look rather flat," the company adds. "We say 24 effects, but if we broke the presets down individually, there would be over 100 different different transitions in the pack!" A free trial version is available to download, and you'll need the latest versions of both FxFactory and Final Cut Pro X to install.
Hulu announced on its blog Tuesday that the streaming company has expanded its partnership with Viacom to include current-season kid's shows. That means your little ones can catch the latest five episodes of their favorite Nickelodeon shows -- online, or with a Hulu Plus subscription, on connected TVs, set-top boxes, video game consoles and even mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Shows include SpongeBob SquarePants, Kung Fu Panda, The Penguins of Madagascar, the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even iCarly, which is now in its final season. Hulu is also broadening its Latino selection on Hulu Plus to include more content from Viacom.
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