Don’t get too excited — nowhere do we see evidence of Microsoft itself being impressed with the next version of Apple’s operating system. However, channel partners do seem to be impressed with Snow Leopard, and they aren’t afraid to talk about it.

For example, the president of Global System Services, Ron Herardian, noted that Snow Leopard would likely far exceed Windows 7′s 64-bit and multicore hardware performance, while the president of Daystar Technology, Gary Dailey, said that Apple was still able to improve on a mature OS while Microsoft tried to recover from the Vista disaster.

Not every one of Microsoft’s friends is that impressed, of course, with the CEO of InterKnowlogy suggesting that some of Snow Leopard’s new technologies — including Grand Central and OpenCL — are features achievable using .Net. More →

Microsoft has announced a new piece of software that’s designed to allow users of more basic mobile handsets to access web services and more advanced applications than their handset would ordinarily be capable of. This includes a range of GPRS-enabled phones.

The lightweight application (150K) is quick to install and, once on the phone, appears as a single piece of software that users access the rest of their apps from.

It includes cloud services that allow processing and storage online instead of on the phone, and claims to use the mobile network more efficiently, thus reducing data charges.

OneApp is based on industry standards such as JavaScript and XML, with an SDK expected by the end of the year.

In a new rather contradictive statement made by Apple it seems that the 1, Infinite Loop based company continues to lie to its user base. Or behave hypocritically at least.

Problem this time is the requirement of companies in the UK who want to reclaim the Value Added Tax (VAT) on applications purchased via the Appstore. But the Californian company states that applications purchased for the iPhone via its built-in Appstore are only for personal, non-commercial use, thus evading the need to supply VAT-receipts. More →

Microsoft must be pretty pleased with the latest speculation over its new Zune HD media player, for although companies have to officially denounce any rumors that come out, behind closed doors they’re usually pretty pleased there’s any interest in the next big thing they’re releasing.

It’s something Apple thrives on, and perhaps Microsoft is hoping that the mere mention of an application store for its new PMP will make it more exciting than it is.

OK, so it’s been covered by Engadget without much (if any) MS snark, so it has a reasonable cool factor. More →

Apple announced today the long awaited Snow Leopard or Mac OS X.6 (Mac OS 10.6). The new operating system, which is more Mac OS 10.5 R2, will be available August 28th, for the interesting price of $29. If you live in the US.

If you live in the UK or in Continental Europe, screw you! As known from the great conversion rate has used for the Apple TV, the Jobsian devotes like to apply their own conversion rates and overcharge us Europeans. $229 converts to £195, today’s market converts to less than £140.
No exceptions are made for Snow Leopard:

• $29 converts to £25: today’s market value is less than £18. At today’s rate £25 is worth more than $41
• $29 converts to €29: today’s market value is less than €21. At today’s rate €29 is worth more than $41

As an Apple user with every new release I feel ripped off once more.

Oh dear. It seems as if everyone, from the big boys to the independent publisher, is against Google when it comes to the Google Books project.

New bedfellows Microsoft and Yahoo, along with book-turned-Aladdin’s-cave seller Amazon, are set to join the Internet Archive and library associations to oppose Google’s plan to put millions of books online and make them freely searchable.

A serious problem is that Google is effectively saying to authors and publishers “you’ve automatically opted in unless you explicitly opt out”. More →

Anyone who thinks newfangled city-slicker high-speed Internet is of no use to Farmer Joe has got another thing coming. A new report from the US Department of Agriculture shows that farms with broadband Internet connections are far more productive than their dialup and offline counterparts. From learning new farming techniques to discovering new produce markets, it’s easy to see why.

Encouraging rural broadband deployment is part of the reason the Obama administration is offering a $4.7 billion broadband stimulus package. Unfortunately, telcos care more about fighting net neutrality than helping Farmer Joe.

If you thought Verizon FiOS was fast, wait ’til you hear this. The new high-power microwave signal amplifier on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter transmits data at 100 megabytes per second.

Let that sink in for a second. NASA has established a wireless connection of 100 megabytes per second — 800 megabits per second — to the Moon. Meanwhile, most wired DSL subscribers can barely get 3 megabits per second on Earth.

Sure, like many technologies developed in space, this so-called Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier will eventually filter to commercial applications on Earth. Given telcos’ hypocrisy over network expansion, however, don’t expect 800Mbps porn anytime soon.

Microsoft has decided that there’s enough interest in high definition videos online now and has released what it claims is the first consumer webcam with a 720p sensor on board.

I know we don’t usually cover hardware at 901, but this is more about Microsoft’s attitude towards HD video online than it is about the webcam itself.

Microsoft Hardware systems engineer Stuart Milton said that Microsoft was “motivated by the fact that … top social networking sites were allowing widescreen video,” and that the new webcam would allow “uploading widescreen videos with amazing quality to social networking sites and soon chatting live with friends and family in widescreen format”. More →

The two biggest complaints about the PS3 have been its ridiculous size and ridiculous price. Both are going down with the new $300 PS3 Slim. This little baby packs all the features of the similarly-priced 80GB clunker version, but with a bigger 120GB hard drive. More →