Apple, Google, and Yahoo are being investigated got anti-trust violations. The US Department of Justice is looking into the companies hiring and retention practices. Of particular interest is the use of employee contracts to prevent employees from leaving “the mother ship” and seeking greener pastures.

Non-Compete and Non-Disclosure agreements are nothing new when it comes to upper level or technical employees. I have had to sign them at every company I have worked for. Primarily they are used to prevent a disgruntled employee with sensitive information from to another company and spilling the beans. However when these are used to prevent good employees from obtaining better work (or pay) is when the system breaks down.

The DoJ thinks that Apple, Google and Yahoo might be engaging in this type of preventative behavior not to protect company secrets but to prevent the competition from gaining a talented employee. They feel that this behavior stifles competition and harms consumers.

Read more here.

The review is said to be “industry-wide” and in preliminary stages, according to the report, which cited two unnamed sources. Companies that agree not to hire away talent could be stifling competition, the report noted.

Representatives for Apple, Google, and Yahoo, as well as the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Tech companies, known for their exhaustive recruiting efforts, have waged fierce battles to maintain top talent. In one closely watched case, Google was sued by Microsoft in 2005 over Google’s decision to hire Kai-Fu Lee away from Microsoft to run Google’s research operation in China. The two parties eventually settled out of court.

via. TweakTown.com

Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Apple has selected North Carolina as the location for a new data center. The company is expected to invest more than $1 billion in the project over nine years.

“North Carolina continues to be a prime location for growing and expanding global technology companies,” said Perdue. “We welcome Apple to North Carolina and look forward to working with the company as it begins providing a significant economic boost to local communities and the state.”

The announcement comes after Gov. Perdue this morning signed Senate Bill 575, which modifies the method by which capital-intensive businesses calculate corporate income tax liability in North Carolina.

The facility is expected to employ at least 50 full-time employees. The legislation requires that the average wage exceed the wage standard of the county in which it’s located. A data center such as this will typically contract locally for services such as server maintenance and repair, building and HVAC maintenance, landscaping and security – expenditures that could range from $5 million to $6 million annually in the region and create up to 250 jobs. The North Carolina Department of Commerce projects that a data center investment of $1 billion would create more than 3,000 jobs in the regional economy, including hundreds of jobs related to construction and others created as a result of economic growth.

“We are very pleased the General Assembly has recognized the role capital-intensive industries play in the state’s economy and their relationship to small businesses in our communities. Technology-driven projects like this may bring fewer overall jobs than traditional industry, but they have a tremendous economic impact through locally purchased goods and services,” Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco said.

As part of the legislation, a capital-intensive industry must meet investment and wage standards and provide its employees with health insurance in order to utilize the modified formula for calculating the state corporate income tax. It also must locate in one of the state’s more economically distressed Tier 1 or Tier 2 areas.

“During these tough economic times, it’s important to make the investments that create jobs in areas that need them the most,” said Perdue.

The iPhone 3.0 software includes features that if activated by Apple could let users share software with friends, according to a Business Week report.

Richard Doherty, director at consultant Envisioneering Group told Business Week that eventually iPhone users may even get a commission if they induce someone else to make a purchase.

When confronted about this possibility, Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock would not discuss future features with the site, saying only, “We’ve made no announcements at this time.”

This information comes just after it was discovered that Apple will no longer allow the redownloading of iPhone applications from the device itself. You must re-download applications using your computer; otherwise, you will have to pay full price for the app again.

This seems to contradict the App Sharing idea; however, its possible that its just a part of an overall system that Apple is implementing.
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Apple today made changes to its One to One program that provides personalized setup and training to Mac users.

The program costs $99/year and is available to users at the time of machine purchase from Apple. It can be renewed twice for a total of three years of membership.

“One to One features three different ways to learn. If you prefer to learn face-to-face, Personal Training Sessions offer an uninterrupted hour with a Trainer. As experts in all things Apple, Trainers provide guidance, support, and creative inspiration. If you prefer a small group setting, exclusive One to One Workshops are a unique opportunity for you and a few other members to work with a Trainer on special interest topics.

You can also learn from anywhere, on your own schedule, using your One to One web page. Your personalized One to One page lets you access hundreds of tutorials, schedule and manage your appointments, and explore projects created by other members. ”

To learn more about the One to One program you can click the Read More link or watch the video below.

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Click black bar to view video

Apple has done a very quiet upgrade to the 13inch MacBook screen, according to a Computer World report.

Apparently at the end of April, Apple started shipping Unibody MacBooks with a new part number for the screen. The screen is said to be of significantly higher quality.

The old screen is a LGPhilips LP133WX2-TLC1 and has been replaced with a 13.3-inch glossy AU Optronics screen. According to forum reports the new screen provides significantly better blacks and a wider viewing angle before washout.

You can see a side by side comparison of the new screens below with the new MacBook on the left.

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A mockup image of the new iPhone which incorporates the recently leaked bezel has been posted online by MacRumors member, Carniphage.

The image depicts what is rumored to be a new black bezel with a redesigned ear speaker. You can take a look below and let us know what you think!

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Images of the next generation iPhone bezel and LCD may have been leaked online by Hong Kong based part vendor China Ontrade.

The company claims to be the first to supply next generation iPhone parts direct from the factory. iLounge has written a detailed description of the items. Notably, the bezels appear to show a repositioned and redesigned ear speaker, now significantly higher above the display than the present speaker, and ringed with metal, a change that may make room for additional front-mounted sensor or camera hardware. Also changed is the bezel’s color, which has shifted from the prior silver in all iPhone and iPhone 3G models to a nearly black metallic color reminiscent of the backs of later fifth-generation iPod U2 Special Edition models. In the photos, the bezel now stops short of ringing the entire iPhone face, ending at roughly the edge of the LCD screen.

You can take a look at the images below…

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onOne has announced DSLR Remote, a wireless cable release for your Canon EOS DSLR camera.

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Okay, if you’re wondering how it works, here’s a quick run down.

- You need either an iPhone or an iPod Touch
- You need a supported Canon EOS DSLR [ 1 ]
- A laptop or desktop computer running the free companion DSLR Remote Server software
- A USB cable to connect your supported Canon EOS DSLR camera to the computer running the free server software
- The DSLR Remote app running on your iPhone (or iPod Touch) communicates to the DSLR Remote Server software via a WIFI connection. [ 2 ]

From your iPhone [ 3 ] you can control settings such as shutter speed, aperture and white balance. You can of course fire the camera shutter as well. If you have a Canon EOS DSLR camera that supports Live View [ 4 ] you can even get a live stream of the camera’s viewfinder on your iPhone.

You also get an Intervalometer so you can do time lapse photography. We’ll be posting full specs and the full feature set to our web site soon but I couldn’t wait any longer to share this information with you.

Oh, the version of the DSLR Remote application that I’m talking about here is the Professional version and will normally sell for $19.99 on the iTunes App Store, but will be offered for $9.99 as an introductory price. A “Lite” version will also be available for $1.99 that only fires the shutter. The required server software that runs on your Mac or Windows computer will be a free download from the onOne website.
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Currently the application does not support Nikon DSLRs; however, the developer team is open to adding another platform if they see demand. You can make your comments known via the link below.

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AppleiPhoneApps has heard detailed information on the specs and release date of the next generation iPhone from a source that they deem reputable.

We have checked the source’s credentials to the best of our ability and at this point deem the source as reputable. Of course we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the source’s claims since Apple will neither confirm nor deny any future product releases, including if a new phone will even be released!

The specifications provided are listed below. Which do you think are realistic?

- 32GB and 16GB to replace current capacities
- $199 and $299 price-points to be maintained
- 3.2 Megapixel camera
- Video recording & editing capabilities
- Ability to send a picture & video via MMS
- Discontinuation of the metal band surrounding the edge of the device
- OLED screen
- 1.5X The battery life
- Double the RAM and processing power
- Built-in FM transmitter
- Apple logo on the back to light up
- Rubber-tread backing
- Sleeker design
- Built-in compass
- Revolutionary combination of the camera, GPS, compass, and Google maps to identify photo and inform about photo locations.
- Turn by turn directions
- July 17th, 2009 release date

Read More [via 9to5Mac]

Apple may be adding support for iPhone applications to run in the background according to a new report by Business Insider.

The publication has heard that background support might be implemented in two possible ways:
- Apple might allow users to select two apps that can run in the background.
- Apple might selectively allow some apps to run in the background. We assume that developers could apply for permission to run in the background, and that Apple might approve or deny them based on the resources they need and how well they behave with the operating system’s stability.

John Gruber from Daring Fireball has chimed in on this possibility saying, “I heard something very similar from a decent (but second-hand) source back in January during Macworld Expo. What I heard then was that Apple was working on a vastly improved dock for your most-frequently used apps, and that there’d be one special icon position where you could put a third-party app to enable it to run in the background. Take it with a grain of salt, though: my source in January described it as an idea Apple was working on, nothing more. The major limiting factor right now is RAM. There just isn’t much left for third-party processes on the current hardware’s 128 MB.”

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