Apple sent an email reminder to developers working on apps for the Mac App Store letting them know that new programs will have to be compatible with the platform's forthcoming "sandboxing" constraints in order to be offered in the Mac App Store. Developers are expected to implement sandboxing within their apps by June 1, though existing programs can be updated after that date. Apple has previously extended the deadline for app sandboxing, first November 2011 to March 2012, and later to June 2012....

After possibly infecting up to 1.8 percent of the Macintosh population with a click-fraud macro through a Java vulnerability, the Flashback creators won't get paid despite their efforts, reports Computerworld. Following a coordinated security effort between antivirus vendors and security experts, remote malicious orders were blocked or prevented from effecting an estimated peak 600,000 infected computers. Apple joined the fray late, but provided patches and a removal tool for the malware....

The Fling Joystick for iPad is one of the more interesting accessories available for the iPad and other tablets. With the graphics capabilities of tablets approaching console quality, the biggest hurdle facing in-depth gaming on capacitive touchscreen devices is the lack of physical controls. Similar comments were of course leveled at the iPhone when it first launched back in 2007 without a physical keyboard, but those concerns soon evaporated. However, the volume selling games on both iPhone and iPad tend to be the casual games that rely on simple touch gestures. Yet, there are a number of fi...

On the heels of an appeals court win that suggested that Samsung should have been barred from selling its copycat Galaxy Tab 10.1 from the get-go, Apple has now filed a motion for a new injunction against the tablet asking it to be pulled from US shelves. The two companies are scheduled to begin high-level settlement talks on Monday, but should they fail the new injunction request could be ruled on as early as June 7....

Apple may be preparing to enable its FaceTime video-chat service to be used over 3G networks. The company has yet to confirm such plans, however Romanian Apple website iDevice has reportedly observed new warnings in iOS 5.1.1 that appear to be geared for FaceTime calls placed over 3G networks rather than Wi-Fi....

On the heels of last week's opening of the Murcia, Spain Apple Store, various sources have reported stores underway or near opening around the world. The next most likely international store is thought to be in Paris, France in the La Defense district, which is scheduled to open on May 26. Also coming later in the year is a new story in Salt Lake City, Utah; one near Bakersfield, California; a planned expansion of the existing store in Calgary, Alberta in Canada, and Apple has allegedly taken over a lease on a store in Plymouth, England....

Facebook's initial public offering remained the biggest story in tech throughout the day, overshadowing the social network's latest acquisition, Karma, a company that specializes in mobile social gifting. The startup has developed an e-commerce platform that enables mobile users to quickly find gifts, select a personalized card, and notify the recipient via text message, e-mail or Facebook....

A recent patent award reveals plans for further improvement in iOS cameras, allowing for two or more different zones of an image to be selected for focus and other settings, with the camera selecting a compromise point automatically if there is too much difference in the selected zones. The patent application also suggests that future iPhones might incorporate a dedicated image processor for photos and video....

The independent biopic of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher that begins filming next month has modified its title to simply jOBS with the "Get Inspired" portion that was previous thought to be part of the title now identified as just a tagline. The low-budget production from Five Star Feature Films says it will commence principle photography next month, including the actual Los Altos home of Jobs' parents, including the garage that started it all....

Continuing with a string of recent arrivals on US regional carriers, the iPhone has arrived to two news that cover northwest Oklahoma and Puerto Rico, respectively. Open Mobile, the Puerto Rico carrier, may be the first exclusively no-contract carrier in the US to offer iPhones. Oklahoma-based Pioneer Cellular is carrying only the iPhone 4S, while Open Mobile has both the 4 and 4S at various capacities....

Amazon may delay the rumored 8.9-inch Kindle Fire and launch a 10.1-inch model instead. According to DigiTimes, sources speculate that the larger screen will help compete with the iPad, whereas the 8.9-inch variant was said to be designed to go against the Samsung Galaxy Note....

Location tracking and check-in service Foursquare has hired its first Revenue Chief. Ex-Apple iAd executive Steven Rosenblatt has been hired to fill the newly created position. Foursquare's former head of business development, Tristan Walker, filled the role of revenue chief before leaving early this month....

In the wake of legal "requests" sent to its organizer, the London-based Apple Expo is now called the Appule Expo. Undaunted, Microsoft has recently booked space at the show. The newly named gathering will take place on October 11 and 12 of this year. Apple is not expected to attend....

Apple is one of several parties in talks with Russia's Skolkovo technology park about possible research and development facilities there, according to local publication Izvestia. Other interested companies are said to include Google and Facebook; agreements are reportedly already in place for firms such as Microsoft, IBM, General Electric, and Cisco. Skolkovo's organizers are said to be aiming at making the park a Russian equivalent of Silicon Valley....

A new class action lawsuit has been filed against Apple in California, accusing the company of "unfair, unlawful, deceptive, and misleading practices" in promoting iCloud, according to AppleInsider. The case -- filed on behalf of Danyelle Comer in the US District Court for the Northern District of California -- specifically targets Apple for failing to properly transition paid Mobile Me subscribers over to iCloud. "Throughout the migration, Apple failed to adequately ensure that features Mobile Me users were paying for would be accessible, including access to their e-mail accounts for which...

Today at Apple's online store save on Mac minis, iMacs and more. Starting at $519 is the refurbished Mac mini with a 2.3GHz Intel dual core i5 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. Or for $699 is the refurb. Mac mini with a 2.5GHz Intel dual-core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive....

This week in the MacNN forums, one Forum Regular noticed that the only way to quit Chrome in OS X Lion is by using Force Quit and they are looking for any possible better solutions, read more here. Forum members discuss App store terms in this thread started by Grizzled Veteran Doc HM earlier this week....

Apple has announced details of the 2012 iTunes Festival, to be held at the Roundhouse in London, England. The event will consist of 30 nights of free concerts by over 60 artists, including the likes of Jack White, Norah Jones, and Usher; only a handful of artists have been announced so far. For 2012, the festival has been moved from July to September....

Brainshark has announced the launch of an update for its free iPad app, SlideShark, which includes tools for viewing, sharing, and tracking PowerPoint presentations. Version 1.6 introduces a new Presenter Mode that allows users to connect to an external display and simultaneously view slide notes, times, and the current, previous, and next slides. Other new features include faster conversion times, advanced reporting on presentation viewing activity, and enhanced administrative controls....

RIM and Motorola have submitted a new, compromise nano-SIM design based on a concept from Apple, reports say. The new design has the same outline and contacts as Apple's proposal, but with a notch on one side making space for what RIM calls a "push-push" mechanism; pushing in the card once secures it, pushing it in again pops it out. Apple's idea may have been less practical, requiring a tray to hold a card steady....