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No service? goTenna hardware and iOS app let you text off-the-grid

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If you’ve ever been on a hike, out of the country, or at a crowded concert with no service, goTenna is aiming to be your connectivity solution. The hardware accessory combined with an application for both iOS and Android says it will allow you to create a local network that works reliably. The network is based on a group of people each having a goTenna stick connected to the iPhone. The video from the company, below, explains it well:


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Apple releases software update for new MacBook Air to fix Wi-Fi, audio & Photoshop bugs

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Apple just released a software update for the mid 2013 MacBook Air that addresses rare issues related to wifi connectivity, audio playback, and Photoshop:

This update fixes an issue that in rare instances may cause an intermittent loss in wireless connectivity, an issue with Adobe Photoshop which may cause occasional screen flickering, and an issue which may cause audio volume to fluctuate during video playback.

Last month, we reported that Apple started investigating reports of Wi-Fi issues on its new MacBook Air and some customers even received replacements.

The 3.35MB MacBook Air (Mid 2013) Software Update 1.0 is available to download now.

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New MacBook Airs experiencing WiFi connectivity issues?

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Apple’s refreshed MacBook Airs introduced earlier this month at WWDC certainly bring some major improvements over previous generations thanks to Intel’s 4th gen Haswell processors, 802.11ac WiFi, and other internal upgrades. However, while reviews have been quite positive and focusing on the up to 12 hour battery life, it appears some users are experiencing teething issues with the new machines, which isn’t exactly something new for the first release of a refreshed Apple product.

A thread on Apple’s support forums (via Gizmodo) includes a growing number of customers complaining of WiFi connectivity issues with the new MacBook Airs that were just released last week. It’s worth pointing out that users have complained of similar issues with other MacBooks, and with WiFi there are always lots of variables, like the network and the user’s router, that could be causing problems.

The first release of a new or revamped product can often run into some issues early on that Apple attempts to work out in future firmware updates or hardware tweaks. We saw it with the Retina MacBook Pros, and it’s likely Apple will release updates to address some of the issues that users are experiencing with the new MacBook Airs.

New in OS X Lion: “Network Link Conditioner” utility lets you simulate internet and bandwidth conditions

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What is it? Network Link Conditioner is a new utility in OS X Lion (via the free Xcode 4.1 app) that will allow you to simulate less than desirable network conditions, such as a bad 3G connection or Edge with “Good Connectivity”. This is an especially useful utility for those developing apps and sites that highly rely on network connectivity, whether it’s a multiplayer game or just an animation heavy web app.

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