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Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • 8:30

    • 10 out of 10
    • Weather Report
    • This is Weather Reports quintessential line-up captured live. Jaco Pastorious and Peter Erskine join Wayne Shorter and, of course, Joe Zawinul to create this masterpiece.
  • Quadrophenia

    • 10 out of 10
    • The Who
    • Quadrophenia is everything that Tommy wanted to be, a rock opera that told a story, but one where every song could still stand alone. It was also Pete Townshend's farewell tribute to the Mod

  • Kind of Blue

    • 10 out of 10
    • Miles Davis
    • The jazz album to end all jazz albums. Miles Davis and John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderly and the list goes on. The who's who of who's who in jazz have assembled for this monumental record. Get this
  • Modern Lovers

    • 10 out of 10
    • Modern Lovers
    • This timeless masterpiece is little known, but it has inspired almost as many bands as The Modern Lovers' own inspiration -- and only slightly better known -- The Velvet Underground & Nico.

  • Suspended Animation

    • 8 out of 10
    • Fantomas
    • Mike Patton may well be one of the hardest working men in showbiz these days, and his latest with Fantômas underscores just about how far out he is willing to travel.

      Suspended Animation

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News

NYT: Smartphones Will Become the New Boarding Pass

Paper is on the way out, and mobile phones with a graphics display will soon be the new airport boarding pass, according to the New York Times on Tuesday. A 2-D encrypted barcode and an ID is all that will be required to board. Keeping the mobile phone charged will be crucial.

Continental Airlines is currently undergoing testing, and eventually the Transportation Security Administration is expected to grant approval. The 2-D bar code, unlike the 1-D bar code on food items, is a rectangular grid of encrypted data that looks like TV "snow."

"We definitely see this as the wave of the future," said Andrea McCauley, a spokeswoman for TSA. “It’s something we are very enthusiastic about pursuing."

The airlines, which have already saved millions of dollars by eliminating paper tickets see even more savings in eliminating the paper boarding pass. Passengers will be able to avoid the kiosks if they have no baggage to check. Airlines will be able to communicate with passengers directly for any aspect of their travel. "We kind of like the idea long term of having a kiosk in your pocket," said Mark Bergsrud, Continental senior VP for marketing programs.

Passengers will still have to show an ID when they pass through security and the information must match the bar code on the phone. Airline research has shown that passengers want this kind of convenience.

With the mobile phone transitioning from a mere communication device to a smartphone, Web browser and electronic boarding pass (perhaps even electronic credit card), phone security can be expected to become even more important for iPhone customers.

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