Reprinted from TidBITS#1017/08-Mar-2010 with permission. Copyright (C) 2010, TidBITS. All rights reserved. http://www.tidbits.com/ ExtraBITS for 8 March 2010 -------------------------- by TidBITS Staff article link: The future of iPad development captured our attention this week, with Jeff Carlson pointing out how The Omni Group is developing for a device they don't yet have and how Penguin Books plans to go beyond the book on the iPad. Also, Adam chats about iPhone multitasking with Shawn King on Your Mac Life, and the EFF compiles a list of abuses of the DMCA. **Adam Discusses iPhone OS Multitasking on Your Mac Life** -- Your Mac Life host Shawn King admitted that he normally glazes over when topics like multitasking are broached, but a good time was had by all while discussing all the things we think of when we say "multitasking" and how (or if) we'll see support for them in the iPhone OS. Read/post comments **EFF Examines 12 Years of the DMCA's Unintended Consequences** -- Our friends at the EFF have compiled a list of situations in which the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA - the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 - have been used to chill free expression and scientific research, attack fair use, impede competition and innovation, and interfere with computer intrusion laws. Isn't it time to rewrite the DMCA so it can no longer be used to hinder the legitimate activities of journalists, scientists, innovators, and the rest of us? Read/post comments **Designing for the iPad before It's Available** -- How do you design software for a device that doesn't yet exist in the market? Developers can use the iPad simulator included with Apple's Xcode, but that's a limited approach when the main method of interaction is touch. In a blog post, the Omni Group reveals how they're using paper mockups, a prototype created with a 3D printer (which we saw at Macworld Expo - it's cool), and even a pad of graph paper cut down to size with a table saw to develop OmniGraphSketcher for the iPad. Read/post comments **Penguin Shows Off Upcoming iPad Book Ideas** -- PaidContent.uk writes about a recent presentation made by Penguin Books CEO John Makinson, who was demonstrating the company's ideas for how to offer content on the iPad. Penguin plans to offer books as applications, primarily, to take advantage of multimedia features (such as interactive travel maps, children's games, and animated textbook illustrations) that are difficult or impossible to include in the EPUB format currently required by the iBookstore. Be sure to watch the accompanying video to see what Penguin has in mind. It's great to see a book publisher jump on the possibilities made by the iPad and other electronic readers - with pixels and processors, why merely stick with a reproduction of the paper experience? Read/post comments $$ This is TidBITS, a free weekly technology newsletter providing timely news, insightful analysis, and in-depth reviews to the Macintosh and Internet communities. Feel free to forward to friends; better still, please ask them to subscribe! Non-profit, non-commercial publications and Web sites may reprint or link to articles if full credit is given. Others please contact us. We do not guarantee accuracy of articles. Caveat lector. Publication, product, and company names may be registered trademarks of their companies. TidBITS ISSN 1090-7017. Copyright 2010 TidBITS: Reuse governed by Creative Commons license. Contact us at: TidBITS Web site: License terms: Full text search: Subscriptions: Account help: .