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Apple photoshops iPhone into iPod touch 6 Sep 2010
Apple has since updated the images on its website, but it's good to know that not even Apple's copywriters get their hands on the devices before we do. They apparently have to Photoshop it all together, and then preorder and wait for their devices just like us common folk.
TUAWApple photoshops iPhone into iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone 4 case turns your iPhone into an audio tape 6 Sep 2010
Very, very cool. It's not available yet, but the case is supposed to ship in October for US$20. Yes, if you have an iPhone 4, you've already got a free case from Apple, but man, something this cool might just be worth the extra money anyway.
[via Unpluggd]
TUAWiPhone 4 case turns your iPhone into an audio tape originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Unofficial iPhone launch dates for Korea, Taiwan 6 Sep 2010
At long last, we have (unofficial) launch dates for the iPhone 4 in Korea and Taiwan.
In Korea, pre-orders began last month despite the lack of an official launch date. According to MacNN, distributor KT Corporation has announced that the iPhone 4 will hit store shelves on September 10th. Though, KT's official site is a bit confusing; a news post says "October" in the headline and simply "September" in the body of the post. But that could be a translation error.
Meanwhile, Taiwan channels are reporting that the iPhone 4 will go on sale in that country on September 15th. Demand has been huge in Taiwan, where eager customers have reportedly placed 150,000 pre-orders since August.
We'll let you know when we hear anything official. If you're in Korea or Taiwan and find any compelling news on the subject, please let us know. Above is a TV ad that ran prior to the iPhone 3G's release in Korea.
TUAWUnofficial iPhone launch dates for Korea, Taiwan originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Pro Australian photogs have a go at the iPhone camera 6 Sep 2010
There's no question that photography with the iPhone is really catching on. Now, with iPhone 4, the camera quality is up, and people seem to using it more and more for pictures they want to keep, instead of casual snaps.A pro group of photrographers, the ACMP (Australian Commercial and Media Photographers) ran a competition soliciting photos taken with an iPhone. The requirement was that the entrants use the Hipstamatic app to acquire the images, and that no further image manipulation could be applied. Hipstamatic emulates old styles of analog photography, along with classic lens emulations and different film characteristics. The app is US $1.99
The results are interesting and artistic. I've put a couple of the winners in a gallery and I've provided a link so you can see all the entries. The grand prize winner of the competition, Andrew Evans from Sydney, received an iPad.
Thanks to Gavin Blue for letting us know about the contest. Gavin was also a winner.
TUAWPro Australian photogs have a go at the iPhone camera originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Cool mod: iPhone as digital microscope 6 Sep 2010
Here's a great and super-simple mod that turns an iPhone 4 into a portable digital microscope. Using an inexpensive microscope found on Amazon (seven bucks as of this writing), an iPhone case and some superglue, this user has hacked together a stable, portable digital microscope that also takes pictures.
The iPhone's flat back makes attaching the microscope super easy. After getting it glued to the case, simply snap it onto the iPhone and start observing things close up! For bonus points, pair the iPhone with BlueCam for iPad, which feeds an iPhone 4's live video stream to an iPad via Bluetooth for big-screen observations.
We love this mod! Very well done.
[Via DVICE]
TUAWCool mod: iPhone as digital microscope originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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SAP deploying 1000 iPads to employees, more on the way 6 Sep 2010
SAP has embraced its devotion to mobile solutions by distributing 1,000 iPads to employees with more to come. ZDNet reports that SAP's CIO Oliver Bussmann shared news of the iPad program late last week on Twitter.Bussmann notes that the iPads are ready for duty. Each is equipped with access to Citrix tools via a virtual private network (VPN) and email for participating employees. Additionally, the users will pilot the Mobile Sales for SAP CRM app for iOS. The iPads have been spread across SAP employees around the world.
We can assume this is just the beginning of the program, as Bussmann took to Twitter once again to suggest that there's "more to come." Best of luck to SAP in their new initiative.
TUAWSAP deploying 1000 iPads to employees, more on the way originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Safari extension highlight: Naked Twitter 6 Sep 2010
Here's an extension that's quite at home with Cleaner YouTube. Naked Twitter relieves your Twitter account's homepage of all the sidebar clutter. The only remaining links (profile, replies, direct messages and log out) are represented by small icons at the top of the page. Additionally, there are no pop-up hover tips or lists. Boy it looks nice.It's certainly not for everyone. Like I said, the groups, lists, trending topics, etc. that typically populate the page are gone. If you use those things, don't install the plugin. However, if you like the clean simplicity as I do, definitely check it out.
Speaking of YouTube, developer Jacob Bijani has released Naked YouTube as well. Much like Naked Twitter, Naked YouTube removes everything but your video.
TUAWSafari extension highlight: Naked Twitter originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iHome reveals first AirPlay wireless speaker system 6 Sep 2010
iHome, makers of iPhone and iPod accessories, is the first to announce an AirPlay compatible wireless speaker system. So far, the details are slim, but what we do know is that it will incorporate Apple's new AirPlay technology, have a rechargeable battery, and be available for the holiday season!In related news, Apple's official AirPlay website reveals a lineup of other featured partners who are incorporating the AirPlay technology. JBL, Marantz, B&W, and Denon have also signed up, but as of yet, no further information is available.
In case you missed it, our own Richard Gaywood did a great piece on why he's looking forward to Airplay. If streaming music, video, and picture tickles your fancy, check it out here.
We'll keep you posted on any further Airplay developments as they happen.
TUAWiHome reveals first AirPlay wireless speaker system originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fake.app makes powerful Web automation easy 6 Sep 2010
Todd Ditchendorf (Celestial Teapot Software) is probably best known for creating Fluid, a Site-Specific Browser app that we love to talk about. While Fluid was a great and well-executed idea, Todd's latest app, Fake, is truly inspired. The easiest way to describe Fake is to say it's Automator for the Web. It may not have the mass appeal that Fluid does, but its target audience (Web designers and developers, as well as Web power users) will have no trouble appreciating its capabilities.
Fake, like Automator, offers an Actions library and allows you to create drag-and-drop workflows with Web-specific capabilities. Fill a form, click a button, follow links ... basically, you can automate anything that deals with HTML and DOM elements. You can even inject CSS and JavaScript into pages, which opens doors to extensive security testing, among other things. Sound intriguing? Read on ...
TUAWFake.app makes powerful Web automation easy originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TUAW's Daily App: TiltShift Generator Free 6 Sep 2010
I finally picked up an iPhone 4 last Friday, and one of the best things about the new handset is the beautiful shots I've taken with the camera. I'm not a professional photographer by any stretch, and people who have actually done tilt-shift photography might have a whole lot of bones to pick with the "'shopped" version of the technique, but I've already had plenty of enjoyment from TiltShift Generator Free. It's one of a few apps on the store that will edit taken pictures to give them the short depth of field and selective focus that creates the effect. The aptly named TiltShift and Tilt Shift Focus are two other (slightly more expensive) options, but TiltShift Generator Free worked great for just messing around, and it has the added bonus of being completely free. With the free app, you get options to blur or "vignette" (that's the shadow effect seen around the outside frame) the images, as well as adjust the saturation, brightness, and contrast. Once you save the image, you can put it back on your photo reel or export it out to email, Twitter, or Facebook. Getting the paid version for 99 cents allows a higher resolution for output, but as an amateur just having fun, I had no issues with the free version.
Again, if you're a photographer who knows his or her way around Photoshop, something like this probably isn't what you need; you already know how to dive in and edit pictures, and your best shots probably aren't taken with an iPhone anyway. But as a super casual photographer who likes the tilt-shift look and playing around with the iPhone 4's great camera, I really enjoyed this free app. It's definitely worth a download.
TUAWTUAW's Daily App: TiltShift Generator Free originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iLife '11 Family Pack shows up on Amazon 6 Sep 2010
A while ago, we reported on an iLife 2010 for Dummies book that showed up on Amazon France, complete with production cover. A day after our post, the book was pulled from the site. That day, an iWork '10 book also showed up on Amazon Germany (and it's still there). Many readers rightly pointed out that there is very little likelihood that Apple would call the next version of iLife and iWork "10" since the year is almost over. Plus, only a week later, there were rumors circulating that iLife '11 was going to be released in time for back to school or at Apple's September media event. So far, it has yet to materialize.
However, a sharp-eyed reader pointed out that an iLife '11 Family Pack listing has appeared on Amazon.com. A Macworld reader found it a few weeks ago, and it appears it has been listed on Amazon since July 27th. The family pack's price is US$99, and its shipping time is listed as "2 to 4 weeks." The TUAW reader who tipped us off on it said she attempted to purchase it without problems and "Did not finalize the order, but was able to get right up to the final confirmation without an error."
While TUAW doesn't have reason to believe this is clear proof that an iLife '11 release is imminent, it's certainly another drop in the bucket signaling an upcoming iLife refresh. The only question is, "How soon?"
UPDATE: Amazon has now pulled the iLife '11 Family Pack listing.
TUAWiLife '11 Family Pack shows up on Amazon originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Talkcast reminder: iTunes, iPods and all the week's news, 10pm ET 5 Sep 2010
Holiday weekend or no holiday weekend: we're live tonight on Talkshoe, so call in and chat with us. Of course, there were a few announcements of note this week, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about anything besides iTunes 10 or new iPods! Bring your interests, your questions and/or your gripes and we'll lay it down. To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantage of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8.
If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac or your PC, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients or using the Talkshoe client's ShoePhone tool; basic instructions are here.
We'll kick things off at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT. See you there!
TUAWTalkcast reminder: iTunes, iPods and all the week's news, 10pm ET originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mac 101: Use Preview to display a slideshow (update) 5 Sep 2010
Over the weekend I went to visit some relatives I haven't seen for some time. As is required by such family gatherings, I brought a large number of photographs to share with them.I planned to show the photographs on my MacBook, which has recently been refurbished, but hasn't had iPhoto reinstalled on it. Running late, I didn't have time to install it as planned. As a last resort, I thought I'd just show the photos using Quick Look and scroll through them in full screen.
When I eventually got round to showing off my photos (you know, that rather drowsy time just after dinner), I realized that Quick Look won't let you scroll through items when in full screen,
Well, to say the least, with hundreds of photos to get through, people already getting bored, my finger hurting from scrolling and my wife giving me the look that says "I told you so," I began to wish I had made the time to reinstall iPhoto. There was no internet access either, so I couldn't even download something like Picasa.
At that point my cousin strolled into the room and said, "That must be taking you ages, why don't you just do a slideshow using Preview?" He then selected all the photos in the folder, right clicked and selected 'Open With Preview.' With the Preview app open, he selected 'View' from the menu bar and then 'Slideshow.' It was that simple.
Thankfully, I was able to leave the photos to display themselves. People could watch as much or as little as they wanted, when they felt like it (the way such photo exhibitions should be!).
You can check out more things to do with Preview at this Apple support page.
Update: A few bright commenters have pointed out that you can, in fact, do a slideshow using Quick Look. First, select more than one photo, then hit the space bar or the Quick Look button. By selecting more than one photo the slideshow options will appear in the Quick Look window. Thanks!
TUAWMac 101: Use Preview to display a slideshow (update) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iTunes 10 drops custom ringtone purchasing 5 Sep 2010
Along with the up-front iTunes 10 changes (social awareness, monochrome sidebar, new-attitude icon), it looks like Apple has quietly dropped one store-centric feature from the latest version. Roberto Baldwin at Mac|Life notes that the feature allowing users to buy a section of a track from the iTunes Store for use as a custom ringtone has gone AWOL between 9.2.1 and 10.Granted, there are lots and lots of ways to make DIY ringtones from tracks you already own or other sources, but the iTunes-authorized method was certainly convenient. Apple may be proud to announce that Ping already has over 1 million users, but now we know that none of them are making ringtones straight from the store.
[via MacRumors]
TUAWiTunes 10 drops custom ringtone purchasing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Found Footage: WNBC anchor shows Earl via iPad 5 Sep 2010
Nobody ever claimed that the iPad was weatherproof, but that didn't stop news anchor Chuck Scarborough from taking his tablet out to the seashore. Reader Michael Neumann saw the veteran NYC broadcaster using his iPad to show weather radar during Hurricane Earl's race up the US east coast. He could have saved money on that case, though.
Chuck's app of choice looks to be the Weather Channel's iPad offering, but we've seen lots of TV-centric solutions for the magical and revolutionary gadget. If you have a favorite clip or featured appearance of the iPad on the tube, drop a link in the comments below.
Thanks Michael!
TUAWFound Footage: WNBC anchor shows Earl via iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Parallels Desktop 6 appears on store shelves 5 Sep 2010
No official announcement from the virtualization mavens at Parallels, but it appears that the next version of the company's Mac app for Windows virtual machines is already popping up at retail. Sharp-eyed reader Matthew Fern snapped this shot of Parallels Desktop 6 already on sale at Fry's Electronics in Roseville, CA.
We've got a call into the Parallels press office to find out about upgrade options and actual yes-we-admit-it release info, but chances are we'll have to wait until after the Labor Day holiday to get the final word.
Thanks Matt!
TUAWParallels Desktop 6 appears on store shelves originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iOS 4.1 release may finally resolve your iPhone 3G woes 5 Sep 2010
Good news, everyone! The software update that was "coming soon" to resolve iOS 4.0's terrible performance on the iPhone 3G has gone "gold master" (GM) and should be available to the general public next week. I've had the opportunity to test this update out on my wife's iPhone 3G, and I'm happy to report that it does indeed appear to resolve all the stuttering, crashing, and generalized slowness the iPhone 3G was suffering under even previous beta builds of iOS 4.1.I tested her iPhone 3G out under the iOS 4.1 GM by doing things that would have brought her iPhone to a standstill before. First, I started a playlist in the iPod app and let it play in the background. Then I went into Safari, where she had four "tabs" open, and navigated to an image-heavy page.
Normally just loading such a page would have caused the background music from iPod.app to start stuttering, but even though I started scrolling back and forth through the page before all images finished loading, I couldn't get Safari to freeze or iPod.app to stutter.
Next, I loaded up the Maps app and started navigating along an input route with music still playing in the background. This was a guaranteed way to bring her iPhone 3G to a screeching halt before, but no matter how much demand I placed on the iPhone, it took it like a champ. I tested Google Earth's app as well, and it was far more responsive than I've ever seen it in iOS 4.
I'm not sure what under-the-hood changes Apple made to get iOS 4 running on the iPhone 3G at an acceptable speed (finally), but I did notice one thing: Spotlight Search on the iPhone 3G no longer searches through text messages. I verified this by comparing the Spotlight settings side-by-side with my iPhone 4; "Messages" was missing as an option on the iPhone 3G. On previous iOS 4 builds, one of the most popular suggestions for improving iPhone 3G performance was disabling Spotlight, so maybe that was the problem all along.
Your mileage certainly may vary, but for at least one iPhone 3G, iOS 4.1's gold master release has finally made the phone just as responsive and useful as it was before iOS 4. And there was much rejoicing.
TUAWiOS 4.1 release may finally resolve your iPhone 3G woes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Looking forward to AirPlay 4 Sep 2010
As you may have heard, Apple had some sort of event on Wednesday. In amongst the Big News like iPods and iOSs and iTunes and First, the best bit. Jobs showed an iPad (running the forthcoming 4.2 version of iOS) being fired up, pressing a few buttons, and streaming its output to a big screen TV via an Apple TV. This addresses my number one complaint: a friend comes to my house, I show them the Airport Express system, I show them the Remote app so they can use their iPhone to control my iTunes... and they ask me why they can't also stream their own music directly from their device. Sure, this is going to be tough on battery life, but it's not like I'm short of chargers. They want to listen to their own music and if you could see inside my iTunes you'd know why. And now they will be able to!
I was briefly concerned that this jazzy new functionality would not work with my existing Airport Express devices. Fortunately, Apple's sneak peak at iOS 4.2 confirms that an Airport Express will be able to receive a stream from any iOS 4.2 device, so more good news there too.
TUAWLooking forward to AirPlay originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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App review: Tichu card game ups the ante for digital trick taking 4 Sep 2010
Normally, to get a game of Tichu going, you need to round up three friends. If you don't have any card-playing friends who know Tichu, then maybe you have to tell them you're going to have a Bridge party, then *bam!* you bust out the 56-card Tichu deck at the last minute. This sort of gamer subterfuge is a thing of the past, thanks to the brand-new Tichu app from Steve Blanding. Now, any number of players can enjoy the card game at any time: one person can play against three computer opponents or link up with other people on their iDevices (the $2.99 app is universal) and the computer will fill in any empty seats.
Why bother with all of this? Because Tichu is one of the best - and most well-regarded - card game around. The rules will be familiar enough to people who enjoy trick-taking games but it's different enough to present a fresh challenge and is enjoyable every time. Keep reading to find out all about it.
TUAWApp review: Tichu card game ups the ante for digital trick taking originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Shazam updates for iOS 4.0, adds subscription model for Encore features 4 Sep 2010
Additionally, the free Shazam app now offers a subscription model upgrade to the paid version, which allows for as many tags as you want, extra features like "Drive and Tag," and more information about the songs you hear with the app. For a limited price of $2.99, you can get access to Shazam Encore for an entire year, or for $4.99 (the price of the paid app on the App Store), you can get a "lifetime subscription." Clearly Shazam wants to offer something a little cheaper for customers who aren't sure if they'll use the app that much, but honestly, if you want the pro options, the Encore version is worth the $5.
On the other hand, all I've ever had is the free version, and for the occasional "hear a song on the radio or in a store and wonder what the heck it is," Shazam has served me quite well. Good to know it'll now look and run better on the iPhone 4.
TUAWShazam updates for iOS 4.0, adds subscription model for Encore features originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Telltale releases Puzzle Agent on the iPhone, iPad 4 Sep 2010
The game's also available on the iPad as Puzzle Agent HD, for a premium price of $6.99, though it doesn't offer up any extra features besides of course the larger graphics (and easier to read text in some cases). But whichever one you choose is mostly just a matter of practicality -- both are excellent to play through.
And this is an extra bit of news unrelated except for the "Puzzle" connection, but it's always nice to go into a holiday weekend with something to look forward to: Namco has announced that it will be bringing the great Puzzle Quest 2 to the iPhone sometime this fall, complete with Game Center integrated for full multiplayer. We'll look forward to that one for sure.
TUAWTelltale releases Puzzle Agent on the iPhone, iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iTunes 101: Share your Ping profile 4 Sep 2010
Here's a tip about something that had me confused for a while, I hate to admit. After setting up Ping in iTunes 10 and getting my profile just so, I naturally wanted to tell the eager masses where to find me. After all, many of the folks I follow on Twitter were sharing URLs to their accounts. But where did it come from?The answer is quite simple. Log into your account, and right-click (or control-click) on the "My Profile" link. Then select "Copy link" from the contextual menu and you're all set! Paste that address in Twitter, email or where ever you want to broadcast your shiny new account.
Another, more roundabout way of accomplishing the same task is to search for yourself on Ping, and when your name shows up under "People," right-click your avatar icon and choose "Copy link."
We'll have more iTunes 10 tips and tricks coming right up.
TUAWiTunes 101: Share your Ping profile originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TUAW Giveaway: Chuck Gnome 4 Sep 2010
Chuck Gnome was chosen as our Daily App here on the site about a month ago, and now Movable Sprites has offered us a few copies to give away to you readers. Since we last posted about it, the game has updated to version 1.1 and added in a new episode, a new mini game, new music, and lots more. Plus, the price was lowered to 99 cents (and there's still a lite version available for you to check out). But if a buck is still too much for you to check out this gnome tossin' good time, you can enter below to win one of 10 copies from TUAW and Movable Sprites!
To enter the giveaway, leave us a comment telling us what you'd like to chuck Chuck at in real life. Here are the official rules:
- Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
- To enter, leave a comment telling us what real-life object, place, or thing you'd like to throw Chuck Gnome at.
- The comment must be left before midnight on Monday, September 6, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
- You may enter only once.
- Ten winners will be selected. All will receive one promo code for Chuck Gnome, valued at $0.99 each.
- Click Here for complete Official Rules.
TUAWTUAW Giveaway: Chuck Gnome originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Why I'm not excited about the new Apple TV 3 Sep 2010
I'll admit it. I'll buy almost anything Apple makes. I was going to hold out on the iPad, but after reading more about it, I wound up in line the first day it was for sale. As they say, resistance is futile.That's not the case with the Apple TV. When Apple brings a product out, I expect a small revolution. Some exciting new concept, or new and unique feature. With the Apple TV, it's certainly lower in price, but instead of revolutionizing the idea of a set-top box, the new unit actually takes features away from the now discarded Apple TV 'classic'.
First, there is the loss of actually owning a movie or a TV show. When the VCR first appeared in the 70s, the idea of owning a movie was quite unique. Before VHS or Betamax you went to a theater, paid your couple of dollars, or watched the oldies on TV loaded with commercials.
Second, the Apple TV requires an HDMI connection -- its HDMI port means you need an HDMI hookup or nothing. I understand the reasons for going with that standard, but I'm still holding on to an older AV receiver, and my 'classic' Apple TV works just fine with that.
TUAWWhy I'm not excited about the new Apple TV originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iOS surpasses Linux as browsing platform 3 Sep 2010
Seems like only yesterday that Linux was vastly outpacing iOS in terms of how many were using it as a browsing platform. Actually, make that last November; at that time, Linux's presence more than doubled the total iOS stake. Now, iOS-based browsers claim 1.13 percent of all browsing platforms, compared to a declining 0.85 percent for Linux.To the right is a screengrab from Google Analytics, as I see traffic coming to one of my own websites. However, I'm sure the list looks very different depending on the content. For example, I'm pretty sure TUAW's #1 OS isn't any flavor of Windows (but I'll check).
How long before the total of all mobile-only OS clients outranks desktop OS users in this area?
[via AppleInsider]
TUAWiOS surpasses Linux as browsing platform originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Analyst: Apple producing more iPads 3 Sep 2010
Analyst Katy Huberty from Morgan Stanley tells All Things D that she believes Apple is ramping up production on the iPad, aiming to build as many as three million a month by the end of this year. That would mean that the company could make 36 million iPads next year, which brings the total close to (but not quite) the whopping 40 million units predicted by her supply chain analysis. Sales estimates for next year started out around 10 million iPads, but have since risen to as high as 42 million units, which would be quite a year for a product that didn't exist before this past April.Currently, says Huberty, Apple is producing about two million iPads a month, and that's brought shipping times on the website down, and helped availability across the board. But the manufacturing process needs to be refined even further, and of course if, as expected earlier next year, the device sees a revision, that may delay things even further. There seems to be one thing most analysts agree on, however: Apple is going to sell a whole lot of iPads in 2011.
TUAWAnalyst: Apple producing more iPads originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fixing broken iTunes Automator workflows in iTunes 10 3 Sep 2010
If you depend on Automator workflows for managing music or other tasks in iTunes, the upgrade to version 10 may have come as a bit of a cold shock. Macworld pointed out that most available workflows for iTunes simply would not load with iTunes 10; a frustrating circumstance, to be sure.Fortunately, the problem turns out not to be that complicated; Automator's version checking thinks that iTunes 10.0 is a lower version than 9.0, because the versions are sorting alphabetically instead of numerically (oof!). Macfixit points to a workaround: opening up the Info.plist files inside the packages for the dysfunctional workflows and manually changing the version threshold. It's not ideal, but if you have critical Automator functionality that would otherwise keep you on iTunes 9, it's worth a try.
TUAWFixing broken iTunes Automator workflows in iTunes 10 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple trailers page adds showtimes and theater maps 3 Sep 2010
Since people still seem to want to leave their houses and go to the movies (despite Apple's best efforts to keep them firmly on their couches), the iTunes Movie Trailers site now features a sophisticated Showtimes view. This HTML5-savvy offering uses location awareness in your browser to show the movies playing nearest you, along with the upcoming screening schedule and links to the theater sites for ticket purchases.
The site works great in Safari, Firefox 3 or Chrome on your Mac; it also works perfectly on the iPad, although on the iPhone it's a little bit compact.
Check it out for yourself, or see our gallery of screenshots below.
[via Ars Technica]
TUAWApple trailers page adds showtimes and theater maps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Flick this! Croke puts Crokinole on the iPhone 3 Sep 2010
Crokinole is a beautiful, simple game with a long history. In the tradition of pool and Carrom, Crokinole is a dexterity game that pits two (or four) people against each other around a circular wooden board. Players try to flick little wooden discs towards the center, knocking out opponent's discs if they're in the target area. It takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to get frustrated at because you're just not good enough. The trouble is, if you want a decent Crokinole board at home, it'll set you back a few hundred dollars; $130 or so is the minimum, and you can always pay more if you really want to go all out. It's not hard to find boards costing $400 or more (don't ask how much the Death Star board costs) and you need someplace to store it when it's not in use. These things are about a meter across, and made of heavy wood, so this isn't a trivial issue.
With the Croke iPhone app, you can have a somewhat similar experience on a touchscreen. It's not the same thing, but it's also only $1.99, so you're getting to play without paying through the nose. Read on to see if this flick's for you.
TUAWFlick this! Croke puts Crokinole on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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How Apple's newest iPods prove (and disprove) that it learns from design mistakes 3 Sep 2010
When Apple released the third-generation iPod shuffle in 2009, I saw it as a perfect example of the design hubris that many Apple detractors point to. From a usability perspective, there really wasn't anything wrong with the second-generation iPod shuffle -- it had a minimal number of buttons, true, but their functions were fairly obvious. In a textbook example of the emphasis of form over function, Apple's third-generation iPod shuffle removed all of the controls from the device itself and moved them to the headphones' inline remote. Not only was the remote far more complex to use than the old shuffle's simple buttons, it also meant that, if you wanted to use third-party headphones, you'd either have to give up all control over the iPod or shell out more money for an inline remote adapter. The third-gen iPod shuffle got savaged in reviews, and it deserved it.Apple's fourth-generation iPod shuffle mercifully brought the buttons back. Apple even lists "buttons" as a feature on its page for the iPod shuffle. In a rare departure from typical Apple design, the fourth-generation iPod shuffle is much larger than the third-gen; it's not that Apple can't make a music player the size of your thumbnail, but it seems like Apple realized that it shouldn't. So, the return of buttons to the iPod shuffle proves that Apple doesn't always emphasize form over function. Right?
Unfortunately, although the iPod shuffle proves that Apple is perfectly capable of learning from its design missteps, the new iPod nano and iPod touch both feature design compromises that are almost as boneheaded as the buttonless third-gen iPod shuffle. Click "Read More" to see the way these new iPods, nice as they are in some respects, are in other ways an example of a "one step forward, two steps back" design.
TUAWHow Apple's newest iPods prove (and disprove) that it learns from design mistakes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Epic Citadel shows the bright promise of iOS gaming's future 3 Sep 2010
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Apple awarded new patents 3 Sep 2010
This past week, Apple had a host of new patents officially approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office. From streamlining the way images are rendered to preventing the accidental opening of applications, a large chunk of the patents seem to relate to the ways that a user interacts with a device. Macsimum News has a synopsis of all the patents awarded.A few of the patents that stick out are for operations that we take for granted on a daily basis.
One of them relates to scrolling through a list on a touch input device (say your iPhone contacts list), with the acceleration of the scrolling of that list being determined by the input of your finger. That's pretty nifty!
Another is for immediate search feedback on a Web browser application, like the Safari search bar. So, for instance, when you start typing in the first few letters of a search query and a list pops up of the potential items that you're searching for - that's immediate search feedback.
I think I would be lost without this feature. Often times, I can't remember the title of a song, but if I can remember the first couple lyrics, I can type them in, and a link to the song title will appear in the list. Or when I can't quite remember how to spell a word (embarrassing, I know), I go to the Safari search bar instead of going to the dictionary. Somehow, it's always the easier place to turn to.
These are some pretty simple features, but they make such a profound difference in the ways that we use and interact with the computer devices around us on a daily basis. There's some solid innovation going on over there in Cupertino.
TUAWApple awarded new patents originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iTunes 101: Using the Album Art widget 3 Sep 2010
Here's a cool new feature in iTunes 10 that we haven't mentioned yet: when listening to any song in your library, you can double click on the album art window in the lower left hand corner to detach it from the main window and see it full size. That's not new -- you could get a closer look at the art in previous versions of iTunes. But what is new is that when you mouse over that detached art, you now get full QuickTime-style controls for your tracks. You can then minimize the main window (using those weirdly-aligned buttons, of course), and then just control the music directly from that square widget (which can also be resized any way you want).Pretty neat, and somewhat hard to find if you don't usually zoom in to see your album art full size. This replicates some (not all) of the functionality provided by CoverSutra and a number of other "iTunes controllers," so it looks like Apple has (yet again) decided to make a popular function in third-party apps part of the official thing.
TUAWiTunes 101: Using the Album Art widget originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TUAW Review: Twitter for iPad 3 Sep 2010
As soon as the official Twitter app for iPad (free) hit the App Store, you could tell that it was going to be a controversial app. Immediately, the twitterverse was filled with people either commenting on how much they loved the innovative and unique user interface, and others ranting about how much they despised the UI. One of our bloggers said that she enjoyed the new features of Twitter for iPad so much that she "wanted to have a cigarette after I was done, and I don't even smoke." On the other hand, TJ Luoma reported in his first look at the Twitter app that "... judging by most of the comments of people that I follow on Twitter, the initial reaction is definitely one of 'too busy' and 'over designed.' "Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone. I have been a fan of Twittelator for iPad ($4.99) since it appeared in the App Store, so I wasn't expecting that Twitter would make an impact on my tweeting. Wrong. After a few hours of using the free Twitter app on my iPad, I'm pretty well smitten with it. The rest of this post describes how the Twitter app works to let you do more tweeting and less fumbling around trying to figure out how to do something. Be sure to take a look at the gallery below for screenshots of Twitter for iPad in action.
TUAWTUAW Review: Twitter for iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TUAW's Daily App: Mirror's Edge 3 Sep 2010
Out of all of the "major" game publishers, EA has shown Apple quite a bit of love in the past, and this is probably the company's best original (in mechanics, if not actually name or premise) title for the iOS platform. It's a real shame that it took so long for this one to make it around to the handheld, but now that it's here, it is worth the $4.99 purchase price for those looking for a premium iPhone experience.
And heck, if that's too much, just be patient another eight months or so and you'll probably see the game on sale. If you're interested in this gameplay at all -- basically a complicated Canabalt, with heroine Faith running, sliding and shooting her way across rooftops -- definitely give it a look.
TUAWTUAW's Daily App: Mirror's Edge originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Steve Jobs: Facebook had "onerous terms" for Ping 2 Sep 2010
He didn't elaborate, obviously, but you can see in Facebook's public documentation that Apple probably wouldn't have appreciated handing any more of its network over to Facebook than it did. All Ping seems to be at this point is a system of "liking" certain content (specifically on the iTunes Store, to the frustration of many of us who want to do it directly from our personal library of music), and if Facebook required that all of the "like" buttons went their way, you can see why Jobs wouldn't agree.
Turns out that even after Ping's launch, things got even more fractious between the two companies -- Apple did kick off Ping with the option to add friends with Facebook Connect, but Facebook blocked access when it was discovered that Apple wasn't playing by the rules. It's actually an open service, unless Facebook decides that it isn't, and apparently Apple's Ping network was an unwelcome guest with a lot of traffic since Apple didn't come to terms with FB ahead of time. Apple removed the service from Ping, but you'll still see some notes around suggesting you can bring in friends from Facebook.
So. Looks like Ping is already making a splash with much larger social networks. If Apple can build up its network without using Facebook's services, it seems much less likely that they'll find a way to share users in the future. As you can see above, Facebook is still implemented on iTunes, in the form of sharing albums and songs that you like, but it's completely separate from what's been built for Ping.
Despite the sour start to the social mixup between Ping and FB, Engadget suggests that conversations between the two companies are still ongoing. It may not be long before all this is a hearty laugh between friends.
TUAWSteve Jobs: Facebook had "onerous terms" for Ping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Epic's Mike Capps talks about Epic Citadel and the future of iOS gaming 2 Sep 2010
Gamasutra cornered Epic Games' Mike Capps (he of the very impressive Epic Citadel demo yesterday at the Apple special event), and Capps confirms that what you see running on your iPhone is the real deal -- Unreal Engine 3, with all of the bells and whistles that it has on the major HD consoles. The actual game that Project Sword will become is being designed by Chair (which is the same group that did the popular Shadow Complex game for Xbox 360), and we'll see the full project soon.
Capps also confirms that UE 3 needs at least an iPhone 3GS to run, but he says that in terms of hardware, Apple's devices are right where they need to be. High-resolution textures are an issue (you can't install a 15gb game on an 16gb portable device), but the memory and speed are actually there, says Capps. "You've got 16 gigs of flash memory," he says, "which is way better, faster memory than what most people have generally on a home PC. So that stuff works really well."
The biggest issue holding handheld gaming back is larger environments, but game developers are getting better and better at designing worlds that render quickly and well to all kinds of platforms. And Capps looks into the future, and sees even more possibilities for Apple and their product lines. "It doesn't take a whole lot of leaps of faith to say, 'Right now, I can display from my iPad to my Apple TV on a big screen TV.' How far away are we from 'that's my game console, and it's displaying wirelessly to my television set?' It's not far away."
That's kind of a trippy thought -- that Apple had to finally move away from the Mac to earn a larger foothold in gaming. It's very heartening, as a gamer and an Apple fan, to hear Capps as excited as he is about the possibilities for iOS and the App Store.
[via Joystiq[
TUAWEpic's Mike Capps talks about Epic Citadel and the future of iOS gaming originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple releases preview 3 of Xcode 4 2 Sep 2010
Okay, I might be a little bit fangrrlish about the new Xcode 4 IDE. But seriously, it's really an awesome update to the existing Xcode tools. Yes, it's still majorly buggy and yes, there are still many features missing in action -- but it's such a treat to see how the new tools are evolving into their final form. Today, Apple has released developer preview 3 of the new Xcode 4 suite, which you can download by heading over to the developer.apple.com site. You will need to sign in with your online or paid developer credentials to access the page and the preview dmg. I'm a little iffy about what the NDA situation is with regards to the release (I believe it is under NDA until it leaves beta) so I'll leave finding out about the details (there's a Readme and release notes) to you.
TUAWApple releases preview 3 of Xcode 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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OpenFeint announces PlayTime, real-time multiplayer with voice chat for iOS and Android 2 Sep 2010
Game Center is almost out in consumers' hands, but that hasn't stopped the folks at OpenFeint from pushing forward on their unofficial social network for gamers. PlayTime is a newly-announced feature of the third-party social networking software that will allow players on both iOS and Android to play in real-time with each other, and even use voice chat while doing that. OpenFeint is splitting its multiplayer services into two different paths: "Casual" games will use highscores to offer up multiplayer and even co-op challenges, while "Core" games will actually run real-time multiplayer, in conjunction with a system from a company called Exit Games.Sounds interesting -- the new features are being tested by developers right now, and will be available in OpenFeint sometime later on this year. Game Center will definitely make a big splash in iPhone gaming when it gets released next week, but OpenFeint is still planning on sticking around and innovating where even Apple hasn't yet dared to go. iOS game players will be glad to have both around when all is said and done.
TUAWOpenFeint announces PlayTime, real-time multiplayer with voice chat for iOS and Android originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iTunes 10 quick tip: Liking a song in Ping 2 Sep 2010
Here's a quick tip for iTunes that puzzled a few of us this morning: once you've gone ahead and set up Ping in iTunes 10, how do you 'like' a song instead of an album? The albums have those handy thumbs-up buttons, but it's not as obvious for songs.
A bit of exploration reveals that the 'Like' command is under the pop-up menu for each song, along with the other song-specific actions like gifting, sharing, wish-list-adding and the 'Other Versions' search.
We'll have more iTunes 10 tips and tricks coming right up.
TUAWiTunes 10 quick tip: Liking a song in Ping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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