Iphone Updates

Technology Editor Peter Ha (time.com) includes both the MacBook and iPod touch among Time Magazine’s Best Travel Gadgets of 2009. Ha lauds new MacBook features like the stylish, durable unibody enclosure, efficient LED-backlit screen, built-in 7-hour battery, and consumer friendly glass trackpad. And reviewing the 32GB iPod touch, he concludes that its larger memory capacity, speedier processor, longer battery life, and useful Voice Control feature make it “perfect for long-haul flights or everyday commutes.”

Filed under: iTunes, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review, Music

Moodagent [iTunes Link] (free for now) puts a new spin on the iTunes Genius Playlist system. Instead of leaving it up to Apple to give you category based Genius Playlists, Moodagent, gives you some control over what songs will appear in a 25 song customizable playlist of your music.

You are given 5 colored bars, each with an icon representing an aspect of music. The symbols didn’t make much sense to me, but by hitting an info button, I found that the icons represented, in order: Sensual, Tender, Joy, Aggressive and Tempo. I could have used a full explanation of what they meant by Aggressive and Tempo, but trial and error gave me a rough idea. By increasing or decreasing the size of each of the bars, a 25 song Playlist is created, complete with cover art icons, that can be played or saved for later recall. Increase or decrease one or more of the bars and the playlist instantly changes, so if you like a playlist, it’s a good idea to save it before changing anything. Once saved, a tap will play your chosen playlist. When saving, you are also given the opportunity to title the playlist any way you like, with the first song being the default title.

Another way of making a playlist, again similar to the iTunes Genius playlist, is to select a seed song to base the list upon. Choose one song and then adjust the bars to tailor the list to your liking.

When first loading the app, you run a sync that indexes all the music on your iPhone/iPod touch running OS 3.0 or better, with their server. My iPhone has about 2100 songs on it and syncing took about 10 minutes. When done, I was told that it couldn’t sync about 750 songs. This wasn’t surprising since my tastes tend toward the arcane, but there’s a solution for that. You are asked to download a Moodagent Profiler application that, as does iTunes Genius playlists, upload anonymous information from the iTunes library on your computer, which is assumed to have more music on it than does your mobile device. This information is used to expand the Moodagent database. After running the Moodagent Profiler on my roughly 6100 song Macbook Pro iTunes library, which took over an hour, I re-synced Moodagent and this time the number of songs that couldn’t be synced reduced to 149.

So why didn’t it find 149 songs?
One reason is that Moodagent doesn’t handle anything encoded with DRM. I haven’t yet discovered other reasons, since I only had about 60 songs in my iTunes Purchased folder. At its introduction the Moodagent database was reported to contain over 7 million songs, which is a start, but as more people use the Moodagent Profiler and increase the database, similar to the Genius Playlist system, results should get better.

Moodagent has only been out for a few days and as expected, some results are a bit odd. For no good reason, I turned Sensuality all the way up and everything else all the way down. Many of the results made sense, but Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel? Pretty weird. My guess is that if Moodagent sells well, and the database gets dramatically expanded, results will get more predictable.

I like this app quite a lot, but I like its potential even better. The more people that upload library data using the Moodagent Profiler, the better Moodagent will become over time. On the downside: I’d like to see the 25 song restriction taken off letting the user determine the size of the playlist. I also have a few other nits to pick, like the Save and Open Playlist button positioning. As it stands, those options are always in a space just above the first song, so if you’re scrolling around your list, you won’t find a way to save it. This I consider minor since I was able to figure it out in under a minute, but it would be nice to have these buttons be persistent.

Download it and check it out. The price is certainly right, and I’ve already created a number of very enjoyable playlists that the sledgehammer (can’t get that song out of my mind) approach of the iTunes Genius system, couldn’t touch. Like Bookmark, for audio books, Moodagent takes an Apple system and fine tunes it, giving you something you didn’t know you needed until you start playing with it and find it invaluable.

Check out this video to see Moodagent put through its paces.

TUAW is commonly provided with not-for-resale licenses or promo codes to permit product evaluations and reviews. For more details, see our policy page.

TUAWMoodagent: Going iTunes Playlists one better originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – IpodTouch – Apple – ITunes – IPod Classic

Filed under: Deals

‘Tis the season shop until your brains melt (or skip it all entirely, depending on your interpretation of the term holiday). In that spirit, for the next few weeks we’ll be rounding up a dozen daily deals courtesy our friends at DealNews.com. Each afternoon tune in to TUAW for this handy summary. Keep in mind that while our posts will live on, the deals won’t. Each is lovingly generated by the deal-bot every day, so get ‘em while they’re hot. Enjoy!

• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] App Store Freebies: File Ninja, Target WEIGHT, TomatoRoll, HyperBowl Classic, more
• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] Classical Music Master Collection for iPhone downloads for $1
• Apple Store: [iMac] Refurbished current-generation Apple iMac 22″ Desktops from $999 + free shipping, more
• Moosejaw: [Notebook Carrying Cases] Mountain Hardwear Agenda 15″ Laptop Backpack for $40 + free shipping
• SuperBiiz.com: [Serial ATA Hard Drives] Western Digital 500GB SATA HDD + USB2.0 HDD Docking Station, for $60 + free shipping
• LA Computer Company: [iPod Accessories] AppleCare for iPod nano or shuffle for $10 + $5 s&h
• Walmart: [15" And Smaller LCD TVs] Curtis 7″ Under-Cabinet LCD TV for $88 + $1 s&h
• eBay: [Printer Supplies] Hewlett Packard Brand HP 60 Black and Color Ink Cartridges for $20 + free shipping
• Buy.com: [Media Receivers] CiragoTV Mini USB Media Player from $54 after rebate + free shipping via 2-day
• Buy.com: [22-Inch LCD] AOC 22″ 1080p Widescreen LCD Display for $100 + free shipping
• CompUSA: [] Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote for $140 + free shipping
• PC Connection: [24" - 26" LCD TVs] Refurbished Westinghouse 26″ 720p LCD HDTV for $180 after rebate + free shipping

TUAWDozen Daily Deals for December 19, 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IPhone – Apple – AppStore – ITunes Store – IPod Classic

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Freeware, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

GameFly (which is sort of a Netflix for video games) sent along word that they have updated their free iPhone app called Gamecenter [iTunes link]. Not only does it work as an official app — you can update and add to your queue straight from the app, which is definitely nice, as you can go carry it around a game store an add titles at will — but the new update adds lots and lots of game information that’s even useful away from GameFly. You can browse games on all of the major systems, and check out user ratings and screenshots along with video of nearly all of them. It’s pretty well done, especially for a free app.

The app also includes game news from Shacknews as well, which is a nice bonus, but hopefully by now you’ve got your own way to get any news you need on the iPhone. If you’re a GameFly member, this one’s a no-brainer, and even if you’re not, there’s enough per-game content (and quick access information) in the app that it’s definitely worth a look.

TUAWGamefly updates GameCenter iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IPhone – AppStore – IpodTouch – Apple – iTunes link

Julio Ojeda-Zapata (twincities.com) reports that the iPod touch “has taken classrooms by storm” in several Minnesota K-12 schools, increasing student enthusiasm and engagement and offering new ways to teach children with special needs.

Filed under: iTS, Multimedia

We’re not sure how Apple plans to utilize its recent acquisition of Lala, but BusinessWeek reports today that Apple does plan to let Google keep utilizing the service. Google unveiled its own music search service in late October, which is backed by Lala.

“We have enjoyed a good relationship with Apple for many years, and that continues to be the case,” R.J. Pittman, Google director of product management, told BusinessWeek. “We are agreeing to continue to leave the service as it is.”

An Apple spokesman declined to comment to BusinessWeek regarding the issue. There is already speculation that Apple’s Lala purchase could lead to a web-streaming model for iTunes, which would directly compete with Google’s service.

TUAWApple allows Google to use Lala originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google – Apple – iTunes – Unofficial Apple Weblog – Web search engine

Filed under: iTS, Multimedia, Deals

The iPhone Blog reveals that Movie Bundles [iTunes link] are now available through the iTunes Store. This sort of feature has been available for years in brick and mortar stores, where you can buy two more more related movies packaged together at a discount. They start out at $9.99USD with the most expensive being $34.99USD for an HD action pack of Jason Statham movies. The bundles are also available in the Canadian iTunes Store as well.

[Via MacRumors]

TUAWApple introduces discounted iTunes movie bundles originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IPhone – Apple – TUAW – ITunes Store – Jason Statham

Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iPhone

Call it wishful thinking or evidence of the inevitable, but BusinessWeek is reporting that Verizon is bolstering its network in preparation for the iPhone.

Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Anthony Melone recently told Bloomberg BusinessWeek that the company is ready for the extra traffic that the iPhone would bring. “We have put things in place already. We are prepared to support that traffic.”

The iPhone begins its third year in the US with many customers dissatisfied with AT&T’s performance. At the same time, Verizon’s wireless service is praised by customers. In fact, a recent Consumer Reports survey asked 50,000 readers across 26 U.S. cities to rank cell service providers on a variety of scales. Verizon came out ahead in 19 of the 26 cities, while AT&T was dead last.

In current ad campaigns (first challenged by AT&T which then relented), Verizon claims to have superior national 3G coverage. Rumors of AT&T losing iPhone exclusivity to Verizon aren’t new, but for now, they’re just that.

I recently spent time in the middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania, where my iPhone fell silent while the Verizon phones in attendance worked perfectly. One man’s anecdote isn’t evidence of anything, but I was definitely jealous of the other users’ experiences, and that was a first.

TUAWRumor: Verizon Wireless prepares for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – Verizon Wireless – AT&T – Apple – Smartphone

Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, Developer, Liveblog, App Store, SDK

With just three months left before the hypothetical launch of the as-yet unconfirmed Apple Tablet, what can application developers do to prepare their products for this still-imaginary-but-soon-to-be-real new platform?

There are few hard facts on the ground. Apple has not announced a tablet, but all rumors indicate that a touch-based iPhone OS device, equipped with a ~10″ diagonal screen, is currently in private testing with trusted partners. Those who have been monitoring part sales and manufacturing out of Taiwan and China suggest that screen and chip purchases support the projected March launch date.

From a developer’s point of view, what do these rumors mean? Is it enough to assume that App Store products will “just work” out of the box on a new device class? Will adherence to Apple’s resolution independence design principles allow well-built iPhone applications to adapt to new window sizes? Or are there greater concerns of memory, processor, and the overall user experience that need to be taken into account?

On Friday, TUAW will chat with Craig Hockenberry and Daniel Jalkut. Hockenberry is the senior software engineer for the Iconfactory, a software and design house that ships both Macintosh and iPhone products. Jalkut, formerly of Apple, is the founder of Red Sweater Software (aka the “MarsEdit” people). Both Hockenberry and Jalkut bring multi-platform Apple development expertise to the table for our discussion of possible hardware directions and how developers can proactively prepare their place in a new market.

Please join us at 10AM Pacific/1PM Eastern for this live chat. There’s a reminder widget in the continuation of this post.

Photo by

Application Development for the Apple Tablet

TUAWLive chat tomorrow: Application Development for the (mythical) Apple Tablet originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AppStore – IPhone – Apple – Unofficial Apple Weblog – Iconfactory

Filed under: iPhone

The Guardian has a story on US military contractor Raytheon who’s begun building a series of applications for the iPhone for use in the battlefield. Their first military app is called One Force Tracker and uses satellite positioning and mobile networks to turn soldiers into master tacticians, giving them constantly updating field maps that track the position of friendly troops and enemy fighters in real time.

Jay Smart, chief technology officer of Raytheon’s intelligence and information systems business, said, “Raytheon’s experience with mobile communications in the tactical environment and the government customers’ need for low-power, simple plug-and-play applications led to the development of a real-time situational awareness application using Apple’s touch technologies,” and that the decision to use the iPhone was “because building software for the gadget was cheaper and simpler than some of the expensive options specifically designed for military use.”

While it’s probably a safe bet that One Force Tracker won’t be appearing in the App Store anytime soon, another military application by Knight’s Armament Company, an American weapons maker that supplies rifles to the Pentagon, has an app called BulletFlight [iTunes link] which helps snipers and sharpshooters to hit their intended target.

Yo Joe!

Thanks Charlie

TUAWTracking and killing insurgents? There’s an app for that. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – AppStore – Apple – Knight’s Armament Company – iTunes link

Vodafone has just gone live with its launch date for the iPhone. Its subscribers have not got long to wait as it hits the stores on January 14th. If you were waiting for a bargain basement iPhone you’ll have to…

Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we’ve got questions about syncing photo libraries, compressing and transferring large files, creating a virtual PDF printer, increasing screen readability, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you’re using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we’ll assume you’re running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don’t specify).

Ben asks

I have a large iPhoto library and multiple macs in multiple locations. What is the best online solution to put my library online so that I can view/download/upload my pictures from any computer anywhere? I am looking for something that I can host on my own site for security if possible not a shutterfly type solution. I also do not have nor want a .mac account.

My initial thought is that the best way to share an iPhoto library between different macs is with Dropbox; I even found a handy tutorial. This would cost something ($9.99 per month for 50 GB / $19.99 for 100 GB), but would be nearly seamless. Unfortunately, it doesn’t meet your requirement of running on your own server. But if you really want to do that I don’t think you’ll really be able to continue using iPhoto. (In principle you might do it with a network disk, but I suspect you’d find the performance hit unacceptable.)

If all you want to do is host a bunch of photos on your own server you might check out Gallery which is a server-based PHP application that offers various photo organizing and sharing features. Naturally, you could access that from any of your Macs.

Pat asks

I have a third party database application running on 4D that prints records to attached printers without going through the Mac OS X print dialog window (it brings up a software specific dialog that allows font and font size selection as well as which types of records to print). This is running on a Mac Mini with OS 10.4.11 installed. I would like to print to a pdf file but my application won’t give me the built in print to pdf option. I can select different printers in page setup. Is there a Mac OS X pdf engine that can be installed like a print driver that appears in my page setup dialog box that the database will recognize?

What you need is CUPS-PDF. You might want to grab a slightly older version for your OS X 10.4 machine, but it will create a virtual printer that you should be able to select within the print dialog. When you do that it dumps your “prints” as PDFs into a folder on your Desktop.

Nirgal asks

I recently was faced with the need to compress an approximately 50 Gig file, so that I can send it by FTP in less than 10,000 years. I know about the built-in compress utility in Leopard/Snow Leopard, command-line options like tar, gzip, and cpio, and StuffIt and other 3rd party apps. My question is, are any of these options noticeably faster than the others? And, in general, are there any advantages to using StuffIt instead of the built-in file compression in OS X?

You certainly don’t need to bother with StuffIt, which is more of an artifact of the Mac past than really relevant these days. Frankly, what I would suggest is that you use RAR. In addition to good compression performance, RAR also allows you to break up big files into several smaller files, each of which is easier to upload/download. In fact, if you also includes some PAR files, you’ll also get an automated recovery method if something becomes corrupted along the ways.

There are several Mac RAR utilities like UnRarX and RAR Expander, but if you want to use PAR files you’ll probably want MacPAR deLuxe.

Maxintech asks

Is there a way to record the sound coming from iphone to computer? I’m recording a tutorial for a game and in certain parts of the game are played simultaneous sounds which difficult to put the sound manually when editing the video. I recorded others tutorials and muted the original video and synchronized the sound manually, but in this case is impracticable.

I think you could simply use a 1/8″ audio patch cable from the iPhone. For the best results I’d use the output from an iPhone dock (or similar) to the line in. If you don’t have a line in on your Mac, you may need a USB audio interface like the iMic from Griffin.

iGO asks

Is there a setting to make all the system Fonts, Menu’s, Text, LARGER, globally? We don’t wish to change the native resolution, which displays everything beautifully, but the native resolution display (1920×1200) makes everything too small.

While there has been lots of talk about resolution independence in OS X, it has not yet appeared as general feature. With TinkerTool you can adjust some of the default font settings in OS X. Unfortunately, it will not affect things like the menubar font. While it’s not entirely practical she could also use the zoom feature when necessary. Once turned on in the Universal Access Preference Pane it allows you to zoom in on the part of the screen under the mouse cursor if you hold down the Control key and scroll (with a mouse scroll wheel or even two-fingers on the trackpad). Other than that, I’m afraid you would actually have to change the screen resolution to make everything appear bigger.

Josh asks

I have a 27″ iMac and a new Mac Mini both running 10.6.2. Is it possible to use Target Display Mode and something like Teleport or Synergy to control the Mini? Or is a second, separate display – directly attached to the Mini – needed?

While, in principle, I think you could do that I suspect you’d be better off to run the Mac mini headless and just use Screen Sharing to control it. If you turn on Screen Sharing in Sharing Preference Pane on the mini (and the mini is on the same network as the iMac) you should see it in the Finder sidebar on the iMac and easily be able to connect to it. If necessary you could connect the mini to the iMac in Target Display Mode in order to set it up and from then on just use Screen Sharing.

TUAWAsk TUAW: Syncing photos, compressing and transferring large files, virtual printers, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac OS X – Mac Mini – iPhone – iMac – IPhoto

Filed under: Software, Switchers, First Look

Switchers were elated earlier this year when TechSmith, developers of the fabulous Camtasia screen recorder application for Windows, finally shipped their flagship app for the Mac. Those switchers were probably also wishing that TechSmith would create a Mac version of their screen capture application, Snagit. Well, their wishes have been granted!

TechSmith has announced the public beta version of Snagit for Mac, and a first look at the application shows that it’s a worthy screenshot snapper for the platform. The company has made the beta available for feedback on operation and features, so this is a perfect time to download the program and give it a try.

After installing the application and launching it, all that is visible is a small “tab” that pops out from the side of the Mac screen when you hover over it. The tab has a drop-down for choosing the capture mode and a red button for taking the screen shot. There are two capture modes — all-in-one capture and window capture. Window capture mode displays all open windows Exposé-style, and you click on one of the windows to select it for capture. Once captured, it appears in a screen where you can annotate the screenshot in a number of ways, or add effects. At this time, there are no effects and the app shows that the feature is coming soon.
In the all-in-one capture mode, clicking the red button brings up a set of gold crosshairs that you direct across the display using your trackpad or mouse. Bringing the crosshairs to bear on a window causes that window to be selected for capture. There’s one really cool feature of Snagit that comes into play in either capture mode. If the window you’ve selected to capture is a scrolling window, Snagit will grab the entire length and width of the window, not just what’s visible.

After a window has been captured, it appears in an application window. It’s here that you can apply a number of tools, including labels (notepad or cartoon balloon), arrows, stamps (including many accents and cursors), markers and highlighters, a blur tool for hiding personal information in screen shots, lines, shapes, fills, and erasers. Each tool is highly configurable, with choices of line widths, shapes, and foreground and background colors.

Each screenshot appears in a scrolling pane at the bottom of the Snagit window, and the application also auto-saves your captures for future reference and work. In my initial “play” with the application, I found it to be easy to use, full-featured, and a serious competitor to Apple’s free Preview app (which provides screenshot and annotation tools) and my personal favorite, Snapz Pro X (which has no annotation tools).

No price or release date has been set yet for Snagit, and there are definitely some features that are still in the works, but it looks as if Snagit for Mac could be a real winner in the screenshot capture application genre.

TUAWFirst Look: Snagit for Mac Public Beta originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TechSmith РApple РExpos̩ РWindows РSnapz Pro X

Filed under: iLife, Software, Software Update, Apple

Apple today released a new digital RAW compatibility update for some Canon and Nikon cameras that shoot photos in RAW format.

This update extends RAW image compatibility for Aperture 2, iPhoto ’08 and iPhoto ’09 for the following cameras:

• Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
• Canon EOS 7D
• Canon PowerShot G11
• Nikon D3S
• Nikon D300S
• Nikon D3000

If you have one of these cameras, you should check out this update to work with your photos shot in RAW format with any of these applications. As always, this update is available through Software Update, but it doesn’t seem to be posted anywhere on apple.com yet.

TUAWDigital RAW Compatibility Update 2.7 available in Software Update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon EOS – Canon PowerShot G – Camera – Photography – Canon EOS 7D

Filed under: Video, iPhone, SDK, iPod touch

Amidst all of Apple’s recent app non-rejections and changes to allow APIs that were private, it was announced earlier this week that the company is now requiring developers of apps that implement live streaming video to use the HTTP Live Stream protocol.

The HTTP Live Stream protocol uses web standards to implement video, and also allows for use of iPhone-friendly formats like H.264 encoded streams for QuickTime (supported on the iPhone since iPhone OS 3.0).

This change also requires developers to create a minimum stream of video no larger than 64kbps, for use with slower connections.

It’s still not known if this will have any impact on AT&T’s position on streaming video over a 3G connection, but developers are still trying to find ways to work around Apple’s restrictions. One example is the EyeTV update that was released earlier today, which works via Mobile Safari to stream video over a 3G connection.

TUAWApple requiring the HTTP live stream protocol for iPhone apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – IpodTouch – Apple – App Store – IPod Classic

Filed under: iPhone

We’re sure this will be a hit for the holiday season: Apple recently updated one of the iPhone support articles, explaining how you can continue using an iPhone as a quasi-iPod touch, if you no longer have a cellphone contract with your carrier. Let’s give an example:

Your iPhone 3G contract was eligible for the upgrade pricing not too long ago, so you purchased an iPhone 3GS. You have your old iPhone 3G lying around the house with no purpose. Obviously, you could try and sell it… but maybe your child has been begging you for an iPod touch for Christmas. Apple wants to see these devices be re-used and not thrown into the trash, so they’ve outlined how to activate your iPhone (1st gen, 3G or 3GS) in the article.

It all boils down to this: never get rid of your SIM card. For the iPhone 1st generation, you have to keep the original SIM card in place at all times. Without this, it will not activate in the next software update. The iPhone 3G and 3GS do not need a SIM card installed for day-to-day use. However, you still need a SIM card for the required activation after a software update.

This differs a bit from the iPhone 1st generation: with the iPhone 3G and 3GS you can use any SIM card from your authorized carrier. Either way, it’s silly not to leave the SIM card in each generation of iPhone as long as you don’t need the SIM card for your new phone. Now you won’t get stuck at the “Connect to iTunes” screen forever.

TUAWRecycle that contract-free iPhone as a holiday gift originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – Apple – iTunes – IPod Touch – IPod Classic

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Software, Odds and ends, App Store

The App Store approval process has been criticized, in part, for being too slow with approval decisions. Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller recently defended the process, saying, “You and your family and friends can download applications from the store, and for the most part they do what you’d expect, and they get onto your phone, and you get billed appropriately, and it all just works.” That’s all well and good, but most developers just want to get their app out. To that end, a group in Sweden is trying something unique.

Dearstevejobs.com was built to win Steve’s attention and ultimately approval for an app called SVT Play. SVT is a public television broadcaster, and SVT Play is their shows’ home on the web (think Hulu). The iPhone app works as you’d imagine: With a few clicks, users can watch popular shows right on their iPhones.

The promotional site is cute with live streaming video of eager developers, Facebook and Twitter integration plus an opportunity for Steve to use his Mac’s built-in iSight to record a quick video of himself saying, “Ja!” Good luck, SVT!

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

TUAWSwedish developers vie for Steve Jobs’s attention originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs – Apple – IPhone – AppStore – Facebook

Thomas Houston (switched.com) reports that Pro photographer Chase Jarvis has created Best Camera, an iPhone app “that lets you shoot, apply multiple filters and effects, and share via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, and the Best Camera photography community.” In an accompanying video, Jarvis discusses mobile photography, shooting, and his new app.

Filed under: Deals

‘Tis the season shop until your brains melt (or skip it all entirely, depending on your interpretation of the term holiday). In that spirit, for the next few weeks we’ll be rounding up a dozen daily deals courtesy our friends at DealNews.com. Each afternoon tune in to TUAW for this handy summary. Keep in mind that while our posts will live on, the deals won’t. Each is lovingly generated by the deal-bot every day, so get ‘em while they’re hot. Enjoy!

• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] App Store Price Drops: SketchBook Mobile, ReelDirector, Wolfram Alpha, more
• iTunes Music Store: [MP3 Downloads] Free at iTunes: Bob Dylan “Must Be Santa”, more
• Apple Store: [iMac] 4 refurbished Apple iMac Desktops: 20″ for $849 + free shipping, 24″ from $1,099
• Apple Store: [MacBook Pro] Refurbished Apple MacBook Pro Laptops from $1,299 + free shipping
• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] TomTom U.S.A. for iPhone downloads for $50
• GoDaddy: [Computer Services] GoDaddy.com coupon: New 1-year domain name registration for $1
• US Appliance: [40" - 42" LCD TVs] Sony XBR 240Hz LCD HDTV Bundles: 40″ for $1,049, 46″ for $1,449 + free shipping
• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] LogMeIn Ignition for iPhone downloads for $20
• US Appliance: [50" - 52" LCD TVs] Sony BRAVIA XBR 52″ 240Hz 1080p LCD HDTV Bundle for $1,649 + free shipping
• MacUpdate Promo: [Computer Software] MacUpdate Holiday Bundle: 14 Mac apps for $50
• Bargain Outfitters: [iPod Accessories] Eton Sound 100 AM/FM Clock Radio with iPod Dock for $35 + $8 s&h
• MidnightBox: [iPod Accessories] Griffin Technology BlueTrip Bluetooth Stereo Connection Kit for iPod for $11 + $4 s&h

TUAWDozen Daily Deals for December 15, 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – Apple – AppStore – ITunes Store – TUAW

Filed under: Other Events, Steve Jobs, Apple

Time magazine has revealed its final seven candidates for Person of the Year, and one Mr. Steven P. Jobs has made the list. Though the editors of Time have already chosen the winner (to be announced on The Today Show on Wednesday morning), MSNBC.com wants to know who us average folk would vote for.

At the risk of our audience being slightly biased, I’m going to release the same poll here. So vote below, and don’t feel bad if you don’t think Steve should get it. He’s already won another little award this year.

TUAWSteve Jobs up for Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Job – Apple – TUAW – Time – History

As one of the largest research universities in the United States, the University of Washington brings together 65,000 students, faculty members, and administrative staff. From the laboratory to the dormitory, this thriving academic community stays connected with iPhone and the university’s proprietary m.UW app, which gives students and staff mobile access to campus maps, news, directories, course schedules, and lectures.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iTS, App Store

Our eagle-eyed blogger David Winograd sent out a breaking news post Friday night to let all of you know that there were changes afoot in the iTunes App Store. Sure enough, those changes appear to have migrated through most, if not all, apps by now.

In my opinion, the new design makes more sense in the overall iTunes 9.0.2 layout than the “old” design did. The app icon is now very large (blue highlight in above screenshot), so apps with poorly designed icons will need to be retooled by developers in order to create something that grabs potential purchasers with one glance.

The app screenshots in the old version of iTunes were apparently confusing to a surprising number of users. The new design now shows two or three full screenshots of each app in action (see yellow highlight above), with a visible scroll bar at the bottom of the screenshots indicating whether the user can scroll to the side to see more. The old version simply showed one screenshot and required clicking on the picture to move to the next screen image.

For developers, there is now a very good reason to write a “killer description.” The App description now shows only the first two lines (see red highlight above), and although there’s a “More…” button that will display the full description, many users may not choose to click that button. Developers who have a herd of apps in their stables can now show a list of those apps on the left side of the App Store display.

I like the fact that the links for the developer and support websites are at the top of the page now; bloggers need to find those links for use in reviews, and they’re no longer hard to find (in the red highlighted area). Attached to the Buy App button is a small pop-up menu (yellow highlight) that enables potential buyers to put an app on their wish list, send a link to a friend, or copy the link to the page. In addition, you can now send info about an app to Facebook and Twitter.

Many iPhone devs seemed to be happy with the changes on Friday night, although a lot of them seemed unprepared for the changes and were scrambling to update their descriptions as quickly as possible. For the average iPhone user, however, the new layout of the App Store in iTunes should be a welcome change.

TUAWAll about the new, improved App Store in iTunes 9.0.2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AppStore – Apple – TUAW – ITunes Store – Icon

Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, iPhone

Maybe they’re feeling a bit of pricing pressure? Whatever the reason, TomTom just released a stripped down version of its Navigation app that leaves out Canada. Oh my.

This USA-only version sells for US $49.99, [iTunes link] which is half the price of the version that includes our good neighbor to the north. Like the big brother version, this app includes turn by turn directions and lane guidance, and 2D and 3D driving views.

This holiday season there is no shortage of choices for getting directions to your holiday destinations, and TomTom is pitching aggressive pricing and a strong feature set. The last few weeks we’ve seen several of the GPS apps cut prices temporarily to get some customers motivated, but this move from TomTom looks permanent and will undoubtedly force other vendors to follow suit.

This app requires an iPhone or iPod touch running 3.0 software, or older iPhones and iPod touches can work with the software ONLY if users purchase the TomTom car kit with a built in GPS receiver.

Thanks to Dubbs for tipping us to this holiday treat.

TUAWTomTom lowers iPhone app price if you don’t need to go to Canada originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – TUAW – TomTom – Apple – IPod Touch

Filed under: Retail, Odds and ends, iPhone

Apple Stores continue to be sizable targets for theft, it seems — the local paper in Lancaster, PA reports that four young men stole 17 iPhones from the displays at an Apple Store recently, resulting in almost $10,000 worth of losses. The robbery took place during the day; at around 1:30pm, the young men just started grabbing, and walked out of the store with as many iPhones as they could carry.

Not that it’ll probably do anything but get them in trouble. All of the phones are already entered in a crime database, and they were removed from the store without SIM cards, so any attempt to officially activate them will probably raise flags somewhere. Of course, from my time in retail I know that most retailers just usually write losses like this off, as it’s just cheaper to eat the loss than deal with going after whoever stole the units. But you never know — the police apparently have video and everything, so if the kids are caught, maybe they will face the music.

Moral of the story: don’t leave your iPhone lying around an Apple Store? On the other hand, the warehouses aren’t safe either, at least not in Belgium…

[ via @esposimi]

TUAW$10,000 worth of iPhones stolen from Lancaster, PA Apple Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IPhone – Apple – TUAW – Retail – Theft

Filed under: Odds and ends, iTunes

The 350 million users of popular social networking site Facebook now have another application they can benefit from — the ability to purchase iTunes gift cards for other Facebook users.

This timely functionality, reports The Loop, will let Facebook fans use the familiar interface to purchase and send iTunes gift cards in US$5, $10, $15, $25, and $50 denominations. The interface allows users to select a date on which the gift card will be delivered, meaning that you could theoretically do all of your birthday shopping for the next few years in one Facebook session, and then let Facebook do all the hard work of remembering birthdays and hoildays.

There are six different card designs available at this time, including two holiday cards, two birthday cards, and two generic “any occasion” cards. As with other Facebook apps, you must approve the app and let it have access to your profile information. Unfortunately for international Facebook users, the app is only valid for the U.S. iTunes store at this time.

TUAWFacebook gains iTunes gift card feature just in time for Christmas originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook – Apple – TUAW – AppStore – Greeting card

Filed under: Internet, iPhone, App Store, SDK, iPod touch

Late yesterday, Apple introduced a RSS feed for news from the App Store Resource Center, which was introduced a few months ago, and gives iPhone developers news about what’s going on with the App Store for developers. Apple promises to deliver current turnaround time for app reviews (kind of a hot topic), program updates, development and testing techniques, and much more. Add it to your reader of choice.

In related news, iTunes Connect will be unavailable from December 23rd to December 28th. You’ll remember that Apple did the same thing last year. You’ll won’t be able to access anything in iTunes Connect in that time, which includes, sales reports, app submission, generating promo codes and more. Hey, even geeks need a holiday break, right? Make sure your pertinent business is concluded before then and enjoy the break!

TUAWApple introduces iPhone developer RSS news feed, takes time off from iTunes Connect originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – AppStore – Apple – TUAW – IpodTouch

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

Long before people went to the Internet for film information, movie buffs annually bought the latest revisions of huge paperback books like The Leonard Maltin Movie Guide and Videohound’s Golden Movie Retriever. These were, and are, massive reference books; the current version of Maltin comes in at 1664 pages, and the current version of Videohound at 1700 pages. You needed a strong coffee table to hold these massive tomes.

Today there are many ways to get movie reviews, with IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes probably being the most popular sites. But there is a real virtue to reading reviews written by someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of film and a lifetime career of reviewing them. That’s why I was very happy to find that the Leonard Maltin Movie Guide [iTunes Link] $2.99US, has morphed into an iPhone/iPod touch app, adding features that could never be found in books like streaming preview videos, and a tie-in to Netflix and iTunes along with the ability to email reviews from the app.

Upon launching the app you are presented with a scrolling list of Maltin’s current picks. You can tap on them to bring up a full review, links to information on the director and major actors, and a streaming video preview of the film. If you have an Internet connection you can see the videos. If not, the option isn’t even presented. I really like that, since unlike many apps that won’t work without connectivity, the main database is always available for any iPhone/iPod touch running OS 3.0 or better.

Continue reading Is the Leonard Maltin Movie Guide app ready for its closeup?

TUAWIs the Leonard Maltin Movie Guide app ready for its closeup? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – Apple – IpodTouch – Leonard Maltin Movie Guide – TUAW

Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone, App Store

I recently read this terrific article in the New Yorker about cookbooks, and I think one of the reasons I liked it so much is that it hits pretty close to home — I do like reading and browsing cookbooks, and I don’t cook nearly as much as I want to. And I can totally identify with the tension between searching the pages of recipes looking for a secret, weighed against actually getting the experience necessary to be a great chef. From the article: “The recipe is to spend your life cooking.”

But that hasn’t stopped cookbook writers from trying to import as much knowledge as they can. The Ratio cookbook is one that caught my eye recently; rather than giving out recipes and directions, the book sticks with math and recipes as a way of breaking down foods and the way they’re made. Instead of step one, step two, step three, it’s one part sugar, two parts fat, three parts flour, mixed up and baked. It’s an interesting way at examining cooking, and now it’s come to the iPhone — the cookbook (or at least the ratios and recipes from it) is being released as an iPhone app. You can browse the “32 critical ratios” for doughs, meats, and sauces, a unit converter, and other recipes including ways to share and tweak your own. You’ll probably need to know a little about cooking already (and as that article says, just knowing the recipes doesn’t actually give you the meals), but it should be a helpful reference.

All the page says is soon (no price yet, either), but if you keep an eye on Michael Ruhlman’s website, they’ll probably post when the app is out in the store.

TUAWRatio cookbook becomes an iPhone app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – App Store – Michael Ruhlman – Apple – TUAW

Filed under: Odds and ends, Mac mini

How would you insult a Mac Mini? Well, one way is to discover that, after you move it across the room, away from toddlers with longer arms than they were born with (the better to yank ill-placed computers to the floor through the crib slats, my dear) the Mac Mini makes an excellent diaper wipe warmer.

TUAWHow to insult a Mac Mini: make it warm the wipes for you originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MacMini – Apple – TUAW – Macintosh – Unofficial Apple Weblog

Filed under: Airport, Software Update, Apple, Macbook Pro, MacBook

Apple today released several updates today including AirPort client software, and EFI firmware revisions for some MacBook and MacBook Pro models.

First, the AirPort Client Update 2009-002 update fixes the following issues:

• An Inability to turn AirPort on or off in some cases after upgrading from Mac OS X Leopard.
• An occasional loss of network connection when using Wake on Demand.
• An Inability to create a computer-to-computer network, or share the Internet connection on some MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini computers.

Next, the MacBook and MacBook Pro EFI updates allow the installation of SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0, reducing the noise of the optical disc drive when waking from sleep and startup. The SuperDrive firmware installation is a 2nd step; you need to do the EFI update, then check again for software updates. This update is available for the Late 2008 aluminum MacBook model and the Early 2009 and Mid 2009 white MacBook models, and for Late 2008 15 inch MacBook Pro models and Early 2009 17 inch MacBook Pro models. (The KB article for the MacBook EFI update may need a little editing, as it refers to a suggestion from a mysterious ‘Glenno.’)

These updates are available through Software Update, or they’re available from Apple’s support page.

TUAWApple releases updates for AirPort software, MacBook and MacBook Pro EFI originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple – TUAW – Mac OS X – MacMini – Unofficial Apple Weblog

Filed under: Multimedia, Music

After what has seemingly been a never-ending “alpha” period for the famous XBMC fork, Boxee, tonight the Boxee crew have finally (as expected) unveiled the first beta release of Boxee.

For starters, they have totally revamped the user interface especially surrounding the home screen. Up top are the usual suspects movies, TV shows, music, etc. On the far left is the news feed which aggregates content recommendations from friends on Boxee, Facebook and of course Twitter. Proudly, in the middle, is the “featured” section which contains recommendations from Boxee staff and associated partners (read: this is where money is made). And on the right is a list of items in your queue, but more on that in a moment.

Read on for the TUAW overview of the Boxee pre-release beta.

Continue reading Boxee goes beta

TUAWBoxee goes beta originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook – Boxee – Twitter – Television – Software release life cycle

The Shiny offices are currently being overrun by iPhone rivals. Last week we had the Motorola Dext, better known in the US as the Cliq, and this week Nokia’s new music phone, the X6 has turned up. We kind of…

Big day today for Tesco have confirmed that it will be selling the iPhone from Monday 14th December. The supermarket have also gone in aggressively with a £20 per month tarriff and a 12 month contract option. On paper…

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Multimedia, Rumors

Last week, cable giant Comcast purchased a controlling interest in US television network NBC, resulting in a media behemoth to rival Disney. The results remain to be seen (Must See TV … it’s Comcastic!), but it’s been suggested by AppleInsider that the switch could affect Apple’s rumored TV subscription model.

Last month we heard a rumor that Apple was working on a deal to offer iTunes customers a subscription for content. For $30 per month, Peter Kafka mused at the Wall Street Journal, customers could stream all the content they want.

You’ll also remember that NBC and Apple had a spat a while ago that resulted in the network pulling their content from the iTunes Store. They eventually made up, but Wall Street Journal analysts believe that a Comcast-owned NBC would be less likely to participate in an “all-you-can-eat” subscription model.

If Apple charged me X amount of money per month for unlimited access to the iTunes library of television and movies from any approved device, including Macs, iPhones, iPods and, of course, Apple TVs, I’d be a happy customer. Yes, I want to have my music files physically on my hard disk. But if the shows and movies I wanted to watch all lived on a server farm in Cupertino (or North Carolina), that’d be fine with me.

I’d save a lot of disk space. There’d be nothing to sync, or forget to sync, before a vacation. I wouldn’t have to cough up three bucks just to watch The Office, and and Apple would maintain its revenue stream. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

TUAWRumor: Comcast, NBC deal to hinder Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple – iTunes Store – IPhone – Unofficial Apple Weblog – Apple Corporate

Filed under: Hardware, Open Source, Found Footage, iPhone

Are you the type of person who likes to handcraft your Christmas gifts? This year, perhaps you can make someone’s Christmas Day just a little bit brighter and happier when they unwrap their very own iPhone-controlled, solar-powered Arduino tank.

As you can view in the video above, the tank is pretty impressive in its current form; it could be used to strike terror into the hearts of unsuspecting senior citizens or small animals. It was built by Chris Rojas, a Colorado-based geek who used the iPhone TouchOSC app [US$4.99, iTunes Link], various parts from SparkFun including XBee modules and robot kits, and the Arduino open-source electronics prototyping platform to create this cool little tank. The tank can be charged by exposing a belly-mounted photovoltaic panel to the sun.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’d love to see one of these modded out with a spinning saw blade, lasers, and maybe a paintball gun… What would be your accessory of choice for your iPhone-controlled tank?

[via Cult of Mac]

TUAWFound Footage: The iPhone-controlled, solar-powered Arduino tank originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IPhone – Cult of Mac – Apple – TUAW – iTunes

Sponsored post A few months ago Vodafone announced the launch of its Vodafone 360 service which delivers a new set of internet services for the mobile and PC. It works by gathering all of a customer’s friends, communities, entertainment and…

Brian X. Chen (wired.com) reports that Abilene Christian University has just finished the first year of a pilot program in which 1,000 freshman students each received a free iPhone or iPod touch to explore how the always-connected devices ”might revolutionize the classroom experience with a dash of digital interactivity.” Says Bill Rankin, a professor who helped plan the initiative: “I think this is the next platform for education.”

Filed under: Apple Corporate, iTunes, Apple, Music

Earlier today, Greg Sandoval at CNET reported that Apple was in talks to buy out music-streaming service Lala; his piece suggested that these talks were in advanced stages, and a deal could happen at any time — Apple just needed to sign on the dotted line.

As of this evening, Sandoval’s rumor is looking a lot more like a done deal. The Wall Street Journal and the NY Times are both confirming that Apple has pulled the trigger and spent a minuscule fraction of those billions in cash on Lala. No numbers were announced, but the WSJ notes that an investment of $20 million in Lala from Warner Music Group was written down by more than 50% earlier this year.

Why Lala for Apple? The AP noted that Lala co-founder Bill Nguyen demoed an iPhone app in October that allowed ‘intelligently cached’ songs to be streamed to your iPhone, with the recently-streamed songs replayable even outside of cell coverage areas; Wired suggests that Lala’s bundle-payment setup, where users buy stream credits, could save Apple’s iTunes Store millions in credit card fulfillment charges. The deal is expected to put Nguyen and the Lala engineers on Apple’s payroll, although the Times notes that Lala’s agreements with the labels to stream music are non-transferable.

Lala’s model for music streaming is an interesting one; the service scans your hard drive for songs you already own and lets you stream them at will, taking the concept Apple’s also providing with Home Share to the Web (other services also let you share media between iTunes instances). You can also choose to stream songs you don’t already own for $0.10 a piece, and ‘upgrade’ to a downloadable version at will.

Lala also recently made an agreement with Google to offer music previews in Google searches, greatly expanding Lala’s reach. It’s not clear whether Apple’s purchase will have any affect on that arrangement

Is this a streaming service you would like to see come to iTunes? Leave a comment below and let us know!

TUAWLala bought by Apple, streaming iTunes Store around the bend? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lala – Apple – iPhone – iTunes Store – Warner Music Group

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

I am a huge movie fan and have been a customer of Netflix since they opened for business. I would say that I average over 200 movies a year delivered to me in red envelopes, so I was quite excited when ezMoviePick $0.99US [iTunes Link] was released. This app, which works with any iPhone or iPod touch running OS 3.0 or better, is a Netflix queue manager and movie selector rolled into one, so I had to check it out and see if if it could replace a few other Netflix apps like PhoneFlicks, that I have been using for some time, along with uncovering some worthy movies that I’ve missed.

Movie selection is at the heart of the app. It looks and works similarly to Urbanspoon taking the form of a slot machine. After entering your Netflix account information and choosing which formats of movies (DVD, Blu Ray, Watch Instantly) you are interested in, you tap a key or shake your device to set three wheels spinning. The wheels are for movie type, year of release and number of stars. The result — after waiting a bit longer than I would have preferred — is a nearly random selection. Any movies shown will be from the list of films that Netflix would recommend to you. You can tap on a resulting film it to get some information and have the opportunity to add any of your chosen formats to your queue.

The problem is that you can’t lock a reel or two as you can with Urbanspoon, so there is no way to concentrate your searches based on any criteria. You get what you get. This is not an oversight in the building of the app though. The Netflix API, according to the developer, makes such a lock virtually impossible:

“Netflix does not offer an API that will let a third party do a request asking for : give me all movies in the category “Comedy” from the 90′s, or all movies with at least 3 stars in the Thriller category. Thus because of that limitation, the application right now cannot provide a ‘lock’ feature.”

Continue reading Reel in a Netflix movie with the ezMoviePick app

TUAWReel in a Netflix movie with the ezMoviePick app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – IpodTouch – Apple – iTunes – TUAW

Filed under: App Store, SDK

Apple quietly tweaked the interface of iTunes Connect for App Store developers today, changing the way applications are listed. It changed from the list format that was previously used, and now shows a group of five app icons in a row, which gives a more complete look at your apps. Below the icon, it now shows the name of the application and a colored indicator showing the application status.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

TUAWiTunes Connect gets a face-lift originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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App Store – Apple – TUAW – IPhone – iTunes

Filed under: Apple Corporate

It didn’t take long, but it seems that sometime in the night, following their agreement with Apple, Psystar has mysteriously run out of stock on all of their Mac clones. Apparently their settlement with Apple on the order of $2,000,000USD has caused them to accept defeat. Given that they only sold 768 clones over the course of the past two years, I don’t imagine the inability to sell their hardware will have much of an impact on their financial statements.

Down but not out, however, Psystar is still selling its Rebel EFI product which is used to circumvent OS X’s EFI requirements for installation. In other words, it aims to make it dead simple to install Snow Leopard on any PC. Psystar’s basis for continuing to sell Rebel EFI is that it was not included as part of the original case in San Francisco.

Even though another major chapter in the Apple v. Psystar battle has come to a close, it looks like Apple has some more work to do in Florida in order to stamp out the Rebel fires and finally squash this little bug of a company. Remember that Psystar is suing Apple in its native state Florida and in this case the issue of Rebel’s legality/legitimacy is likely to come up.

Psystar may be circling the drain, but they’re not done kicking yet.

TUAWPsystar’s Mac clones all sold out originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple – Psystar – Unofficial Apple Weblog – OS X – Macintosh

Filed under: Gaming, App Review

Super Monkey Ball 2 [iTunes Link] is now available for the iPhone. There is good news and bad news, and yes, some of it relates to App Store policies which are out of developers’ hands.

I bought the original Super Monkey Ball [iTunes Link] for US$10 on the first day the App Store was available (July 10, 2008, for those who might some day want to win a trivia contest). I had seen the demo and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I also bought Bejeweled 2 [iTunes Link] for $10 on that same day.

Bejeweled 2 is now selling for $3 and the original Super Monkey Ball is selling for $4. If you ask me, Bejeweled is a steal at the price, and the original version of Super Monkey Ball isn’t worth $0.99. It was far too “twitchy” for my taste. I tried everything to steady my hands, but I was never able to get enough precise control to be able to enjoy the game. In all the time I’ve had it, I bet I’ve played it less than an hour. Every time I tried, it ended quickly in frustration, usually with my shouting “Drown, stupid monkey! Drown!”

I wasn’t alone in my frustration. Macworld’s first look at Super Monkey Ball 2 begins with this look back:

“The original Super Monkey Ball was an App Store launch game and sold like gangbusters. Taking advantage of the iPhone’s accelerometer controls and already possessing a huge following thanks to its console success, Super Monkey Ball was one of the most highly anticipated apps on the iPhone.

The only problem was: it wasn’t very good.”

Macworld went on to say that Sega had (at that point) not announced a cost. Part of me deeply hoped that they would release it as a free update. As I see it, there are two big remaining flaws in the App Store (ignoring, for the moment, the whole approval process): 1) the lack of demo versions (either timed or number of launches), and 2) no way for developers to provide for upgrade pricing. That means that there is no way for people who bought Super Monkey Ball to get a deal on Super Monkey Ball 2. That left Sega with two choices: 1) release it as an update, meaning anyone who bought Super Monkey Ball would get it for free; or 2) release it as a separate app, meaning that anyone who bought v. 1 has to pay full price for v. 2. The App Store does not give them any other choice.

Continue reading Super Monkey Ball 2 arrives for iPhone

TUAWSuper Monkey Ball 2 arrives for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – AppStore – Super Monkey Ball – Apple – TUAW

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone

There’s bad news for AT&T in a recent customer satisfaction poll. Consumer Reports asked 50,000 readers across 26 U.S. cities to rank cell service providers on a variety of scales. Verizon came out ahead in 19 of the 26 cities. AT&T was dead last.

Dropped calls and voice service were among the chief complaints, and that’s no surprise to us. We’ve heard the frustration of fewer bars in more places and experienced it ourselves.

But here’s the interesting part. Despite the dissatisfaction with AT&T, 98% of respondents said they’d buy another iPhone. It would seem that the overall experience is good enough to eclipse the gaping hole in what should be the device’s main function: making and receiving calls.

Last summer, I spent a week in the middle-of-nowhere, Pennsylvania. Everyone’s Verizon-powered phone worked perfectly while my iPhone had gone deaf and dumb. Frustrating for me, and bad PR for my relatives. If the iPhone does go non-exclusive in the US, I’ll be the first in line to switch.

When reached for comment, AT&T had this to say:

“We appreciate and value all customer feedback. We learn from it and it helps us serve our customers better. Without question the surest indication of customer satisfaction is churn, or turnover. For the last quarter, our postpaid churn was just 1.17 percent.”

TUAWAT&T ranked last in cellphone service survey originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – AT&T – Apple – TUAW – US

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, OS

Details are still sketchy, but apparently Apple and Psystar have reached partial settlement in the ongoing saga between the two companies. It appears that in return for paying Apple unspecified damages on its copyright claims (most of which were ruled in Apple’s favor in a summary judgment motion last month), Apple will drop its remaining claims against Psystar, including those for trademark violation. Apple also agreed not to execute on those damages until all appeals have been exhausted.

A more detailed document is due to be filed later, but the idea is that the matters before the court will be reduced to only the issue of permanent injunction, a motion Apple filed last week. If the court accepts the terms of the settlement, there will be no need for a trial. Psystar appears to completely concede (though it’s not like it had any further leg to stand on) copyright violation, by arguing that whatever the court decides to do with the permanent injunction barring sale of its computers with OS X pre-installed, that it not extend such an injunction to Psystar’s Rebel EFI software product.

The Rebel EFI software product does not come with its own copy of Mac OS X or any particular hardware product, but permits installation of Mac OS X on an “unauthorized” computer. Apple’s motion for permanent injunction specifically mentions the Rebel EFI product as evidence of Psystar’s ongoing attempts to infringe and circumvent Apple’s software restrictions. Of course, the Rebel EFI software is the subject of the ongoing Florida litigation, so certain elements are beginning to dovetail together. Apple, for its part, would like both lawsuits to come together.

My guess is that Apple is more interested in the outcome of the permanent injunction than damages. It’s not even clear if Psystar could hope to pay Apple any significant money, since Psystar filed for bankruptcy last May, and recent information indicates that Psystar only has sales of 768 units thus far.

UPDATE: The filing is in and the stipulated damages are…..$2,675,000 against Psystar. [Via Engadget.] Half is on the merits of the legal claims, and the other half for punitive damages such as attorneys fees and costs. The parties are agreeing to enter judgment against Psystar on not only the copyright violation claims, but also with regard to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and Breach of Contract.

TUAWApple, Psystar reach partial settlement originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac OS X – Apple – Unofficial Apple Weblog – Apple Corporate – Psystar

Filed under: Multimedia, Software

We brought you a sneak peek at ColorSchemer Studio 2 last week, and I’m excited to share the news that it’s available today. Any screen-based designer should be excited, and with the new CMYK support and advanced color manipulation tools, anybody who works with color at all should have a look. Some highlights from the new release:

• CMYK color support
• Color management/profiles
• GalleryBrowser: browse (and grab from) over a million palettes from COLOURlovers.com, right in the app
• LiveSchemes, advanced color/harmony manipulation
• Variations palette
• Color Libraries
• Favorite Colors color groups
• QuickPreview now has a wide selection of layouts to work with
• See the sneak peek for some more coverage on new features

ColorSchemer Studio 2 costs $49.99US and has a free trial available. The exciting news is that TUAW has 3 ColorSchemer Studio licenses to give away to the color lovers among our readers. Just leave a comment mentioning what new feature you think will be the most useful to you, and we’ll randomly select 3 winners from the entries on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009.

Here are the rules and a link to the legal statement:

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment describing which of the new features you’re most excited about
• The comment must be left before Tuesday, December 8th, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Three winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: Full license for ColorSchemer Studio 2
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Good Luck!

TUAWColorSchemer Studio 2 is here, and we have licenses! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Washington D.C – TUAW – Eastern Time Zone – United States – US

Filed under: Software, Freeware, Deals, iPhone, Holidays, iPod touch

TUAWOn the first night of Christmas, my true love game to me – free game apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone – IpodTouch – Apple – TUAW – iTunes

Filed under: Hardware, Peripherals, Reviews, Road Tested

Back in August of this year, my local TUAW blogging buddy Erica Sadun posted some information about the Verizon MiFi portable broadband router. The MiFi device, created by Novatel Wireless, is a tiny Wi-Fi router with a built-in EVDO 3G modem. Essentially, what this means is that anywhere you go with the device, you become a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 4 other users. Erica found that the Verizon version of this box is quite useful, but is dependent on both the 3G signal quality and the user’s desire to pay extra for broadband.

For me, the decision to get the Sprint version of this product was a no-brainer. I have used a Sierra Wireless 595U USB broadband modem for the past two years, and I frankly couldn’t do my business without it. I travel a lot, and I don’t trust public Wi-Fi services. The Sprint Mobile Broadband service and USB dongle have made it possible for me to work at fairly fast speeds in airports and have kept me from spending money on the ridiculously-priced Wi-Fi service that more upscale hotels charge US$10 – 15 dollars a day for. I was even able, with an earlier version of Sprint’s SmartView software, to share my connection with students in some of my Business Analysis classes (this capability disappeared a while ago). The USB dongle also made it possible for me to download drivers and look up troubleshooting information when working with consulting clients who were having network issues.

Read along as I take you on a quick review of Sprint’s version of the MiFi, and whether or not you might want to consider it for a Christmas present.

Continue reading Road Tested: Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 from Sprint

TUAWRoad Tested: Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 from Sprint originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Novatel Wireless – Wi-Fi – Wireless – Evolution-Data Optimized – Verizon Wireless

Reviewer Peter Cohen (loopinsight.com) writes that “iPhone and iPod touch both make great handheld gaming systems” and offers thirty reasons why in a select roundup of racing, action, and strategy games available in the App Store.

DLA Phillips Fox, founded 145 years ago, is one of Australia’s largest legal firms, providing services in 29 countries around the world. With iPhone in the hands of almost every partner in the 1,300-person firm, they can offer faster, more flexible responses to their clients’ legal needs. John Dockett, General Manager of IT, says choosing iPhone was “one of the smarter things we ever did.”

Filed under: Deals

Well, Black Friday is here! If you’re looking to save some money, here are another dozen deals from DealNews.com to consider once you wake up from your tryptophan-induced coma:

• Walmart: [Black Friday] Walmart Black Friday Sale now live
• Other World Computing: [Store Events] OWC Black Friday Sale: Accessories, HDDs, speakers, RAM, LCDs, more
• Apple Store: [Black Friday] The Apple Store Black Friday Sale: Up to $101 off select items
• Dell Home: [Black Friday] Dell Home Black Friday Sale now live
• iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] App Store Freebies: UpNext 3D Cities, Sip-N-Store, PhotoScatter, Super Shock Football, more
• Staples: [Black Friday] Staples Black Friday Early Bird Specials available online
• OnSale: [Black Friday] OnSale.com Black Friday Sale live now
• TigerDirect: [Black Friday] TigerDirect.com Pink Friday Sale now live
• eForCity: [Black Friday] eForCity.com Black Friday Sale: Deals from $3 + free shipping
• MacUpdate Promo: [Mac Games] MacUpdate 2009 Black Friday Game Bundle: 11 Mac games for $30
• AT&T Wireless: [iPhone] Refurbished Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB for $49 + free shipping, 32GB for $149
• eForCity: [Black Friday] eForCity.com Black Friday Web Buster: 30% off sitewide

TUAWA Dozen Daily Deals, Day 3 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IPhone – BlackFriday – Apple – AppStore – TUAW