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Tweetie 1.2 for iPhone adds Instapaper, enhanced functionality and some hilarity
Filed under: Humor, iPhone, App Store
Tweetie, my current favorite Twitter client for the iPhone, has just been updated to version 1.2 [iTunes link]. While the update offers a slew of enhancements, new features and improved functionality, what makes this release memorable and unique is the sly dose of humor developer Loren Brichter inserted in the latest version of the app.

Updates and Improvements

Because Loren was nice enough to let me into the Tweetie beta, I've had the opportunity to watch some of the new features evolve and improve over the last month or so. What was already a great app is now even better, thanks to new additions and refinements to existing features.
- Instapaper support. Now if you see a link in a tweet that you want to save for later, you have the option to save it to Instapaper, in addition to e-mailing, tweeting or opening the link in Safari.
- Block/unblock from the app
- Remember scroll position on relaunch and refresh
- Twitpic linking for photos
- Optional landscape keyboard (note: if you choose this option you will have landscape mode regardless of how your device is held.)
- Switch account from the "compose" menu (super helpful if you manage accounts that have some overlap in followers)
- A new "Swipe to reply" shortcut
- Drafts persist after relaunch
- Nearby radius control
There are even more features and enhancements, and you can see the whole list at the developer's blog.
(A note: To access some of these new features, you'll need to go to the Tweetie pane in "Settings" on your iPhone or iPod touch and then select or change your preference.)

Popularity EnhancEr = Hilarity

We love it when developers have a sense of humor. Not content with having Tweetie become popular just because it is a quality app, Loren Brichter decided to bring a taste of the more popular -- if inane -- App Store apps: farts and flashlights.

Enable the Popularity Enhancer and not only do you get a nifty flashlight, the new swipe to reply feature will make a hilarious wet fart sound.

Brilliant.

Tweetie 1.2 [iTunes link] is availalbe in the App Store for $2.99 US and of course, existing users can download the update directly from the device or from iTunes.
TUAW Tweetie 1.2 for iPhone adds Instapaper, enhanced functionality and some hilarity originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mac mini, Apple TV to use new Ion platform?
Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, Mac mini, Apple TV
Tom's Hardware says that Apple will use NVIDIA's Ion platform in an updated Mac mini, and AppleInsider says it could also be used in an updated Apple TV.

NVIDIA's Ion platform is a low-cost, small-form-factor logic board that includes both an NVIDIA graphics processor and Intel CPU (among other things). According to AppleInsider, Ion uses the same 9400M chipset used in the new MacBook and MacBook Pro models. We knew that existing iMac and Mac mini models are already using the 9400M as part of the NVIDIA MCP79 platform. Either way, with the 9400M, full-screen HD decoding is built-in.

According to Tom's Hardware, the Ion package slated for use with the Mac mini includes an Intel Atom 330 processor. AppleInsider says that performance gains for a new Mac mini based on this platform could require OpenCL, a technology only available so far in builds of Snow Leopard.

Tom's expects the new Mac mini to arrive in March, while AppleInsider, says that it could arrive "this month." Fingers crossed.

The Apple TV, on the other hand, with its 1GHz CPU, would see a significant boost with Ion. The margins on the Apple TV are already tight, though, and adding more power could break the bank on Apple's "hobby" project. But what if the next-generation Apple TV and Mac mini were one in the same?

It's a floor wax! It's a dessert topping! Stop, you're both right.
TUAW Mac mini, Apple TV to use new Ion platform? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Done goes live, Chillix announces winners
Filed under: Productivity, iPhone
Done, the iPhone task list manager we mentioned a little while back, is now live in the App Store. It's pretty slick, and falls right in the middle between a simple task list and a robust task management application like Things or OmniFocus. We hosted a contest in that last post, passing on a request from the developers for witty lists, the best of which (chosen by the developers) would be used in the App Store marketing materials. You all came through, and winners were chosen from the ranks.

The winners, chosen by Chillix, are KJP, Chad, Kevin, Todd, Gary & Kurt!

Some of the winners posted directly on the Chillix site, some posted here. If your list was chosen and you haven't been contacted yet, expect to hear from the developers soon. Thanks to everyone who participated!
TUAW Done goes live, Chillix announces winners originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mac 101: Put your display to sleep fast
Filed under: Mac 101
Quick! The boss is coming! Hide your screen! What, you don't have Spaces set up so you can switch to that handy Excel worksheet you've got open? That's okay -- just put your display to sleep.

Of course, there are other reasons to want to quickly turn off your display, but they all have one simple key combination: Control + Shift + Eject.

It works with both desktop and laptop Macs. Moving the mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard wakes it right back up when you're ready.

Of course, if you want to put your whole computer to sleep, you can use Option + Command + Eject. There are other helpful shortcuts, too, in this article deep in the TUAW archives.

Thanks to our own Michael Rose for this one. Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 section.
TUAW Mac 101: Put your display to sleep fast originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Starting out with Objective-C
Filed under: Books, Developer, iPhone
I recently decided to embark on a personal challenge to learn Objective-C (the programming language behind Mac and iPhone applications) so that I could one day get applications into the App Store. I'm not looking to make millions with a fart machine app, but I do want to see some of my ideas come to fruition and end up on some iPhones. While we've previously mentioned how to delve into programming in Objective-C, there have been some recent releases of educational materials that can help those who want to learn the language:

Programming in Objective-C 2.0 (book, $44.99)

This is the latest release of Stephen Kochan's series which some consider to be the Objective-C bible. It has a wealth of information jammed into almost 600 pages, and it will take you from simple variable assignments to advanced class implementation. I'm over halfway through this book, and the text is easy to read (not too high level), and is broken up in a visually appealing style with sufficient whitespace to be gentle on your eyes. If you're only interested in programming for the iPhone, you may only want to rely on this book for its wealth of foundational Objective-C material as it only has one chapter devoted to the iPhone.
Continue reading Starting out with Objective-C
TUAW Starting out with Objective-C originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Steve, get well soon!
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Steve Jobs
As we are all probably aware by now, Apple's fearless leader Steve Jobs is a bit further under the weather than we previously believed. However, we will not let this change our regard for Apple, nor its founder and first-ever iCEO. We want to take this time to offer up some words of well-wishing for Steve's health, as well as for Tim Cook (and the rest of the executive staff) as he takes on additional responsibilities during this time of recuperation.

Apple has been an extremely solid performer since Steve took the reigns in 1996. There is no doubt that the success of the Mac, iPod, and iPhone are all in part the results of his direction and unrelenting push for quality. As we have seen from the recent press event surrounding the MacBook refresh as well as from the keynote at Macworld, there are many important players on Steve's team that are extremely talented and capable individuals. During this time of leave it would not be surprising to see Apple pull out some very interesting cards from its sleeves.

Because we love Steve and Apple so much we are already working on compiling a get-well card to Steve with your voice messages, pictures, blog posts, etc., but we here at the HQ wanted to take a minute to lend some of our own thoughts at this time of trepidation. Read on as we wax sentimental over Steve, his health, and what it means to us.
Continue reading Steve, get well soon!
TUAW Steve, get well soon! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPuppy brings the cute, forgoes the mess
Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch
iPuppy 3D Pet [App Store link] is currently going for $.99 on the App Store. Is it worth it? Well, it depends on how much you really need a 3D puppy on your iPhone. The concept conjures images of Dogz for the Nintendo DS. While the dogs may look the same, the functionality is vastly different. Currently the Chihuahua is your only choice of breed within the app, although there's currently a free Husky puppy [App Store link] available. I picked up the Chihuahua weeks ago when it was free.

The puppy is cute enough, and the animations are quite good. Left to herself (taking a guess on the gender), the puppy will trot around a small room, scratch the floor, bark a little and generally be a puppy. Once in a while it'll get bored and yawn in a very cute manner. According to MASQ Interactive, you should have control of the camera, but all I could do was spin the camera. There's not very fine camera control in swipe/panning or pinch/zooming.

Aside from loose camera controls, the app is quite simple. You can tap the puppy to make her sit, lie down, stand up. I was able to make her sit, then a swipe made her roll over. I was then able to "rub" her belly, causing little hearts to pour out in a blatant attempt for more affection. I couldn't find much more interaction outside of these simple tap-and-rub actions and the three on-screen buttons. There's a button for "washing" the puppy (a gentle rain appears and afterward the puppy shakes it off). There are buttons for changing outfits, although you're just tapping through the options, not choosing them directly as in SuperPoke Pets [App Store link]. Lastly, there's a food button which makes a dish of slop appear. The puppy is a noisy eater, be prepared. Oh, there is one more thing: you can shake the iPhone and flowers fall around the puppy. It's pretty pointless.

So is all this worth $.99? If you're looking for a simple diversion for kids or you just can't resist having a Chihuahua in your pocket, then yes. If you're looking for a virtual Furby, then probably not. At least, not now. MASQ seems quite intent on (as they say in their description) releasing updates every two to three weeks until "everyone are 100% satisfied" (sic). Perhaps in a few weeks you'll be able to put a leash on the thing or whack it with a virtual newspaper. Until then, it's a very simple, if cute, "pet" app.

Gallery: iPuppy 3D Pet
TUAW iPuppy brings the cute, forgoes the mess originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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'Fake Steve' chides CNBC's Goldman in source foofaraw
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Steve Jobs

Dan Lyons, who once wrote the "Fake Steve Jobs" blog, criticized Silicon Valley bureau chief Jim Goldman for withholding information from sources inside Apple about Steve Jobs' health.

The sparks fly in this video around the 3:30 mark.

Lyons, on CNBC Reports, said Goldman had become the kind of reporter that gets "played and punked" by Apple, and that he should have released the information he knew on Monday, before Apple's announcement yesterday. Lyons also demanded that Goldman apologize to Gizmodo, for criticizing their December 30 story about Jobs' declining health.

Goldman said that he had contacted two individuals on Monday who have personal contact with Jobs, but don't know the intimate details about his medical treatment. Goldman wrote yesterday:

What struck me was that both felt compelled to come to me to tell me that they had "serious misgivings" about the state of Jobs' health. One said, based on his contact with Jobs personally, that he was in "serious denial" about just how bad the circumstances had become. The other explained to me that he was "deeply concerned" about Jobs, and the sudden lack of communication, the non-return of emails, ignoring chat requests, unreturned phone calls was a strong indication to him that Jobs was in "dire" shape.

According to Silicon Alley Insider, a source close to the matter said that Lyons had been banned from appearing on CNBC again, though CNBC spokesman Kevin Goldman (no relation) said "Real Dan" had not been banned.

In related news, Joe Nocera, the New York Times journalist who Steve Jobs called a "slime bucket" in an off-the-record phone interview about his health, said that the medical problem Jobs confessed to in the call is different from the "hormone imbalance" mentioned in Apple's press release just before Macworld. Nocera called for greater transparency from Apple about how it discusses Steve's health.

[Via MacDailyNews.]

On a personal and editorial note, I wish Mr. Jobs and his family all the best, and this is the last story I'll be writing about yesterday's announcement for the foreseeable future. I was conflicted about even writing this, because Jobs deserves his time to recuperate, free from the spread of rumors and half-truths. Perhaps the less I write about it, the healthier he'll get. In theory. Maybe. We can hope. - RP
TUAW 'Fake Steve' chides CNBC's Goldman in source foofaraw originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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First Look: iStat for the iPhone
Filed under: Internet Tools, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look
My very favorite Dashboard widget is iSlayer's iStat Pro. It is invaluable for figuring out how fast Internet connection is moving, tracking down what processes are hanging up the system and monitoring CPU usage.

But what if you want to monitor your systems performance remotely? What if you have a Mac server and you want to keep track of the memory and network usage? This is exactly what iStat for the iPhone was designed to address. Bjango (the new venture from part of the iSlayer team) was nice enough to let me try the app before it hits the App Store, and put it through the paces.

This is how it works:

You install the lightweight iStat Server deskop app (you need to be running Mac OS X 10.4 or higher) and then you run the iStat app for the iPhone to connect it to your Mac.

If you are on the same local network, Bonjour will take care of everything, you'll see your computer name on a list and you just need to enter in the passcode displayed in the iStat Server app to access your data.

If you are connecting to a remote server, just enter in the IP address and port number (the default is port 5109) and your passcode and you're good to go.

The iStat program will show you information on your iPhone or iPod touch and any computers or servers that you've configured with your device.

Take a look at the gallery and read on (the next page) for more details.

Gallery: iStat for iPhone

Continue reading First Look: iStat for the iPhone
TUAW First Look: iStat for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LCD alarm clock for your iPhone
Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, iPhone, iPod touch
Oh no! Another alarm clock app for the iPhone. No shortage of these at the app store, but I am always impressed at the variety and creative approaches these apps take. Many combine the clock and alarm into one application, so you can leave your iPhone in the charger and have a nice desktop clock as well as an alarm.

A just-released app for the iPhone and iPod touch is LCD Clock from Japanese developer forYou inc. The app, called LCD Clock [App Store link] has several functions, including display of holidays (U.S. and Japanese), 12 or 24 hour time display, a choice of 4 colors for the clock and calendar, support for landscape as well as portrait orientation, and the ability to disable auto-lock so the display stays running. Be sure to activate that only when then iPhone is charging or you'll eat through your battery quickly. I had trouble finding the settings menu, and it turns out they are not in the app, but in the main iPhone settings menu. You can change colors and set the alarm from within the app.

I didn't find the screen displays particularly striking. I liked Touch Flip Clock [App Store link] a bit better for a more interesting design, but the on-screen controls are in Japanese. (edit- it's actually Korean. I regret the error). For something a bit more traditional there is an old style clock in the AA01 Led Time [App Store link] app.

My favorite clocks for the iPhone are apps that emulate the look of the old Nixie Tube units. Here's one, Nixie Clock A, [App Store link] that looks nice and supports an alarm.

All the clocks discussed are US$0.99 which seems to be the going rate, although there are some free ones [App Store link] around. Improvements I'd like to see in the clocks I've mentioned would be the ability to choose a music track for an alarm, just not the standard rings and buzzers. There are lots and lots of clock/alarms for the iPhone and iPod touch. It's really just a matter of finding one that suits your needs and personality.

If you are looking for an alarm clock app for your mac, TUAW has you covered as well, with an extensive review from Mike Schramm of what is out there.
TUAW LCD alarm clock for your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TimeXchange offers a time-tracking API
Filed under: Productivity, Internet Tools, Developer
TimeXchange is a relatively new addition to the pile of available online time-tracking applications. Its current incarnation on the web is pretty standard, covering bases like multiple time entry, report and invoice creation, and Quickbooks integration. The developers have been fielding a lot of feature requests ... more than they have the capacity to handle. Their solution: an API, announced today, which will allow third-party developers to create applications, mashups and integrations with other tools.

A version of TimeXchange is already available for the iPhone, in both a $2.99US version and a free Lite version (iTunes links). The mobile applications make use of a private API, and demonstrate only a tiny bit of what could be accomplished with the new API. The "hooks" in the API are to be exposed as needed to developers, and custom hooks can be created to meet developers' needs. Beyond task management and mobile time/expense tracking, the API provides the opportunity for industry-specific applications, language localization, multiple currencies, and corporate branding. With no license restrictions, developers can customize an application with TimeXchange as its engine and keep 100% of the profits made on distribution.

The idea of opening an API to third-party development is not a novel one. Harvest (my current time-tracking app) and some others already provide access to an API. Tickspot, which also provides an API, has just released an iPhone app (iTunes link) as well. It's an excellent trend, and things such as desktop widgets, Basecamp integration and mashups allowing time tracking through Twitter and IM have become possible. By providing custom-built API's to developers, TimeXchange hopes to be able to meet any need which might come up.

TimeXchange provides an aggressive pricing scheme and a unique model. For a one-time fee of $19.95US, you get a lifetime membership. There are monthly and yearly payment plans, but a one-time fee is a pretty sweet deal. The major difference in models is that TimeXchange uses a peer-to-peer mentality, rather than a company setup. Every user has an account, and users can invite other users to join a project. It might not be a great model for larger companies, but for a freelancer, contractor or small company, this can be an ideal situation, given that the members of the team change frequently from project to project. Today's API news will hopefully spark some creative development on the Mac, iPhone and web to take advantage of the engine. Interested developers can visit the affiliate page for more information. To check out the service itself, just visit TimeXchange.net.
TUAW TimeXchange offers a time-tracking API originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A Lethal app for your iPhone
Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look
OK, the headline is a bit misleading. This app won't kill you; in fact, it's designed to inform you about dangerous situations in your vicinity.

Lethal (click opens iTunes) from Elany Arts takes a location from either the iPhone's built-in location services or a list of 300 cities or parks throughout the USA, then provides you with a "lethal index" number. This number ranges between 0 and 400, with 400 being an extremely dangerous location.

The ranking comes from a composite of four scores based on lethal wildlife, crime, disease, and disaster probabilities in each area. The About screen for Lethal notes that the app is designed for informational and entertainment purposes only, so you should use common sense to guide your use of Lethal.

When I let Lethal determine the index for my home, I was surprised to see that it was 207 out of 400, or "somewhat dangerous". The wildlife index was rather high based on black bears and mountain lions in the area. Yes, we do see them on rare occasions in the area, but I'd be much more concerned about a neighbor taking a potshot at me than getting chewed on by a mountain lion.

Still, Lethal is fun (many comments are obviously tongue-in-cheek) and educational. Whether it's worth the US$1.99 introductory price is up to you. Check out the gallery below for screenshots of Lethal in action.

Gallery: Lethal App
TUAW A Lethal app for your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Record companies happy with new iTunes pricing (duh)
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iTS, Odds and ends, Apple Financial, Internet, iTunes, Apple
You knew this was coming. The iTunes pricing changes announced at Macworld got groans from most of us watching (even though I'm pretty sure it's more or less agreed that it had to happen sooner or later), but the record companies are taking time to do a little bit of gloating over the fact that they've finally broken through Apple's 99 cent barrier. They told the AP that the move means that customers aren't "price sensitive" -- in other words, we're OK with paying more for music.

I don't know that that's true -- iTunes has had 99 cent songs since its inception, and even with the record companies crying and whining the whole time, it's been an amazing success. But prices go up eventually, no matter what product you're talking about, and if Apple had to raise prices, they could do a lot worse than adding a tier above and a tier below. Of course the record companies will want to put anything that sells on the top tier, but I don't think they can use that as evidence that consumers don't care what price they pay for music.

And let's keep in mind that at $1.29 a song, a 10-song album at $12.99 is still cheaper than the $16 and $17 record companies used to try and charge. There's no question about it -- this latest change is one in favor of the record companies, but a system like iTunes still seems worlds better for consumers than the old Sam Goody/Tower Records retail store system.

[via MacBytes]
TUAW Record companies happy with new iTunes pricing (duh) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continuity: Executive succession plans in history
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Steve Jobs
We all know that Steve Jobs will eventually leave Apple, and Apple's executive team has a responsibility to draft a succession plan to help minimize the turmoil when that day comes. To figure out what Apple might do, we can look to the past for other examples.

Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford. In 1918, at the age of 55, Henry handed the presidency of the company to his son Edsel. When Edsel died in 1943, Henry came back to Ford Motor Company ill, "mentally inconsistent, suspicious, and generally no longer fit" for the job.

Most of the board didn't want him to be president. Even with no official title, he'd been in de facto control of the company since Edsel took over. Nevertheless, the board elected him (rather than cross him), and he served until the end of the second World War. Gravely ill, he turned control of the company over to his grandson, Henry Ford II, in 1945. Henry Ford died two years later.

Steve Jobs has four children, the oldest of whom is Lisa Brennan-Jobs, a 30-year-old journalist. None have publicly expressed any desire to run Apple.
Continue reading Continuity: Executive succession plans in history
TUAW Continuity: Executive succession plans in history originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Finding paths with Chuck the Ball and Super Fruitfall
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
I've tried out two different "path" games this past week from the App Store. Both Chuck the Ball and Super Fruitfall have you navigating paths on the iPhone, both using the touchscreen a little differently to send items you don't directly control around the screen.

Super Fruitfall is made by a developer called Universomo and published by our friends at THQ Wireless. It's a relatively simple game -- there is some fruit sitting on a rotateable field, and your job is to match the fruit up with others of its type. It's amusing, in the way the old Labyrinth games were, but it's frustrating in the same way, too.

Extra frustration enters the scene when too-sensitive controls cause you to flip the screen an extra turn, losing any patterns you had going. A "juice mode" makes the game a little more interesting by keeping the fruit flowing as you match it out, but at $3, the game's a little too boring, unless you really love tilt puzzles. Personally, my outcome at the end of each level was brought about just as much by my randomly flipping the board around as it was any strategy I tried.

Chuck the Ball is a little more promising.
Continue reading Finding paths with Chuck the Ball and Super Fruitfall
TUAW Finding paths with Chuck the Ball and Super Fruitfall originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The iPhone is magic
Filed under: Humor, Video, Apple, iPhone
We love the iPhone, you love the iPhone (most of you do anyway) and so do millions of other users around the world. It's a great device that empowers users to do almost anything from making calls to checking email, from updating your status on Facebook and Twitter to sending text messages and running a host of cool applications.

All of this shiny goodness is made possible by the vision and technological mastery of the engineers and designers at Apple. Or, so we thought. Turns out the iPhone's greatness has pretty much nothing to do with vision or the skills and intelligence of Apple's engineers and designers. It's all about the magic.

Click through to see what I mean courtesy of the folks at G4's Attack of the Show.
Continue reading The iPhone is magic
TUAW The iPhone is magic originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Send an audio get-well card to Steve
Filed under: Steve Jobs, Apple
We'll have more coverage and reactions tomorrow to Apple's announcement this afternoon of Steve Jobs' leave of absence while he tends to his health. While we may have different takes on what the news means for Apple's immediate and long-term prospects, I believe we can all join in wishing Steve a full and speedy recuperation. I'm sure we also all send Tim Cook our hopes for Apple's continued success.

To that end, TUAW wants to give you a voice as part of our audio get-well card to Steve. You can call in your message to our voicemail hotline at (917) 512-7398 x41469, or record it yourself and upload the MP3 or AAC file to our dropbox at http://tr.im/getwell -- we'll edit the messages together for next week's podcast. Be sure to identify yourself on the call.

If you want to do a photo or illustrated card, you can upload it to the same dropbox, or simply tag it with 'tuaw' on Flickr to add it to our pool, and we'll highlight the best in a gallery later this week.

If you're blogging your thoughts on today's announcement and Steve's health as it relates to Apple, feel free to leave a link in the comments.
TUAW Send an audio get-well card to Steve originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Son of: In search of the perfect panorama
Filed under: Software, Reviews, iPhone, App Store
Yesterday I put three panorama programs to the test. Today, I added a 4th program, appropriately enough called Panorama [app store link]. It's US$9.99 and the most expensive of the apps on offer. After using the new app today, and going back and taking another fresh crack at the other three, I'll share the results, and some sample images from each one. I didn't always shoot at the same location, because that would have been boring, but shot them all under the same sky conditions and lighting. In each case, I took two images and then merged them in the software. All the software allows the merging of more than 2 images, but I wanted to keep the file size down.

Using Pano [app store link] I got better matched skies today, and sharper alignment. The blend between the two images was good, and once you do a rough align, Pano takes care of the rest. At US$2.99 it is the bargain of the offerings.

TripStitch [app store link] gave me an acceptable image, but it was a lot of trouble because you can't take the image from within TripStitch. You have to go out to the iPhone camera app, then import the images into TripStitch, which I feel is an unnecessary step. I also didn't see any auto-alignment feature, so it's all up to the photographer. TripStitch is US$4.99.

Panolabs Pro [app store link] gave me a lot of control, but an image that I felt was below the quality of the others. I tried on several scenes, but manipulating the images for a smooth merge is difficult, and the controls are not fine grained enough to make delicate adjustments. I've shared my best effort with you in the gallery. The app is US$4.99.

Panorama did a nice job as well. It was pretty easy to merge and align the images, and the final result looks pretty good. It was the most expensive app of the group, but it was not head and shoulders above Pano or TripStitch. It allows a lot of control and lets you select the final resolution for saving. It does a nice job of guiding you through the process of taking and aligning the images.

So there you have it. A look at the options for making panoramic shots from the iPhone. Of course, you can get better results using a higher resolution digital camera, and something like Adobe Photoshop or Elements or 3rd party apps like DoubleTake or The Panorama Factory to stitch them all together. It is remarkable, though, that you can get decent pano photos from what is arguably a less than top-quality cellphone camera.

Click on the gallery below to see the images produced by the apps.

Gallery: Panoramas with iPhone
TUAW Son of: In search of the perfect panorama originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Steve Jobs takes 'medical leave of absence' until the end of June
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Steve Jobs
CNBC is reporting that Steve Jobs' health situation is "more serious" than previously thought, and Steve Jobs announced he is taking a "medical leave of absence" in a letter to Apple employees. He anticipates returning in July.

Tim Cook, Chief Operating Officer, is taking over day-to-day operations of Apple, Inc. in the meantime. In his letter, Jobs says the board supports this plan, and that he will be involved in major decisions even though he is out of the office.

Cook took the reins at Apple for a month in 2004, while Jobs had surgery for pancreatic cancer, the disease that could be contributing to his health problems today.

Jobs released a letter the day before Macworld Expo detailing a "hormone imbalance" that he said would be treatable with an adjusted diet. His health concerns apparently became a distraction to himself and Apple employees, so he chose to take a six-month medical leave of absence.

CNBC analyst Jim Goldman said his sources inside Apple told him that "Steve Jobs is in serious denial" about the state of his health. BusinessWeek's Arik Hesseldahl said on CNBC that although this is a surprise announcement, he took a milder tone, and doesn't think this is a resurgence of Jobs' pancreatic cancer, which Jobs said he beat.

Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster said on CNBC's Fast Money program that while Tim Cook is a solid choice to lead in the interim, "replacing the magic of Steve Jobs is impossible." Even so, Munster considers this a buying opportunity for Apple stock.

Apple stock trading was halted until 5 p.m. Eastern time. In early trades since the stock re-opened, AAPL's price is down by about $10.

Read on to see the full text of Jobs' letter.
Continue reading Steve Jobs takes 'medical leave of absence' until the end of June
TUAW Steve Jobs takes 'medical leave of absence' until the end of June originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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First Look: Health Cubby for iPhone / iPod touch
Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look
App Cubby announced that a new iPhone app, Health Cubby (click opens iTunes) arrived in the App Store today. Health Cubby (US$4.99) is a personal fitness tracking app with a difference -- it adds a social networking element for working with friends and family members to keep motivated to exercise more and eat less.

The social features connect you with up to 7 other people, share your progress in achieving fitness goals, and even send motivational messages. To do that, you set up a private account with App Cubby for data syncing and sending messages.

Health Cubby has a great online user manual complete with screenshots. Instead of tracking meals with points or calories, the app has you enter a 1 to 5 rating. Rating a meal a 1 means you put the all-you-can-eat buffet out of business, while a 5 is a low-calorie, healthy meal. You also set goals for strength, cardio and...vices! While the first two involve exercise, the third item makes you set goals to reduce the number of times you indulge in a vice. My goal is to reduce my beer drinking to one a day (yeah, right...).

I've put Health Cubby on my iPhone right next to Weight Watchers Mobile. It'll be interesting to see which app I use most often. Check the gallery below for screenshots of Health Cubby in action.

Gallery: Health Cubby

TUAW First Look: Health Cubby for iPhone / iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Macworld 2009: Neat Receipts / Neat Works video interview
Filed under: Macworld, Accessories, Peripherals, Software, Video, Interviews
A long, long time ago (May of 2008), The Neat Company introduced their Neat Receipts for Mac scanner / software combo. We wrote about it here on TUAW, and even gave away a few of the scanners.

Fast forward to Macworld Expo 2009, and Neat Receipts is no longer an "Advance Release". Neat has unbundled the software from the scanner, and calls the resulting scanning software and digital filing system NeatWorks for Mac. It's available for US$59.95, while the version with the Neat Mobile Scanner is still available for US$229.95.

The application still provides the core ability to scan in receipts and capture information from them for searching and totalizing in a spreadsheet or Quicken. NeatWorks now also scans business cards, and is synchronized with Address Book -- scan in a card, make any necessary edits, then drag the item from the NeatWorks inbox to the Address Book. Finally, NeatWorks creates searchable PDFs for storage to help you build a paperless office.

I spoke wth Mark Gollin of Neat during the final day of Macworld Expo. To see a demo of NeatWorks in action and hear about possible future directions for the app, view the video by clicking the Read More link below.
Continue reading Macworld 2009: Neat Receipts / Neat Works video interview
TUAW Macworld 2009: Neat Receipts / Neat Works video interview originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Third-party apps enhance web browsing for iPhone, iPod touch
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Software, Internet Tools, App Store
Earlier this week, there was a sudden influx of web browsing applications in the App Store. Mac Rumors points out that some of them, most notably Edge Browser [App Store link], have very old release dates even though they only showed up in the store recently (Edge Browser's release date is listed as Oct. 13, '08). It's important to note that these aren't true third party browsers, but enhancements to Mobile Safari.

What's interesting is that Apple has previously rejected applications for "duplicating functionality" of some of their own software. Specifically, Podcaster was rejected because it "...duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes," while MailWrangler was denied for duplicating "...the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality."

Perhaps Apple is now loosening the reigns a bit. Applications like Edge Browser, Incognito [App Store link], QuickSurf [App Store link] and WebMate: Tabbed Browser [App Store link] offer web browsing functionality in one form or another. For example, Incognito allows for history-free browsing, QuickSurf speeds things up by omitting most images and WebMate queues up all links for later viewing.

Sure, they aren't full fledged, third party browsers, but it's baby steps we're after.

[Via MacDailyNews]
TUAW Third-party apps enhance web browsing for iPhone, iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Analyst Roundup: Bullish on the iPhone
Filed under: Apple Financial, iPhone
UBS analyst Maynard Um says that Apple could sell 7 million iPhones in the first quarter of the year if they sell a low-cost, 4GB model, according to Electronista.

Citing "checks" with industry partners, Um claims a 4GB model is in the works, though it's unclear if it will be a regular iPhone at a lower price point, or a smaller iPhone nano device rumored to be in development. While it may cannibalize sales from the current low-end 8GB model, a significantly lower price could add 1.5 million more sales for the quarter.

Generator Research's Andrew Sheehy goes even further, projecting that Apple could sell 77 million iPhones by 2013, according to Philip Elmer-DeWitt. Sheehy has three reasons why Apple will dominate the smartphone business:
- Apple's ability to combine hardware and software, making it easy for users to consume
- The App Store's vertical platform model leads the market so far
- Smartphones are the only kind of phone that Apple makes, unlike other handset manufacturers like Nokia.
Sheehy says that, among other recommendations, Apple must broaden its offering to include higher- and lower-end units, including tablets and entry-level smartphones: All with access to the App Store.

He also says that Apple will capitalize on the paralysis brought on by a weak global economy, and use its cash to get "one or two design cycles ahead of the competition."

"When rivals start spending again, they may discover that Apple has built an unassailable lead," Sheehy writes.
TUAW Analyst Roundup: Bullish on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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'Marble' to be the next look-and-feel for Mac OS X?
Filed under: Rumors, Snow Leopard
Snow Leopard, the next major version of Mac OS X, will include minor tweaks to the user interface, according to MacRumors' Arnold Kim.

"The new theme will likely involve tweaks to the existing design and perhaps a 'flattening' of Aqua in-line with Apple's iTunes and iPhoto interface elements," Kim writes.

AppleInsider's Kate Marsal posted a screenshot of some controls purported to be part of the new interface, dubbed "Marble." It's unclear where the screenshot came from, as Kim writes that development builds have so far used Leopard's version of the Aqua theme. They could easily be Photoshopped screenshots of iPhoto or iTunes, so take that with a grain of salt.

Daring Fireball's John Gruber wrote that Marble was the codename for the new interface scheme in his Macworld predictions roundup, but said later he was wrong when it was not announced during the keynote. He wagered that the look would feature "iTunes-style scrollbars everywhere, darker window chrome, and a light-text-on-dark-background menu bar."

Snow Leopard is rumored to be released before the end of March.
TUAW 'Marble' to be the next look-and-feel for Mac OS X? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Psystar continues to be stubborn
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Hardware, OS
Psystar, as you may remember, is the computer company that has begun selling computers with Mac OS X Leopard pre-installed. Of course, they drew the attention of Apple legal right away, but that only caused them to further dig in their heels.

Last month, they challenged Apple's claim to the copyright of Mac OS X, claiming that Apple never registered Mac OS X with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Previously, Judge William Alsup had dismissed federal antitrust claims, which only prompted Psystar to amend its countersuit with all new claims.

Now, they're trying yet another angle. Psystar is claiming the first sale doctrine. Similar to the right you have to buy a book and re-sell it, Psystar says that since they bought legit, retail copies of Mac OS X from Apple and installed them on their computers, they're in the clear. If they want to then sell those computers, that's fine and dandy. Unfortunately for them, they also bought shrinkwrap EULA's which impose license conditions. They don't "own" the software.

Everything else aside, this seems like an awful amount of time, effort and expense just to sell computers. There are less difficult ways to sell Mac OS computers, folks. At this point, you're just being stubborn, Psystar. Let it go.

Back in April, Psystar went public with the first commercial Hackintosh clones. For US$554, they'd send you a Core 2 Duo minitower with Mac OS X pre-installed. In June, they released rack-mount servers with Leopard Server pre-installed in both 1U (starting $1599) and 2U (starting $1999) configurations.

Update: It seems that Psystar has included claims to the first sale doctrine, as some of our readers have pointed out, for a while now. However, we don't feel that it's a "linchpin" of the case -- first-sale hasn't been rejected by the court. More on this seemingly unending story as it develops. Thanks to Alex at World of Apple for the heads-up.
TUAW Psystar continues to be stubborn originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Macworld 2009: Previews of upcoming Freeverse titles
Filed under: Macworld, Gaming, Software, Video, Interviews, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
If there's one game company that I really like, it's Freeverse. These guys have come up with some great iPhone games like Flick Sports Bowling, Flick Sports Fishing, and Wingnuts Motochaser, and they have even more titles in the works.

On Friday, January 9th, I had the opportunity to talk with Brian Akaka of Freeverse about the upcoming apps from the company, including Flick Sports Baseball, Slotz Racer, Days of Thunder, and Roads of Ruin. In particular, the Flick Baseball title looks like it will be a winner, with very detailed rendering of players as well as accelerometer-based gestures for batting and throwing.

Brian noted that if Macworld Expo does happen in 2010, Freeverse won't have a booth -- like Apple, they feel that the cost of exhibiting at the Expo could be better spent in product development and other marketing.

Enjoy the ride as Brian takes us through both the existing and upcoming games from Freeverse. You can find the video in the second half of this post.
Continue reading Macworld 2009: Previews of upcoming Freeverse titles
TUAW Macworld 2009: Previews of upcoming Freeverse titles originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Family.app gets updated to 2.3, fixes iSight/iPhoto features
Filed under: Software

If you have been following Saltatory Software's Family.app, then you know how great it can be for easily creating family trees. Recently updated, this application allows you to easily track your family's genealogy. The new update fixes some bugs that occurred with Leopard, like the iSight/iLife integration. Some of the updates to Family include:
- You can now export your Family file to PDF, and it will still be crisp if you zoom in.
- The iSight and iPhoto/iLife integration work again in 10.5.
- You can now zoom in 120% when in the main editor.
- Updated Family bubbles to make Family files look better in general, especially in printing.
- Minor bug fixes regarding text input.
- There is a fun little fade out when you close windows.
- Made it so that dragging a new connection is easier than before. Dragging a connection is not as particular about where you click like it was in 2.0.2.
If you want more information about this update, or would like to download Family.app, you can visit the Saltatory Software website. Family is $29.95US for a personal-use license and it requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher.
TUAW Family.app gets updated to 2.3, fixes iSight/iPhoto features originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Found Footage: Good grief, NCIS, do you take us for fools?
Filed under: Humor, Cult of Mac, Odds and ends, Found Footage

I don't really watch NCIS, truth be told -- my wife does, and I nod appreciatively when the situation calls for it. I was half-watching tonight's episode when a familiar shape caught my attention... and then a jolt of ~~cognitive dissonance~~ surprise made me sit straight up on the couch and exclaim "What did he say?!?"

Resident NCIS geek Tim McGee (the same character who, in a past episode, managed to download a taxicab security video directly onto his iPhone) unpacks a boxful of his childhood computer gear; he proudly announces the computer you see above as his "Mac SE," when you don't need HDTV to know that it's a Mac Classic -- but if you do have an HDTV, you can clearly see "Macintosh Classic" printed on the front of the machine. McGee either can't read, or he has a delusional disorder of some kind that prevents him from properly recognizing vintage Mac gear. Later in the episode, he gets taunted for his childhood Macloverdom. It's just trouble from Jump Street on down.

McGee also unloads a PowerBook Duo and a nondescript PC laptop from his magic box. You can see the entire video, including the SE/Classic flub, in the continuation of this post.
Continue reading Found Footage: Good grief, NCIS, do you take us for fools?
TUAW Found Footage: Good grief, NCIS, do you take us for fools? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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WebKit adds some Sparkle
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Open Source
Sparkle, Andy Matuschak's software update framework for Cocoa applications, is no stranger to TUAW. Now, it's found its way into WebKit, the developmental version of Safari. This feature, often requested on the WebKit mailing lists, allows WebKit to update itself with the click of a button.

Sparkle has become a standard for Mac applications. I tend to shudder a little bit every time an application has the smarts to tell me there's an update, but then sends me to a web page to download it. Not because I'm lazy, just because I know there's a better way. There are several variations cropping up, including one from Google. I haven't worked with the newcomers, but I can testify that Sparkle is so utterly simple to implement that developers who fail to do so should be scolded repeatedly until they capitulate (see WebKit). A hearty thanks, though, to the WebKit team, from all of us who surf the bleeding edge of browser development.

Thanks to Chris Pirillo for the tip!
TUAW WebKit adds some Sparkle originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Macworld Expo: Microvision projector kicks up interest
Filed under: Macworld, Hardware
It's not available for purchase yet, but the tiny Microvision Pico projector on display at Macworld Expo definitely made an impact. The device -- roughly the size and weight of an iPhone -- throws a clear and sharp WVGA (848x480) image across a table or a room onto any light-colored surface.

With VGA and composite video inputs, it's a perfect match for portable media players of any sort, or road-warrior presentation needs for small audiences. Battery power is slated to last about 2 hours (90 minutes on the prototype) and it charges over USB. A laser-based projection technology creates images that never need focusing, regardless of the throw distance.

Microvision expects to ship the Pico device in the middle of 2009, with pricing not yet finalized ("at or under $500" is the expectation). We got a little bit of hands-on time in the video below. Note that the scan pattern visible when the projection is in frame is an artifact of the camera's scan rate -- the actual projected image looks great. You can also see some fascinating "unofficial" experiments using a Pico projector at the underground Pico blog.
Continue reading Macworld Expo: Microvision projector kicks up interest
TUAW Macworld Expo: Microvision projector kicks up interest originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Macworld Expo: Big things for Things
Filed under: Macworld, Software, iPhone
It was a heck of a coming-out party for Cultured Code's Things, the task organizer and GTD platform for Mac and iPhone. With a passel of awards for the product (including a Macworld Best in Show) and a shipping 1.0 version of the desktop app, the CC gang had plenty to celebrate.

I stopped by the Cultured Code booth for a chat with Michael Simmons and a look at some of the late-breaking features in the desktop release. I don't have the evolved and tweaked GTD workflow that some of my colleagues bring to bear, but I can say that Things is one of the few task managers I've found myself "moving into" naturally and easily, and I'm still using it after a couple of months. Now, if it only synchronized with my favorite cloud-side task manager ... but hopefully that's just around the corner.

Owners of the iPhone version of Things should check the new "gear" icon for a 20% discount off the US$49.95 cost of Things for Mac, good through 1/15/09.

Video in the 2nd half of the post.
Continue reading Macworld Expo: Big things for Things
TUAW Macworld Expo: Big things for Things originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In search of the perfect panorama
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Reviews, iPhone, App Store
No one thinks the iPhone has a terrific, pro-level camera, but it is fine for quick snaps. One way to get an even better picture is to make a panorama, stitching multiple images together to give you a wider view, or a taller view, and more pixels.

I've tried three of the apps designed to do panoramas and they all come up pretty short.

The first I tried was Pano [app store link]. It's US$2.99. This app does the best job of guiding you through the process, telling you to take the leftmost view, then another, and then if you want another image it cues you for that. You get a choice of accepting the photo, or taking a fresh one. When you are done, Pano merges the photo and you have a panorama ready to save to your phone or export to iPhoto. Some of the pictures look OK, but I noticed when I was shooting outdoors the three panels did not match very well in tone or color. There were big differences, especially in the sky. It looked a bit like the old Cinerama movies where the three cameras didn't quite match up. When shooting inside, I found the images more consistent. Steve Sande reviewed this app for TUAW back in October.
Continue reading In search of the perfect panorama
TUAW In search of the perfect panorama originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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RichardSolo show discounts still in effect
Filed under: Macworld, iPod Family, Deals, iPhone
If you were wandering the halls of Macworld Expo last week, you might have seen a familiar face -- no, not the everpresent TUAW video crews, but the gadget-loving visage of Richard Thalheimer, founder of The Sharper Image and current head honcho of RichardSolo. The RS booth was a brief walk away from The Sharper Image's floor presence, but I believe maturity prevailed and no miniature helicopters or USB missile launchers were seen to buzz the competition's displays.

The RichardSolo iPhone and iPod extended-life batteries were visible at the show on attendees' iPhones, and most people visiting the booth seemed to be satisfied customers or would-be customers (Steve reviewed the latest model in November). Buyers at the show were eligible for a $30 discount on the original and newer 1800 models, but if you missed that opportunity you can still save: through the end of January, use coupon code 'Macworld' at checkout and get $20 off either product (usually $50US for the lower-capacity model and $70US for the 1800 model).

There's a good list of still-running Macworld Expo discounts at dealmac, but if you know of any that aren't on the list, shout them out.

[via MacObserver]
TUAW RichardSolo show discounts still in effect originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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How much will it cost to replace your 17-inch MacBook Pro battery?
Filed under: Macbook Pro
Apple posted details about how much it will cost to replace the battery in the new 17-inch MacBook Pro notebooks announced at last week's Macworld Expo.

The cost works out as follows:
- United States: $179
- Canada: C$219
- Europe: €179 (including VAT)
- United Kingdom: £139 (including VAT)
- Japan: ¥19,800 (including tax)
- Australia: A$299 (including VAT)
- China: 1498 RMB (including VAT)
Apple says batteries can be replaced and your laptop returned to you the same day if you make an appointment at an Apple retail store. Otherwise, mail-in replacement will take three to four business days after the unit arrives at depot.

Apple also says that battery replacement services may be available at your local Apple Authorized Service Provider, but the prices may vary from those listed on Apple's website.

Note that Apple claims these batteries will last three times as long as conventional laptop batteries (up to five years or 1,000 cycles), and any defects in the first year of ownership are covered under the existing warranty. It's not clear whether AppleCare would cover battery replacement during the extended warranty period if it wears out, since the battery is considered a consumable item. Jared points out in the comments below that AppleCare currently does cover batteries that wear our prematurely (before the rated number of charge cycles). Just FYI, you can check the cycle count of your battery via Apple System Profiler / "More Info" in About This Mac, by viewing the Power section.
TUAW How much will it cost to replace your 17-inch MacBook Pro battery? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Citi reiterates AAPL 'buy' rating, cuts price target
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Financial
Citi analyst Richard Gardner repeated the firm's "buy" recommendation for Apple stock, but reduced his estimate through 2011 to "reflect a more conservative view of consumer spending," according to the Associated Press.

Gardner reduced his 12-month price target to $132 from $153. He noted "soft" iPhone shipments in the last quarter of 2008 and conservative guidance for the first quarter of 2009 as reasons behind the cut.

"We view weakness as a buying opportunity," Gardner said. If Apple's stock were to drop by $7 or $8 before the company's Q1 2009 conference call on January 21, "[Citi] would be aggressive buyers." He expects the company will announce a profit of $1.42 per share for Q4 2008 during the call.

AAPL was down by about $1.45 in afternoon trading.

[Via Mac Observer.]
TUAW Citi reiterates AAPL 'buy' rating, cuts price target originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rumor: Bioshock headed to the Mac
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Rumors, Software, Odds and ends, Developer

Is there anyone out there who doesn't have a PC, or a console, or a Windows partition on their Mac, or was just somehow able to avoid the critical, cultural, and widespread success of 2007's amazing Bioshock? If so, you're in luck -- while console gamers are breathlessly waiting for Bioshock 2 updates, Mac gamers are still waiting for the first one, and the wait might finally be over. Macworld is reporting that a little birdie (read: back of a t-shirt) at last week's show told them that Bioshock was finally headed to the Mac, courtesy of Feral Interactive.

Too little, too late? Don't get us wrong: Bioshock, the spiritual successor to System Shock and its sequel, is a terrific game, combining FPS gameplay with RPG elements and one of the best videogame stories of 2007. If you haven't played it and you're willing to pick it up for the Mac, you're in for a treat. But these kind of releases just perpetuate the issues with Mac gaming: games come out years late, no one buys them (because everyone who cares has already played them elsewhere), and then developers complain that games don't sell on the Mac. A Bioshock announcement is all well and good, but next time, devs, would you kindly aim for release a little closer to everyone else?

TUAW Rumor: Bioshock headed to the Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone nano rumors piling up
Filed under: Rumors, iPhone
Rumor sites are abuzz this morning with news from the Far East noting that two Taiwanese chip manufacturers will likely receive orders for a new "iPhone nano."

Taiwan's Economic Daily News ran a story suggesting that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and United Microelectronics Corporation will win contracts for iPhone nano components.

MacRumors suggests that the device might not be headed for the United States, either: this device could be released first in China. American Technology Research analyst Brian Marshall says that the device is not being tested by AT&T. In September, rumors suggested that China Mobile asked Apple for a limited version of the iPhone, omitting Wi-Fi and 3G networking.

This comes on the heels of a screenshot sent in by tipster John, which shows a device labeled "iPhone nano" appearing in the iTunes Connect service used by App Store developers. Earlier, drawings of protective cases surfaced inside China's manufacturing community.

Shaking the magic eight-ball, all signs point to yes. While clearly not ready for Macworld last week, the same Economic Daily News report notes that a new iPhone device might be slated for a June release at the earliest.
TUAW iPhone nano rumors piling up originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone dev asks cracker to stop, cracker says to sit on it
Filed under: Apple, App Store, Jailbreak/pwnage
Update: It is worth mentioning that there are applications with a free, ad-supported version available and yet the premium version is still cracked. One such example is The Iconfactory's excellent Twitter client, "Twitterrific."

Let's say you are a developer and want to have a go at this whole "iPhone" platform. Let's also say that you lay out the money to register with Apple, spend about 250 hours to develop an addictive and entertaining game, and manage to get it approved for sale in the App Store.

If you have made it this far, as James and Constance Bossert of Fairlady Media have, then you probably would be excited to see a sudden spike in application usage... but according to a post at TorrentFreak, that was only the beginning of the Bosserts' problems. When usage shot up for their app "Whack 'em all" (iTunes link) without a corresponding increase in revenue, James went to work figuring out why. The bad news: his app had been cracked and was being distributed, for free, for use on jailbroken devices.
Continue reading iPhone dev asks cracker to stop, cracker says to sit on it
TUAW iPhone dev asks cracker to stop, cracker says to sit on it originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ballmer hearts iPhone, at least a little bit
Filed under: iPhone
Our friend & former colleague David Chartier has a piece up over at Ars Technica with the sordid details of one Steve Ballmer's new-found love affair (well, more of a like affair) with Apple's iPhone. Prior to the iPhone's triumphant launch, his Steve-ness (Ballmer, that is) proclaimed the iPhone had "no chance" at success in the marketplace.

According to Ars, in a recent interview, Ballmer was quoted saying the iPhone has "clear market momentum." Now if that isn't the definition of understatement, then I don't know what is. With the recent release of multiple apps for the iPhone, it is clear that Microsoft is willing to acknowledge, and promote, iPhone's presence in the mobile space.

While we at TUAW may not be the biggest supporters of Microsoft [except for the MacBU, love you, don't change --Ed.] it is definitely nice to hear a bit of praise from another mobile platform vendor. What say you, dear commenters, is Microsoft really drinking the Apple Kool-Aid, or are they merely biding their time until the release of their own Zune-phone of sorts, with the next-est-gen version of Windows Mobile?
TUAW Ballmer hearts iPhone, at least a little bit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Slide to Play plays games at Macworld, because I didn't
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Humor, Software, Odds and ends, Apple, iPhone, App Store

Felt a little bit of acid in my posts lately? Getting an icy vibe off of my writing for the past week? There's no hard feelings to Rose, Christina, or any of the other TUAWers at Macworld (they did an awesome job covering everything), but yes, I was a little bummed that I didn't get to go. This was probably the best show for iPhone games ever, and (like many of you, I suppose) as I watched all of the meetup and demo tweets go by, yes, I steamed a little bit.

But it's OK, because Slide to Play ended up doing exactly what I would have done at Macworld: meet game developers and challenge random people to iPhone games, and they've put it all in video format so I and you other gamers can live vicariously through them. On the way, their host gets beaten by a little kid (which never would have happened if it was me), and they do get in good chats with the guys from Freeverse and Iconfactory about their current (and future) gaming plans.

It's fine. I didn't need to go to Macworld anyway. I had a perfectly fun time sitting here in Chicago, getting buried in snow and playing Samurai Puzzle Battle Arcade all by my lonely self. Who needs Macworld, right? Sigh.

Video in the continuation of the post. Thanks Steve!
Continue reading Slide to Play plays games at Macworld, because I didn't
TUAW Slide to Play plays games at Macworld, because I didn't originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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