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- Fast Company Magazine ranks Apple #4 of 50 innovative companies
Filed under: Odds and ends
With most business trends heading south, Apple continues to get recognition from customers and the press. Today, Fast Company Magazine put Apple in 4th place among the top 50 most innovative companies. The article cites the iPhone, the App Store, the unibody construction of the new laptop line, increasingly green packaging and products, and finally iTunes which is growing while the rest of the music industry falters. All in all, it has been a pretty good year for Apple (it must be noted, however, that Apple was #2 on the list last year).
For the curious, the Obama election team was ranked #1 this year; Google came in at #2. Our friends at Microsoft ranked #34.
You can read the profiles of all 50 companies here, and the Apple profile is here.
Fast Company, published since 1995 "is dedicated to exploring innovation in business, digital technology, leadership, design, and social responsibility," or so they say.TUAWFast Company Magazine ranks Apple #4 of 50 innovative companies originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Presidents of the USA release iPhone app with their music in it
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Multimedia, Software, Apple, Deals, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Wired has a story up about an interesting tactic The Presidents of the United States have put into action (no, not the Commanders in Chief, the pop punk trio from the '90s). While they already do have their music in the iTunes Music Store, one of the band's members has joined a company that makes iPhone software, and they're also putting all of their tunes into the App Store as well. The app sells for three bucks and allows you to listen to tracks from the four albums of material that the band owns themselves -- though only through a stream, which, according to the reviews, can sound pretty bad at times.
So interesting idea, pretty poor implementation. Still, this might be a good way for even smaller bands to get their music out there and into people's hands -- the only up-front cost on the App Store is the $100 registration fee, and Apple's fine with whatever you put out there. As Wired notes, they get paid their 30% whether you're selling your tunes via an app or through iTunes. Plus, with a dedicated app, you can add in news, throw in interactive extras, and put whatever else you can think of in there.
I doubt this is the last time we'll hear about an artist (or even a corporation) selling an iPhone app with content built-in to promote themselves. The only issue is that anyone releasing "promoware" like this should be required (either by Apple or just by consumers) to offer some actual functionality along with the promotion.TUAWPresidents of the USA release iPhone app with their music in it originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - First Look: Shooter
Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
I happened to try iSniper Lite [iTunes link] the same week I was offered a chance to preview Shooter [iTunes link]. If you've played iSniper, you get a sense of what the basic gameplay in Shooter is like: use the accelerometer to move a sniper's scope around a board and shoot bad guys. But Shooter (from Paramount) improves upon the basic iSniper game in several important ways... and yes, it's based on the movie of the same name starring Mark Wahlberg. The game just hit the store and is currently being sold for $.99.
Shooter adds a "hold your breath" mode that is designed to slow the moving view down a bit. Like the "focus" mode from the Matrix videogames, you can only hold your breath for so long. While in this mode the view did slow down, but I found it hard to move the sight as well. It's as if your actions are muted instead of throttled, forcing you to move the iPhone really far in one direction to move the view. Update: Peter notes in the comments that you're supposed to use your finger to move the sight when in this mode. Still, that's a bit tricky while holding the iPhone and holding a breath button and needing to push the fire button...
One other complaint: reloading. iSniper features autoloading, which makes it easier to pick up and play and gets the gameplay moving a lot faster. I realize the designers likely chose to use manual loading because it does add to the challenge, but I wish there was an option to turn on autoloading. Still, that's a minor quibble. This is a game you'll be playing for some time. Read on for an explanation why, or check out the gallery.Continue reading First Look: Shooter
TUAWFirst Look: Shooter originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac, Third Edition
Filed under: OS, Software, Switchers, Odds and ends, Books
Joe Kissell is an extraordinary Mac writer, so when he took on the task of writing the first edition of Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac a few years ago, I knew he was going to do an amazing job.
Joe has just finished writing the third edition of this book, which covers every possible method of running Windows or Windows applications on your Intel Mac. In 167 pages, he talks you through how to determine the best installation option (VMWare Fusion, Virtual Box, Parallels Desktop, or Boot Camp) and how to install both the software and Windows.
Since peripherals are sometimes problematic in a virtual environment, Joe describes how to make sure those mice, peripherals, and keyboards work happily with Windows. He describes in detail how to share files between the two operating systems, keep Windows secure, and integrate the Mac and Windows interfaces.
Joe also talks about how to acquire various versions of Windows, as well as using CodeWeavers CrossOver Mac to run many applications without purchasing Windows. The ebook sells for $10, and you can easily defray the cost by taking advantage of a 10% discount coupon for VMWare Fusion and a $5 coupon for Parallels Desktop. A print edition will be available soon.TUAWTake Control of Running Windows on a Mac, Third Edition originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Acrobat vulnerability may affect Mac users
Filed under: Security
As if the baked-in security issues weren't enough to deal with, Adobe has announced today that all versions since v7 of Acrobat and Acrobat Reader on all platforms -- including Mac OS X -- are vulnerable to anJavascriptexploit that can crash Acrobat. [Correction, per The Register and Shadowserver the vulnerability is not in Javascript per se but the circulating exploits use Javascript to leverage the actual flaw. Thanks to Adam Engst for the heads-up.] The same approach could possibly give an attacker unrestricted access to the target system. More from Download Squad on the scope of the problem; Adobe and others are reporting that there are already exploits in the wild for this problem.
Mac users have, of course, a very solid option for handling PDF files other than Acrobat: Preview, installed on every Mac OS X machine. You can also turn off Javascript support in the Acrobat preferences to lock out exploits from proceeding beyond crashing the app to actually doing widespread damage.
To change the default handler for PDF files, select any PDF file in the Finder and then select Get Info from the File menu. Under the Open With section, select Preview.app and then click Change All.TUAWAcrobat vulnerability may affect Mac users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Pixelmator 1.4 Sprinkle out now
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Developer, Graphic Design
The folks at Pixelmator have released version 1.4, named Sprinkle, and it's now available from their site or from directly within the app. They've got more performance improvements in here, and the big addition this time around is brushes: not only are there a host of new brush options in the app, but users can now also import Adobe Photoshop brushes. Users can now create and use document presets, and there's a new "clouds" filter that can be used to create realistic clouds and special effects. As usual, the update is free to registered users, or you can pick up a copy for $59.
Pixelmator continues to impress as a powerful yet slim photo and image editor. I use it daily. I have recently had an issue with it not sticking to its own space in Leopard -- sometimes, when switching to or from the Space that Pixelmator is in, it'll drift off in front of the app that I'm working on, or not show up for a few seconds. But this update also introduces a few "performance improvements," so hopefully my issue is in there somewhere.TUAWPixelmator 1.4 Sprinkle out now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - First Look: StreetBall for iPhone/iPod touch, win a free copy
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Are you tired of being bored when you are on a long trip? Want to play some b-ball while you are stuck in a class? If you are inclined to do so, Streeball could help you out. A new game for the iPhone/iPod touch, Streetball [iTunes link] gives you a classic basketball game anywhere you happen to be.
You can choose between three different game types: Two on two, First to 21, and H.O.R.S.E. There is a tutorial mode that allows you to grasp the basic idea of the game. The game works by using the accelerometers to move left, right, to the back, or forward; when you are ready to pass or shoot, press the appropriate on-screen buttons. While you are playing a game, you can pause it by selecting the pause button in the top-left corner.
This game has great graphics that are cartoonish/comic book-like, which I tend to prefer for these types of games. You can adjust the background volume, and the computer difficulty. Also, you can adjust the tilt sensitivity of the accelerometer -- something I wish every game developer would implement.
You can check out Streetball for $3.99US or test your luck in our giveaway ... read on for details.
Giveaway
The developer has been awesome enough to bless us with 10 promo codes to give away. What's the catch? Just comment on this post! That's all... we'll email you a promo code soon after we pick 10 random winners from all the entries (comments) received by February 22.
- Open to legal residents of the 50 United States who are 18 and older.
- To enter leave a comment on this post.
- The comment must be left before February 22, 11:59PM Eastern Time.
- You may enter only once.
- Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing.
- Prize: One promo code for Streetball on iPhone and iPod touch ($3.99).
- Click Here for complete Official Rules.
TUAWFirst Look: StreetBall for iPhone/iPod touch, win a free copy originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - The keys to App Store success, courtesy of Pinch Media
Filed under: Tips and tricks, App Store
Just about every conversation I have with an iPhone developer who's had any level of App Store success eventually (usually sooner rather than later) includes the question, "what worked for you?" I've been trying to distill some kind of pattern -- a sure-fire marketing tactic -- but there are just too many variables.
There are the ones which developers can control (to some extent): the general timing of a release (give or take a month), pricing, quality, external promotion, and certain aspects of the marketing process. There are also variables beyond the developer's control, such as the review process, being featured on an App Store list, the existence and tactics of competitors, duplication and an array of shifting circumstances and bad behavior. What we need is more data, right?
Pinch Media's Jesse Rohland & Greg Yardley, the gracious providers of some great App Store RSS feeds and developers of tools for iPhone app metrics, just published a slideshow (you can see it in the 2nd half of this post) which was presented at the New York iPhone Developers Meetup, sharing analysis of the data and trends they've been observing.
Snazzy charts? Witty banter? Sound advice? Check, check and check. Whether you're curious about the effects of price drops, various usage stats for free versus paid apps or the mathematics of breaking even (maybe turning a profit?), statistical analysis could be your friend. I know, real friends are nicer and more helpful on moving day, but that's what you get for spending all your time writing iPhone applications in dimly-lit rooms. I kid, of course: enjoy the show ...Continue reading The keys to App Store success, courtesy of Pinch Media
TUAWThe keys to App Store success, courtesy of Pinch Media originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - The case of the missing monitor
The e-mails have been arriving here at TUAW headquarters for a good portion of the morning with many asking the same question: "What happened to the 20-inch Cinema Display?"
It's true. A check of the direct link to the 20-inch Cinema Display's page reroutes you directly to the main Apple page. The portion of the Apple site dedicated to displays, however, not only still lists the 20-inch Cinema Display, but its departed brethren the 23-inch Cinema Display.
Oh where, oh where, have the 20-inch monitors gone? It leaves a devastatingly slim choice for people wanting an Apple-branded monitor. The new 24-inch LED Cinema Displays won't play nice with either the Mac Pro, iMac, Mac mini, or any other machine that doesn't have a Mini DisplayPort connector -- which pretty much means it's the unibody MacBook family or nothing. The price of the 30-inch Cinema Display is most likely out of reach for a lot of people, as well.
What to do? Take no fear, Amazon still has the 20-inch Cinema Display in stock with free shipping. There's also a host of very nice third-party panels out there. I supplement my MacBook with a 20-inch display from Acer that I picked up at Best Buy for less than $150.
Anyone else have any recommendations for a good non-Apple branded monitor? Let us know in the comments!
Thanks to all who submitted this!TUAWThe case of the missing monitor originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Slideshare.net supports upload of Keynote '09 files
Filed under: Internet Tools
Apple's marquee presentation tool may make it easy to look professional when it comes to showing off in front of an in-person audience, but when it comes to sharing those killer decks online the choices have been limited; Keynote's package-based file format made uploading and decoding pretty challenging for most. Among these, Slideshare stood out by allowing Keynote uploads -- assuming you compressed your file to a .zip before shipping it along.
Now that Keynote '09 does automatic compression of .key files (which makes it a lot easier to throw them on a flash drive, among other things), Slideshare has announced direct support for Keynote files. Upload your presentations with glee, and share them at will! The conversion process is still a bit rough around the edges, so in some cases you may have better results by saving the Keynote file to PPT instead... but it's still a welcome development.
[via KeynoteUser]TUAWSlideshare.net supports upload of Keynote '09 files originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Latest survey shows Apple customers are happiest
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple
While the economy continues to tank, and desktop PC purchases are falling, a new survey from ChangeWave Research says Apple customers are the happiest buyers. Looking at people who bought a computer in the last 90 days, 81% said they were very satisfied with their purchase. That compares with 67% high satisfaction from Asus, Dell is at 55%, HP at 52%, and Toshiba at 52%. Only 50% of Lenovo buyers were very satisfied. Ouch.
Apple buyers plans to get a new laptop have increased 3% since the January survey. Plans to buy a desktop have declined by 2%.
Other survey highlights reflect similar opinions to Apple buyers. People buying brands other than Apple still want laptops, while interest in desktops continues to sink. There is also continuing interest in netbooks, and many Apple owners in the survey said they considered the iPhone to be a form of netbook.
The report also notes that overall consumer electronics spending is at the lowest level since ChangeWave began their research in 2002.
If you'd like to see a PDF of the complete survey results click here.TUAWLatest survey shows Apple customers are happiest originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Tip: Stop Backup.app from bouncing
Filed under: Software, How-tos, Tips and tricks, TUAW Tips
TJ Luoma recently shared the solution to an annoying problem. Specifically, he wanted to keep Backup's icon from frantically jumping in the Dock like so many hepped-up toddlers in a bouncy castle. The Backup icon typically bounces in the Dock for a minute two before it even begins backing up any data.
We know what you're thinking, "Just go to the application's preferences and disable the Dock animation." The problem is that Backup has no preference pane! Fortunately, TJ found a fix.
While browsing "defaults read com.apple.backup" in Terminal (as suggested by a Twitter helper), he found
"Backup Timer" = 120
Realizing that's how long the app is supposed to wait (and toss its icon up and down) before executing a backup, he entered
defaults write com.apple.backup "Backup Timer" 1
which forced it to bounce only once. Alternatively, you could install Dockless, which prevents running apps from showing up in the Dock (or vice versa). Check out TJ's post and enjoy!TUAWTUAW Tip: Stop Backup.app from bouncing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - 17" MacBook Pro houses mega battery
Filed under: Hardware, Portables, Macbook Pro
As usual, the fine folks at iFixIt immediately took apart the newest piece of Apple hardware to arrive at their offices, a unibody 17" MacBook Pro. The whole process was detailed with step-by-step photos, some of which reveal an internal battery roughly the size of a baby dolphin.
In case you're curious, and we know you are, that's a 7.3V 95Wh (12820 mAh) battery, Apple model #A1309. It contains no mercury (Hg) and weighs in at 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg)! The folks at iFixIt note, "It's only a matter of time until you'll be able to buy this battery online from companies like us."
It reminds me of the battery that came in the clamshell iBooks (in size at least). It sure looks easy to replace...
[Via Ars]Continue reading 17" MacBook Pro houses mega battery
TUAW17" MacBook Pro houses mega battery originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Beta Beat: All your projects are belong to Flow
Filed under: Software, Productivity, Graphic Design
The public beta of Gridiron Flow for Mac has been released, and I have to say I'm blown away. I love Curio for project management and brainstorming, but for the nitty gritty of version management, file collection and project source file relationships I'd just as soon have something magically do the job for me. Flow does it quite nicely, at least with Adobe, iWork, Office files and the like. As all-seeing as this software is, it inflicts a remarkably small hit on system resources. Mike Rose filmed a great preview last year, so have a look at that, and at Gridiron's FAQ for Flow, for a better idea of what it does than I could convey here.
The beta is available for download, and currently has no restrictions.
I expect Flow to be a costly bit of software, but I haven't been able to track down any price predictions yet(Update, as pointed out by Nicholas in the comments, it's listed -- fairly obviously -- for $249 right now. About what I expected, really ). For now, have a look and dig into automatic versioning, tag-based organization and project visualization that just takes care of itself. It's especially geared toward designers, and will be of the most interest to those who spend their time with InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. Personally, I'm hoping I don't get too hooked on it only to find out it's outrageously expensive. Here's hoping for some pocketbook sympathy!TUAWBeta Beat: All your projects are belong to Flow originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - ReachMyFile allows you to do just that
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
ReachMyFile [App Store link] for the iPhone/iPod touch comes very close to being the holy grail for moving files between a remote Mac and your iPhone over the Internet.
It allows you to search for files on a home or office Mac, then download and view them on your iPhone, or email them directly to someone else without the download ever passing through your iPhone. The system uses a 128-bit encrypted link. Files can be located by navigating your hard disk, or simply naming the file.
ReachMyFile allows you to view PDF, JPEG, many audio and video formats, MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. It does not display iWork files, but you can transfer them to your iPhone or email them to any other computer.
Although the app is pricey, US $19.99, it provides a lot of bang for those bucks. You can try a free version of the app, ReachMyFile Lite, [App Store link] which limits file transfer size, and doesn't allow you to email files from your remote computer to someone else. It will let you see if the system works with your Internet connection and router combination. Mine worked fine, and I'm not able to use Back to my Mac with the same router, so I expect it will work for most people.
Read on for more, or take a look at the screenshot gallery below.
Continue reading ReachMyFile allows you to do just that
TUAWReachMyFile allows you to do just that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - ScreenFlow 1.5, now with 100% more text annotation
Filed under: Multimedia, Software
For semi-pro and professional screencasters working on Macs, Screenflow has reigned for a year as the closest thing available to the Windows-only category leader Camtasia Studio. It not only records your screen, your video camera or iSight, your audio input and system audio simultaneously, it provides a full editing suite and allows callouts, edits and cuts to be made in post, within the application.
It's been one year since the initial release, and the development of Screenflow has continued steadily ... despite company acquisitions. On the mutli-talented application's first birthday, parent company Telestream has announced version 1.5 with custom mouse cursors, WMV export, new audio effects, automatic stereo mixing of single-channel microphones and ... titling.Continue reading ScreenFlow 1.5, now with 100% more text annotation
TUAWScreenFlow 1.5, now with 100% more text annotation originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Passage creator releases Primrose, an iPhone puzzle game
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Jason Rohrer gained some nice accolades among the indie gaming scene for his game, Passage, which took the player through a whole pixelated lifetime in just a few minutes in a very powerful and artistic way. Lately, he's turned his attention to the iPhone -- he released Passage on the platform (though it doesn't work quite so well -- you should probably stick to the free desktop version for the full effect), and has now created another iPhone game that's not quite as meaningfully reflective, but is definitely lots of fun.
Primrose is the new title -- it's due out on the App Store any minute now (and will be released for desktops as well), but Rohrer gave TUAW a pre-release look at the game. You can browse through a few screenshots in the gallery below, and our impressions (it's good) are in the second half of the post.Continue reading Passage creator releases Primrose, an iPhone puzzle game
TUAWPassage creator releases Primrose, an iPhone puzzle game originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Tips: Packing your gadgetry for travel to faraway lands
Filed under: Accessories, How-tos, Odds and ends, Reviews, TUAW Tips
In case you've missed me, I've been in Africa for the last couple of weeks. On top of all the business traveling I do, I also love traveling to exotic or fun locations with my wife several times a year.
One question I often hear from friends, clients, and TUAW readers is "How do you pack all of your techie gear for traveling?" The Africa trip gave me the perfect opportunity to answer that question, since I not only had to take a computer with me, but two digital cameras, two iPhones, a backup drive, a snakes nest of cables, power cables and plug converters, a handful of memory cards, an Amazon Kindle, and an HD camcorder as well. The picture at the top of this post shows you just about everything I needed to pack.
Click the Read More link below for tips on how to travel with all of your stuff... without going crazy in the process.Continue reading TUAW Tips: Packing your gadgetry for travel to faraway lands
TUAWTUAW Tips: Packing your gadgetry for travel to faraway lands originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - It's true, iReddit on the iPhone
Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch
reddit, an open source social news aggregator which has garnered a loyal following, has come out with a very slick, very handy little iPhone app for their service. Actually, it's the third one -- according to their blog -- but this one's "official." iReddit brings you the news ... you don't even have to join reddit, your iPhone will start spewing stories of all caliber and ilk at you the moment you launch the app (fortunately, a free account will let you start filtering the stream).Don't tell the rest of the TUAW team -- many of whom were clamoring to post about iReddit -- but I'd never used reddit.com in any serious fashion until I got in on the iReddit beta. I'm now a frequent reader ... at least on my iPhone. The app itself is much like the website in layout. It's also elegant, responsive and heart-warmingly cute, the cuteness due in large part to the reddit mascot checking the time and tapping its toes while pages load. I'm quite serious when I say that it's one of the best "loading screens" I've ever had the pleasure of using. Articles open in the built-in browser, where you can read them, send them to Safari, e-mail a link, or save them to your reddit account.
The team behind the app is none other than our friends from WWDC, 280 North. You may remember (or be using) their online presentation app, 280Slides. iReddit is another fine accomplishment on the 280 resume. Check it out at the App Store for $1.99US.Continue reading It's true, iReddit on the iPhone
TUAWIt's true, iReddit on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Boxee forced to remove Hulu
Filed under: Internet, Internet Tools, Apple TV
As a boxee user/proselytizer, I am gutted over the latest news: Hulu will be removed from boxee as of Friday (February 20, 2009). Hulu gives some insight into its request for removal from boxee in its blog post and at least Hulu seems to understand that this decision will be extremely unpopular for users. And I think that's an understatement.
So what's going on? Why would Hulu request the removal from a system that not only doesn't omit ads, but gives nothing but positive good will to the Hulu brand? As always, it seems to come down to money, or in this case, "content providers." Apparently big media still doesn't get it. Streaming TV shows over the web -- even in HD -- is apparently just fine, just don't make it easy to access or use on a TV-sized monitor.
Boxee isn't alone in feeling Hulu's wrath. Earlier today, Hulu content was yanked off of TV.com (CBS's TV portal that started offering programming in January). I sort of understand Hulu's position in regards to TV.com -- why give competitors a key to all of your content if you aren't going to get anything in return -- but boxee?
This is just incredibly short-sighted and a total lose for consumers, customers and TV viewers. Just as television networks are making waves in providing free alternatives to torrents (or buying stuff off of iTunes), they do stuff like this that only reinforces old habits.
The even more pathetic situation is that if I hook up my MacBook to my HDTV, using HDMI or DVI, I can still watch Hulu that way. I can even pause and fast forward from the comfort of my couch, if I use a Bluetooth keyboard. This just makes having a central box for all my media THAT much more difficult.
Will this end with boxee? What about the Hulu-capable TVs that debuted at CES? Are those devices somehow exempt?
We'll be following this story as it develops. As the boxee team says, they are committed to getting Hulu back on boxee. We hope something can be worked out soon.
TUAWBoxee forced to remove Hulu originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Stacks plugin brings fluid layouts to RapidWeaver
Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Graphic Design
If we've said it once, we've said it 1000 times: TUAW loves RapidWeaver. One of RapidWeaver's strengths is that it has an easy-to-use interface, but you can do some really, really powerful stuff with the program. Plus, the third-party network of plugins and themes is really, really top notch.
YourHead Software, which makes some of my favorite RapidWeaver add-ons, has just released a new plugin called Stacks, which ups the ante on what you can do with RapidWeaver, without even having to mess with any code.
Think of Stacks as a souped-up version of one of YourHead's other plugins, Blocks. Mat reviewed Blocks a couple of years ago and it remains one of the best RapidWeaver plugins around. Stacks takes the WYSIWYG drag-and-drop layout approach of Blocks, but adds support for fluid layouts (even if your theme has a variable width), nested objects, stacks within stacks, and more.
I've been using the Stacks beta for the last couple of weeks and I have to say that it has opened my eyes to some possibilities with RapidWeaver that I hadn't even considered before. Traditionally, creating a different layout for each page is time consuming unless you rely on snippets or go with basic designs. Because I like to use RapidWeaver to rapidly prototype sites, being able to build out various layouts extremely quickly saves me time.
As a demonstration, I created this page in about five minutes using Stacks, some graphics and Elixir's Twitter plugin for Stacks. That's another feature I like about Stacks -- there's an API -- so not only can advantageous users look at building their own elements for use in Stacks, RapidWeaver plugin and theme developers can look at using it too. Stacks can also use Loghound's excellent PlusKit so that you can embed Google Docs, other page types or elements and do lightboxing with your photos, all within Stacks.
Stacks is $19.95 and it requires RapidWeaver 4.2.1 or newer to work. You can try the demo (direct link to DMG) for free and access all the features; you're just limited to a certain number of items on each page.Continue reading Stacks plugin brings fluid layouts to RapidWeaver
TUAWStacks plugin brings fluid layouts to RapidWeaver originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Aurora Feint devs share their social code in OpenFeint
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Freeware, Internet, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK, iPod touch
The folks behind the popular Aurora Feint series of iPhone games have decided to share their work creating a "social MMO" system on the iPhone with other developers. They've just announced a system called "OpenFeint," which other devs will be able to license and use in their own games. OpenFeint will supposedly allow a developer to put together a multiplayer community in an iPhone app, complete with profiles, news boards and chat, in under an hour. They're also providing a server for developers to use, so devs won't have to host their own server software -- they'll just have to make their client work with the existing system.
Wild. It sounds like they're just making the systems they've already developed in their own games available to anyone who wants to use them. Right now, they're looking at a private beta (interested devs can sign up on their site), and eventually the service will be free for a limited number of users, with certain costs as the userbase grows.
The cynical side of us wonders if there's a catch in there somewhere -- presumably, all of the users in OpenFeint will keep their information on the Aurora Feint-owned server, so we'd guess there's a chance that at some point in the future, they could use that list for less-than-honorable actions (Steve Demeter's Onyx Online plan is another service that aims to be platform-wide, which seems to have similar risks). But that's just us being paranoid -- taken at face value, this just seems like one team of indie developers opening up what they've already done to help other devs. Very cool.TUAWAurora Feint devs share their social code in OpenFeint originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Sygic demos turn-by-turn GPS app at MWC09
Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, SDK, Jailbreak/pwnage
One of the most elusive and desired apps for iPhone is turn-by-turn GPS navigation. Just before the iPhone 3G hit the market, we heard that TomTom was developing a GPS navigator. To date, it hasn't shipped. Recently, the focus has been on xGPS, an app that requires a jailbroken iPhone to work.
Since Apple says a) jailbreaking may be illegal and b) the terms of the SDK prohibit "real time route guidance," it seems like it may be a long time before we see legal turn-by-turn on the iPhone. This week, though, there was some light at the end of the GPS tunnel.
At Mobile World Congress 2009 (MWC09) in Barcelona, Spain, Sygic is demoing a version of their namesake GPS navigation software running on an iPhone 3G. According to a post on The iPhone Blog, the Sygic software uses maps from TeleAtlas, the same company that supplies map data for Google Maps. Sygic produces similar software for Windows Mobile and Symbian devices.
From the screenshots in the post, the app appears to be similar to what many of us are used to with our TomTom, Garmin, and Magellan car navigation systems. Whether or not Sygic will be lucky enough to get this one into the App Store is unknown, but this app is definitely worth watching.
Thanks to Topper for the tip!Continue reading Sygic demos turn-by-turn GPS app at MWC09
TUAWSygic demos turn-by-turn GPS app at MWC09 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Tracking the iPhone hype generator
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple, iPhone, App Store
Fortune's Apple 2.0 got a nice little graph up of just where and when the iPhone's hype machine went into overdrive. There's no question it was a gigantic brand last year, but what's interesting is just how manufactured and "by design" each of those spikes are. B on the chart above is the actual iPhone launch, and E and F are the 3G debut and store launch. Fortune relates point A to the Cisco lawsuit against Apple over the "iPhone" name, but let's be real: that was just part of the story of the gigantic iPhone reveal (which took place one day before, not two).
So the real story here isn't necessarily that Apple masterfully created a smartphone that revolutionized the industry and made tons of money doing it, but that they coordinated a hype machine that marched to their tune whenever they wanted. The red line above, as you can see, is Palm, and while there are a few spikes along that line (probably interest in various new products and releases), there's nothing like the excitement and hype that shoots up around a big Apple event. The iPhone is a feat of engineering in itself, but the hype machine behind it is pretty well-built, too.Continue reading Tracking the iPhone hype generator
TUAWTracking the iPhone hype generator originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Because iFarting is serious business
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Odds and ends, Freeware, Apple, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
We were just fine with letting this story dissipate right into the air like so many bad smells, as it's not exactly the most impressive thing to ever happen in the App Store. But in the interests of completionism, we'll bring it to you anyway.
First, there were two apps that made fart noises, called Pull My Finger and iFart. Then, there was allegedly some inappropriate twittering (and shady iPhone reviewing -- we seriously doubt that tons of people want to give five stars to an app about MC Hammer), $50,000 of damages were requested, a "Social Media Expert" (read: "tool") got angry, and eventually a lawsuit was filed, and now every blog and website everywhere is posting that two apps about flatulence are suing each other.
Like we said, not the story out of the App Store that we're most proud to report. But Apple did get mixed up in all of this early on -- Gizmodo reports that the Mothership was approached for a solution, and that it was decided to let the devs fight it out. Maybe if Apple had said early on that applications on the App Store had to do a little more than make fart noises (or that there was already enough farting going on in the store -- what do those other 29 apps have to do with any of this?), the iPhone wouldn't now be known as the premiere device for farting.
But we suppose there's money to be had -- someone out there is buying either or both of these idiotic apps, and as a result, both of these guys are willing to go to court over software that reproduces the sound of passing gas in the hopes of getting even more money, despite the fact that you can simulate the same effect with the human armpit. Can we cut the lawsuits and get to producing some actual software for the platform, please?Continue reading Because iFarting is serious business
TUAWBecause iFarting is serious business originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Make contact with First Contact
Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
I've said in this space before that I'm not always an enthusiastic gamer, but lately some really cool games have appeared that use the iPhone's capabilities to the max.
A good example is First Contact [App Store link], a new game for the iPhone/iPod touch. The game is US $2.99 and certainly packs a few bucks worth of enjoyment and excitement. The scenario involves protecting your colonies on a distant planet from UFOs, incoming missiles and other dastardly space hardware.
The game is rendered in beautiful 3D and the inferface takes some cues from Google Earth. You can rotate your planet and zoom in or out with finger gestures. You'll need to be doing that, because the incoming nasties can hide behind your planet and you have to keep things moving to protect your colonies. You touch all the targets, and your defense system launches missiles to prevent them from finding their targets. Of course, as the game progresses, you'll be moving pretty fast to keep up with the increasing threat.
You can also shake your iPhone to detonate some screen clearing nukes, and you can post your high scores online to see how you are doing against other players.
A couple of small nits to pick: The instructions were quite hard to read. The text is too small. Another issue is that the pause button is on the lower right of the screen, and frequently while tapping to mark targets, I inadvertently paused the game. On the plus side, if you bail out of the game, you are given the option to resume from where you left off. You'll use that feature a lot, I suspect.
I think you'll get hooked on this game pretty quickly. The aliens get more numerous, and increasingly more aggressive. It's always a nice day when you can save a planet.
Here's some images from the game:
Continue reading Make contact with First Contact
TUAWMake contact with First Contact originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - An iPhone on Verizon in 2010? With LTE, it could happen
Filed under: iPhone, Jailbreak/pwnage
Now, I understand this may be a very niche subject for our dear readership, but as many of you may remember, I'm a Verizon customer. That's why this morning's news about Verizon testing its Long-Term Evolution 3GPP (LTE) service in various parts of the U.S. has me excited.Yes, while it's amazing that Verizon is getting 60Mbps downloads using LTE in Columbus, Minneapolis, and northern New Jersey, what's exciting to me is the fact that LTE plays nicely with GSM. If you could use a GSM phone on the Verizon network -- I think you can see where I'm going with this -- you might be able to use an iPhone with Verizon service.
While it's true that Apple and AT&T have an exclusivity agreement with each other, Verizon and Apple have previously used two completely separate kinds of technology (CDMA versus GSM, respectively) -- preventing any kind of interoperability. With Verizon at least speaking the same language as iPhone handsets, the possibility of keeping my carrier and having my dream handset comes closer.
In theory, at least; it isn't as easy as flipping as switch. If it works anything like, say, the procedure for using your iPhone with T-Mobile here in the U.S., it requires unlocking the phone with QuickPwn or yellowsn0w. Apple has recently suggested that it considers jailbreaking iPhones to be a violation of DMCA. Interpreted broadly, that may include unlocking software, too.
Add to that some SIM cards that don't work with unlocking software, like some from T-Mobile. There's nothing suggesting that Verizon's new LTE SIM cards will work right out of the box. Even if they are, advanced features like Visual Voicemail won't be available, but that's something I can live without.
For me personally, I wouldn't mind either an iPhone or a Palm Pre. Maybe it's just a waiting game to see whose exclusivity agreement expires first, rather than trying to hack something together.
Then again, maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up. We've still got another year to wait before Verizon rolls out LTE service to most of the country.
[Via Electronista.]
Update: Commenters Andrew and Shane made a good point that I failed to grasp when I wrote this: Verizon's LTE implementation will not necessarily mean that GSM phones will work on Verizon's LTE network. LTE works like this: If you have an LTE chipset in your phone, awesome. If you don't, your phone will fall back to the network's prior 3G technology. In Verizon's case, that's still CDMA, which the iPhone doesn't support. Now, if Apple were to build in LTE support into their next round of iPhones (in anticipation of AT&T's adoption of the standard in 2011) there might be a chance this will still work, but that's a lot of ifs. Thanks, guys!
TUAWAn iPhone on Verizon in 2010? With LTE, it could happen originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Contactizer 3.7 adds Dayboard, other enhancements
Filed under: Software, Leopard
Contactizer, the personal information management application from Objective Decision, LLC, has been updated to version 3.7. The update, which applies to both the Pro and Express versions of Contactizer, includes over 20 new features.
One of the more significant changes is the addition of a new standalone application called Dayboard that allows users to see calendar events, task list items, and birthdays when Contactizer is closed. Other enhancements include the ability to define custom types for tasks and events, QuickLook previews of attachments, and a Cover Flow mode for Leopard users that displays contacts like business cards.
The update is available now and is free to all registered users of previous 3.x releases. Contactizer Express and Pro 3.7 are available in a free 30-day trial, or you can purchase the software for US$119 (€99) for Pro or US$54.90 (€49) for Express. Contactizer requires Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5 to operate.Continue reading Contactizer 3.7 adds Dayboard, other enhancements
TUAWContactizer 3.7 adds Dayboard, other enhancements originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Ask TUAW: Preventing automounting, Exchange support, printing selections, and more
Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW
For this edition of Ask TUAW we've got questions about preventing an external partition from automounting, printing text selections, getting email from an Exchange server, syncing the Address Book with Google contacts, and more.
As always, your suggestions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!Continue reading Ask TUAW: Preventing automounting, Exchange support, printing selections, and more
TUAWAsk TUAW: Preventing automounting, Exchange support, printing selections, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - New iPod touch ad features more apps, new Franz Ferdinand song
Filed under: App Store, iPod touch
Apple has released a new iPod touch ad featuring more applications from the App Store. Some of the feature applications include: Bugdom 2, Rolando, Nanosaur, and others. They continue with their slogan of "The Funnest iPod Ever."
You can watch the ad on their iPod touch gallery site. And if you like the song, it's Franz Ferdinand's "No You Girls" (click opens iTunes) song, which can be downloaded from the iTunes Store.
Update: As pointed out by Stevan below and also reported by Jordan Satok, there is now an App Store page featuring all the games shown in the ad, for easy purchasing.
Thanks for the tip, David!Continue reading New iPod touch ad features more apps, new Franz Ferdinand song
TUAWNew iPod touch ad features more apps, new Franz Ferdinand song originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Apple blocks streaming South Park app
Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone, App Store
There's yet another case of heavy handedness from Apple in rejecting potential apps from the iPhone store. The creators of South Park have put almost all of their back episodes online at South Park Studios for Flash-based streaming, and last year it was announced to fans that they would be putting together an iPhone app to give mobile users access to that content.
Now Boing Boing is reporting that the app is "dead in the water" because Apple has rejected it twice for being "potentially offensive." Goodness knows there's a lot of offensive content on the App Store, so it's really hard to see how Apple is holding any kind of line of good taste here (if that even applies in this case). Boing Boing's original post from last year announcing the app reveals something of how nice the interface was going to be. I can't help but hope that the evolving standards of the app store that eventually allowed in applications like RSS Player (which was previous banned as Podcaster) will come round for the South Park app. I can just hear Cartman yelling for his mom.TUAWApple blocks streaming South Park app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Understudy plugin offers Hulu and Netflix in Front Row
Filed under: Video, Internet Tools, Open Source
I think one of the coolest features in Boxee, the XBMC-based media center software for Macs and Apple TVs, has been the relatively recent addition of Hulu and Netflix streaming. Now Understudy offers similar functionality for Front Row users.
The plugin adds an Understudy menu item to the Front Row interface. You can use it to add feeds from those two streaming services (e.g. most popular, etc.) or URLs from the clipboard. Frankly, if it were me I think I'd go whole hog with Boxee, but if you're happy with Front Row but want to add a little streaming content, Understudy is worth a look.
Understudy is a free download from Google Code.
[via Macworld]TUAWUnderstudy plugin offers Hulu and Netflix in Front Row originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Greensboro, NC Apple Store set to open this weekend
We've been waiting for this opening for a long time. Way back in July, we posted a photo of what (we thought) was the Greensboro store. It turned out to be a Williams-Sonoma.
Next the launch date got pushed back, as Apple decided to make an even larger store than what was originally planned. This time, we've got official word.
Apple Store Friendly Center (doesn't that sound nice?) will open Saturday the 21st at 10:00 AM. This store is located at 3320 West Friendly Center in Greensboro. If you attend this opening, lets us know! We'd love to see your photos and stories.TUAWGreensboro, NC Apple Store set to open this weekend originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Tips: Maximize battery power for GPS apps
Filed under: TUAW Tips, iPhone
You know from reading a lot of my earlier posts that I am a real fan of iPhone GPS apps. I regularly use RunKeeper, TrailGuru, and Geocaching to keep track of my wanderings or find geocaches, but I've found that those apps usually suck my iPhone batteries dry very quickly.
Jason at FitnessKeeper let me know that one of their forum users, Valter, had tweaked various settings on his iPhone and was able to get a tremendous amount of battery life while still keeping both the iPhone's A-GPS and EDGE connection active. Those are the requirements for most GPS apps. What were Valter's secret settings?
- Wi-fi: off
- Push: off
- 3G: off
- Bluetooth: off
- Brightness: set at minimum (Note - I also turn off Auto-Brightness)
- iPod: off
What are your optimum iPhone power settings for uses other than GPS apps? Leave a comment below.TUAWTUAW Tips: Maximize battery power for GPS apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - A Splash of color from Colorsplash
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, iPhone, Graphic Design, App Store, iPod touch
I'm continually amazed at the high end functionality being displayed by various photo apps for the iPhone/iPod touch. We've seen panorama creators, and image sharpeners, just to name two.
A good example is ColorSplash [App Store link] a $1.99US app that brings some of the sophisticated controls you'd find in Photoshop right onto the iPhone. ColorSplash can take a color image from your camera roll, or any image uploaded to your iPhone/iPod touch, and desaturate the photo selectively. You can have the photo all grayscale, except for a face, or take they sky to grayscale while leaving the rest of the landscape in color.
You can zoom into the photo using the usual finger controls, and paint color selectively on an image, leaving a very striking effect. You do all this with your finger on the touch screen, and with a bit of practice and judicious zooming you can really be very accurate. We're used to seeing images like this come out of high end photo programs, but doing it on the iPhone is a bit of a stunner.
The app allows unlimited undo, and brushes can be semi-transparent, so the amount of color can be varied. A palette gives you the option of hard edge or soft edge brushes, and you can save your work at any stage and go back to intermediate versions of your image if you want to. You can work in portrait or landscape mode, and there is detailed, built in help.
The program author, Hendrik Kueck. is a computer scientist from Vancouver, B.C. who contributed to the creation of Adobe Lightroom 2.0, so he's no slouch when it comes to imaging theory and practice. He previously did Juxtaposer for the iPhone and iPod touch.
The best way to see what the program does is look at some of the simple images I did in the gallery below, or click over to the author's web site for some more information.TUAWA Splash of color from Colorsplash originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Wired's top 10 reader-approved iPhone games
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Freeware, iTunes, Developer, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Our friends at Wired recently asked their readers what their favorite iPhone games were, and their list is a pretty darn good overview of some of the best choices for gamers on the App Store. Some of the picks are already well known -- we posted about Trism way, way back, and of course Galcon has been lauded already. And some of the choices are a little wacky -- Cube Runner is cool, but it's not really much more than a tech demo at this point.
Still, there are a few gems you may not have discovered yet -- JellyCar looks like a lot of fun, and Topple did kind of get hidden underneath the shadow of ngmoco's other big release, Rolando. It's worth a try if you haven't played it yet.
It's notable, as well, that all but the top two choices are pretty simple. As fun as these games are, there's definitely a lot more room for some deeper gameplay on the App Store.TUAWWired's top 10 reader-approved iPhone games originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - iPhone refresh could be straining Apple's flash memory suppliers
Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iPhone
According to Ed Sutherland from Cult of Mac, three out of four Apple's NAND flash memory suppliers are feeling the strain as the company demands storage for its new line of iPhones.Sutherland cites a research report by analyst Vijay Rakesh from ThinkEquity. Rakesh says that Samsung has set aside its inventory of NAND chips for Apple until April.
Hynix, another supplier, reported softer sales growth for its NAND chips, and Toshiba is having problems supplying customers with 56nm NAND chips. Apple's fourth supplier, Micron, wasn't mentioned in Rakesh's report.
Aside from a new iPhone handset on the way, what does this mean? Higher memory prices, for one. Rakesh said that he expects NAND spot and contract prices to rise.
Many analysts around the time of Apple's Q1 conference call said they had high hopes for a new iPhone during the first half of the year. Some rumors suggest June might be the target date for release.
Continue reading iPhone refresh could be straining Apple's flash memory suppliers
TUAWiPhone refresh could be straining Apple's flash memory suppliers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Windows Mobile, Android, Flash make headlines at Mobile World Congress
Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone
Two of Apple's rival mobile platforms announced news this week at the 2009 Mobile World Congress, with Windows Mobile 6.5 on the way, and a new Android-based handset from HTC.Windows Mobile has updated its user interface to more closely resemble the iPhone's. I can imagine the brainstorming session:
Developer 1: "It needs to look, work, and feel like the iPhone, but -- you know -- not be."
Developer 2: "Instead of putting the icons on a rectangular grid, let's do a (one two three four five six) hexagonal one!"
Developer 1: "Brilliant! Book it. Done."I kid, I kid. I'm sure it was more complicated than that. Anyway, Windows Mobile will also feature two new services, a "My Phone" synchronization service, and a new marketplace that will sell mobile applications from both phones and desktops. It's like I've heard this song before, but can't remember exactly where.
Also at the conference, HTC announced the Magic, a handset to run Google's Android operating system. Unlike the G1, the Magic will not have a slide-out keyboard. It will first be available to Vodafone customers in the UK, Germany and Spain, among other European carriers. Cult of Mac's Ed Sutherland suspects T-Mobile will carry the handset in the U.S. because it can handle the phone's transmission protocols.
Both the Windows Mobile and Android platforms also announced they'll support Flash (along with Symbian and Palm's new webOS) in 2010. And what of the iPhone? No dice: Adobe lobs the ball back in Apple's court, saying during the announcement, "We would love to see it on the iPhone, too, but it's Apple's decision on when and how they support any new technology. So we will continue to work on it."
Continue reading Windows Mobile, Android, Flash make headlines at Mobile World Congress
TUAWWindows Mobile, Android, Flash make headlines at Mobile World Congress originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Tip: Video playback through Keynote transitions
Filed under: How-tos, Tips and tricks, Odds and ends
You can create some wonderful visual effects with Keynote '09; good enough, in some cases, to make experienced After Effects artists say "You did that in Keynote?!," which is always very satisfying. Despite Keynote's power for presentations, there are a few things that it doesn't do natively -- play video during a transition, for instance. Fortunately, some of these tricks can be accomplished by a long-honored approach known as "faking it."If you have a video playing in the background of a slide while you trigger a dissolve transition to the next slide, ordinarily you'll see a distracting freeze of the video playback as the transition effect runs. The way around this, usable for many (not all) slide transitions, is to pull the transition forward into the slide with the video.
I do this by grabbing a screenshot of the initial state of the next slide, and then do a build-in action to dissolve (or flip, or what have you) that screenshot into the slide that's playing the video, above the video. The video keeps playing behind the screenshot as it dissolves in, and then you can gracefully move to the next slide, invisibly or with a dissolve -- the placeholder screenshot and the slide should be indistinguishable. In practice, this works better with a fade through black or a solid color than with a slide graphic, as the alignment can be tricky, but if you play around with it you can get it to work well.
Sounds confusing? Allow me to demonstrate with a brief screencast in the 2nd half of the post. You'll see the "vanilla" transition including the video freeze, and then the fake transition that's done by dissolving a full-screen graphic in over the video as it plays. (The video clip is my poorly-shot night line cinematography from the opening of the NYC 14th Street Apple Store.)
Updated to clarify that the process uses a build-in action, not a transition.Coming up soon: my favorite Keynote trick for visual fireworks.
Continue reading TUAW Tip: Video playback through Keynote transitions
TUAWTUAW Tip: Video playback through Keynote transitions originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Video vault: Macworld visit with Intelliscanner
Filed under: Macworld, Hardware, Video
Digging into the Macworld Expo video vault on this holiday Monday (in the US, we're celebrating Presidents' Day), here's a quick interview with Paul Scandariato from Intelliscanner showing off the Intelliscanner mini hardware. The demo shows how quickly you can use the mini to scan your media or books; it's easy to plug back in and offload your scans to Intelliscanner's Media app or to your collections app of choice, just the thing for your spring organization projects. You can also get preprinted barcode stickers for your own inventory planning, or print out your own if you like.The mini was a big hit with showgoers who shopped at the booth, and it's available online from Intelliscanner for $179 (with the Media Collector software package) or $249 (adds Assets, Kitchen, Wine and Comics collector modules). While both Delicious Library and Bruji's Pedia series of organizers support scanning of barcodes via the built-in iSight, for substantial collections a standalone scanner is going to save you time and aggravation.
Read on for the video. The iPhone-friendly YouTube version is here.Continue reading Video vault: Macworld visit with Intelliscanner
TUAWVideo vault: Macworld visit with Intelliscanner originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать
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