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- Weekly App Store Picks: May 30, 2009
Just when you thought the weekend couldn’t get any better, along comes a selection of the freshest picks from the App Store.
This week I’ve selected four playful picks for you to toy with over the weekend. It’s not all fun and games, though, as before we get to the apps, I’ve got a roundup of the week’s news.
Another week closer to the release of the iPhone 3.0 update means another leaked addition to the new OS. This time, Apple is bringing video purchasing to the iPhone. All well and good, but I can’t imagine how downloading a 2GB movie is going to work over 3G.
Our own Nick Santilli procured a selection of apps that raise the potential for photos taken with the iPhone’s camera. It’s essential reading for iPhone owners who are disappointed with the device’s awful camera. My pick of the bunch is QuadCamera — it makes shooting with the iPhone fun again.
The iPhone made the front cover of The New Yorker this week, though not in the way you might expect. Using Brushes, a cute little painting app for iPhone, artist Jorge Colombo created the cover illustration for the latest issue. Brushes isn’t exactly a pro-level art package, but it can generate stunning results — budding artists can grab the app for four bucks (it’s currently on offer) and start practicing now.
Tweetie for Mac, the excellent older sibling to the iPhone Twitter client Tweetie, received a fun little upgrade this week. The app now allows video tweeting, via the iSight camera or a quick .mov file drag ‘n’ drop. This article is particularly worth checking out because you get to watch a Twitter video of me, playing Sigur Rós, on the glockenspiel — blog-based musical interludes do not get better than that.
And finally, there could be an Apple game console on the incredibly distant horizon. This is according to the CEO of gaming giant Ubisoft. Frankly, I don’t see it happening, but then who am I to argue with the CEO of the company that brought us Splinter Cell and a refreshed Prince of Persia franchise?
Moving on to the picks, this week I’ve been looking at Space Ace, Light Wars, BeatRider Touch and Drum Tracker.
Space Ace ($4.99)
A quick refresher for readers who may not have come across Space Ace — the game is a gorgeously illustrated animated adventure from the folks behind Dragons Lair. Those who remember the original will be pleased to note that, visually, it’s still as vibrant as ever; however, it’s also just as frustrating in terms of gameplay. The game is essentially one long animation in which you just perform the correct actions at the correct time to keep the story moving forward. Frequently silly, regularly annoying, but it’ll have you coming back time and time again.
Light Wars (99 cents)
One glance at this game and any seasoned gamer will tell you that it’s a direct rip of Geometry Wars — an excellent console mini-game that brings classic messy shoot-em-up Robotron to mind. Light Wars is incredibly fast-paced and frenetic, throwing tron-style nasties at you from all angles as you speed across the vector map, dodging enemy ballistics and racking up insanely high scores. Currently on sale at 99 cents and definitely worth checking out for fans of arcade-style shoot-em-ups.
Beatrider Touch Lite (FREE)
Tap Tap Revenge may be the current king of rhythm-action games on the iPhone, but that shouldn’t stop other titles from trying to topple the game from its well-earned throne. Beatrider Touch incorporates more sliding than tapping, plus it brings something entirely new to the genre — song uploading. Upload your favorite tune and you’re able to play it as a level in Beatrider. The free Lite version supports one song upload, the premium version — retailing at five bucks — lets you upload up to 20.
Drum Tracker ($1.99)
If you’re not in the mood for gaming, but beats are your thing, then Drum Tracker may be the app for you. The developers, a team calling themselves Simple is Beautiful, have squeezed a fully-featured drum machine down into one gorgeous-looking iPhone app. This is a tool that, while it could be tons of fun for anyone looking to toy around with a few beats, could prove useful for electronic music producers on the go. Worth checking out for the more musical readers of TheAppleBlog, especially as it’s priced so competitively for a sound app.That’s all the picks for this week. I’ll be back in seven days with more news from the week and picks from the App Store.
In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?
Переслать - All My Mail Searches Multiple Web Mail Accounts at Once
There’s a lot to love about the iPhone, but its ability to manage email is, well, lacking — especially when it comes to search. All My Mail is a new app from Attassa that lets you search across your web-based email accounts, including attachments and contact lists, to quickly find what you need.
The standard version to access one email account is free, but for $4.99 users can upgrade to the premium version and access mail and data across multiple accounts, including Gmail, AOL, and Microsoft Outlook (also requires a $19.99 yearly subscription to the Attassa service).
All My Mail won’t suck down a lot of juice or cost you a ton of memory because user search requests are sent to, then processed in, the cloud. Results are kicked back in the form of threaded conversations, which makes narrowing down an elusive email really easy. Attachments are also grouped in a single list ordered by date, along with a preview of the messages to which they are attached.
The iPhone comes with a great Contact Book, but naturally interfaces with the phone’s calling features. All My Mail will comb through everyone in your email address book to find the name you need, display their contact information, then give you the option of adding the person to your iPhone contact list.
All My Mail won’t help manage the deluge of mail that’s weighing down your inbox, but it could come in handy when you need to get your hands on an important email and save the day.
Переслать - Thanks to TheAppleBlog Sponsors!
We’d like to say thanks to this month’s sponsor of TheAppleBlog:
- WunderRadio: Wunder Radio provides access to thousands of streaming Internet radio stations and on your iPhone or Windows Mobile Phone.
- Mozy: Back up your photos, music, and files with Mozy for as low as $4.34 per month.
Переслать - A New 3G MacBook Air On the Horizon?
Siliconrumors has posted a news item claiming that its "sources" have indicated Apple is preparing some new additions to its MacBook Air family of laptops.
In short, the rumors talk of an integrated 3G radio assembly, allowing connectivity to high-speed cell networks. Also touted is a solid-state drive (SSD) as standard (currently the SSD is an expensive additional option when buying a MacBook Air). Finally, they suggest a price point of between $1,300 and $1,500.
I wouldn't ordinarily have given this much credence except for the recent apparent consensus in tech journalism reporting (Gene Munster has a LOT to answer for!) that agrees Apple's much-discussed tablet device won't see the light of day until 2010.
If Munster’s prediction is correct, it means that Apple must fare another year in an uncertain economic climate. Even with the anticipated next-generation iPhone due to be released this summer, a little more product diversification couldn't hurt their bottom line. Particularly if Apple tips its hat a little more warmly in the direction of the growing netbook market.
Not Playing
Apple doesn't make netbooks; yes, yes, we know. Tim Cook made Apple's position very clear in April when he said:
When I look at netbooks, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens. It's just not a good consumer experience and not something we would put the Mac brand on. It's a segment we would not choose to play in.
But sales figures don't lie, and in fact present a very compelling picture. Earlier this year, ABIresearch released a report (summarized on Macblogz.com) forecasting netbook sales in 2009 would rise to 35 million units (compared to last year's 10 million). Tellingly, they expect netbook sales to increase to a whopping 140 million by 2013.
ABI Research expects netbook sales to reach an astonishing 140 million units by 2013
So Apple doesn't want to make netbooks. It's happy working away on its not-so-secret tablet alternative to the netbook. But in the meantime, there's a fast-growing demand for lightweight, ultra-portable laptops. Whether you choose to call it a netbook or not, the MacBook Air is the closest thing Apple currently offers to that category of personal computer.
A 3G-enabled, SSD'd MacBook Air wouldn't set the world on fire, but it would offer an Apple-flavored netbook-esque experience for customers with deeper-than-average wallets. And don't forget, they'll offer Apple a lot of valuable lessons about netbook-friendly hardware/software ahead of the launch of their market-changing tablet next year.
Переслать - How-To: Calibrate Your Laptop Battery
I recently wrote about extending your MacBook’s battery life via a firmware update. Today I am going to outline how to extend your battery life by calibrating it so that it holds its charge properly. After all, running out of juice with when you’re on the go is the worst possible scenario in the electronic world!As a general rule, you should calibrate your battery every month or two to keep it running in top form.
To calibrate your laptop’s battery:
- Plug your laptop in and let it charge completely (your battery icon in the menu bar will be completely full and the charger’s connector light turns green).
- Keep the laptop plugged in for another two hours (after it is fully charged).
- Disconnect your laptop from power. Use it until it falls asleep from low battery.
- Turn off the laptop and let it “rest” for about five hours.
- Plug your laptop back in and let it fully charge.
It is completely fine to use your laptop during all of these steps (except, of course, when the computer is asleep).
Calibrating your laptop battery every few months is a great way to ensure you get the longest life out of it. If you’ve had your laptop for a little while and want to know the current maximum capacity of your battery, you can use the free coconutBattery utility.
coconutBattery isn’t just a tool which shows you only the current charge of your battery – it also shows you the current maximum capacity of it in relation to the original capacity your battery had as it left the factory. You also get information about the battery-loadcycles (how often did you fully load your battery), the current charger (coconutBattery even warns you if you plugged in a wrong charger for your Notebook) and last but not least information about the age of your Mac.
Переслать - The Problem With Variable Pricing
How quickly we forget the way things used to be. It was only in early April when Apple introduced variable pricing in the iTunes store, and already we've learned to accept that nearly every “popular” song costs $1.29.
If you're not familiar with the subject, here's the issue in a single sentence: The Big Four record labels put the screws on Apple and forced them to hike up their prices. (The Big Four, by the way, is industry parlance for Warner Music Group, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group.)
Now, it depends on your level of cynicism as to how you interpret the details, but those who feel generous suggest that variable pricing is necessary in order to cover the cost of making iTunes music available to customers DRM-free. Critics feeling less generous argue that Apple bowed to pressure and now customers are getting screwed.
How so? Well, before April, every track on iTunes cost the same amount: 99 cents. In retail, that's a sweet spot. Customers don't think of it as particularly expensive, and it means old products that have depreciated in value can be sold at a higher price.
99 cents, it seems, suited everyone but the record labels, which — let's face it — are dying. They've always been horribly short-sighted and slow at reacting to the digital age. First they tried to block digital downloads. Then they insisted on locking up digital media in what ultimately became poorly thought-out and unfairly implemented DRM protocols. (Remember Sony's rootkit fiasco?) Finally, they grudgingly joined forces with online distributors but it took them years to make all their popular music available for download, and they were never happy with the one-price-for-all model favored by the likes of Apple, Amazon and Wal-mart.
So committed to variable pricing were they that back in 2007, Universal Music Group refused to renew its long-term agreement with Apple, opting instead for an "at will" agreement that provided greater flexibility and influence in the label’s dealings with other distributors. This was basically a pay-as-you-go agreement that allowed them to change their mind and bail at any time. Not good news for Apple, nor any other online music retailer treated similarly.
Now that the few remaining record labels are faced with their lowest profits in decades, they've finally agreed to take digital distribution seriously by removing DRM — but at the same time insisting distributors set very specific, varied prices. The labels loosely describe their prices as "geared to the popularity of individual artists."
Former EMI executive Ted Cohen said of variable pricing, "This will be a PR nightmare. It is for the music industry what the AIG bonuses are for the insurance industry.” Nine Inch Nails' outspoken Trent Reznor, meanwhile, said, “Wouldn’t it make sense to try to price it cheaper instead of squeezing the handful of people who are still willing to pay for music?”
So what? So some of the music costs about 20 cents more than before, but most of iTunes' 10 million songs are still only a dollar. Why the outcry?
The Myth of Supple and Demand
Well, much of the furor is focused around the misconception that the prices are set by the record labels according to the economics of "supply and demand."
In a report by Dawn C. Chmielewski in the LA Times, Russ Crupnick, a senior analyst for NPD Group says the variable pricing is the mark of a mature market that saw digital music sales top $1 billion in 2008. “If you’re not drawing new people and your spending isn’t growing, it’s a natural part of the product life cycle.”
While Chmielewski suggests the change in pricing reflects the natural condition of supply and demand in the market, critics have argued the iTunes store has an unlimited supply of music. As long as the Big Four keep renewing their contracts with Apple, any perceived lack of supply is entirely artificial and completely fabricated by those labels. So if the supply and demand reason is a misdirection, what's really going on?
Valuable Junk
Another, far more duplicitous idea is floating around the Internet. It suggests that the Big Four strategically price tracks not, as you might expect, according to artist popularity (thereby maximizing revenue on the most-downloaded tracks at any given time) but instead use variable pricing as a means for influencing customers' perception of value.
This means that a label can promote whomever they wish, irrespective of whether or not that artist is currently trending well in the charts. A contractually inexpensive artist could be promoted at the full $1.29, creating a perception of quality and value in the minds of customers. Conversely, an older, contractually expensive rocker who's pushing for a bigger share of royalties or music publishing rights can be stopped in their tracks (no pun intended) with the death threat of "economy" pricing in online stores. Certainly the notion many customers have of 69-cent music is that it's pretty rubbish. Particularly if the latest tracks from some unknown newcomer are appearing at full whack.
If this is true, variable pricing appears to be less about raw profit and more about maintaining control and influence over content producers in the music industry.
A Little from Column A, a Little from Column B
So which is more likely? Bare-faced price-fixing to squeeze every remaining penny out of customers? Or political wrangling in order to maintain control over artists? I suspect it's a combination of both that makes variable pricing so appealing to the record labels.
What's so sad is that the Big Four still don't appear to have figured out that their customers aren't the same people who, once upon a time, parted with hard cash to pick up a vinyl record. Customers know there’s a compelling alternative to unbalanced pricing — it's called zero-cost pricing, or, more commonly, piracy. It's immoral, unethical, illegal…and fast and easy. Random (and often ridiculous) prosecutions from the RIAA haven’t dissuaded a great many people from getting their music by less-than-legal means. As long as the labels insist on finding ways to manipulate and disrespect their artists and customers, illegal music downloads will continue to thrive.
We can only hope that the success of super-distributors like Apple will endow them with the financial and political might to force the labels to rethink their strategies. Steve Jobs' open letter to the record labels certainly helped push them into DRM-free distribution far sooner than they might otherwise have managed under their own steam.
Variable pricing is still reasonably new, but already common at the iTunes Store, Amazon MP3, Lala, Rhapsody and Wal-mart (to name a few). It will take something significant to change it now — be that a mass slowdown in customer spending, coordinated pressure from online distributors or just the collapse of the few remaining major record labels. I suspect all of these things will happen, sooner or later.
Переслать - Ubisoft Exec Thinks Apple Has Gaming Platform in Mind
Apple has made significant steps towards cornering the mobile gaming market (though that “premium” games section so far hasn’t come to pass), and both Sony and Nintendo have likely been forced to re-examine their portable offerings in order to try to regain ground. I doubt either of those companies or Microsoft would appreciate competition from Cupertino in the home console arena, but more and more industry insiders are coming forward with predictions that that’s exactly where Apple is headed.According to Kotaku, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has predicted that Apple will not be satisfied with the small taste of the gaming market they’ve had with the iPhone and iPod touch. During Ubisoft’s fiscal year-end conference call early this week, Guillemot commented that “[T]here’s also a new entrant in the business. Apple, with the iPhone. And we don’t think they will stop there.” The CEO made the statement after discussing the gaming potential of set-top boxes, OnLive’s remote gaming system being the most highly publicized such device in recent memory.
It should be noted that Guillemot’s older brother Michel runs GameLoft, which is one of Apple’s most successful and prolific gaming partners. Ubisoft partnered with GameLoft to bring Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles to the iPhone. Really, the two companies are in as good a position as any (with the possible exception of EA) to be aware of any gaming moves made by Apple.
The problem with Apple developing a gaming console to take on the PS3, Xbox, and Wii, is that traditionally, profit margins have been slim to nonexistent on the hardware itself until late in the product’s life, with most of the revenue coming from game sales. With the iPhone and iPod touch, at least, Apple seems to be depending on the reverse formula, in that they don’t make much money from software, and instead use it as incentive for selling hardware.
A much more reasonable prediction is that Apple won’t take on the core gaming market that provides the bulk of Sony and Microsoft’s fan base, but will instead appeal more to casual gamers that would be attracted to the Wii, or to PSN/XBLA titles. While there have been calls from fans and Apple watchers to open up the Apple TV platform to app development like the iPhone, nothing so far has come of it. The platform isn’t faring as well as Microsoft’s Xbox is, in terms of living room media center devices, but adding app capabilities to it could blow that competition wide open. Apple must’ve considered it, and could just be waiting to see if it will be worth the time and money to open up the platform to developers vs. focusing on the mobile market if the risk appears too great.
Переслать - Apple Changes One to One Subscription Program
In an article in USA Today, Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice president of retail, describes upcoming changes to the hugely popular One to One training and support program.
Originally part of ProCare, One to One was launched in May 2007. $99 bought a 1-year membership, granting one 60-minute training or support session per week, up to a maximum of 52 sessions per year. The content of the sessions could be based on an established theme created by Apple, (eg. "Simple to Switch," "Moviemaking" or "On the Go," amongst many others) but could just as easily be based around a specific issue or subject of a customer’s choosing.
Since its launch, One to One has proven hugely successful, with a current subscriber base of half a million customers.
The changes Johnson describes are subtle but important, so I asked Apple for further clarification. Here's the new deal. Whereas previously anyone could buy a One to One subscription without an accompanying purchase, beginning June 2, Apple will limit new subscriptions to customers buying a Macintosh at an Apple retail store or on the Apple Store web site.
There is no "grace period" for the undecided, either. Customers who want to buy a One to One subscription must do so on the day they buy their new Mac. Existing One to One customers will be able to renew their subscriptions for one further year.
Apple's focus with One to One is shifting away from convincing customers to switch, to supporting customers who have already made the move from PC to Mac. "We originally set up One to One to get people to switch to the Mac,” Johnson said. “Now we want to expand it to make it even more relevant to people who have bought their Mac.”
Переслать - Hulu Desktop Now Available for Mac
Answering, in its own way, to the likes of Boxee and others who want some alternative way to view Hulu on their computers, Hulu has announced the availability of Hulu Desktop. Sporting a super-clean UI and support for using the Apple Remote, this free download is a must-have for anybody who frequents Hulu often.
The app is built on the Flash platform, so the system requirements are pretty moderate, requiring at least an Intel Core Duo 2.GHz Mac with 2.0GB of RAM. Currently available as a beta, this application provides you quick and easy access to your Hulu queue, as well as the ability to browse Hulu's entire lineup of TV shows and movies.
The UI of the application is fairly snappy and easy to navigate, putting tons of content, your queue, suggestions and search at your fingertips. The experience is very refined for an application that’s still in beta.
Hulu Desktop is a free download from Hulu Labs.
Hulu Desktop Now Playing Menu
Hulu Recently Added Content
Переслать - Tweetie for Mac Update: Now With Video Tweeting
Tweetie for Mac, big brother to the game-changing iPhone Twitter client of the same name, is shaking things up again with the desktop app’s latest update.
The update incorporates a range of smaller fixes and tweaks, including swipe gestures and improved URL-shortening. However, the big news is that Tweetie for Mac now incorporates video tweeting.
Video means that we can start creating richer tweets. The 140-character limit is all well and good, but for me, the idea of capturing moments on video has already set the sparks of inspiration flashing around my brain-box.
To give you an example, here’s a quick tweet I made yesterday, testing out Tweetie’s video upload: “http://yfrog.us/0×8usz Me! Live! Playing Sigur Rós on glockenspiel, just for you.”
Once recorded, the video is uploaded to the yFrog video and picture hosting service. Alongside recording direct from the iSight camera, the application also supports drag-and-drop video uploads. Tweetie handles all the uploading, encoding and boring stuff, which means making new videos is fun and easy.
Tweetie’s developer, Loren Brichter of Atebits, also dropped hints to TheAppleBlog about the forthcoming update to the 2.0 iPhone version of Tweetie:
I don’t have a release date set, but I will say that Tweetie 2.0 for iPhone is BIG. It’s a complete rewrite based on the new Mac core, and I think it will take the Twitter client war to a new level, much like Tweetie 1.0 did at the time of the original release.
Fighting talk indeed; in the meantime, current users of Tweetie for Mac can update the application to activate video tweeting. If you’re looking to give Tweetie a try, it’s available for $14.95 or as a free ad-supported version.
Переслать - App Review: Quick Voice Pro — Voice to Text Email for iPhone
App Quick Stats
By converting your voice messages into text e-mails, Quick Voice Pro could be a time-saving boon for busy iPhone owners.
Empowered by our emails, tweets, IM conversations, and blogs, we’ve become modern-day information conduits. We collect knowledge, then discharge it into the ether, spurting out a constant fountain of fact, fiction and entertainment.
Quick Voice Pro is a new tool that could make sharing your thoughts even easier. The app converts audio recordings into text-based e-mails, using an online voice-recognition system.
Learning To Talk
If there’s a thought on the tip of your tongue, Quick Voice Pro immediately accommodates: The app loads up in a snap and is ready to record from the off. You’re able to open the software, blurt out whatever is on your mind, and get it converted, all in a short amount of time.
The layout of the app is incredibly simple, too, meaning there’s no possibility of friction with the interface. All the different functions are presented on one page; plus, there’s no settings screen and absolutely no configuration needed for first-time users.
While the tech-savvy may be impressed with the app’s advanced voice-recognition capabilities, Quick Voice Pro really seems to have been designed with novice users in mind, offering a big red record button and a large play button. And it doesn’t feel patronizing, either. The app simply incorporates well-considered, functional design.
It’s not all perfect, though. Recordings are all named MyRecording by default, which will make sifting through them a real chore for regular users. There is a button for renaming recordings, but it just doesn’t feel as intuitive as it could in comparison to the rest of the app.
Speaking of Email
Tapping the record button initiates record mode. Although you can’t go back and edit a recording once you’ve saved it, there is a pause button, letting pensive people stop for a moment and gather their thoughts before continuing.
Once recorded and saved, the app can auto-generate an e-mail for you, leaving you to enter the from and to address. The body copy of the email will be your recorded message. The actual voice-to-text conversion doesn’t happen on the iPhone; it’s all handled server-side. There was a major issue that stood out with the emailing process: The subject line always reads, “You Have QuickVoice Mail!” There’s no way to change it, and so effectively, you’re sending your contacts a message headed with an advertisement for the app.
Speaking Aloud
UK-based startup Spinvox provides the voice-to-text recognition and conversion. It’s incredibly accurate, which was surprising, and of note was that it’s comfortable with long words and both American and English accents.
To test the app, I made up a nonsensical sentence with a few long, potentially clumsy-sounding words thrown in:
“Rebellious, insidious individuals, find it highly probably that they will be libelous for their erroneous actions.”
This was then converted to the following:
“Rebelious(?) insidious individuals, find it highly probable that they will be libelous for the erroneous actions.”
Voice to text email brought to you by QuickVoice.
Note the question marks on words the software is unsure of. It’s a nice touch, clarifying that it has taken a chance and may be incorrect.
Summing Up
During testing, I found that messages take around 10 minutes to convert and arrive in the recipient’s mail box. Considering the impressive degree of accuracy, this is an acceptable amount of time.
On the flip side, there’s a 30-second limit to all recordings — this can wind up being a drag if you’ve got a lot to say, however, it’s understandable. SpinVox probably doesn’t want people clogging up its server, trying to convert entire hour-long presentations.
The only substantial problem is that, since this isn’t a free app, it doesn’t seem fair that paying users are responsible for spreading advertising it via email subject lines. And, just in case your contacts didn’t notice the branded subject, the message text always ends with, “Voice to text email brought to you by QuickVoice.”
The voice-to-text conversion works, however, I would hesitate to send any emails that contain such clear advertising for a product that, while effective, sees its users as billboards rather than valued customers.
This could have been a Silver TheAppleBlog Award, but, due to its uncalled-for product placement, Quick Voice Pro earns a Bronze.
Переслать - Apple Remodeling 100 Stores, Building 25 More
Apple is working hard to remodel 100 of its stores this year, according to a report in USA Today. The work will include creating more room for product displays and Genius Bar customer training.Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice president of retail, explained that new tables would provide room for twice the amount of products to be displayed while the average Genius Bar will see a 50 percent space increase.
It's a tough time for businesses to be trying to grow, but despite Apple's most recent sales downturn (a 3 percent dip in the last quarter) the company sees it as the right time to expand its on-the-street retail presence. Johnson added, "We know that a lot of people are cutting back, but we’re doing the opposite. We’re investing in the downturn."
No kidding; As well as the remodeling efforts, Apple is also building 25 brand-new stores in locations including New York City, Paris, Italy and Germany.
Johnson admits, however, that the current economic climate has had an impact. While customer foot-fall in Apple stores is still healthy, it's not as strong as last year, though that was due in no small part to the launch of the iPhone 3G. Perhaps the introduction of a next-generation iPhone can help improve that situation this summer.
Переслать - Palm Pre Can Sync With Apple's iTunes
One of the nicest things about having an iPod or iPhone is the easy syncing with iTunes, especially for Mac users. In fact, it’s such a perk, that users are constantly looking for ways to get their BlackBerry and other devices to sync as well. How Palm’s upcoming Pre phone (which could be one of the most hyped in history) will stack up against the iPhone still isn’t perfectly clear, but as of today, we know one thing for sure: It will sync with iTunes seamlessly on a Mac.
And I don’t use the term “seamlessly” lightly. According to Fortune’s Apple 2.0 blog, once you plug your Pre into your Mac, iTunes will treat it just like an iPhone or an iPod, with the exception that it won’t work with Apple’s older, DRM-protected tracks. That’s as good a reason as any to finally get around to upgrading your tracks to “Pro,” though it won’t ease the sting of having to pay again for music you already bought.
The news comes direct from a Palm PR representative, who mentioned iTunes syncing in passing at Comdex in January. Confirmation has since come from many sources, since, as Apple 2.0 points out, there’s no shortage of Pre devices being tested live in the wild.
Unlike previous solutions for other Palm and BlackBerry devices, you won’t need any third-party software to encourage iTunes to recognize your Pre. The necessary code is apparently built right into the device’s firmware. As Apple 2.0 rightly points out, that isn’t surprising, considering the high percentage of ex-Cupertino employees the Pre has on its development team.
Apple is already on the defensive with Palm over the multi-touch capabilities of its new WebOS handset. During the last two quarterly financial results conference calls, Apple execs have suggested that once the Pre comes to market, if it looks like any of Apple’s multi-touch technology was purloined for its design, there will be legal action. Whether or not the Palm smartphone’s ability to sync with iTunes out of the box might also land the two companies in court isn’t clear, but at the very least, you can bet that future iterations of iTunes and/or OS X will try to restore the iPhone/iPod only limitation.
The Pre launches on June 6 (two days before the WWDC keynote) and will retail for $200 with a contract subsidy. Can’t wait to see the sparks fly, but I hope it doesn’t result in a nasty, distracting legal battle that impedes the exciting and innovative work both players are doing in the smartphone industry.
Переслать - AT&T Announces Upgrades Just in Time for New iPhone
A news item yesterday on iLounge reports AT&T will be upgrading its existing 3G network to provide a "significantly faster" mobile Internet service. The communications giant is planning to double its current 3G network speeds and expand its cell coverage.
From AT&T's own press release:
The upgrade to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology is part of AT&T's plan for continued investments to deliver the nation's best mobile broadband experience — the ideal combination of speed, coverage and best device line-up. AT&T today has the nation's fastest 3G network and has attracted more than twice the number of smartphone users than any other competitor.
While the expanded cell coverage (AT&T is deploying over 2,000 new cell sites throughout the country) will hopefully reduce the number of dropped or failed calls for iPhone users, the improvements in mobile broadband speeds appear to be limited to larger cities and other metropolitan areas.
Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, said, "With the array of smartphones, laptops and emerging devices taking advantage of AT&T's 3G network today, we know that customers are excited to experience higher mobile broadband speeds, and we are deploying the right technologies at the right times to help them get the most from that experience."
The new upgraded network could, according to AT&T, allow theoretical peak-speeds of 7.2Mbps. For those of us hoping to see bandwidth-hungry applications and services (such as HD YouTube video down/uploads, video calling or TV/Movie downloading) on the next-generation iPhone, this sounds like a step in the right direction, though AT&T does carefully point out that:
Typical real-world downlink and uplink speeds experienced by customers with upgraded 3G will be less than the theoretical peak and will vary based on a number of factors, including location, device, and overall traffic on the local network at a given time.
Still, the upgrades are sorely needed and should be warmly welcomed by iPhone customers. A word of warning, though: Despite the announcement yesterday, AT&T doesn't expect to see these upgrades completed and fully deployed until the end of 2011. So why announce it now? Well, it's exciting news for its existing customers, and probably has nothing at all to do with the fact that a great many of its iPhone customers’ contracts are about to expire…
Переслать - Introducing GigaOM Pro
Today is a big day for those of us in the GigaOM Network. After many months of hard work, we are proud to announce the launch of GigaOM Pro.
GigaOM Pro is home to solid research reports and industry analysis on everything from Cloud Computing to Mobile Technology, and of course, Apple. The best part is that GigaOM Pro takes the traditional research report model and turns it on its head by providing a community of like-minded analysts and enthusiasts to discuss everything published. During beta, the service can be had for just $79 a year.
Worth Checking Out
GigaOM Pro is launching with a massive amount of content, so I’ve pulled out highlights from just three of the best Apple-related reports here:
Will Google Lead the Way in Mobile App Innovation? — Google didn’t have the first-strike advantage that Apple did for a mobile app store, but what the networking giant does have is a track record of successful products and loads of cash to throw at the effort.
A Wandering Eye: Apple, AT&T and Verizon — Apple took a big risk by using AT&T exclusively for the iPhone in the U.S. and if the rumors are true, their relationship could be on rocky ground. So what would the benefits of an Apple/Verizon relationship be? Conversely, what’s the downside to Apple keeping its exclusive contract with AT&T?
Is the Age of the Web Tablet Finally Upon Us? — One of the hottest topics in recent months has involved the possibility that Apple will come out with some sort of tablet computer. (Bill Gates, of course, has long been a proponent of tablet computers.) Why would Apple be interested in tablet computing? Has the touchscreen moved from gimmicky sci-fi to practical machine?
We hope that you’ll find GigaOM Pro useful and would love your feedback.
Переслать - Apple's Back-to-School Offer Promo is Back
As a kid, or even as a university student, if anyone had mentioned back-to-school shopping, sales, gear, or anything else this early in the game, I’d definitely have lost it on them. The summer has yet to begin, just let me get my bearings!
Still, if I were to make an exception, I’d make it for Apple’s annual back-to-school promotion, during which the company offers a free iPod to all education customers when they purchase a new Mac.
The iPod in question, or at least the most expensive one that qualifies for the deal, is the 8GB iPod touch (which is probably nearing end-of-life, but hey, it’s free, and it’s still great hardware), which you buy along with your MacBook when you make your purchases. When you receive both items, you fill out and submit an online claim (which must be done by Oct. 8 to qualify), and Apple will reimburse you for the total amount of the iPod — not quite as insidious as a mail-in rebate, but not nearly as straightforward as a complete freebie, either.
If you’re not keen on the iPod touch, or for some reason you just want to save Apple some money, you also have the option of getting any iPod of lesser value, including an 8GB or 16GB Nano, a 120GB Classic, or a 4GB Shuffle with rebates of varying amounts according to which you choose. On top of that, you also get the standard education customer discount on whatever model Mac you’re buying, so the total savings end up being pretty significant.
Not all Macs are eligible for the promotion, so hopefully, you didn’t just read the first half of this article and then go buy a Mac mini and an iPod touch. The mini, along with any refurbished Macs, won’t get you the free iPod, although any other model will, including all notebooks, the Mac Pro, and the iMac. Offering the relatively inexpensive Mac mini along with the discount probably cuts too close to the profitability line for Apple’s comfort.
Переслать - Seven Apps to Improve the iPhone's Camera & Photos
The iPhone’s 2-megapixel camera takes some all-right photos, but honestly, there’s a lot of room for improvement. A future model with a higher-resolution camera seems like a no-brainer (rumors point to 3.2-megapixel hardware), but for now, there are some excellent applications for getting the most out of the current iPhone cameras and the photos they produce.
The applications I’ve been playing with either function as capture application replacements (for the in-built Camera app), or post processing applications to make your existing photos — whether from the iPhone camera, or loaded from a computer — pop just a little more.
While most of the apps can function as Camera replacements, only some of them are designed specifically to produce better images as they are snapped. We’ll focus on these first.
Pro Camera – $2.99
I’ve basically replaced my use of Camera app with Pro Camera. It utilizes the accelerometer to help you level your shots before you take them and has an anti-shake function so it won’t capture your shot until the iPhone is still. There’s also a timer so you can take self-portraits if that’s your thing. I’ve noticed that resulting images have some temperature correction applied, and tend to come out a little cooler looking (which seems to work well, especially in lower light). And then when you like a shot, Pro Camera saves in the background while you line up the next photo.
Night Camera – 99 cents
The low-light capabilities of any camera leave something to be desired, and this is especially the case with the iPhone’s hardware. Night Camera attempts to change that. In side by sides of the same night shot with Camera app and Night Camera, I definitely notice a little more detail in NC’s resulting photo. Is it better? Well, if you need to see what’s there in the dark, then yes, but the resulting noise almost undoes the extra detail you gain. Still, it does the job it sets out to do. Night Camera also employs an anti-shake sensor and allows you to review your images before saving.
Night Camera
iPhone Camera
Night Camera
PanoLab Pro – $2.99
If you want to take panoramic photographs with your iPhone, PanoLab Pro is the app for that. But if you want to take a series of images that make up an entire three-dimensional space, PanoLab can also do that. After you take each image, you can then position it in a 3D space in reference to the other images you’ve already taken. It attempts to adjust the lighting of each image to match the others, but I didn’t see extremely successful results on this point. When you’re happy with your panoramic-ish image, you can choose the size and aspect ratio you want to export. I’m not sure of the practical uses for this, but as they say, the best camera is the one you have with you, and if a panoramic shot is in order, PanoLab Pro will definitely fit the bill.
PanoLab Pro
Quad Camera – $1.99
With Quad Camera, you preset options like delay between shots, the output photo layout (4×1, 2×2, 4×2, 8×1) and filtered output such as vivid, high contrast, lomo, and a few others. The results are a lot of fun. I do, however, wish there were a single shot mode…but then it probably wouldn’t be called Quad Camera.
Quad Camera Vivid
Quad Camera Lomo
The remainder of the apps focus their efforts on post processing. With controls that allow you to tweak different elements of the photos you select from your iPhone’s camera, or those loaded into the library, you can turn a so-so image into something that almost looks like it didn’t come from your iPhone!
Photogene – $2.99
As seen on TV, Photogene can crop your photos, adjust levels, colors, apply a couple of simple filters, add borders, and more. There’s certainly power in having these controls at your fingertips wherever you are, but if you want to tweak a normal photo (not born of your iPhone camera) I would suggest using something on your computer that you can see finer details with. Photogene also takes photos in-app for you, and the results, as with Pro Camera, tend to come out with a slightly cooler temperature.
iPhone Camera
Photogene
HDR – $1.99
For those who have looked through High Dynamic Range photos (try Flickr if you haven’t) in awe, the HDR app may be something you’ve been waiting for. What HDR brings to your iPhone is essentially just a half-dozen filters that apply looks to your photos that are kinda, sorta HDR-ish. But really not, if you have seen true HDR at it’s finest. I think if you take away the expectations that HDR may create, the filters are really great. You can come up with some fun alternative versions of your photos with the HDR filters, but if you’ve got your heart set on High Dynamic Range, you may be disappointed. HDR also takes photos for you, but the resulting image isn’t initially tweaked (up or down) in any way.
Pro Camera Horizon
HDR Horizon
ColorSplash – $1.99
It’s very likely you’ve heard of ColorSplash already, but in the event you have not, it’s worth a mention. Select any photo from your iPhone, and it’s immediately converted to black and white. Then you can “paint” with your finger to apply color just where you want it. The results are cool, fun, and easy to achieve. ColorSplash is the only app of the bunch that doesn’t actually take a photo for you, but rather relies on those images stored on your phone already.
Color Splash
Giving one or more of these apps a try can truly improve the way you use the camera on your iPhone. I doubt they’ll negate that burning desire for a sleek Canon or Nikon DSLR, but they will definitely improve the shots from the camera that you’ve got with you at all times. After all, if it’s with you, it is the best one!
Переслать - Palm Pre: Unlikely to Do Any Killing Just Yet
In his "Palm Fights Back" article on CNN Money yesterday, Adam Lashinksy speaks glowingly of Palm and its imminent return to prominence with its so-called iPhone killer, the Palm Pre. He refers to Pre features that, he says, cannot be matched on the iPhone: "snazzy multitasking, universal search, a drop-down keyboard."
I wonder if Lashinksy has heard about the next update to the iPhone's OS that neatly addresses two of these three issues?
Push Notification Services might not be “true” multitasking, but then, the iPhone has proven background processes aren't absolutely essential in a mobile computing device. PNS is a halfway house that provides some of the benefits of background processes without the performance and power overheads. For road warriors — Palm's traditional customer base — battery life is everything, so we can only hope the Pre's "snazzy" multitasking (I guess he's referring to the card-based UI in the picture below) doesn't have a detrimental effect on the machine's power reserves.
It's a little late coming, but Push Notification Services provides a clever alternative to power-draining background processes
The Palm Pre uses a card-based UI for multi-tasking
So how about Universal Search? iPhone OS 3.0 has Spotlight functionality baked in. That's another box checked.
As for a keyboard, that's such a tired discussion we needn't rake over old ground, except to say that either you can live with a software keyboard, or you can't. If you can't, you'll never fully embrace any touch-based computer. And that's a shame, because you're missing out. But I guess if you're committed to your plastic keys, the Pre offers something the iPhone never will.
Lashinksy adds that the Palm Pre is "undeniably cool" and muses that "if it’s as good as its previews suggest, [it] has the potential to shake up an already crowded and fast-growing industry."
Shiny Things
Maybe it's Palm's recent share price surge (from a low of $3 before the Pre was announced, to a current healthy $12) that has him so impressed by this new device, but I suspect the novelty of a shiny, new toy has put a rosy glow on an otherwise not-particularly-compelling device.
I know, it's shocking, right? Saying something negative about the Pre! I should be shot! But really, I am still trying to understand why people are so deeply excited about Palm's new device. I’m not being negative — not really. “Practical,” even “cautious” is how I’d describe my attitude toward a device that has yet to be released. And I'm not the only one being cautious. While some journalists are excitedly declaring the Pre an “iPhone killer,” or talking dramatically about shaking markets, even Palm is taking a (mostly) measured view of its new product.
In a leaked copy of the company's "Palm Pre Launch Guide," and discussed in an article today on Wired.com, Palm declares in big, bright letters, "We Can't Afford to Sell the Pre to the Wrong Customers."
This is part of a tacit admission by Palm that the Pre cannot run native applications. Remember when the iPhone was launched, and we had to suffer the inelegant and halting-functionality of Web Apps? HTML, CSS, and a little smattering of Javascript were all we had to rely upon for what seemed an eternity. Well, same too for the Palm Pre.
What if you need to run a specific app on Palm's golden child? Don't worry, the Launch Guide has a solution:
Does your company have specific application requirements? Does your line of business require specific product features on mobile devices? If YES, then the Treo Pro is your best mobile device option.
Put another way — if you want apps, don't buy a Pre, instead buy a phone Palm released back in August 2008. Way to show faith in your product and developer communities, Palm!
To be fair, Palm isn't calling the Pre an iPhone killer — only lazy journalists are doing that — but in the company’s Launch Guide it does claim that the "Palm Pre Smokes the Competition." Well, you have to be proud of your own kids, right?
By stark contrast, consider how the iPhone is so well-suited to both the standard domestic and business markets. Undoubtedly, the introduction of OS 2.0 and native apps indelibly stamped the Business Seal of Approval onto the iPhone, and sure, that didn't happen from Day One. The take-home message? No device is born perfect, but with the right commitment from its designers and developers, it can be markedly improved. I expect this will be true for the Pre, just as it has been true for the iPhone since it launched in 2007. So the Pre will have a lot of catching up to do, and quickly, if it wants to claim an equal footing with the iPhone.
Palm's device might suit casual users who don't want to spend money on an iPhone (or join the AT&T network). But as we fast-approach the launch of iPhone OS 3.0 and higher capacity, faster-performing iPhones (and maybe lower prices), the as-yet unproven Palm Pre looks even less compelling when racked up against Apple's more mature device.
The Pre might one day be an iPhone killer. So, too, might Windows Mobile. All they have to do is offer everything the iPhone offers and more — oh yes, and do it at a cheaper price-point than Apple. When that day arrives, that's when we can take talk of iPhone killers seriously.
In the meantime, it's actually something of a shame the Pre isn't the ultimate device so many pundits are making it out to be. If it were, Apple's upgrade path for the iPhone would be much shorter and more aggressive in order to stay ahead of the competition.
I'm really hoping the Palm Pre is a success — because then I won't have to wait quite so long to get ever-smarter, cooler and more impressive iPhones.
Переслать - Microsoft Announces Zune HD: So What?
Your first question might be, "Isn't Zune dead already?" Or you might be wondering, "Why does Microsoft bother?" You might even be asking why there's a report about Zune on TheAppleBlog.
Well, first the news. CNET's Ina Fried reported yesterday that Microsoft has confirmed its long-rumored plans to launch an HD version of its portable music player in the fall. (Paul Thurrott says September 5.)
Microsoft has left no room for doubt in our minds as to how it views Zune HD. Chris Stephenson, general manager of global marketing for Microsoft Zune, said, "This device is created to go head to head with the iPod Touch." Head to head, huh? OK, then.
That must surely mean Zune HD supports a multi-touch UI, OTA content delivery, a rich catalog of apps including games, a killer web browser, native personal information management functionality, world-class media management/playback software, and a rock-solid software foundation on the desktop. Right?
Well, it's not really clear. It has the (admittedly beautiful) Zune UI, plus the Zune software on the desktop (which is way better than Windows Media player). News of a new Zune-branded video service on the Xbox also sounds promising and suggests potential interop between the handheld device and Microsoft's console-based video on demand service. But we will have to wait for next week's E3 trade show to get more information on that.
It will indeed have a web browser — sadly, a touch-enabled version of Mobile Internet Explorer. (It doesn’t matter how they tweak the control paradigm, Pocket IE is still inexcusably bad. Ask anyone who has used a Windows Mobile device to tell you about Microsoft’s mobile browser. You will see the pain in their eyes.)
But no word on games. Or storage capacity. Or choice of models. We also don't know yet how much it will cost. But we do know that it sports an OLED (480×272) 16:9 widescreen display, spits out 720p HD content (via a dock, not included) and comes with HD Radio. Yeah, oooh, exciting.
The truth is, we know barely anything at all about this thing. Perhaps Microsoft hopes the early announcement will generate some useful speculation and buzz on the intertoobs before next month's WWDC (and news of a new iPhone) steals headlines and column inches everywhere — some observers have suggested this was Palm’s strategy in announcing the upcoming Pre when it did.
Either way, what is there to say about the Zune HD that makes it stand out from an iPod-saturated market? HD video output? HD Radio? Err… retro ’90s design?
I'm pleased someone is trying to win a share of what has, clearly, become Apple's market. But when the de-facto standard for portable digital media devices is the iPod Touch/iPhone, any serious competitor has to make its products at least as good as them. Right now, I don't see anything particularly compelling about Zune HD. But that doesn’t mean the compelling features aren’t there — just that Microsoft is doing its usual unfocused marketing.
When most other companies would have counted their losses and scrapped it years ago, Microsoft has demonstrated a stubborn dedication to this product, so it's probably worth keeping an eye on where the company takes it next. You never know, Redmond might just surprise us.
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