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- AT&T rolling out MicroCell to five more markets
Filed under: iPhone
[via TiPb]
We've previously written about AT&T's MicroCell device and service here at TUAW. It's a tiny cell tower that you plug into your home cable or DSL connection to boost your phone reception. This is particularly handy for those with home offices who may currently be plagued with poor reception on their iPhones.
WMExperts is reporting that AT&T is adding five more markets to the short list of trial areas. If you live in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Las Vegas, or San Diego, you can have the opportunity to spend an additional US$19.99 per month on top of your existing iPhone service plan to get 5 bar service in an area up to 5,000 square feet around your MicroCell.
To determine whether or not you're currently in one of the target zones for the service, visit the AT&T 3G MicroCell website and enter your zip code into the appropriate spot. If you're one of the lucky ones, a list of retail locations where you can purchase the MicroCell will appear. You'll also have to pony up $150 for the device in addition to the monthly charge, but for those who really need perfect 3G phone service in their homes or offices, it's worth the cost.TUAWAT&T rolling out MicroCell to five more markets originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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IPhone - San Diego - AT&T - 3gMicrocell - South Carolina
Переслать - Clearing the air on iPhone terminology: 4th generation vs. "4G"
Filed under: Rumors, Odds and ends, iPhone
Plenty of discussions about the next revision of the iPhone have referred to the as-yet hypothetical device as the "iPhone 4G." As many of our readers have correctly pointed out, not only is this nickname completely unofficial, it's also highly unlikely to be the name of the next iPhone.
It made sense to call the second-generation iPhone the iPhone 3G, as the addition of a faster 3G wireless chipset and antenna was in many ways the defining feature of the device. The next iPhone, the iPhone 3GS, once again has its distinctive feature spelled out right in the name: "S" for speed, since the 3GS is a faster version of its predecessor.
So why won't the next iPhone be called the iPhone 4G? For a pretty good reason, actually: as of right now, worldwide deployment of faster, ultra-broadband 4G wireless networks isn't even in its infancy -- it's barely past the fetal stage. In the US, Verizon and Sprint are testing 4G coverage in some major cities, but they're still a long way off from nationwide deployment. AT&T won't begin deployment of 4G networks until 2011, and T-Mobile is even farther behind in the 4G race.
As for the rest of the world, only Japan, South Korea, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Taiwan have even begun the first steps toward a 4G rollout. We will probably see a handset called the iPhone 4G as soon as there's enough 4G wireless coverage to warrant putting a 4G antenna and chipset in it. Based on the current rate of 4G network deployments in the States, to say nothing of the rest of the world, that's at least a year or more in the future.
Given that the next iPhone is almost certainly not going to be called the iPhone 4G, why is everybody under the sun calling it that anyway? Read on to find out.
Apple's official names for its products are generally simple. Although the current iMac bears very little resemblance to its 1998 ancestor, both products have the exact same name. In the hands of Sony or Dell the current iMac might be called the "iMac 12390 XMT" or something similar to differentiate it from the slightly slower and less capacious "iMac 10460 TMI" that they sold last year, but Apple keeps it simple: if it's an all-in-one desktop computer, it's an iMac. The End.
Even within product lines, the names generally remain the same. The current 64 GB iPod touch has the exact same name as the 8 GB iPod touch that came out in 2007 despite all the capacity and features it's gained since then. In fact, the iPhone is pretty much the only hardware Apple sells that's had name changes for each one of its iterations. Adding the "3G" moniker to the iPhone helped establish it as a very different device from its predecessor; naming the next iPhone after that the iPhone 3GS was a necessary evil, because both products are sold side-by-side to this day and have different capabilities.
In the case of almost all Apple hardware except the iPhone, there's a necessity for semi-official or unofficial nicknames for products in order to differentiate them. Nowhere has this been more obvious than the iPod. Officially, up until the rebranding of the hard-drive-based line as the iPod Classic, all full-sized iPods were merely called "iPod." Apple's documentation has given these various generations different names -- iPod (scroll wheel), iPod (touch wheel), iPod (dock connector), and so on -- but for the rest of us, it's been far easier to refer to iPods by generation number. Thus, the iPod (scroll wheel) becomes the first-generation iPod, and the iPod (touch wheel) becomes the second-generation iPod... or iPod 1G and iPod 2G for short.
The iPod 1G/2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G
This shorthand nicknaming convention worked well for years... until Apple threw a monkey wrench into the works by naming their second-generation iPhone the iPhone 3G. And, because there's an actual 4G network scheduled for deployment sometime between later this year and the next arrival of Halley's Comet, presumably there'll be an actual iPhone 4G as well, eventually. Confused yet?
Right now, when someone in the tech world says "iPhone 4G" what they mean is "the fourth-generation iPhone." No one's implying the next iPhone will have 4G capabilities in it (it won't) or, worse, that the next iPhone will have a 4 GB capacity (absolutely not). In fact, given how almost no one thought the iPad would actually be called that instead of the iSlate, it's unlikely we'll know what the next-gen iPhone will actually be called until Steve whips one out on stage. Meanwhile, despite any confusion it may cause, and in the interest of saving wrist strain from typing out "fourth-generation iPhone" a thousand times between now and July, it's likely that most sites will keep calling it the iPhone 4G until Apple gives us the real name.TUAWClearing the air on iPhone terminology: 4th generation vs. "4G" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.1 available
Filed under: Software Update
Apple has released Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.1 via Software Update. The update can also be downloaded here. The 6.77 MB (web) or 7.2 MB (Software Update) update requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or 10.6.2, and extends RAW image compatibility for Aperture 3 and iPhoto '09 for the following cameras:
o. Hasselblad H3DII-50
o. Leica M9
o. Leica X1
o. Olympus E-P1
o. Olympus E-P2
o. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
o. Pentax K-7
o. Pentax K-x
o. Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
o. Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
o. Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
The two Olympus cameras and Panasonic Lumix model are examples of the new compact Micro Four-Thirds cameras, which provide SLR-like capabilities in a compact form factor. The Hasselblad is a high-end 50 Megapixel camera with a price tag to match (US$25,000 and up), so it's good to know that your Mac will be able to handle the digital output from this beauty.TUAWDigital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.1 available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Mac 101: Navigating OS X with your keyboard
Filed under: OS, Leopard, Mac 101, Snow Leopard
Let's face it: unless you're just casually surfing the Internet or playing a game, chances are pretty good that your hands are on the keyboard most of the time when you're at the computer. Sure, the mouse is only a few inches away, but wouldn't it just be easier if you didn't have to keep going back and forth from the mouse to the keyboard?
Enter the world of keyboard shortcuts. A keyboard shortcut is exactly what the name implies: a way of using the keys on your keyboard to quickly perform tasks that typically would require multiple steps using a mouse. Before we dive in to the magic keystrokes, let's take a quick look at how shortcuts work on the Mac.
Most keyboards have a number of special keys in the bottom corners that look and work differently from the other keys. These keys are called 'modifier keys', because they change (or modify) the behavior of any keys that are pressed while the modifier key is held down. A good example of this is the shift key, which causes letters to appear in uppercase as they are typed. Although the shift key is commonly found on everything from typewriters to telephones, the other keys that are available depend on the keyboard you have and what kind of computer it is plugged in to. But just like the shift key, you use them by holding down the modifier key, pressing another key, then letting go of both keys.
On a Mac, the most commonly used modifier key is the Command key, which is just to the left of the space bar, and can be identified by a clover-like icon on the key. The most commonly used shortcuts in OS X make use of the Command key. For example, in most applications, pressing Command-S will save the document you have open, while Command-O will show the open dialog so you can open another document. Less common tasks make use of the other modifier keys, such as the Option and Control keys, and some even use more than one at a time (such as Command-Shift-S to show the Save As dialog instead of just saving the document).
If you're switching from using a PC, and you're familiar with keyboard shortcuts in Windows, you will find that many of the common shortcuts are similar, but it might take some time to train your muscle memory to find the Command key as it is in roughly the same spot as the Alt key on most PC keyboards.
One last thing that's important to know about keystrokes is exactly where they will work, or their 'scope'. There are a handful of shortcuts built in to OS X that have a global scope, meaning they will work pretty much anywhere, at any time, from any application. Here are some of my favorites:
Global OS X Keyboard Shortcuts
- Command+Tab - This is handy for switching between applications. Hold down Command and press the Tab key repeatedly to cycle through all of the running applications. You can also use the ` key (while still holding down the Command key) to go through the list of applications in reverse.
- Command+Space Bar - This will pop open the Spotlight search box so you can do a quick search. This can also double as a quick way to open applications without a mouse -- just type in an application, and hit enter when it shows up in the Spotlight search results.
- Command+H - Hide the current application. I use this to get rid of my e-mail window when I'm finished with it. You can get back to it by using Command+Tab as mentioned above, or clicking the icon in the dock.
- Command+Option+H - Hide all other applications (but the current one). This is really useful if you have a lot of windows open and want to focus on just one of them, or if you just want to reduce screen clutter.
- F8 through F12 - These keys toggle Spaces, Expose`, and Dashboard. On newer Macs, you might need to hold down the fn key as well.
Besides the global shortcuts, there are several shortcuts that are standard across most applications, allowing you to quickly perform common tasks without having to guess what the keystroke might be:
- Command+X, Command+C, & Command-V - Cut, copy and paste. I know, they aren't easy to remember by the letters, but somewhere along the line that became the standard.
- Command-N - Open a new file, or sometimes a new window, depending on the application.
- Command-O - Show the open file dialog
- Command-S - Save the current document
- Command-W - Close the current window or tab
- Command-Q - Quit the current application
TUAWMac 101: Navigating OS X with your keyboard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rumor: Steam coming to the Mac?Telltale Games recently held a Mac revolution, and that was a nice piece of news for Mac gamers, but this would be a "game-changer": Valve may be considering bringing their Steam platform over to the Mac. They released the beta version of the new UI for their digital game delivery system, and a few users found some "OSX" icons hidden in the game files.
Unfortunately, that makes this just a rumor (it's certainly possible the icons were simply included in some stray bit of code, as they appear to be simple window controls, not actual game code), but if there's anything to this at all, it would be huge for us Mac gamers: Steam comprises a gigantic library of present and classic PC games, and bringing even a portion of them over to the Mac would be terrific. CrossOver Games has been working with Steam in the past, and they already have most of Steam's biggest games up and running on the Mac platform through emulation. If there's a partnership between the two companies, or if Steam is planning to take advantage of the demand for their games running on OS X, that would be great.
We'll keep our eyes open. Ever since Apple switched over to Intel, there's been more potential than ever for Mac gaming, and Steam on the platform would be amazing.TUAWRumor: Steam coming to the Mac? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - New patent hints at iPhone camera gesture control
Filed under: iPhone
An interesting patent application came to light via PatentlyApple yesterday. The patent, titled "Camera as Input Interface," was filed by Apple in August 2008 and details a means of controlling an iPhone by swiping a finger across the device's camera lens. The patent proposes using the iPhone's camera, which is typically idle when the user is on a call, to control voicemail options such as rewind, fast forward, and pause while the iPhone is at the user's ear:
"In one embodiment, to access his voice mailbox, a user may tap the phone to cause playback of a message to pause, tap the phone again to resume playback, swipe his finger over the camera lens in one direction to fast forward playback, and swipe his finger over the camera lens in another direction to rewind playback. These actions allow the user to control functions of voicemail review without removing the device from over his ear."
The patent also describes using the iPhone's accelerometer to detect tapping input to supplement the finger swipes:
"In another embodiment, functions for controlling call features utilize similar user actions or motions. Features such as merging multiple calls, putting a call on hold, and switching between or among multiple simultaneous calls may be controlled by single or double (or any number of) taps of the device, as detected by an accelerometer of the device. These taps may be preprogrammed by a manufacturer, or selected and programmed by a user."
The patent application goes on to describe how the camera swipe could be used when the phone is away from the ear. It details how the camera swipe feature could be used to navigate web pages or applications while the user is looking at the iPhone's screen. Using the camera swipe method in this way would allow the user to view the full screen of the iPhone without his fingers obstructing the view.
This latest patent application shares similarities to a mid-January rumor by Bloomberg that Apple was working on an iPhone with a touch-sensitive backside casing similar to the Mighty Mouse. While it's not clear how much adding a touch-sensitive casing to the iPhone would cost, it might be cost-prohibitive if Apple wants to keep the iPhone margins high and purchase price low. This latest application could present a nice middle ground using the iPhone's existing hardware to mimic the functionality of a touch-sensitive backing.
Interestingly enough, this kind of functionality was one of the top ten hardware "wants" TUAW readers hoped to see in the next iPhone, albeit through a touch-sensitive casing instead of the camera.
[via AppleInsider]TUAWNew patent hints at iPhone camera gesture control originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Yet another Mac OS X 10.6.3 seed released to developers
Filed under: Software Update, Developer, Snow Leopard
Mac OS X 10.6.3 Build 10D561 has been released to developers less than a week after the previous build. Not a great deal has changed since the last build -- iPhoneinCanada has the specific details on this latest build, which include refinements to OpenGL and 64-bit logic. Since this sixth 10.6.3 build follows so quickly after the last one, it's a good indication that an official release of 10.6.3 is imminent.
10.6.2 arrived on November 9, 2009, and, like the forthcoming 10.6.3, was primarily a bug fix update for Snow Leopard. 10.6.3 should be out any day now in Software Update complete with those always-informative release notes, including my favorite: "increases reliability and improves compatibility and security."
[Via MacRumors]TUAWYet another Mac OS X 10.6.3 seed released to developers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Found Footage: The Powerbook snowboard
Filed under: Humor, Cult of Mac, Odds and ends
Ok, we'll admit it -- the recent snowpocalypse may have driven some people nuts. But probably not this nuts -- these two German guys wanted to go snowboarding, but didn't actually have a snowboard around, so they did what most of us would naturally do in this situation: take two old PowerBooks, connect them together and put some shoes on them, and go snowboarding.
Ok, so most of us might not do that (and while our German isn't that great, this actually looks like a viral plug for some Asus laptops), but those laptops actually hold up pretty darn well. The keyboard can't take a drill, and they probably shouldn't be breathing that smoke. But in terms of structural integrity, it looks like you can actually snowboard with an old PowerBook. Even if this is just a viral, we'd like to see them try the same thing with the laptops they're hawking in five to ten years.TUAWFound Footage: The Powerbook snowboard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Adafruit shows off the Square dongle for credit card payments on the iPhone
Filed under: Hardware, Software, iPhone, App Store
Adafruit is one of a few companies that has been chosen to test the Square dongle that automagically takes credit card payments on any iPhone. Even though we got to see it in action at Macworld, I think every look we can get at this thing is worth it, considering just how darn revolutionary it seems. The video on Flickr shows just how quick and easy it is -- just swipe the card, and sign with your finger on the iPhone's screen.
I haven't bothered carrying cash for a few years now, and something like this only makes it easier to not only take payments for vendors, but for me to pay. Hot dog guy needs a few bucks but doesn't have a landline connection to run a credit card on? No worries, just swipe and done. Want to give to the Salvation Army guy over the holidays but don't have any money left in the wallet? Just swipe and done. Word has it that the transaction cut will be 2.9% (though the video above shows 3.5% -- maybe you can change the percentage depending on circumstances), but odds are that in most cases, the convenience will be well worth it.
The whole program's still in beta, but it probably won't be long before you'll see (and maybe even use) one of these out in the wild.
[Via Engadget]TUAWAdafruit shows off the Square dongle for credit card payments on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Parallels gets down to bare metal with new server software
Filed under: Enterprise, Software
Parallels has announced a new version of Parallels Server for Mac called the Mac Bare Metal Edition. It's optimized to provide better performance for virtual machines running on an Xserve, and allows multiple, isolated virtual machines to run simultaneously on the same server. Using "hypervisor" server virtualization, system administrators can run, say, Snow Leopard Server, Windows 7 and Linux all at once.
In case you're curious, a hypervisor is a virtual machine monitor which directly controls the hardware ("bare metal") of the host machine without using device drivers from another operating system. At least, that's how I understand it.A new utility, Parallels Virtual Automation, also provides an extended set of tools for managing, monitoring and maintaining virtual machines.
This is the first "bare metal" hypervisor for Intel-powered Apple machines, and it sounds pretty cool. I'm not in a position to try this out, but I'd welcome feedback from readers who get their hands on a copy and put it to the test. Single licenses of Parallels Server for Mac Bare Metal Edition are priced at US$1,248.75, and there's a trial download available.
TUAWParallels gets down to bare metal with new server software originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Plants vs. Zombies breaks records on the iPhone
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
PopCap has released some sales information on their latest iPhone game, Plants vs. Zombies, and it's a runaway hit: the game has sold over 300,000 copies in just the nine days it's been out on the App Store, which means the company has garnered over $1 million in sales already. Very impressive -- first, we had an app make a million total, then a company was making a million a month, and now PopCap has done the same in just over a week.
So what's their secret? It's a high quality game, first of all, and PopCap has a reputation for making those already. Second, the game itself had a fairly high profile even before release, since it was extremely successful on the PC as well. And finally, you have to think that the price figures in as well -- I thought the game would sell for PopCap's usual $5, but they actually sold it two dollars less than that. They'd probably have still made a lot of money, but I don't know if they'd be talking about 300,000 sales at a price just two dollars higher.
Then again, the game is already available for free online, so maybe the quality and PopCap's profile played a bigger part than the price did (they also trumpet the fact that Bejeweled 2 is also one of the top five grossing apps on the App Store). Congrats to PopCap on all their success. Oh, and our free time called, too. It surrenders.TUAWPlants vs. Zombies breaks records on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iPhones you'll want to sink your teeth into
Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends
We've had coverage of other iPhone edibles before, in particular the many cakes that have been created since the iPhone first came to life in 2007.
Now, via Cult of Mac comes word of iPhone cookies from several bakeries around the globe. The first, as seen in the photo at right, is from the Green Gables Bakery in Japan. It has a "camera" indent on the back, a nicely framed display on the front side, and icing app icons and markings all around. These cookies appear to be made of gingerbread, which should be enough to make you begin drooling.
Some hungry iPhone-o-philes might want their iPhone cookies to appear a bit more realistic, which is apparently why Chicago-based Sugarbeez is making the photorealistic consumables seen after the link below. These cookies appear to use the edible and inkjet-able frosting sheets that are used by many cake professionals. Which does seem very tasty and all
Isn't it fascinating how nobody ever wants to make a Windows Phone cookie?
TUAWiPhones you'll want to sink your teeth into originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Boxee back on Apple TV
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Apple TV
Boxee recently released a brand new version of their beta software, but unfortunately, that build didn't happen to work on the Apple TV. That's now been fixed, however, and you can now get the USB flash drive creator app that will give you a patchstick to install the latest version on that Apple box hooked up to your television. Here's a quick FAQ on the whole process if you need a little help with it, but it sounds pretty straightforward: set up the patchstick, power up the AppleTV with patchstick installed, and enjoy. And even if you have alpha currently installed, you can just put the stick in and upgrade to the beta, no worries.
That's some very impressive and quick work by a bunch of people who aren't obligated to do this at all (there are a few XBMC devs on the team as well, and the patchstick will allow you to install XBMC also, if you'd like).
TUAWBoxee back on Apple TV originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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