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- 3G iPhone under the hood
Filed under: iPhone
A while back we noted that iFixit had completely broken down a 3G iPhone to see what was inside. Now TechOnline has a report about exactly what makes it tick and they've managed to identify all the important chips on the iPhone's mainboard to get some insight into Apple's design choices.
They note that the 3G iPhone is an incremental improvement over the original iPhone rather than a ground up redesign. Of particular interest is how many of the new wireless parts are from Infineon, while the main processor remains a Samsung part. Strangely, given Apple's huge flash order with Samsung, the memory itself seems to be from Toshiba. Check out the original article for a fuller description of the new iPhone's silicon underpinnings. There are also some videos of the teardown.
[via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Cool Hack: Running Leopard on an MSI Wind UMPC
Filed under: Hardware, OS, Hacks, Odds and ends, Leopard
Mac owners often look on with envy at the Ultra-Mobile PCs (UMPCs) in the Windows world. These are truly tiny laptops, often with 10" or smaller displays and weights that make a MacBook Air seem downright obese by comparison.
MoDaCo network founder and Microsoft MVP Paul O'Brien decided to get his OS of choice, Mac OS X 10.5.4, up and running on one of these little wonders. The machine is a variant of a recently released UMPC called the MSI Wind, which weighs in at 2.3 lbs and sports the new Intel Atom N270 CPU running at 1.6 GHz.
While Paul admits to a few small issues, he was not only able to load and run Leopard on the Wind, but he also documented the entire procedure in text and video (see above) if you want to make your own Ultra-Mobile Mac. After watching how easy the process is and finding out how inexpensive the Wind is, I'm tempted to try this myself! Be sure to let us know if you're successful at following Paul's footsteps.
Direct link to the video and step-by-step instructions.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Yuma: New scripting tool for web developers
Filed under: Enterprise, Software, Internet Tools, Developer
To web developers, scripting is the glue that connects web pages and back-end systems. For example, PHP is a very popular scripting environment that has been used to write web apps like WordPress and phpBB. For those of you who use PHP, you know that it is a dynamic, weakly-typed hypertext preprocessor. In other words, it's a scripting language that is embedded in the HTML code that makes up a web page.
Inspiring Applications, Inc. hopes to catch the imagination of web developers with Yuma, their new strongly-typed, object-oriented scripting tool that is being released today. Rather than the confusing syntax of PHP, Yuma uses a simple REALBasic-like syntax. It is natively compiled to machine code on Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows for high speed.
Yuma Development Server for Mac OS X is available as a free download, complete with example code, a full developer reference, language definition files for BBEdit, TextMate and Text Wrangler, and more. When you're ready to deploy your Yuma web app, you can purchase and install Yuma Enterprise Server ($149). It's a command-line app and may be set up as a daemon.
To run either Yuma Development or Enterprise Server on Mac OS X, you need to be running OS X 10.3 or later on a G4, G5, or Intel-based Mac with at least 1 GB of RAM.
Thanks to Brad for the tip.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - iPhone game news from EA's press conference at E3
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, iPhone, App Store
I'm at E3 in Los Angeles all week for TUAW's sister site Joystiq, and this afternoon we got to see the Electronic Arts press conference at the Orpheum Theater. Among bigger EA games like Spore and Dead Space, Travis Boatman (who has graced these pages before talking about mobile games on the iPhone) of EA's mobile games division came out on stage to talk about iPhone gaming. He said that obviously there is "a lot of interest" around mobile gaming lately, especially around the iPhone, and that EA is committed to capitalizing on that interest.
They premiered three games in the App Store at launch (Sudoku, Tetris, and Scrabble), and Boatman pointed out that they've tried to innovate in all three -- Tetris features a unique piece-drawing system, and Spore (full name: Spore Origins, a mini version of the bacteria stage of the game, complete with a creature creator) will use the accelerometer to control its creatures. Additionally, EA wants WiFi to be a big part of their games on the iPhone -- they're planning on releasing a patch to the Scrabble game that will allow people to play together online.
Finally, Boatman hinted that they were aiming to do a lot more with the iPhone's processing power -- they plan ports of Tiger Woods and Need for Speed on the iPhone. As Mac gaming fans, EA isn't exactly our favorite game developer, but getting big developers behind real innovation on the iPhone will help lift the tides of the software in the App Store.Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Turn your iPhone into a wireless drive with DataCase
Filed under: Software, Wireless, iPhone, App Store
One feature of many other handheld devices is the ability to use the device as a portable flash drive to move data between a couple of computers. The iPhone doesn't have that ability now, but will on July 28, 2008.
That's the day that DataCase will be available in the iTunes App Store for $6.99. From Veiosoft, DataCase works with Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) and Bonjour to allow any Mac on the same network as your phone to transfer files to and from it.
Your iPhone appears as a Mac volume, so you just drag-and-drop data you want to take with you. If you're a Windows or Linux user, DataCase gives you the same capabilities from your iPhone using HTTP and FTP.
In case you want to view those files you've moved to your iPhone, DataCase lets you read Microsoft Office, PDF, and text files. You can create up to 16 different volumes on your iPhone, each of which can be set up with read/write/browse permissions. Volumes can be made invisible to protect data from unauthorized people or iPhone snatchers.
This is an innovative app that I think a lot of iPhone owners are going to buy come July 28th.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Thoughts on iPhone Apps Management
Filed under: iPod Family, iTunes, iPhone, App Store
I don't know about you, but those new longer iPhone syncs are just killing me. Once an App has been backed up, I don't see why Apple doesn't just back up the Documents and Library data rather than backing up entire applications every single time the iPhone connects.
What I've been doing is keeping just one or two apps on the iPhone at a time. That's fine for when you're developing and reviewing apps but it absolutely stinks when you want to carry the iPhone around and actually use your applications on demand. After all -- why bother buying them if you have to keep taking them off in order to save on sync time?
The worst offenders are the games. Full of yummy sound effects and graphics, they take up the most room during syncs and generally the software I least want to take off my iPhone.
You can disable automatic syncing for iPhones and iPods in the Preferences > Syncing settings pane in iTunes but it's an option with high risk, especially when updated data is important to you.
Here's hoping that Apple smartens up its backups and starts storing just changed data rather than every bit of every application.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Mystery Apple box
Filed under: Odds and ends, Apple History
TUAW reader Gabriel Moore runs an Apple Certified Sales and Service store called Computer Evolution in Davenport, IA. He sent us a short note and link to a MobileMe Web Gallery with several pictures of a strange, Apple-labeled wooden box (picture above).
Gabriel writes "One of our customers noticed that we have a small collection of Old Macs in my service department and thought That he would give me something to add to the collection... Problem is I have no idea what it is or why it has the Apple name. Is this an after market fan boy box or a real product from Apple Computer? Any help from the readers or you would be awesome."
It looks like the 1980's Apple logotype, but I don't remember seeing a box like this anywhere. It's small enough that it could only contain something like an Apple IIc. Do any of you wonderful TUAW readers know what this box was used for? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Thanks to Gabriel for today's stumper!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Create your own Mac tablet
Filed under: Hardware, Hacks, How-tos, Mods
Many Mac users have wanted a tablet for years, but Apple has definitely failed to deliver such a device. But if you think that the ModBook is too expensive, or if you're the DIY type, then why not build your own Mac tablet? Hack-A-Day has posted a gallery of images showing some of the various types of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Mac tablets.
If you are too scared to start ripping apart a Mac notebook and blindly build your own tablet Mac, then why not take a peek at this Instructables project. If you have built your own Mac tablet before, be sure to tell us about it in the comments.
Thanks, Victor!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - First Looks: Blackjack 21 and Shanghai Mahjong
Filed under: Gaming, iPod Family, iPhone, App Store
Today, I got a chance to play Mobile Age's two App Store games: Blackjack 21 and Shanghai Mahjong. As the names suggest, these two familiar classics were ported to the iPhone platform. I started off with the Mahjong, which is a solitaire game the goal of which is to remove all the tiles on-screen by matching pairs.
The game itself is beautifully presented but the interaction falls short. Rather than re-design the game for iPhone, it was ported. The tiles are tiny. When I placed my finger tip on top of the display, I covered about 6 tiles at once. The presentation made selecting individual tiles tricky and identifying them harder -- especially for one as myopic as myself. Two on-board buttons at the bottom left and right of the screen proved particularly difficult to tap. The game does not offer zooming. In the end, I was unable to enjoy playing the game.
To play Blackjack 21, you need to learn an odd swipe language. Swipe down to hit, swipe across to stay, double-tap to double-down, and so on. Although it was a bit confusing to pick up (and a little anti-intuitive, since in our family games, we double tap the table to hit and swipe our hands to stay), I soon was betting, hitting, standing and so forth. In Blackjack 21, most of the gameplay is about the animation and sound effects. There are plenty of both. I'm not a huge gambler so I can't really say much about the gameplay relative to real life. It seems to follow Vegas rules, offering you insurance, etc. at the proper places.
Neither game really blew me away. I was more disappointed in Mahjong because that's normally a game I adore. Many wasted hours in Graduate School were dedicated to multi-player timed challenges. By porting the game rather than redesigning to meet the iPhone's small interaction space, Mobile Age missed an opportunity to deliver a hit.
Blackjack 21 and Shanghai Mahjong each sell for $4.99 at the iPhone App Store and can be played on both iPhone and iPod touch.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Mac Mix Promo gives you deals on Mac apps, starts today
While MacHeist is on their summer break, Mac Mix is hoping to shake things up in the Mac app bundle community. Their website went live early this morning and allows you to mix applications to make your own bundle. You might say, "What's so special about that"? Well, Mac Mix gives you a tiered discount based on how many applications you purchase.
There are currently 28 applications to choose from including:
The pricing is similar to the way the Give Food to your Mac promo worked. The pricing tiers are:
- 10% off of any one app
- 30% off any 3
- 40% off any 5
- 50% off any 7
- 60% off any 9
- 75% off any 12
Thanks, Vivek!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - First Look: Chimps Ahoy!
Filed under: Gaming, iPod Family, iPhone, App Store
Griptonite Games' Chimps Ahoy! is a silly, fun breakout game. I'm not a huge breakout fan (to be fair, I'd rather clean my house and do my taxes) but Chimps' beautiful graphics and silly music won my heart. It's a graphic design tour de force. You play by throwing a coconut between a pair of monkeys, chipping away at inner barriers. Control the monkeys by sliding your thumbs up and down the sides of the screen.
The introductory material made me think that game play was going to be a lot more complicated than it was (game play is quite easy) and there's no accelerometer support. Plus it's a breakout game -- but there's no getting around that part. But if you enjoy breakout games, Chimps Ahoy!'s multiple levels and bright inviting screens offer a nice twist on the genre.
Given their high design standards, I can't wait to see what other products Griptonite delivers at App Store.
Chimps Ahoy! costs $9.99 and can be played on the iPhone and iPod touch.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Unsubsidized iPhone prices
Filed under: iPhone
Stories about cell phone unlocking and resales have hit the news recently. TracFone sued numerous resellers who (legally) bought inexpensive subsidized units, unlocked them and sold them overseas. In the iPhone world, the story differs. Rather than leveraging subsidized prices, the way the TracFone defendents did, iPhone resellers added value on top of the unsubsidized units. The bought the phones, unlocked them and sold them for a profit.
The story gets more interesting with the current generation "no commitment" iPhones. The latest 3G "no commitment" iPhone pricing appears to include an extra $200 profit margin on top of the $200 subsidy.
TUAW reader Adam Jenkins offers proof. In Massachusetts, purchasers pay tax on the full unsubsidized phone price regardless of subsidies. The 5% sales tax for his new 16GB 3G iPhone came to $24.95. Clearly Apple and the State of Massachusetts believe the unsubsidized 16GB price is $499, not the $699 "no commitment" price. That extra $200 offers a nice cushion on top of the unsubsidized sale, providing pure profit.
What's the opposite story of resellers taking advantage of cell phone subsidies? Seems to be the 3G iPhone.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Apple sells 1m iPhone 3Gs, 10m apps
Filed under: iPhone, App Store
Apple reports that it sold its one millionth iPhone 3G on Sunday, meeting (if not exceeding) many analysts expectations that it would do so. This came despite deep hurting surrounding activation of the new phones on Friday.
But hold on: because of clever accounting, a sizable fraction of those handsets were already considered "sold" as soon as they left the loading dock in Asia, according to Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog. "In other words, some of those 1 million iPhones recorded as sold by Apple may still be in transit," they wrote.
Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster had conservatively predicted that it would take 17 days for Apple to sell a million of the new handsets. He may be closer to the truth, if one counts only the units sold at retail over the weekend.
Additionally, Apple noted that users downloaded 10 million apps from the App Store since it launched last week. In another press release, The Stevester called the App Store a "grand slam."
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Review: MobileMe
Filed under: Reviews, MobileMe
MobileMe, the successor to Apple's lackluster .Mac service, is poised to bring subscribers into the realm of "cloud computing," one of those nauseating phrases that's been around for a while, but nobody has a better term for.
MobileMe provides email, calendaring, contact management, photo sharing, and online file storage to Windows, Mac, iPhone, and iPod touch users for $99. A family pack subscription is also available for $149, which adds four 5GB accounts to a standard-sized 20GB account (making 40GB of storage total).
Users can also add 20GB or 40GB of storage to their account for $49 and $99, respectively.
MobileMe got off to a really rough start last week, but we still don't know exactly where the hangup was during the transition. I know I'm interested to know what happened, but for now, let's just all be glad that it's working, and have us a look-see at what's new.After the jump, join me for an in-depth look at MobileMe's features, and how they compare to .Mac and other free services available elsewhere on the web.
Continue reading TUAW Review: MobileMe
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