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- Horde of Orcs updated, Flick Bowling released by Freeverse
Filed under: Gaming, Software, iPhone, App Store
Two big updates from our friends at Freeverse in the past few days. First off, Horde of Orcs, their extra-shiny (and funny) version of Desktop Defense, has gotten a big update to 1.1.4, and now features an in-game news system, two new maps, more helpful in-game tips, and "major performance improvements." That last note is of most interest to us -- I had a little trouble getting the game running smoothly on my mini, and can't wait to try again and see how it runs now. You can pick up the full version of the game for $24.95 over on Freeverse's site, or try out a free demo there.
And even more exciting, Freeverse has released another iPhone game: Flick Bowling brings the iPhone's touchscreen interface to one of my favorite games (after all, I did grow up in the very city that hosts the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame). With a bunch of different characters, locations, and even a choice of bowling balls to choose from, odds are that Flick Bowling is probably the best bowling game on the iPhone (though it may only one of a few, if not for long). The app is available in the App Store right now for $4.99. Once again this is a place where a demo would help us, but until Apple gets its App Store game back together, it's all or nothing. If you do decide to take the plunge, let us know how it is.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 2
Filed under: Software Update
Apple has just released Java Update 2 for Mac OS X. According to Apple, this update "delivers improved reliability and compatibility for Java SE 6, J2SE 5.0 and J2SE 1.4.2 on Mac OS X 10.5.4 and later."
You can find more information about this update by visiting the release notes. You can download this 136.4MB update by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from Apple's support website.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - PocketMac for iPhone adds Entourage and Lotus Notes sync
Information Appliance Associates has released a new version of PocketMac for iPhone. Long a mainstay of BlackBerry / Mac integration, the new PocketMac allows iPhone users to sync their contacts and calendar info to Entourage, Lotus Notes or Meeting Maker. It works by using iCal and Address Book as a go-between, syncing Entourage, etc. with each of them. The actual iPhone syncing is via the standard iCal / Address Book channels, but PocketMac ensures than any changes made on the iPhone migrate back to Entourage, etc.
In addition, PocketMac will back up the iPhone's call log and SMS messages to your Mac. It sounds a little round-about (using iCal and Address Book as middlemen) but if your company is wedded to Entourage, Lotus Notes, or Meeting Maker it could be very handy.
PocketMac for iPhone is $29.95; it does not appear that a demo is available.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Eye-Fi adds MobileMe support
Filed under: Accessories, Peripherals, Internet Tools, MobileMe
Eye-Fi has announced that their eponymous SD memory card with built-in WiFi is getting faster and adding MobileMe support. The Eye-Fi allows you to automatically upload photos from your SD card compatible camera to your Mac or a variety of online services like Flickr, SmugMug, and now MobileMe. The update will be available on October 5 and is also backwards compatible to existing Eye-Fi cards with upgrade fees. Other additions include Eye-Fi's own web gallery, geotagging support (via a similar mechanism to the original iPhone), and Wayport / open hotspot support, each for additional annual fees.
The Eye-Fi cards come in three flavors: Home, Share, and Explore. Home ($79.99) is limited to uploads on your home WiFi network to your home computer; Share ($99.99) allows broader WiFi access and uploading to web galleries; Explore ($129.99) also adds geotagging.
[via Engadget]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Stanford students writing iPhone apps
Filed under: Software, Education, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK, iPod touch
Back in July, we reported on an iPhone programming course being developed and offered by Stanford University. The course is in full swing this fall, with a reported 80 students signed up. Stanford has also started a project that is beginning to bear fruit in the form of iPhone and iPod touch apps -- the Stanford iApps Project.
Five student-developed apps are now being tested as part of the Stanford iApps Project. Two of the apps are targeted at Stanford students and provide management of course registration and bills, while the other three apps are aimed at a much larger audience including the general public and alumni.
These other apps give access to a searchable Stanford University map (see screenshot), schedules and scores for the University's sports teams, and listings in the StanfordWho online directory.
While future iApps may be the result of the iPhone development course, these apps were developed by TerriblyClever Design. This may sound like an established Silicon Valley development firm, but it's actually a startup created by Kayvon Beykpour, a Stanford computer science undergrad. Once the Stanford apps are out of beta testing, they'll be available in the App Store.
Thanks to Ian for the tip!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - SporeTV podcast now available on iTunes
By now, most of you have already made it to the Civilization Stage in Spore (or maybe you are enjoying the beginning stages on Spore for iPhone). Either way, you might like to know more about the universe simulation game that you're spending so much time with.
The SporeTV podcast (now available in iTunes) hopes to satisfy your tastes as the creator, Will Wright, explains the basis of the game and a little history behind it. You can subscribe to the podcast by visiting the iTunes podcast page. We hope there's more videos to come!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Hands on with Tune Ranger
I went hands on with Smith Micro's TuneRanger application. TuneRanger, which retails for $30, allows you to synchronize iTunes libraries across your local network. Let me start by saying this is going to be a very mixed review.
The idea behind TuneRanger is brilliant. You can merge, synchronize, or transfer your iTunes library and when you update on different computers, TuneRanger will sync those changes so your library is the same regardless of the computer. Your single license allows you to use the program on up to 5 computers, both Mac and Windows.
The problem with TuneRanger is that I couldn't recommend it to my mom or some friends without knowing in advance that I'd be spending significant time on the phone for support. It's just buggy, complicated, and crashy enough to make that a problem while at the same time it's powerful and reliable enough for anyone who has reasonable computer savvy. It's more of a "I'll come over on Saturday and sync your system" package than a "Just download this and press the button" one.
Take for example, the standard sync options. I expected that I could select Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Audio Books, etc. Instead, the program uses file types: mp3, m4p, m4a, m4b, aac, ipg, etc. So on my initial syncs, none of my unusual file types transferred; plus I had to hand-edit out m4v and mp4 to keep my video collection from slowing down the works. Once edited, there was no "revert to standard" button option, so it's a good thing I wrote down the names of the file types that I'd taken out.
The program is just marginally stable rather than fully stable. I could transfer data when running from my G4 Power PC, but for some reason the program balked whenever I tried running from my Intel Mac Mini and connecting to the Power PC server. I dealt with several crashes -- not a big deal because the next sync simply skips the items that had finished -- plus errors. The error message was this: "Error," which is not very helpful when you're trying to figure out why a problem occurred.
Also be aware that the process is slooooow. In addition to any normal network bandwidth issues, the program's processing overhead means this is an overnight or multi-day process that you're looking at.
So here's the bottom line: TuneRanger is an app that I know I'm going to love but one that still needs a little growing and maturing before I can whole-heartedly tell people to buy it without caveats.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Parallels offers "Green Computing Bundle"Parallels started offering a bundle of applications for sale last night (yes, that Parallels -- the one that makes VM software). The Parallels "Green Computing Bundle" is a collection of 9 applications for $49.99 including:
- Parallels Desktop for Mac
- MacScan
- PasswordWallet
- Macintosh Explorer
- Macaroni
- Drive-in
- PageSender
- Default Folder X
- docXConverter
Переслать - Parallels Desktop for Mac
- Hawaii's 3rd Apple Store ready to roll
As if life in Hawaii isn't pleasant enough, Apple is going to make it just a bit sweeter by opening another retail store this weekend.
Apple Store Royal Hawaiian will open on Saturday, September 27th at 10:00 AM. This store is located in The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, at 2301 Kalakaua Ave. next to The Cheesecake Factory (mmm ... cheesecake). Get your full travel directions here. This will be Hawaii's third Apple Store.
Let us know if you visit this store and share your photos and stories. If the Kahala store opening is any indication if what you can expect, it's definitely going to be fun.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - App Store deals of the week
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Now that iPhone developers have started "cashing in," they have also started giving future customers a break on their popular applications. This week, there are many good deals on the App Store. Now comes the hard part: picking which ones you want to purchase.
- Trism (was $4.99 now $2.99)
- Band (was $5.99 now $1.99)
- Pianist (was $5.99 now $1.99)
- Guitarist (was $5.99 now $2.99)
[via MacRumors]
Looking for the iPhone-optimized TUAW page? Bookmark http://i.tuaw.com/ in Mobile Safari for the best iPhone experience.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Remix Radiohead's "Reckoner" in iTunes
Filed under: iLife, iTS, Multimedia
Love them or not, you've got to admit that Radiohead are challenging the record business. After initially releasing their current album In Rainbows with a "pay-what-you-will" pricing policy, their entire catalog was finally added to the iTunes Store.
Shortly thereafter, they released all five tracks (or "stems" as they call them) of their song "Nude" in iTunes, encouraging fans to create their own remixes. This week, they've done the same thing with the song "Reckoner" [iTunes link]. The six-track, DRM-free album costs $0.99US. Tracks cannot be purchased individually.
If you purchase the stems within the first two weeks of availability, you'll receive an access code to a full GarageBand version of the song. When you're done, you can upload your masterpiece here.
This isn't the first we've seen an artist do this. Trent Reznor has released GarageBand versions of Nine Inch Nails songs, as has Burger King. Yes, Burger King.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Mac 101: Get a Google Map from Address Book contact
Filed under: Mac 101
How many times have you looked at an Address Book contact address, only to realize that you don't know where they're located? What do you do? Most would copy and paste the address into Google Maps, but there is a better way!
In a contact's Address Book card, right-clicking on an address and clicking on "Map Of" will launch your default browser and map out the address in Google Maps.
If you are using Tiger, you will need to install a plug-in, however, this tip works beautifully in Mac OS X Leopard.
Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 section.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - First Look: Summizer, Twitter trends on your iPhone
Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch
Summizer (iTunes link) is an app for following trends on Twitter. Similar to a few web apps, it searches Twitter for keywords and allows you to save searches to watch for updates. It's small, simple and elegant. Use it to find out who's talking about what, or even who's talking about you. If you've ever used Twitter's tracking feature (currently disabled), you already know how this works.
The startup screen shows any trends you've added as saved searches, with a blue dot signifying new updates with those words. The first item in the list is always "Trending Topics," which shows the most common topics on Twitter at the moment. When you click a saved search or any "trending" word, you get a list of tweets containing that word or phrase. Touching a tweet reveals options for that tweet: you can always go to the user who created the tweet and see what else they're talking about, but if the tweet contains an @reply or a link, you get additional options for viewing either (links open in the built-in browser).
As with most of my favorite apps, Summizer is well-crafted and serves a single purpose with finesse. The $2.99USD pricetag might be at the high-end of the price range for a single-shot utility, but if you're a trend-watcher, it's a small price to pay; having a finger on the pulse of Twitter can be a great way to stay a step ahead of the game.
As Devil's advocate, I have to mention that some other apps, such as the Pro version of Twittelator ($4.99USD - iTunes link) can store searches and handle actual Twitter usage as well; often at the expense of the aforementioned elegance.
Looking for the iPhone-optimized TUAW page? Bookmark http://i.tuaw.com/ in Mobile Safari for the best iPhone experience.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Review: X-Plane 9 for iPhone / iPod touch
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Reviews, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Flight simulator applications are not only great entertainment, but a good way for would-be pilots to hone their skills without burning fuel or booking time in a "real" flight simulator. X-Plane 9 from Laminar Research is currently the most impressive flight simulator for Mac, with hundreds of different types of planes, thousands of airports, and very realistic weather.
Laminar Research recently ported X-Plane 9 to the iPhone and iPod touch (click opens iTunes). While it doesn't have the extensive feature set of the Mac version, X-Plane 9 for iPhone and iPod touch is an impressive effort that shows off the sheer power of the iPhone and iPod touch both computationally and graphically.
The app is a slender 7 MB and as you'd guess, you're giving up a bit of the Mac version's capabilities with the iPhone port. Instead of the entire world, you now have a 1,600 square mile area centered near Innsbruck, Austria to fly around in. There's only one airport, four aircraft types, less accuracy in terms of the flight models, no cities to fly over, and no navigation aids such as VORs. Is X-Plane 9 still a worthy iPhone app? Read on...Continue reading TUAW Review: X-Plane 9 for iPhone / iPod touch
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Terminal Tips: Make the Dock spring loaded
Filed under: Terminal Tips
Spring-loaded Dock items, just like spring-loaded Finder items, are supposed to save you time by allowing you to drag a file over the folder/icon, hover for a few seconds, and have the application/folder open. Some people like these spring loaded items, while others don't -- with this Terminal "hack," you can either enable or disable this Dock feature. To enable it, open Terminal.app (located in /Applications/Utilities/) and type the following command, pressing enter:
defaults write com.apple.dock enable-spring-load-actions-on-all-items -boolean YES
To disable spring loaded items, replace the "YES" in the command above with a "NO."
Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and Terminal Tips sections.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Podcaster dev can't provision any more licenses
Filed under: Developer, App Store, SDK
Developer Alex Sokirynsky wrote a blog post this morning saying Apple rescinded his authority to provision new ad-hoc licenses for his software, Podcaster.
The blog post has since been removed, possibly because it violated his developer NDA.
Sokirynsky believes that the licenses already provisioned will continue to work, and expressed disappointment -- but not surprise -- that Apple shut him down.
He also said he would continue updating Podcaster, even though it's unclear if he has a means to distribute it. Podcaster users can contact Sokirynsky if they have questions about their device's ad-hoc status.
Sokirynsky did not say how many devices he provisioned, though we do know it's at least 1,300.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Effin' NDA now applies to rejection letters, too
Filed under: Rumors, Developer, App Store
In response to the negative publicity surrounding some recent, high-profile rejections from the App Store, Apple is now reminding developers that the rejection notices themselves are covered under their non-disclosure agreements.
In what is probably a recursive black hole of logic waiting to swallow the Earth whole, we now know that messages to developers now contain the line "the information contained in this message is under non-disclosure" in all caps.
Not knowing the specific terms of the NDA (because I haven't signed an NDA with Apple), I can't personally say if those terms were in the contract to begin with. Knowing Apple's penchant for secrecy, they probably were, and they're just being a bit more forceful with their reminders.
[Via MacRumors.]
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Signup with AT&T before visiting the Apple Store
In an attempt to speed up the notoriously slow iPhone activation procedure, Apple and AT&T will now let you get the ball rolling before you leave home.
Customers can go to the new iPhone "Buy" web page and fill out preliminary information like billing information, select an AT&T plan and review eligibility pricing information.
I haven't purchased an iPhone since my good old original 4GB model went on sale back in June of '07, so I can only assume the process has improved. If you take advantage of this pre-sale registration, let us know how it goes.
[Via MacRumors]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Two Canadian Apple Stores set to open
Rejoice, Apple-loving Canadians. Apple will open two new retail stores this weekend. One in Calgary, Alberta and the other in Toronto, Ontario.
Apple Store Market Mall will be the 2nd store in Alberta when it opens at 9:30 AM on Saturday, 27th. It's located between 32nd Avenue NW and 40th Avenue NW on the West side of Shaganappi Trail NW. You can find full travel directions here.
At the same time, Apple Store Fairview will open in Toronto at 1800 Sheppard Avenue East. Here are your travel directions. These will be the 8th and 9th stores to open in Canada. If you visit either location, please share your stories and photos. Have fun!
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Adobe CS4 offers overall improvements, higher upgrade pricing
Filed under: Software, Graphic Design
As Robert reported earlier this month, Adobe officially announced Creative Suite 4 via a streaming webcast earlier this morning. Adobe CS4, which is scheduled to ship sometime in October, is being touted as "Adobe's biggest software release to date."
While I was watching the webcast for our sister site, Download Squad, what struck me was the focus on performance improvements and cross-product integration. I've been dabbling with some of the CS4 betas since the beginning of the summer, and I agree that the Macromedia products are now much more tightly integrated (at least on the Fireworks and Dreamweaver side, I haven't used the Flash CS4 beta) with the rest of the Adobe suite.
On the performance side, the GPU acceleration rumors for Photoshop CS4 that Mat mentioned back in May are a reality. What was really striking, to me, was that despite the all the hub-bub about the lack of 64-bit support for the Mac version of Photoshop CS4, the demonstrations for the webcast were all performed on a Mac (I'm assuming it was a Mac Pro, it was attached to an external monitor on stage and also displayed on stage/screen). Showing off some of advantages of GPU acceleration, the representative from Adobe worked on a 2 GB 400 megapixel file, showing how easy it was to zoom in and out, and roate the image without any lag or slowdown.
So, 32-bit or not, Mac design shops that have powrful systems should benefit tremendously from the speed improvements to Photoshop.
The pricing for some of the Adobe CS4 bundle suites has increased nominally both for upgrades and new purchases. Web Premium CS3 was $1599 US, whereas Web Premium CS4 will be $1699 US. Design and Production Premium prices remain the same ($1799 US for Design Premium, $1699 for Production Premium), but the price of Design Standard is now $1399 US, up $200 from Design Standard CS3. Upgrade prices on suites appear to be about the same as CS3, although Web Premium is $100 more than it was 18 months ago.
For anyone who purchased Design Premium CS3 before May of 2008, you will be happy to know that Fireworks is now included in this suite (it was included in suites sold after May of 2008 or if you paid the $160 to upgrade to Acrobat 9). Fireworks never should have been omitted from Design Premium in the first place, so this is a nice addition.
Adobe Creative Suite 4 will be shipping sometime in October. One note for PPC Mac users -- Adobe After Effects CS4 will only support Intel systems. Premeire Pro CS4, like CS3, is also Intel-only.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать
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