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- Apple to show off THQ's De Blob at Apple Stores
Filed under: Gaming, Retail, Software, Odds and ends, Apple
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The good folks at THQ just dropped us a note that they've signed a pretty big deal with Apple -- their game, De Blob, which I played at E3 and previewed for Joystiq (and talked with the creator for TUAW), will be installed on in-store iPhones as a demo game. They say that the game's use of the accelerometer and solid 3D graphics (you use the accelerometer to bounce a little blob around a 3D world and paint various buildings in the environment) was what brought Apple to choose the game as a software demo for their handheld.
The good news is that De Blob is a quality game, but the bad news is that it's from a large developer like THQ -- Apple has shown a bias in their official outlets for larger companies like EA, and it's disappointing to see that when lots of the best games on the store are coming from much smaller developers. On the other hand, to their credit, Apple has occasionally passed the spotlight to smaller devs, so hopefully this won't be the only game to ever see a demo in the brick-and-mortar stores.
And the other good news here is the Apple seems to finally be giving gaming a space in their marketing, if not in their culture as a whole. For a long time, gaming has had to take a backseat at Apple, but the recent push behind the iPod as "the funnest iPod ever" and these in-store displays point to an Apple that finally recognizes how widespread especially casual gaming has become and how important it is to selling computers nowadays.Переслать - Apple TV update 2.2 brings out the "Brick"
Filed under: Software Update, Apple TV
So, that was like a really bad, mean, and cruel joke. But it does seem that the recent Apple TV update is bricking some Apple TVs. According to the Apple Discussion board, some users cannot get past the boot video. If the update bricks your Apple TV, it's not the end of the world (well, it is if you cannot do the following steps).
One discussion board reader reports that doing a restore of your Apple TV will help resolve the situation. To restore your Apple TV, try the following steps:
- Hold down the Menu and Menu down/scroll (-) buttons on the remote for approximately 3 to 5 seconds, until the LED on Apple TV flashes yellow.
- After Apple TV restarts, a screen appears asking you to pick a language. Select the language you wish to use.
- After the Apple TV Recovery screen appears, select "Factory Restore"
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Special TUAW reader pricing for iPhoneLive Conference
Filed under: Software, Other Events, Developer, iPhone
We posted early last month about the O'Reilly iPhoneLive Conference, scheduled for November 18th in San Jose, CA. Now TUAW readers can get a 20% discount on the conference registration by using a special code -- ip08gd20 -- at checkout.
This is in addition to the $125 discount for signing up for the conference before October 14th, so be sure to get your registration in soon. Erica Sadun will be a presenter at iPhoneLive, and I'll be providing coverage of the event.
iPhoneLive is a one-day event highlighting iPhone development, the emerging iPhone market, and how businesses can capitalize on the success of the platform.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Fring brings VoIP to iPhone
Filed under: iPhone, App Store
We have all been waiting on an iPhone VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solution, since we heard that Apple would allow VoIP application access while connected to WiFi. Fring has finally made our dream a reality -- and it's a reality that's available today!
Fring is a new, free iPhone application that integrates with Fring's network and allows access to the following IM/presence services:
- Fring
- Skype
- AIM
- Yahoo
- ICQ
- MSN
You can download this application today by visiting the iTunes App Store. The application weighs in at 3.0 MB. You can also get more information about this service and the application on the Fring website.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - AAPL touches 52-week low, closes under $100
Filed under: Apple Financial
Apple shares today reached their lowest price point since April 2007, closing at 97.07, down 3.03 points.
AAPL hit its 52-week low today, $94.65 per share, around 3:45 PM Eastern.
Early in the day, the stock was jarred with false rumors from CNN's iReport service about Steve Jobs suffering a heart attack. TUAW's own Michael Rose was among the first to contact Apple's PR VP, Katie Cotton, who said the rumors were untrue.
After the scare, prices rebounded, but never reached their highs for the day just before the rumor bubbled to the surface. Volume was at its heaviest before 10 a.m. Eastern, with about 16 million shares changing hands. In sum total, 885 million shares were traded over the course of the day.
Apple shares were slightly ahead in early after-hours trading.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Blast from the Past: Lunatic Fringe
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Blast From the Past
If you're a long-time Mac user, the words "After Dark" conjure memories of flying toasters, Star Trek, city lights, and -- my favorite -- Lunatic Fringe.
Lunatic Fringe was a Maelstrom-like game built-in to After Dark, a screen saver utility for Mac and Windows popular in the early- to mid-90s. Fringe Player, from Sealie Software, is a app that brings Lunatic Fringe back to your new, Intel-based Mac. It supports Leopard, and there is a version for PowerPC processors as well.
You have to obtain the original screensaver module separately, however. You can get the module from your original After Dark disks (or online, if you're clever with the Google.)
Now if you'll excuse me, my Friday afternoon is suddenly spoken for.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Techspansion closes, VisualHub discontinued
Filed under: Software
There are plenty of Mac tools for video compression in the marketplace, ranging from Windows Media-oriented tools (Flip4Mac) to professional workflow builders (Sorenson Squeeze) to hardware-assisted H.264 crunchers (Elgato turbo.264). Few of these products, however, have hit the sweet spot of wide-ranging capability, quality output and extremely affordable pricing like VisualHub from Techspansion. For less than $25, you got Flash and WMV output that rivaled products 3x the price, plus easy conversion to iPod and iPhone-friendly formats. Along with sister apps audio compressor AudialHub and iPod-only video converter iSquint, VisualHub was a prime example of a well-built, "Mac way" media app.
Sadly, the past tense above is no accident. Techspansion's website has been shuttered and the products have been discontinued. Tyler Loch (Techspansion's founder) let us know that the difficult decision to close down Techspansion is a personal one, and he's readjusting his priorities to focus on other needs. His choice is understandable, but we will definitely miss VisualHub (not to mention the laugh-out-loud funniest release notes in software history). Best of luck to Tyler in his future efforts.
Update: For those who are inquiring, there are no current plans to move VisualHub to open source. The underlying engine for much of the compression magic, ffmpeg, is already open-source and present in other Mac tools such as Handbrake.
Thanks BrandonRead | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - iPhone the most popular ebook reader
Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch
Forbes is reporting that the iPhone has become the country's top eBook reader. The claim is based upon the number of downloads of Stanza [App Store link], an ebook reader for the iPhone and iPod touch (395,000 and counting), versus the number of projected US Kindle sales (380,000).
For those unfamiliar with Stanza, it's a free application that lets users download books over the air, as does the Kindle. All of Stanza's offerings are free works in the public domain, and flipping pages is a breeze with the touch screen.
Of course, it's silly to compare an iPhone to a Kindle. The screen is very tiny and I wouldn't want to read anything longer than an email message with it. However, many people will, some of whom do it just because they can. I can remember reading a Stephen King book on my old Palm ///e simply because I thought it was neat.
Still, combine the 395,000 downloads of Stanza with nearly 380,000 Kindles sold (plus the Sony eBook reader figures), and it seems that many people enjoy reading very tiny type.
[Via MacDailyNews]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - TUAW Tip: Control the iTunes visualizer
Filed under: TUAW Tips
By now you've probably had the opportunity to play around with the new iTunes Visualizer in iTunes 8. It's pretty cool, eh? Just like the previous visualizer, you can control this one with a few, simple key strokes. By pressing "?" while the visualizer is running, you are presented with a list of keys that customize the visualizer.
- ? - Shows/hides the help screen
- M - Changes the mode
- P - Changes the color palette
- I - Displays the track information for the currently playing song
- C - Toggles "auto-cycle" (which is turned on by default)
- F - Toggles the "freeze mode"
- N - Shows/hides the "smoke" in the background
- L - Toggles camera lock
Thanks to Luke and others for the tip!
Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and TUAW Tips sections.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Save gas and money with your iPhone
Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch
There's a great article at Treehugger on saving money with your iPhone. Specifically, they explore four categories: automotive, travel, energy consumption and green shopping.
Applications like iGas, which helps you find cheap fueling stations, and GasHog, which measures fuel efficiency, are listed. However, what's interesting to me aren't applications.
PrimoSpot lets New Yorkers (Manhattan and Brooklyn only) find available parking spots, even identifying parking meters that are about to expire. That's pretty cool, and should save you some driving around.
SmartLinc lets you monitor your home's energy consumption and even remotely control lighting, heating and AC use, all from your iPhone. It's $1,400US to get set up, but definitely a useful service.
Many people still yearn for an Apple tablet. The iPhone is that tablet. Once you start to think of it as a computer with great telephone software, you'll begin to see that's exactly what it is.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Project Blinkenlights presents "Stereoscope," and you're invited
Filed under: Multimedia
A massive spectacle is brewing in Canada. From the 4th of October through the 12th, the two towers of Toronto's city hall will become grandiose pixel displays with the help of Project Blinkenlights. Dubbed "Stereoscope," the installation will use wirelessly-controlled lights placed behind the windows of the building to generate the pixel art. This project adds to the growing list of large-scale interactive light installations executed by Project Blinkenlights... it also happens to be as Mac-friendly as they come, thanks to some help from our friends at The Coding Monkeys.
When we talked to Martin and Dominik at WWDC, they hinted at their involvement in this project. They stayed pretty tight-lipped about it, stating only that it would be "big." Now they've unveiled a simulator for Leopard and a mobile version for the iPhone [iTunes link] which allow users around the world to watch in realtime as the exhibition unfolds. Beyond that, they had a hand in creating some of the tools which allow users from all over the globe to generate and contribute their own animations for the event.
I've been playing with both the desktop and iPhone simulators, and I'm duly impressed. The iPhone version -- with smooth, touch-based navigation and amazing 3D rendering -- is definitely not to be missed (especially since it's free). This event would be big enough if it stayed in Toronto, but Project Blinkenlights and The Coding Monkeys have made it possible for users around the world to take part in the spectacle. Check out the gallery for more shots of the iPhone version of the simulator in action.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Apple TV update 2.2
Filed under: Software Update, Security, Apple TV
Earlier tonight, Apple issued a Security Update for Apple TV. According to Apple, this update (version 2.2) fixes a bug in Apple TV that could allow a "maliciously crafted movie file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution." This definitely doesn't sound good to us.
It's not all boring security stuff; Apple also added a Genius playlist function. To access the Genius function, just hold down the play/pause button while a song is playing, and a popup menu will allow you to "Start Genius," or add to an on-the-go playlist.
You can download this update by navigating to Settings > Update Software. Alternatively, Apple TV checks on a weekly basis for any new updates. If it finds an update, it will download, verify, and install the new update. You can read more about this update in this Apple support article.
Have you found another feature of the update? Let us know by sharing in the comments below, or sending us a tip!
Thanks Justin
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Apple updates MobileMe control panel for Windows
Filed under: Software Update, MobileMe
Today, Apple updated the MobileMe control panel for Windows. Update 1.2 "provides better support for syncing a large number of contacts (more than 2,000) and prevents syncing of data between Microsoft Exchange Server and MobileMe, a configuration that is not supported."
This control panel is required to use MobileMe syncing/iDisk on a Windows computer. This update requires Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2, or Windows Vista SP1 or later. You must have iTunes 8.0.1 or later installed.
You can download this update from the Apple Support website.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Apple announces date for Q4 conference call
Filed under: Apple Financial, Apple
Earlier this week, Apple announced that their fourth quarter financial conference call will take place on October 21st. The live audio stream will begin at 2PM Pacific time.
We'll be liveblogging the call, so check back on the 21st for up-to-the-second information and analysis. Apple's stock took a significant dive last month, as did the rest of the market. Still, Apple's overall market share continues to be strong, and retail stores continue to open across the globe. It will be an interesting report.
[Via MacNN]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - iTunes 8.0.1 is available
Filed under: iTS, Software, iTunes, Software Update
Apple released iTunes version 8.0.1 earlier today. This update is 58.8MB in size, and features the following changes:
- Seamlessly plays the current song when creating a new Genius playlist.
- Improves syncing spoken menus to iPod nano.
- Addresses an issue of deleting HD TV episodes when downloading.
- Improves checking for updates from the App Store
- Improves accessibility with VoiceOver.
- Addresses problems syncing Genius results to iPod.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать - Official iPhone app for Obama '08 now in App Store
Filed under: iPhone, App Store
We're officially a nonpartisan bunch here at TUAW (actually, quite partisan, but only for the Mac) but the announcement of an official iPhone application from the Obama campaign is still worthy of mention. Several high-profile iPhone devs & designers were involved in the project, including formerly-of-Tapulous Mike Lee, Louie Mantia and Tristan O'Tierney. Raven Zachary led the team that included Jonathan Wight and more, all volunteering to rush the app to completion.
In addition to the obvious-but-cool features of the app (download news from the campaign, watch YouTube videos of speeches and endorsements), there is quite a bit of iPhone special sauce. Location awareness means you can see local events or find your nearest campaign office; a 'Call Friends' tool sorts your address book by priority, putting your contacts living in battleground states at the top of the list and letting you reach out to them with a single tap. Very sleek!
Even though there isn't an official McCain campaign application for the iPhone, the App Store has plenty of election-themed apps for voters of either the red or blue persuasion. However you plan to make your voice heard this year, let us give you a gentle reminder that if you're an American citizen over 18, you need to make certain that you're registered to vote.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать
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