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- Weekly App Store Picks: March 7, 2009
It’s the first Saturday of March, which means one thing: grab your iPhone, prime your mind, and focus your eyeballs because I’ve got another selection of fresh App Store picks for you.
Before we get to this week’s apps, there’s a stack of Apple happenings to run through. In App Store-related news, game development outfit Last Legion announced a Watchmen MMO will be hitting the iPhone and iPod touch soon.
TheAppleBlog also kicked off the App Review series last week. I’ll be reviewing new apps several times a week from here on in, and so far I’ve checked out Caught You, Smack Me and Tap Tap Revenge 2.
The folks over at RIM have launched App World for the Blackberry. Notably, there’s a $2.99 lower-threshold in terms of the pricing point, this could be handy in keeping out the riffraff. Despite this news, I’m thinking that RIM have some serious catching up to do with their devices over the next year, particularly in light of both the iPhone and Palm’s Pre.
Of course, the big news this week was Apple’s curiously low-key product line refresh. We covered it all right here at TheAppleBlog and so there are dedicated articles for the new iMacs (I’ll be getting one!), new Mac minis, refreshed Airport Extreme and Time Capsule, plus updated processors, keyboards and hard drives.
Moving on to this week’s app picks, I’ll be looking at Inquisitor: Simple Web Search + News Search, Kindle for iPhone, NYTimes, Remix DJ: Speak EX and Papaya Premium.
Inquisitor: Simple Web Search + News Search (free)
Up until two weeks ago, I had Inquisitor installed on OS X. It gave Safari 3’s search functionality that added boost, incorporating all the features (and a couple more) that I had come to rely on when using Firefox. However, updating to Safari 4 meant no more Inquisitor — I just don’t need it, what with 4’s much improved search functionality. Over on the iPhone, I’m still not entirely convinced how useful a dedicated search app would be — I certainly don’t use Google’s app, instead making use of Mobile Safari’s integrated Google search. The Inquisitor app certainly looks good, and it handles news too, but I think I’ll be holding out for Mobile Safari plugins (one day in the far future).Kindle for iPhone (free)
Some of you may have missed this, earlier this week Amazon brought Kindle to the iPhone. The app allows you to access and read e-books purchased via Amazon’s Kindle Store. The big downside is that it’s not as feature-rich as Stanza, in particular, there’s no downloading of books from within the app and thus no direct access to free online libraries. Despite that, it’s a solid little app and the major attraction is access to a massive, growing library of books to purchase via Amazon. Our own Weldon Dodd had a good look at Kindle for iPhone earlier this week, so hit up his article for an in-depth analysis.NYTimes (free)
It’s the New York Times on your iPhone or touch and, especially for those outside the U.S., it’s a must-have window in to Stateside goings on. This app isn’t strictly a new release, but that it’s been bumped up to version 2.0 in the last week is certainly notable. The original version was plagued by regular crashes and general instability, utterly undermining the app’s functionality. This version, however, promises improved stability, faster content downloading and updated navigation. A definite must have download thanks to the latest update.Remix DJ: Speak EZ (free)
There are so many novelty sound apps in the store, I’m expecting Apple to open up a dedicated section at some point. Browsing the store earlier today I noticed that, in among the wide-screen browsers and currency converters, several fart apps have made their way in to the Utility section. What kind of person uses a fart app as a utility? “I was looking for a full-screen iPhone browser but then discovered that the sound of flatulence perfectly fulfills my web-surfing needs.” Remix DJ: Speak EZ is the only novelty sound app I’ve come across that I would gladly recommend, allowing you to trigger various words as read by an old-school Speak & Spell. Brilliant!Papaya Premium ($4.99)
Way back in October of last year, I featured the free edition of Papaya in one of my Weekly App Roundups. The app mixes an IM client with a selection of simple multiplayer/community games. Unfortunately, I didn’t have good things to say, specifically I described it as, “… woefully ugly… worth avoiding like rotten fruit.” Not so good then. Things are very much different with Papaya Premium though, integrating an IM client with several seriously polished games including Black Jack, Chess and an unofficial but nevertheless fun Puzzle Bobble.That’s all the apps for this week, I’ll be back during the week looking at more iPhone and touch apps with the TheAppleBlog App Review, plus next Saturday with more picks. In the meantime, drop by the comments and tell us what apps you would recommend.
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Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - New Speeek! Apps Reduce Communication to Pointing at Your iPhone
When I lived in Japan, I had one of those little pocket talking electronic dictionaries. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve traveled in Asia, or maybe if you’ve just met Asian tourists. They’re really popular in Japan, and most keitai (cell phones) also come with them pre-installed.
Most, that is, except for the iPhone, which actually lacks many of the features Japanese customers have come to expect from their cell phones. Japanese cell phone service provider SoftBank, currently the exclusive provider of the iPhone in Japan, took matters into its own hands and developed the Speeek! series of applications to correct this.
They’ve now extended the line of Speeek! products available, and the new additions to the line will appeal to English-speaking iPhone users looking to travel abroad. New versions of the software just introduced include an English-to-Japanese and English-to-Chinese version, both of which will cost you $21.99. That seems like a lot when you consider it in the context of App Store pricing, but if you compare it to the $200 I spent on my little talking electronic dictionary, it’s not a bad deal at all.
The app makes things as simple as direct-from-speech translation can be at this point. You choose a context from a list of eight, including “Restaurants” and “Sightseeing,” then you say the phrase you want to translate into the iPhone. You then choose the closest answer from its list of suggestions, and it provides the translated phrase. You can also have it say the phrase, if you’re not comfortable just pointing to the screen. The person you’re talking to can then select from a number of anticipated possible answers if there’s no other way for them to convey their meaning. Also, you get to interact with the creepy anthropomorphic cartoon cat that wants you to touch it, pictured above.
It’s no Babelfish, but it is definitely something I wish I had when I was in Japan. I once thought a man working at the Japanese equivalent of Home Depot was going to cry because he couldn’t understand what I was looking for, which was a computer chair.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.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 - Airport Firmware 7.4.1 Update Available
While we were expecting new firmware for previous generation Airport Extreme and Time Capsule devices to drop this week, some will be disappointed that this update does not magically update the hardware as well.
Airport Firmware 7.4.1 enables the Back to my Mac disk sharing feature announced this week for previous generation Airport Extreme and Time Capsule devices. This release also updates the brand new Airport Extreme and Time Capsule devices with dual-band networking to fix a few bugs that were not caught in the initial release. It does not, however, enable dual-band networking or guest networking on older devices as that feature relies on the new hardware found in the Early 2009 versions of the Airport Extreme and Time Capsule. Airport Express users get no love (beyond bug fixes) as Air Disk sharing is not supported on those devices.
Here is the list of updates…
For AirPort Extreme (Early 2009) and Time Capsule (Early 2009) that ship with firmware 7.4, the firmware 7.4.1 update:- Resolves an issue in which a client computer may be disconnected when waking from sleep
- Addresses an issue in which redirecting SMTP port services may disable IP-layer networking
- Improves the reliability of Back to My Mac-based disk sharing
- Includes recent AirPort security updates
For AirPort Extreme with 802.11n (Fast Ethernet), AirPort Extreme with 802.11n (Gigabit Ethernet), AirPort Express with 802.11n, and original Time Capsule models, the firmware 7.4.1 update:
- Enables remote administration and remote access to compatible USB connected drives via Back to My Mac (except on AirPort Express)
- Improves reliability when backing up to a Time Capsule via Time Machine
- Includes recent AirPort security updates
The Mobile Me features allow you to access files that are stored on a USB drive attached to your base station. I tested this earlier this morning with a spare USB drive. It could not be simpler to turn on the Back to my Mac feature in Airport Utility — you literally just type in your username and password. I then tried to hop on my neighbor’s Wi-Fi to see if I could see my drive. Unfortunately, my neighbor’s router does not support UPnP or NAT-PMP so I could not see my shared drive through Back to my Mac. I assume that if you are on two networks that support Back to my Mac, you would be able to see your shared drive just fine. Maybe I’ll wrap up my Airport instead of See’s Candies for them next Christmas.
You can still enable drive sharing over the WAN port as well, but this is a little different than the Back to my Mac sharing. Sharing over the WAN port just means filesharing via AFP or SMB, only enabled on the WAN ethernet port in addition to the LAN ports. The only disadvantage that this method has is that you have to know the IP address of your Airport base station to connect to it from a remote network. Back to my Mac gets around this by having the computer or Airport Extreme register their current IP address with the Mobile Me service. Your computer just checks in with Mobile Me to get the address of your Airport Extreme and then opens a connection to it.
The other advantage of Back to my Mac is that ISP’s often lease out IP addresses for a limited period of time, after which they may change. Back to my Mac will update the IP address automatically on any change. If you do not have the Mobile Me service, you can accomplish the same result by registering your Airport’s public IP address with DynDNS or a similar service. If the Airport is providing NAT services to your local network, you could even set up a computer behind your Airport to automatically update this entry if the public IP address were to change.
Beyond the cool new features, I am glad to see that Time Machine reliability has been addressed for the Time Capsule. I have one client that was never able to get Time Machine to backup reliably to their Time Capsule. I am looking forward to trying this new firmware release, and I will let you all know if this firmware update fixes their situation in the comments below. If you have your own stories with Firmware 2.4.1, be sure to share them here.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Hulu Returns to Boxee, Though Not Voluntarily
Not too long ago, Hulu came to Boxee, making it accessible via Apple TV, and all was right with the world. Then, a terrible thing happened, and NBC went to Hulu CEO Jason Kilar and said “No more!” and it was no more. Hulu support was removed from Boxee.
The only possible reason was NBC’s fear of losing control over its content. Heaven forbid a major network embraces and tries to work with the shifting paradigm in the delivery of televised content. Better to try to force people to stay married to their set-top boxes and cable subscriptions. Just conveniently forget that there are literally thousands of torrents out there if people get tired of depending on overpriced satellite and cable plans, NBC.
Okay, bottled up anger aside, Hulu is back on Boxee, at least in a work-around way that should get people their fix while the two companies hopefully work out the finer details of some kind of more official solution. Boxee’s latest update includes an App Store-type “App Box,” but more importantly, also the ability to read RSS feeds. The new RSS reader is perfectly set up to receive video RSS feeds, of which Hulu has many. Ipso facto, Hulu is back on Boxee.
While I appreciate what Boxee is doing, I really wish Apple and NBC would mark their success and work together to make it unnecessary. Apple should provide the functionality that Boxee does out of the box, and NBC and other networks should partner with them to make network content subscriptions a reality. Cut out the cable service providers altogether, offer iTunes’ Season Passes to all of your network content, and make more money by charging less. A lot of people I know either only have computers, or have computer-connected televisions these days, so it’d probably be more profitable than trying to force people to stick with obsolete methods of content distribution. In the meantime, thank goodness for Boxee.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Graphics Problems Surface With 17″ MacBook Pro
At this point, it seems like having some graphics issues is more of a “coming of age” thing for a new Mac product than something that surprises or worries us, though I’m sure if you have one of the affected MacBook Pros, you think otherwise.
Users are reporting in an Apple Support thread that the recently shipped 17-inch model is acting up, displaying green lines and ugly screen artifacts. The problem is apparently tied pretty clearly to the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M (the dedicated card), since the problem doesn’t arise while running the integrated 9400M, only appearing when you switch to the more powerful card.
No word from Apple yet about the issue, although they will likely try to resolve things with a firmware fix before trying anything more serious. One customer in the support thread said he received word from Apple that he would have to have his laptop replaced, although I doubt they realized at the time that the issues were so widespread.
It’s hard to believe that a machine so expensive, after such a long delay, could have such serious and quickly apparent problems. I suppose you could excuse Apple and just chalk this up as another NVIDIA screw up, but Apple must do some serious testing with these machines before they release them to the buying public. The alternative, of course, is that they were well aware of the problem but opted to stick to internal deadlines and deal with the problem down the road with a firmware update rather than delay the ship date of the 17-inch MacBook Pro any longer. Whatever the issue, Apple seriously needs to stop shipping significantly flawed products, or their reputation for quality isn’t going to last.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Jailbreak: A New Column
There are many aspects of the iPhone that I wish were more developed. Better usability. Time-saver shortcuts. Visual enhancements. Missing functionality. We each have our own list of what is missing, what we would love to have, and what we would love to see in a future iPhone OS update. While I am confident Apple will meet expectations eventually, I, along with thousands of other like-minded individuals, am not going to sit around and wait.
So I have a confession to make: I jailbroke my iPhone 3G the day I got my hands on it, and I’m liking it so much I’m never going back.
The thing is this, I form a bond with every gadget I own. For a device such as a cell phone, something you have on you almost 24/7, it seems only natural that you will grow into both the way it works and its various quirks. For the latter, you either learn to live with it or find a workaround for it. The casual user will most likely live with what is offered out of the box, while the power user and the adventurous will pursue new and novel ways to suit their devices to their ever-increasing needs.
On the Mac, it is very easy to go out and look for the right application that will do exactly what the OS does not. On the iPhone, where the platform is fragile and hence rightfully closed, the hard part is waiting for Apple to figure things out. In the meantime, there are the hundreds of clever workarounds that independent developers — iPhone owners and enthusiasts themselves — have devised. The catch is that you will have to jailbreak, which Apple certainly does not endorse.
I was inspired to write about jailbreaking after having several casual conversations I had with other iPhone owners. I was surprised at the amount of fear, uncertainty and doubt some of them had regarding jailbreaking. Some didn’t know what it was, while others had heard of it, but had dismissed it due to what they perceived as black art, complex and mysterious. But really, just as it has always been, is, and will be on any other computing platform, with enhancements and new functionality come certain caveats. Just do your homework, follow the instructions and you’ll be fine.
This post is an introduction to a regular iPhone jailbreaking column I will be penning, one that will include everything from reviews of applications to tips and techniques. Regardless of whether you are an iPhone owner who has yet — but is looking to — jailbreak your iPhone, or an enthusiast who’s already hacked your iPhone, I hope there will be something for everyone. And if there is anything you would like to see in a future post, do drop me a line.
Coming up next: Five Things You Need to Know About Jailbreaking. Stay tuned!
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Dear Verizon: Let Me Fix That Survey For You
So Verizon is finally acting like they “get it,” specifically asking people who leave their service if “the iPhone” has anything to do with it.
The problem with this is that by saying “the iPhone” they imply having the device just like it exists on AT&T’s network. But knowing Verizon there’s a good chance that wouldn’t be the case.
So I’ve fixed the survey, and offer it to Verizon free of charge so that they may get an accurate picture of whether people would stay on their network for “the iPhone.”
Below is the revised option Verizon should have on their survey.
The iPhone
- But no Wi-Fi (You can just stay on our network, ‘K?)
- And no iTunes Store (We have this cool VCAST thing, you’ll love it.)
- Oh, and no iTunes desktop sync (”PC stuff on PC, mobile stuff on mobile,” that’s our motto.)
- Homemade ringtones? No. (We have plenty of Muzac-like ringtones for purchase)
- Bluetooth? (That’s never been our favorite, we’ll get back to you on that.)
- The App Store? (Don’t be silly, you’re gonna love our BREW apps.)
- Visual Voice Mail? (Sure, just like we do now, it’s a monthly charge.)
- Finish activation at home? Download and install firmware at home? (Enough already! Our heads are exploding.)
I think that about covers it. Now let’s see how many people will check that box.
Verizon is holding on to a (fading) model where they dictate hardware requirements to the manufacturers. They do this to ensure every device they sell serves their network first, then their services, then the hardware manufacturer, and finally the customer.
The iPhone, as it currently exists, would never have been allowed on Verizon, and it’s debatable as to whether they’d even allow it now. AT&T made a bold (and risky) move in allowing Apple to change the rules of the game with the iPhone. It’s easy to take shots at AT&T, but they’re never given enough credit for that.
I left Verizon nearly two years ago. For an iPhone. I’ve never looked back.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - App Review: Smack Me — Play Rough With Your iPhone
App Quick Stats
These days, gaming is all about getting physical: tilting and shaking, shouting and whispering and now apparently the occasional bit of pinching and smacking. Sounds like fun!
All this talk of touching reminds me of a great toy I had, back in my student days: Bop It. A group of us would play together, flicking, spinning, bopping, pulling and twisting to a never-ending funky beat. The experience was intensely physical, surprisingly fun and overwhelmingly frustrating.
Clearly inspired by Bop It, Smack Me transports the toy’s increasingly furious antics to our handheld Apple devices. The question is, does the iPhone have what it takes to support such a tangible experience?
Thrill Me!
Ever since hearing Add N to X’s electro-anthem Plug Me In, I’ve known that robots can be a little naughty. It’s no surprise then that FunMobility’s latest iPhone game features a naughty bot repeatedly demanding to be pinched, shaken and smacked. It may be painful but we all know he really loves it.
Literally getting to grips with the gameplay is super-simple. Ito the robot is a demanding sort of guy — he’ll be barking orders at you in his electronic voice. If Ito shouts, “Smack me,” you tap the screen, if he hollers, “Shake me,” you shake the iPhone and, if he firmly requests, “Pinch me,” you give the screen your best multi-touch pinch.
There are three game modes — Easy, Medium and Hard. Completing the Easy mode also unlocks two extra orders from Ito: “Freeze me,” which is kind of a curve ball as you’re meant to stay perfectly still, and, “Lift me,” where you’ll have to quickly raise the iPhone (a vertical shake, if you will).
The limited, but moderately engaging, gameplay is wrapped up in the most fantastic graphics and sound, like a special candy for geeks: it looks and sounds delicious, the audiovisual experience is akin to having a retro rainbow blasted straight in to your brain-box.
The music bleeps and bloops along, faster and faster, as Ito barks his digital orders at you. The ever-changing soundtrack is accompanied by an continuously shifting visual as each of the robot’s requests arrives accompanied with an odd explanatory image too.
Disappoint Me!
Once you’ve played a few rounds and given the robot a good pinching, shaking, smacking, freezing and lifting, there’s nothing else to it. It’s the same thing, ad infinitum but increasingly faster, with different music. Indeed it’s fun for a while but there’s just no depth — nothing beyond the initial ten minutes of play.
Plus, there’s no true multiplayer mode either. Where Bop It really came in to its own was multiplayer mode: there would be hours of secret solo practice before the toy inevitably came out at a party with everybody wanting to grab at this strange, noisy object.
The iPhone isn’t designed for fast-paced pass-and-play games and, rightly so: it’s no fun to watch folks slap ‘n shake your iPhone then throw it to the next person to do the same. It’s sado-masochism for tech-fetishists and I’m just not in to that. All that said, the game does feel like it’s missing some kind of formal multiplayer element.
Summing Up
If I judged Smack Me based upon the first ten minutes of play, I would be exalting its delights. The artwork captures that classic 8-bit vibe in such a way that my inner-geek is awkwardly jumping for joy. The sound is old school lo-fi and frequently funny — locking in with the graphics like two missing pieces from a giant retro jigsaw.
Ten minutes passes though and, assuming you unlock the extra functions, you’ve seen it all, and done it all, repeatedly. You’ll get bored, feel disappointed at spending three bucks on this, hit the home key and check your email, Ito’s tinny robo-voice fading in to the distance.
The issue is that the game doesn’t have enough depth, particularly in relation to its price. Now if this was a quick-fix 99 cent time-waster, my opinion may well be different. Unfortunately it’s not 99 cents, it’s three whole bucks and, as such, my opinion isn’t wholly positive. This is fun, but fun that is priced way above its station — despite the polish — due to a lack of depth.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Beta Watch: Thunderbird 3 Email Client
Mozilla recently released Thunderbird 3 Beta 2, another stop along the road to the final release of Thunderbird 3.
Thunderbird is a full-featured, open-source email client originally based on the old Mozilla suite browser’s Mail module, which in turn derived from the ancient Netscape Communicator Messenger module.
I’ve never been a particularly big Thunderbird fan, but I’ve recently revisited it as a possible Intel Mac-friendly replacement for my longtime email stalwart — Eudora — which is proving an unhappy camper on my new Unibody MacBook. One reason to go with Thunderbird is that it also forms the basis of the new, open-source “Eudora” version 8 (aka Penelope), which is really nothing like classic Eudora other than sharing some of the its appearance conventions. Thunderbird shares with Eudora 8 the happy facility to efficiently import settings, contacts, and email archives from Classic Eudora, a huge convenience.
Thunderbird incorporates the three-pane user interface model familiar to users of OS X Mail and Outlook Express. It’s fast (at least on Intel-based Macs), reasonably easy to configure, and will be intuitive to use for folks who like three-pane email clients, but less so for us Classic Eudora holdouts. It’s also open source and one of the most sophisticated free email clients available.
Thunderbird handles HTML mail competently, lets you keep images turned off until you want them to load, has sensible protocols for dealing with suspected spam, a decent search engine (not as slick as Classic Eudora’s, alas), and allows the user to specify manual checks of individual mail accounts, which is huge for me, as I have 22 accounts configured.
Less commendable are Thunderbird’s clunky Address Book implementation (especially its handling of recipient groups), obtuse CC and BCC configuration, and less-than-straightforward handling of multiple accounts —- particularly SMTP server assignment. Another thing that bugs me is that you can’t select all in a message and get in the address and subject line info along with the body text, which makes frequent copy-and-paste tasks take literally twice as long. All those angularities can be worked around, but they’re frustrating for old Eudora hands accustomed to that program’s tractable and convenient flexibility.
However, I’m getting acclimatized, and finding the Thunderbird 3 Beta 2 build released last week a smooth performer, with no beta bugginess encountered so far.
Notable changes in Thunderbird 3 Beta 2 include:
User Experience Improvements
Message Archive
- You can now file messages from your Inbox or other folders into the new Archive folder system.
Activity Manager
- Now records all the interactions between Thunderbird and your email provider in one place.
Performance improvements
Faster Message Loading for IMAP
- Thunderbird will now download IMAP messages by default in the background, allowing for faster message loading, and better offline operation. This feature can be enabled on an individual folder basis or for all folders in an account.
According to the developers, there are more than 340 changes in this release, many laying the groundwork for future ones. And a blog post by David Ascher says the most striking aspect is the sheer volume of bug fixes. You can check the bug fix inventory here.
Ascher says the new Archive feature is borrowed from Gmail’s, which relies on the program’s search capability to find messages, although you can also still use the standard “file in a folder” method, and while the projected new fast global search isn’t implemented yet, even the old cross-folder search mechanism has been improved.
The next beta release is projected to be the last scheduled Thunderbird 3 beta and the last milestone to introduce more new features. Slated feature additions include:
- New global search function, leveraging tabs
- Cleaning up the message header area further
- The beginning of some theming work (prettier icons, etc.)
If you’re running an older system, be aware that Thunderbird 3 Beta 2 no longer supports Mac OS X versions prior to 10.4 Tiger. As is common fare for Mozilla, Thunderbird is completely free.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Watchmen Poised to Bring MMO Action to the iPhone
First it was a critically-acclaimed comic by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons that took a darker and more sinister look at superheroes than had ever been taken before, then it was a movie locked in a nasty dispute over distribution rights between Warner and Fox, and now it’s going to be what one could argue will be the first full-featured MMO for the iPhone and iPod touch. According to G4tv.com, the game will use Amazon’s web services to create a persistent universe for Watchmen players to occupy and interact with.
Game developer Last Legion used their patent-pending “cloudMMO” tech in combination with Amazon’s existing web services to set up the game’s backend. MMOs on the iPhone to date haven’t yet had the kind of persistent universe the upcoming game, dubbed “Watchmen: Justice is Coming,” boasts.
Players will be able to team up and fight each other and NPCs, albeit not exactly in real-time. While the game doesn’t use the kind of asynchronous combat found in Aurora Feint, combat will be turn-based, like traditional console RPG series Final Fantasy (up until recently). It’s not clear how this will work with a game that essentially looks like a brawler, and is meant to be played together with other players, but we won’t have to wait long to find out how the battle system is implemented.
Watchmen: Justice is Coming will take place before the events depicted in the comic (and movie), during the 1970s. Players will be able to create their own in-game avatar, though how customizable the character actually is remains to be seen. The game spans five large areas, and future content updates are planned.
No word from either G4 or the game’s official blog on a specific release date, although Gizmodo seems to be betting on March 6, which is the movie’s release date. I’m not holding out much hope on gaming quality, as this is probably more promotion and less motivated by a desire to deliver a solid gaming experience, but at the very least it should suggest new ways in which the iPhone can be used as a gaming platform.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Apple Updates the iMac: Big Screen, Small Dollars
In marked contrast to the disappointing Mac mini update today, the iMac’s upgrades make great strides in keeping the value proposition for this excellent desktop system.
All the Basics
First, we get all the stuff we expected:
- Newer Core 2 Duo processors w/ 6MB L2 cache
- Front-side bus speed of 1066MHz
- Fast DDR3 memory
- NVIDIA 9400M graphics
Even the Mac mini updates included the above. These were obvious and well-known. Where Apple departed from the Mac mini updates, however, was in the rest of the package.
Value Added at Each Level
Where the base Mac mini must suffer with an inadequate 1GB of memory, the base iMac has 2GB, and the other three models have 4GB! Selling memory as an add-on is typically pretty profitable, in light of this the “RAM-stuffing” is particularly appreciated. Well done, Apple.
Hard drive space is another area where the base Mac mini suffered, but not so with the iMacs. The base model has 320GB (it’s nice to see Apple not even mess with 250GB here), the two middle models have a whopping 640GB, and the high-end model a full TB! Thank you, Apple, for acknowledging that if you’re going to provide great photo and movie software, I might actually need room to store my data.
Further, while the 9400M is faster than the base iMac graphics available yesterday, the two top models provide something even better, as well as upgrade options. With a GeForce GT 130 at the high-end, and GT 120 just below it, and both having the option for an ATI Radeon HD 4850, there’s some great graphics muscle in these machines.
In short, unlike the mini, Apple didn’t just modernize the innards, they increased value all along the line in terms of other performance and usability features. Keeping prices the same but adding, in addition to the new guts, double the memory, lots more drive space, and better graphics. They also allowed for upgrades to even better graphics, added a USB port, and upped the memory max to 8GB!
And I haven’t even gotten to the best part…
Yesterday’s high-end 20″ model, at $1,499, has been replaced by a 24″ model! Keep in mind that this doesn’t just provide a much bigger screen, but also a better screen. The 24″ display is gorgeous, with better color and more brightness than the 20″ (which is no slouch).
Key Bored?
Tired of all those keys on your keyboard? There’s a new twist with all the iMacs: The included keyboard has been modified to match the wireless model, meaning it has no dedicated navigation keys or keypad.
Before you panic or complain, you need only check a box when ordering to get the full keyboard (no additional price) if you want it. Personally, I have a wireless and I love it.
Yesterday vs. Today
Here’s what today’s money gets you compared to yesterday’s, and remember that they all have the newer C2D processors, faster bus speed, and fast DDR3 memory:
$1,199 Base Model
- Processor speed bump from 2.4GHz to 2.66
- Hard drive bump from 250GB to 320
- Memory bump from 1GB to 2
- Better graphics with the 9400M
That’s a great set of improvement for the same price.
$1,499 Model
- Screen size increase from 20″ to 24 (and a superior screen as well)
- Hard drive bump from 320GB to 640
- Memory bump from 2GB to 4
- Better graphics with the 9400M
Frankly, this is a fabulous machine. What really makes it so good is that you’re getting the “base” 24″ model, and yet you don’t feel like you have to add a few things to make it better. It’s already loaded with memory and drive space! If you have a chance, compare the 20″ and 24″ screens at an Apple store and you’ll see even more why this is a great machine.
$1,799 Model
- Processor speed bump from 2.8GHz to 2.93
- Hard drive bump from 320GB to 640
- Memory bump from 2GB to 4
- Better graphics with the GeForce GT 120
For $300 more than the above model you’re getting a 5 percent bump in processor speed and the improved graphics. The latter look to be roughly twice as fast as the 9400M, a significant improvement. Those graphics also utilize dedicated memory, so free up a little for the system to use. If you do 3-D work, or perhaps want to ensure you get the most out of Snow Leopard when it arrives, this may be the model to shoot for. This is especially true because this model has BTO options for even better video cards.
$2,199 Model
- Processor speed bump from 2.93GHz to 3.06
- Hard drive bump from 500GB to 1TB
- Memory bump from 2GB to 4
- Better graphics with the GeForce GT 130
For $400 more than the above model you get another 5 percent processor bump, an upgrade to a full TB of storage, and the GT 130, which betters the 120 not only with twice the video memory (512MB vs. 256), but also a large performance improvement. Further, you can upgrade the video to the ATI Radeon 4850 for maximum graphics performance.
Summary
A well-conceived set of upgrades from Apple on the iMac line.
As is typically the case, the sweet spot is in the middle, and here the $1,500 model shines brightly. This system would please almost anyone, providing great power and room to grow for years to come.
The higher models are also significant. For those intending to do intense 3-D graphics or gaming, this is where you go. I could argue that the $1,799 model with the 130 (or 4850) graphics upgrade makes for a $2K system that’s a better value than the $2,199 model.
And the lone 20″ model remains an excellent system. My current MacBook doesn’t have this horsepower, and cost a lot more, yet it runs iPhoto (and Aperture), and iMovie without a hiccup. This may be the “low-end” iMac, but don’t kid yourself, it’s easily more than adequate for casual, family, hobby, or business use.
Finally, I would encourage anyone looking at a Mac mini as part of piecing together a complete system to seriously look at the base iMac. A Mac mini with acceptable hard drive and memory is $800. Add an inexpensive 20″ monitor, keyboard and mouse and you’re well over $1K. At $1,200 the iMac is a better performer with 20 percent more CPU horsepower, and includes an excellent monitor, keyboard, and mouse with the convenience and beauty of Apple’s all-in-one design.
Sometimes Apple watchers get disappointed when there’s no new design or other incredible knock-your-socks-off update. But I tend to think the day-to-day upgrades are where the real action is. Today’s iMac represents a machine with great value all along the line.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать - Software Updates Explain Dual-Band Networking
Along with all the hardware updates, Apple has released a few software updates as well.
The Airport Client and Airport Utility Updates add support for the latest Airport Extreme and Time Capsule models announced earlier today and provide some further details about how dual-band networking will be implemented. The Airport Client Update helps Apple laptops work better with the dual-band networking features. The release notes succinctly explain that:
This update is recommended for all Intel-based Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.5.6. It addresses issues with roaming and network selection in dual-band environments.
The Airport Extreme features page says:
Instead of choosing one of the bands, AirPort Extreme now operates simultaneously on both bands, and your multiband devices automatically use the best available band.
I took note of this because I was curious how they were going to accomplish this feat. There isn’t any procedure (that I know of) in the 802.11n spec that specifies how a client should decide which network to join if they both have the same name (SSID). Apparently, Apple is going to roll that functionality right into their wireless drivers so the client device will decide which network to join based on the frequency band of the available networks.
This likely means that it won’t work seamlessly for Windows or Linux users on your Wi-Fi network and they will have to manually switch to the 5GHz 802.11n network if they first join the 2.4GHz 802.11b/g network. I am curious to see how Windows and Linux drivers will handle wireless network priority when there are two networks on different bands with the same SSID and WPA password. I imagine it can be set, but it would depend on the drivers and the features that the operating system exposes to the user.
I am sure it will work great for Apple users, but may disappoint those supporting mixed-platform environments. Truth be told, it is not any worse than other available solutions because everything else will continue to see two separate networks. Just something to be aware of when you wonder why it doesn’t work the same way on your netbook as it does on your MacBook Pro.
It will be a lot more interesting when we see the firmware update for the previous Airport and Time Capsule models so we can see what is different. Early speculation is that the MobileMe sharing features will be enabled on the old devices, but that dual-band networking will only be on the new devices. No word yet if Guest Networking will be available on the older Airport Extreme.
Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.Переслать
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