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Behold! My Mac mini media center
Filed under: Multimedia, Tips and tricks, Mac mini
For those of you that haven't heard me tell the beginning of this story on the TUAW talkcast, you might recall that my dad the switcher upgraded his Mac mini to a sweet new Mac Pro. So what could I do with an extra Mac mini? Maybe a server? Maybe a doorstop?

I know! A media center!

I had cable service, a DVD player, and a TiVo Series 2. My goal was to combine all of those things into one set-top-box -- the Mac mini -- and maybe even unsubscribe from some of the monthly services.

After I bought the Mac mini from my dad (the switcher), I hooked it up to my old, standard-definition TV. The Mac mini Media Center -- M³C for short -- was born.

The video experience was sub-optimal, owing mostly to my 10-year-old CRT that occasionally turned black-and-white (or lost video altogether). I knew it was time for a new TV. I promised myself that as a reward for finishing a series of challenging home improvement projects (replacing a bathroom sink and installing new floors, to name two) I would get myself the high-definition TV I always wanted.

That TV arrived on Wednesday. Now, I can share with you how to set up the easiest, most awesome M³C of your own -- for less money than you think.
Continue reading Behold! My Mac mini media center
TUAW Behold! My Mac mini media center originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AppleInsider: Apple tablet finally coming next year
Filed under: Portables, Rumors
So, apparently the Apple netbook/tablet is coming.

No, don't stop reading.

According to AppleInsider, after four years, the long-awaited successor to the Newton is on its way. No, really, they're not kidding. The supposed netbook, which appears to be an iPod touch on steroids, is part of Apple's 2010 lineup, AppleInsider claims. Most of the article details the ebb and flow of stories regarding an Apple tablet for the past four years.

Will there finally be an iTablet? We're not quite sure. Like the rest of you, we'll have to wait and see what 2010 brings. As discussed around the TUAW water cooler today, there are so many similar devices now on the market that Apple is perfectly poised to make a grand entrance and revolutionize the industry -- just like with cell phones. As pointed out, "2010" could easily translate into October 2009 or December 21, 2012.

Part of me wants to check with Chicken Little to see if the sky is falling. But, another part really, really, wants to believe.
TUAW AppleInsider: Apple tablet finally coming next year originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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ACU's iPhone initiative: a year later
Filed under: Education, Interviews, iPhone
In February of last year I did a two-paragraph writeup on an interesting development in higher education, noting that Abilene Christian University was doling out iPhones and iPod touches to incoming first-year students. I didn't, at the time, have many details on the goals of the program or its implementation, I just gathered that there was a good deal of planning and thought behind the initiative. Little did I know that, over a year later, I'd be talking to the minds behind the program and finding out exactly how it went.

I recently got a chance to follow up with George Saltsman (Faculty Development), Scott Perkins (Director of Research) and William (Bill) Rankin (Director of Educational Innovation), meeting up for a multiparty video chat which revealed the excitement these guys have for what they are seeing become the platform for education: the iPhone. We talked for well over an hour, and their intensity and enthusiasm never dwindled. I got a great look at what they planned, how they did it, and how it turned out after the first year. Read on to see how the iPhone (and the iPod touch) has played a role in creating a new model for higher education at ACU.
Continue reading ACU's iPhone initiative: a year later
TUAW ACU's iPhone initiative: a year later originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple hardware changes alter Microsoft "Hunter" ads
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Hardware, Macbook Pro
While some of Microsoft's recent ad campaigns have fallen flat, like the Jerry Seinfeld and "I'm A PC" ads, the "PC Hunter" series has struck a chord with consumers and, it would seem, Apple.

AdAge is reporting on the aftermath of Microsoft COO Kevin Turner gloating about getting a call from Apple's lawyers asking them to stop running the 'Laptop Hunters' Mom/Lauren ad because it inaccurately represented Apple's pricing. Guess what: Microsoft has since run an altered version of the ad.

In the original, Lauren (not that Lauren) is after a laptop with "...speed, portability and battery life for under $1,700." Here you go, Lauren. While shopping, she says, "This Mac is $2,000, and that's before adding anything." In the current version (see video after the break), she simply says "It seems like you're paying a lot for the brand," but mentions no actual price.

Lauren ends up with a 13-inch, $972 Dell XPS. When the ad began to run, Apple had not yet announced the 13-inch MacBook Pro, so the Dell was compared to the more expensive 15-inch model. Since then, Apple released the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,199. Hence Microsoft's having to alter the copy of the ad.

Of course, if you equip the XPS to match the 13-inch MBP, it eliminates nearly all cost difference as well as Apple-exclusive features like the 7-hour battery life. And, you know, Mac OS X.

There are two take-aways here. First, women named Lauren love PCs. Second, if you advertise that your stuff is all cheap crap, don't be surprised when your revenues drop 17%. Pricing sends a message that consumers hear loud and clear. The CDs in the discount bin at Sam Goody are no different than the full-priced ones, but consumers perceive them as less desirable. Small wonder, then, that nine out of every $10 spent on $1K+ "premium" laptops at retail goes into Apple's pocket.

[Via Electronista]
Continue reading Apple hardware changes alter Microsoft "Hunter" ads
TUAW Apple hardware changes alter Microsoft "Hunter" ads originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iLife 101: Switch from Picasa to iPhoto
Filed under: iLife, Software
If you've ever thought about giving up Google for your photo management, David Alison has good tips on moving from Picasa to iPhoto. For the unfamiliar, Picasa is the big G's photo-management software, originally available only on Windows and now made for Mac (since the beginning of 2009). When my sister the Windows user came to me for an equivalent to iPhoto, I set her up with Picasa and she's been happy since. Combined with Google's free Picasa Web Albums option, the app makes it easy to get your photos online for far-flung family and friends.

When installed on a Mac, Picasa will let you store images wherever you like, and it takes a "hands-off" approach to images in your iPhoto library, as the app's authors know some users will want to run both. Instead, if you ask it to edit a photo that's in your iPhoto library, it will ask to make a copy first.

Windows users who are switching to the Mac and looking to jump from Picasa to iPhoto ought to check out David's article. He lists the basic differences here, and explains how to switch here. His instructions are simple and readable and should have you up and running in short order. Enjoy iPhoto!
TUAW iLife 101: Switch from Picasa to iPhoto originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Honey, they shrunk the boxes: FCS now in convenient nano size
Filed under: Software, Video

There's more on the inside, where it counts, but the boxes are definitely downsized: over at ilove.nu, Peter Esse has posted his comparative unboxing pictures from Logic Studio and Final Cut Studio 2 to the newly announced and shipping versions (note that Apple is just calling the product "Final Cut Studio" now, even though many are referring to it as version 3). As you can see, the new pro apps are missing one of the pro features: printed manuals.

Considering the $300 price drop and the sheer tonnage of idle & obsolete Final Cut manuals clogging shelves in edit suites around the world, this seems like a reasonable tradeoff. Will you miss the full-scale paper documentation? Let us know below. If you want a PDF overview of the new FCS features, Apple has posted the Final Cut Studio In Depth 66-page rundown (17 MB).
TUAW Honey, they shrunk the boxes: FCS now in convenient nano size originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Announcing the Chilli X giveaway winners!
Filed under: Multimedia, iPhone
We started taking entries for a giveaway last week, with 10 copies of Chilli X's Playlist Alarm Clock up for grabs. If you missed the initial coverage, Playlist Alarm Clock is the iPhone app that lets you build custom playlists for falling asleep and waking up. We asked for your custom playlists and heard from a lot of people with musical tastes ranging from Beethoven to System of a Down. Here are the 10 randomly-selected winners!
1. iGO (comment #46)
2. jack bauer (comment #37)
3. ddelgmac (comment #69)
4. Ian (comment #22)
5. jsemtp2005 (comment #35)
6. Dorv (comment #49)
7. psn (comment #39)
8. Samer (comment #71)
9. +. (comment #67)
10. Tinez (comment #38)
Chilli X will be contacting the winners directly with the promo codes. Congratulations!
TUAW Announcing the Chilli X giveaway winners! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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OmniFocus for iPhone finally has reminders, but implementation is awful
Filed under: Software, Features, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
[Update] Ken Case comments below, addressing some of the concerns listed here. It looks like a future version of OmniFocus on the Mac will be able to directly update the OmniFocus reminders on the server, removing at least one of my complaints.

Ken Case from The Omni Group has been twittering for awhile about the impending inclusion of alarm reminders for OmniFocus. The task management app's iPhone users have been pestering The Omni Group to implement reminders as push notifications, but OmniFocus refuses to do so. They say that reminders that rely on connectivity are not good enough, and they have instead chosen to implement reminders by exporting due dates and times into iCal. Once the time comes for a reminder, it pops up like a normal iCal appointment reminder.

Well, OmniFocus 1.5.2 for iPhone was released, and now we get to see how this alternative reminder system works. If I had to choose a word to describe this implementation, that word would be "awful." Here's why:
- The Omni Group has taken great pains to point out that you do not need to be using the desktop version of OmniFocus to get use out of the iPhone version. But for users that only have the iPhone version and are not synchronizing it to either MobileMe (which has a yearly fee) or a WebDAV server (complicated for non-techies), they can't use this implementation of reminders. That's right; the way it works is that OmniFocus on the iPhone exports your reminders to your synchronization server, then points iCal on the iPhone to the server to import your reminders. That means that if you enter new due dates in OmniFocus for iPhone but don't happen to have connectivity, you won't get reminders. Wait, I thought it was implemented this way in the first place to guard against a lack of connectivity?
- Your OmniFocus reminders unnecessarily pollute your iPhone calendar with reminders. This is a visual problem when you need to glance at your calendars and see what actual appointments are coming up. On the iPhone you can either look at one specific calendar, or all calendars, so if like me you need to regularly stay on top of more than one calendar, you're forced to look at your OmniFocus reminders as well. ~~Oh, and even when you complete them in OmniFocus and resync, they don't go away in your calendar.~~ [Update] Stephen points out in the comments that this works as expected, and upon further testing I have to agree. Maybe I was being a bit too impatient.
- Since your OmniFocus reminders are actually just fake appointments, there is no way to audibly differentiate them from appointment reminders. They sound and look exactly the same. Remember the Milk, for example, uses push notifications on its iPhone app, and you can set the notification sound to a number of different options. That way you know that you're being reminded of a task rather than an appointment.
- Reminders are set based on Due time, rather than Available time, and in terms of flexibility you can set the reminder to be 5 to 60 minutes before the task is due. By the time a task is actually due, isn't it too late to be reminded about it?
- Finally, if you're a user of OmniFocus for the Mac, your reminders are not created on your iPhone until you think to launch OmniFocus on the iPhone and synchronize it. That means that if you work all day in OmniFocus on your Mac (like I do), then drive home and start doing other stuff and don't happen to open OmniFocus on your iPhone, you won't receive any reminders for tasks that you might have set for that night, or until you actually open and sync OmniFocus on your iPhone.
So, what would I rather see? Push notifications, like the many other OmniFocus for iPhone users out there that have been providing their feedback to The Omni Group.

As mentioned, Remember the Milk has implemented push notifications, and the ability to change the notification sound isn't the only trick it has up its sleeve. The Remember the Milk icon on my iPhone's screen shows how many due tasks I have that day, and the number changes almost instantly when I make changes on the web version. To see how many currently available and due tasks I have in OmniFocus, I again have to launch the app and wait for it to synchronize.

While I love OmniFocus and I think The Omni Group does amazing work, this implementation of reminders for the iPhone version of OmniFocus is just full of an amazing amount of fail. It's a hacky workaround that still doesn't ensure that a lack of connectivity won't adversely affect the user's ability to receive reminder notifications. Omni folks, this is just meant to be tough love -- I wouldn't be saying all of this if I didn't truly care about OmniFocus.
TUAW OmniFocus for iPhone finally has reminders, but implementation is awful originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Palm updates Palm Pre webOS software, "fixes" iTunes bork
Filed under: Software, iTunes

Palm released webOS 1.1.0 for its Palm Pre devices today. Normally, this would elicit a collective "that's nice" from TUAW, but what makes this interesting is that according to the release notes, the update "resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (8.2.1)."

The "issue," of course, is none other than last week's borking by Apple of the Palm Pre's ability to sync with iTunes. As you may recall, in order to get around Apple's restrictions and sync with iTunes -- which nowadays is meant exclusively for use with Apple products, although in the past there was an API for third-party MP3 players to sync with it -- the Palm was programmed, in effect, to impersonate an iPod.

Apple was not amused. Enter iTunes 8.2.1, which "fixed" the problem. Palm was not amused. Out came webOS 1.1.0 which claimed to have "re-fixed" the problem while Palm exhibited no small measure of evil glee. In fact, on their very own blog, Palm describes the return of iTunes sync as "one more thing." Oh, Palm. Don't you know that "one more thing" fails to impress unless you're hiding a new MacBook Pro or iPhone behind your back?

Say what you want about Apple's notoriously closed, exclusive systems, but I have to admit I feel a little less than sympathetic for Palm right about now. After all, it's not like Palm doesn't have the resources to design a robust, easy-to-use media syncing system ~~and music player~~ that would work with the Pre. It just doesn't want to. It would rather poach the development Apple put into its own software product, and then market iTunes compatibility as a feature of the Pre, as if it had licensed that function from Apple. Can it do that? Sure. But Apple can continue to close any loopholes Palm finds. In other words, Palm hinges any marketing of the Palm Pre device on its iTunes compatibility at its peril. I don't think it's doing its customers any favors by promising a feature it's not certain it can deliver going forward.

If I'm reading the tea leaves correctly, look for a nice iTunes "update" in the next couple of days. You know. To "fix" any issues with "verification of Apple devices."

No matter what, it's shaping up to be a very entertaining game of cat-and-mouse. Popcorn, anybody?

[via Engadget]
TUAW Palm updates Palm Pre webOS software, "fixes" iTunes bork originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition out on iPhone
Filed under: Gaming, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

That was fast -- LucasArts has released the Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition out to the iPhone, and it's available on the App Store right now for the low price of $7.99. I say low because even though that's higher than many games for the platform, this one is not only one of the best-loved games of yesteryear, but it has also had its graphics completely redone, voiceover added for every scene and character, and a completely remastered musical score as well. Plus, if you get nostalgic for the old version, you can seamlessly switch between the new and old at any time while you play the game. Pretty darn cool.

Plus, the price can also be considered low because this exact same game released just about a week ago on the Xbox Live Arcade for $10. So not only do you now get to play it in a portable version, you get to play it for $2 less. Hopefully this is the first of many LucasArts classics that we'll see on the iPhone. Just keep an eye out as you play for any really evil-looking doorstops -- we hear they're quite fearsome.

TUAW Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition out on iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rumor: Chinese manufacturers building cases (with cameras) for new iPod touch, nano
Filed under: Rumors, Odds and ends, Apple, iPod nano, iPod touch

Here's a story that, strangely, makes sense. Cult of Mac is saying that these cases above are already being made by Chinese manufacturers, in advance of what they call the "worst-kept secret in China": that Apple will be announcing new versions of the iPod touch and the iPod nano in September, complete with cameras on both. These aren't cases comissioned by Apple, they're Chinese companies that have supposedly heard about the dimensions and feature placement of Apple's next products, and are making third-party accessories to match, even before the official announcement here in the US.

Apparently these guys heard about the dimensions back in May, and they're so certain of the information that they're shipping samples and taking orders from US retailers. True or not? We have no idea -- certainly there's enough photos of the new cases on Cult of Mac's site to be convinced, and that Apple would release new versions of popular iPods right before back to school and the holidays isn't just believable, it's business as usual.

But the camera on there is the interesting move -- is it a video or still camera? Why is the iPod touch's camera centered instead of offset like every other iPhone camera? Will there be new software capabilities for taking and sharing pictures on these devices? That's all still up in the air. We guess we'll find out in a few months.

[via Silicon Alley Insider]

TUAW Rumor: Chinese manufacturers building cases (with cameras) for new iPod touch, nano originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Zensify, another not-so-hot social aggregator for the iPhone
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
It's an increasingly crowded category on the App Store: Social Networking. Like several other apps in this category, Zensify (iTunes link) doesn't just tap into one social networking service. The app is an aggregator, taking multiple sites and rolling them up into one app that will, in theory, make your social networking somehow easier. That's the promise of all these aggregator apps. So how does Zensify do?

First, Zensify supports Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Digg, Delicious, YouTube, 12seconds and Photobucket. Unfortunately, I had only moderate success with signing in to some of these. Flickr takes you to the requisite Flickr-based verification pages, but after going through the process I received a warning dialog that an error had occurred, with only OK as my option to continue -- right before the app froze up completely. Then I tried Digg, but there was only a username field, not a password field. I was able to get Delicious to work, and YouTube (after quitting the app, as there was a bug preventing me from typing in the text area). I didn't try Photobucket or 12seconds, as I'm not big on those.

I should note that I wound up deleting Zensify, then re-installing it, and something interesting happened -- once I had re-logged into Facebook Connect, my previous logins "stuck." I only needed to type in my username on digg and it said everything was logged in. That was a pretty neat trick, and a re-install appears to take care of some of the initial bugs. I'm assured by the folks at Zensify that several other bugs are being crushed for the next release.

While Zensify is pretty in parts, there are functionality issues. These are because, in an effort to do everything, the app winds up a confusing mess at times. Many apps suffer from this, especially social networking apps. Keep reading for my full review.

Gallery: Zensify for iPhone
Continue reading Zensify, another not-so-hot social aggregator for the iPhone
TUAW Zensify, another not-so-hot social aggregator for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhoto2Twitter 1.5 adds movie and Mobypicture support
Filed under: iLife, Software, Odds and ends, Blogging
Back in June, TUAW reported on iPhoto2Twitter, an iPhoto plugin that provides an easy way to send photos from your iPhoto library to Twitter via TwitPic. Now the developer, Blue Crowbar Software, is back with an update that adds support for sending photos and movies from your iPhone or digital camera to Mobypicture.com.

Mobypicture is an online service that lets you upload a photo or movie once, then distribute the media to a number of different social sites and blogging tools. At this time, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Blogger, Vimeo, WordPress, LiveJournal, Tumblr, Vimeo, Jaiku, Hyves, and BrightKite are all supported.

As before, iPhoto2Twitter is available for €4.95 (approximately US$7.03) directly from the developer's website. Blue Crowbar's Aperture2Twitter has also been updated to add various social media and blogging sites through Mobypicture, and it's now available for €5.95 (about US$8.47).
TUAW iPhoto2Twitter 1.5 adds movie and Mobypicture support originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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EA, Namco set sights on iPhone development
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Developer, App Store
Two big gaming companies have made stark moves towards some major iPhone development in the future. Electronic Arts has made what seems to be the strongest move: they've put together a division in the company specifically for making iPhone games, and not just any games. Specifically, the kind that cost 99 cents.

8lb Gorilla is the name of the group they've put together in-house, and apparently it's a bunch of young developers given the task of putting together quick and cheap games about once a month that can sell for 99 cents, keep customers happy, and still bring in a profit for EA. The first title out of the group is a game called Zombies and Me, which appears to be an action game where you blow up zombies with explosives. Who wouldn't pay 99 cents for that one, right?

Namco is also making moves toward the platform, though not that specific (or risky, though EA's gambit could pay off big if the young devs turn out a hit). They've created an "Apple Games" division within their company, designed to make games specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch, and presumably for any other platforms that Apple decides to release games on. We hear the Mac is pretty popular -- does "Apple Games" include those other computers they make? Yet another Pac Man remake is the first title from them, but hopefully more original releases are coming.

Very interesting to see major companies start setting aside resources specifically to target the App Store's unique market. Mac gamers have been fighting for years to get devs to pay attention to their platform, and now it looks like Apple's handheld devices, along with the relatively easy money of the App Store, have finally done it.
TUAW EA, Namco set sights on iPhone development originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple has 91 percent revenue share of premium market
Filed under: Apple Financial
Apple's quarterly earnings aren't the only bits of good news going around: according to Betanews, the market research firm NPD has found that Apple's revenue market share in the premium price segment (computers costing $1000 or more) is 91 percent, up from 88 percent in May.

Not only is this good news for Apple, it is a continuation of a positive trend: their premium revenue share is way up from the first quarter of 2008, when their cut was about 66 percent. However, most original equipment manufacturers and Microsoft prefer to measure success by unit market share, or how many individual computers were moved regardless of price. Gartner and IDC place the unit market share of PCs running some version of Microsoft Windows at 90 percent, while Macs have 8.7 percent.

Breaking down the numbers, this news isn't too surprising. According to NPD, the average selling price of a computer sold at retail in June was $701. Splitting this figure into Macs and PCs gives an ASP of $515 for any Windows PC sold. A Mac, on the other hand, has an ASP of a whopping $1400.

Considering that Apple chooses not to wage the netbook price war and that the bulk of PCs purchased cost less than $1000, it makes sense that Apple would control the premium segment. They were also able to boost their sales figures in this bracket by lowering the high-end prices $100 or more on each model while keeping all but one computer in the $1000+ segment. But hey, we'll take good news however we have to slice it, right?

[via The Loop]
TUAW Apple has 91 percent revenue share of premium market originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Things mom may not have told you about Keynote: Presenter Display
Filed under: Software, How-tos, Productivity, Tips and tricks, Apple
I consider myself a power Keynote user, and overwhelmingly prefer the app over PowerPoint (on both the Mac and PC) -- even though though I'm just as well-versed at PowerPoint. Only on rare occasions do I start my presentation workflow in PowerPoint (if the deck is going to be chart-centric, to avoid the limited axis and error bar support in pre-09 versions of Keynote).

While both Keynote and Powerpoint get you from Point A to Point B, it's the "little things," such as alignment guides and better graphics support (i.e., native support for Photoshop PSDs and Illustrator AIs), that make the presentation journey that much more enjoyable and more presentable.

One of these little things is Presenter View. Although PowerPoint has a similar feature (in both Mac and PC versions) it lacks the polish and ease-of-use found in Keynote. Presenter View allows you to look at your slide's notes, and upcoming slides and builds, without your audience's knowledge.
Continue reading Things mom may not have told you about Keynote: Presenter Display
TUAW Things mom may not have told you about Keynote: Presenter Display originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple store back up; Final Cut Pro 7, Logic Pro 9 released
Filed under: Multimedia, Software
It's always an exciting day when the Apple Store goes down. And it's not even a Tuesday.

Apple has updated Final Cut Studio, including Final Cut Pro 7 and Logic Pro 9. That's good news for artists! Musicians and filmmakers now have something new to play with. Even better, they can do it for less: the suite is now $999, $300 less than the previous version. Upgrades are $299.

FCP 7 includes three new ProRes codecs, alpha transitions, new sharing options including support for iChat Theater, automatic transfer of P2 media and more. Motion 4 includes new 3D shadow and reflection options, and the ever-popular bad film filter. All the apps in Studio have been updated to new versions.

Apple also announced version 1.5 of the Final Cut Server collaboration and asset management environment. The unlimited-license edition of FC Server is also $999 & upgrades are $299..

Full feature list from Apple PR in the continuation of the post.

[H/T The Loop]
Continue reading Apple store back up; Final Cut Pro 7, Logic Pro 9 released
TUAW Apple store back up; Final Cut Pro 7, Logic Pro 9 released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sketches 1.7 out now
Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Developer, iPhone, App Store
My favorite iPhone artmaking app, Sketches, has been updated again, this time to version 1.7. It's been made compatible with the iPhone 3.0 firmware, which means you no longer have to leave the app to share your pictures via email, and they've added in a few other bug fixes and improvements which will set them up for the next major release, the big 2.0.

This release isn't done yet though: "Redo" has been added in -- when you hold the Undo button down in the app, you'll get a whole menu of different options to go to various points in what you've done so far. And the Zoom function has been tweaked and improved as well, offering a quicker response and a better resolution, even when zoomed in.

I'm a big fan of Sketches, and expecially of the app's ability to let you pull in a background from almost anywhere (from your phone's camera to the Google Maps app), and then make your own marks on it. It's more than just an art app -- I've used it as a memory jogger, and even as a way to quickly send directions out to others via email or Twitter. It's available to new users on the App Store for $4.99, or the 1.7 update is free to those who already have it.
TUAW Sketches 1.7 out now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ask TUAW: Lotus Notes to iPhone, Time Capsule storage, uninstalling Haxies, and more
Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on syncing an iPhone with Lotus Notes, expanding storage on a Time Capsule, preventing iCal event invitation emails, uninstalling Haxies, and more

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.
Continue reading Ask TUAW: Lotus Notes to iPhone, Time Capsule storage, uninstalling Haxies, and more
TUAW Ask TUAW: Lotus Notes to iPhone, Time Capsule storage, uninstalling Haxies, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple Store is Down
Filed under: Odds and ends, Apple

Several readers have tipped us that, in fact, the online Apple Store is down. We'll let you know of any changes when it comes back up.
TUAW Apple Store is Down originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Public Radio app updated and renamed
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review
The much beloved Public Radio Tuner has been updated, and now sports a new name. Public Radio Player [App Store] is your easy way to get to most of the NPR stations in the country.

This new version, which remains free, also allows you to find archived shows, like Car Talk, Speaking of Pets, Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, Fresh Air, and many others. This allows on-demand service of your favorite Public Radio programs.

You also can get a station's current schedule when you start to stream. Some stations don't support it, but if the metadata is there you'll see it in the app.

A couple of things to note at this point: Since the app has been renamed it may not appear when you check for updates at the App Store. However, when you run the older Public Radio Tuner, it will advise you of the new app and download it, leaving your older app in place. The new app won't have your favorites, so those will have to be added in manually.

There is a search function so you can find what you want by station name, call letters, frequency, city, region or category.

I find the new version a bit sluggish, and this is reflected by many other users comments. It's a bit slow to respond on either Wi-Fi or the 3G network.

Some of the stations appear in the list without their location, so it looks like the database should be cleaned up a bit. The app also has to my eye a rather sickly green color. Not a favorite of mine, and I think many people won't be wild about it. Note: The App Store page shows different, better colors (my view) but you can't get them on the release version.

Finally, I had some problems installing this app. On first run it said 'loading' and spun a gear for more than 10 minutes. I bailed out, re-booted my iPhone and it came up fine. If you see something similar, try re-starting your device and see if it solves it.

I love the new features in this app, but it has some rough edges. Luckily it doesn't write over the original version, so you can retain your favorites. I'd like to see a quick update and bug fix for this app, but as it is, it improves on the original feature set and should make Public Radio fans happy.

Here are some screen shots:

Gallery: Public Radio Player
TUAW Public Radio app updated and renamed originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Camera Zoom 1.1 app released for OS 3.0
Filed under: App Review
When I tried to take fourth of July fireworks pictures at Jones Beach on Long Island, I was too far away from the action to get anything really good. My iPhone 3GS turned the spectacular flashes of color into small colorful specks and I realized that what this camera needed was a zoom function.

I looked for one and found Camera Zoom from Kenditech which we covered last April. The problem was that it wouldn't work with OS 3.0. I did find a few apps that I thought would help like Zipix Lite, which purported to zoom, but really only enlarged and cropped the picture giving me less than acceptable results.

Picture taking on the iPhone has just gotten better with the release of Camera Zoom 1.1 which plays very nicely with OS 3.0. It provides up to a 4X digital zoom; not as good as an optical zoom, but not bad at all.

The app gives you a slider bar that zooms in and out, or optionally uses the whole screen to zoom by sliding your finger across the screen. The same goes for the shutter, which allows you to tap anywhere to take the picture. This can get in the way of the autofocus box, but can be turned off. Camera Zoom 1.1 also gives you the option to reduce the size of pictures to 320X480, the native resolution of the iPhone screen. I recommend this setting since the improvement is dramatic.

If you have an iPhone 3GS, you will get more functionality out of your camera with Camera Zoom 1.1. I haven't tested earlier cameras, but I can't see why it wouldn't be great for those as well. Spending 99 cents for this app is a no-brainer. It's one of those things that just should have been built into the system.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so take a look at this gallery and see for yourself.

Gallery: Camera Zoom 1.1
TUAW Camera Zoom 1.1 app released for OS 3.0 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Remix David Bowie's "Space Oddity" on your iPhone
Filed under: Multimedia, iPhone, First Look
I'm a big David Bowie fan, regardless of the era. From Ziggy Stardust to Tin Machine, I'm a just a fan. Bowie's first big UK hit, "Space Oddity," was originally released on July 11, 1969. It was released in conjunction with the Apollo 11 mission and became a smash in the UK, though it wouldn't break through to US audiences until 1973.

Coinciding with yesterday's Apollo 11 anniversary iKlax Media and EMI have come together to release Remix David Bowie - Space Oddity [iTunes link] for the iPhone and iPod touch. Essentially Remix David Bowie is the Space Oddity 40th Anniversary EP [iTunes link], but it lets you create your own "mix" of the track.

iKlax's Remix app has a pretty neat interface that separates the original track into various stem-specific elements. You can control the volume for each of these stems (for things like the lead vocal, the vocal dub, the electric string guitar, orchestra, mellotron and others).

In addition to letting you control what elements you want to adjust, you can also listen to some of the pre-arranged samples, like "acoustic," "a cappella" and "instrument only." This actually coincides with the versions and stems on the Digital EP release that is available as a music download.

You can make track adjustments on the fly, but you can't alternate levels in various parts of the track. That would be expecting a bit much from a $1.99 app, but I thought I should point it out.

After you create your custom mix, you can name it and save it. Unfortunately, you can't share that mix with others, which I imagine is a licensing issue, but it's too bad. Sharing custom remixes, even if it was through a web player, would be really cool.

At $1.99US, Remix David Bowie is a pretty fun app for the would-be DJ/Bowie-fan.

Gallery: David Bowie's "Space Oddity"
TUAW Remix David Bowie's "Space Oddity" on your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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