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- MeetMe makes meeting up easier
Filed under: App Store, App Review
Pam recently moved to New York City to attend art school in pursuit of her life long dream of becoming an artist. Unfortunately, this puts 120 or so miles between Pam and her boyfriend, Jim, who happens to live in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Despite the distance between them, they manage to visit each other frequently -- often times at rest stops centrally located between the two cities. Obviously, finding new and different places for the two to meet may prove trying, as it would be for many in a similar situation. But, fortunately for iPhone owners in similar shoes, there's MeetMe [iTunes link]. MeetMe provides meeting points of interest between two points.
For MeetMe, these two points are Points A and B. In either one, you can choose to use your current location, use an address from your iPhone's contacts, or enter an address manually. After settling on the locations of both Points A and B, tapping the "places to meet" button provides a list of places to meet by category and subcategory, for which vendor ratings and reviews are provided via Yelp. MeetMe also provides the distance from a vendor to both Points A and B, so you'll know who's really driving more.
While the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, your choice of what to do once you get there ought not be as straight and narrow. Fortunately, MeetMe may present you some more options. MeetMe is available at in the App Store for $1.99.
TUAWMeetMe makes meeting up easier originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: iPhone - AppStore - Apple - TUAW - New York CityПереслать - First Look: Best Camera App for iPhone
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review
The first thing I normally do when someone names their application "The Best..." is roll my eyes and delete the PR email. However, when I saw a press release about the Best Camera app for iPhone, I decided to take a look and I'm glad I did.
Best Camera [iTunes link] is a collaboration between professional photographer Chase Jarvis and iPhone dev firm Übermind. The app gets its name from Jarvis's book "The Best Camera is The One That's With You," a collection of photos taken all over the world by Jarvis with his iPhone.
The US$2.99 app features 14 useful filters and effects that can be stacked; in other words, you can take a photo with the iPhone camera, then apply several filters and/or effects before sharing your handiwork. The filters and effects are on a side-scrolling "dock" at the bottom of the screen, and you apply them by simply tapping on the icons. Sharing includes saving the photo on your iPhone camera roll, sending it out via email, or blasting it to your Facebook or Twitter account.
There's also one more place to share your photo. While filters and effects are nothing new, Jarvis has created a community at thebestcamera.com where photos that have been submitted are displayed on a constantly changing photo wall. These photos are also viewable in the app itself, and by tapping a photo in either location, you can view information about the photographer. On the website, the information also includes a list of the filers or effects that were used on the original photo so you can re-create photos that you find fascinating.
Check out the gallery below for some screenshots of the Best Camera app in action.
TUAWFirst Look: Best Camera App for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: iPhone - AppStore - Facebook - Apple - ITunesПереслать - iTunes 9.0.1 now in Software Update
Filed under: iTunes, Software Update
Fire up your Software Updates, gang: the new version of iTunes is here -- with bug fixes and tweaks to help those who were suffering from iTunes 9 issues. The update's fixes include:- Resolves issues browsing the iTunes Store.
- Addresses a performance issue where iTunes may become unresponsive.
- Fixes a problem where iTunes may unexpectedly quit.
- Fixes a problem syncing Podcasts in playlists to iPod or iPhone.
- Fixes a problem sorting albums with multiple discs.
- Addresses an issue with the Zoom button not switching to Mini Player.
- Improves application syncing for iPod touch and iPhone.
- Genius is now automatically updated to show Genius Mixes.
The update is close to 90 MB, and like the previous iTunes 9 build it requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 and up, or Windows XP + newer. Note that the Mac version requires Safari 4 as well as QuickTime 7.6.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.TUAWiTunes 9.0.1 now in Software Update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: iPhone - Apple - ITunes - IPod Touch - Windows XPПереслать - First Look: Get airborne with Aera for iPhone
Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look, App Review
Aera is a new flight game [iTunes store] from iChromo with beautifully rendered graphics and some challenging game-play. I wouldn't exactly call it a flight simulator, as your control of the aircraft is limited. You can't bank left or right, but you do control your up and down pitch. The game is priced at US$2.99 for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Think of Aera as a 2D shooter with exceptionally good graphics and addictive missions that can draw you deeply into the game.
There are several different mission types. In some, you collect points by flying the plane into floating objects, and in others you need to avoid those floating objects. There are also missions where you have to do both, as well as dogfights and aerobatic flights.
Because the controls do not work in the way other flight games work, it's helpful to go through the quick in-game tutorial so you know how the game works. If you try to exit the tutorial and just start playing, you'll be brought back to the tutorial until you have finished it. It really is necessary, because you'll never be able to fly successfully without going through it.
The game also features multiplayer options for other owners of the sim who are on the same wireless network. Aera also features video replay, allowing you to watch yourself crash and burn.Continue reading First Look: Get airborne with Aera for iPhone
TUAWFirst Look: Get airborne with Aera for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: iPhone - appstore - Apple - IpodTouch - TUAWПереслать - Push for Gmail: it's here, it works, and it's limited
Filed under: Internet Tools, iPhone
If you use Gmail, you have something to be excited about today, because you can finally have new email messages pushed directly to your iPhone when they arrive.
For many users, however, their first response is "it's about time!" and others have even gone as far as saying "it's finally here, no thanks to Apple." This new feature, unveiled this morning by Google, has even been called a "workaround" to Apple's alleged refusal to support push email, but in reality this isn't the case.
Push: What is it, and how does it work?
To understand why push services have not been available before, let's first discuss what exactly push is. When a client (be it a mail program, Twitter client, or web browser) needs to notify a user when new content or information is available, it has to periodically connect to the server and check for changes.
This is the way email clients have worked for years: the client checks with the server at a defined interval (usually every 5-15 minutes), downloads any new messages, and notifies the user that new mail has arrived. Many other services, such as RSS feeds, Twitter, Facebook, and even the Gmail website work the same way; they just check the server more often, which gives the appearance of real-time notifications.
Other services, such as instant messaging clients, maintain a constant, active connection to the server at all times. When new information is available for the client, the server sends, or "pushes" the information directly to the client as soon as it is available. In corporate environments, mail services such as Microsoft Exchange have paved the way for push email, by having the mail client (usually Outlook, Entourage, or other clients that support Exchange) maintain an active connection to the mail server, which allows the server to notify the client immediately when new mail arrives.
Read on to find out how Gmail push works, and what you need to know to get it set up on your phone.Continue reading Push for Gmail: it's here, it works, and it's limited
TUAWPush for Gmail: it's here, it works, and it's limited originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Google - IPhone - Apple - Gmail - MicrosoftПереслать - AT&T poised to roll out 3G MicroCell service
Filed under: Hardware, Wireless, Odds and ends, Internet, iPhone
For many iPhone owners in the U.S., the fact that you're tied to AT&T as the wireless carrier has been a serious problem. As an example, until this week, I was lucky if I got 2 bars of signal strength on EDGE at my house and I never had 3G service. Now, for some inexplicable reason, I'm able to get a full 5 bars on 3G on the top floor of my house and about 3 bars on the lower floor.
Unless you're fortunate enough to have a similar miracle take place near your home, you may need to take advantage of AT&T's upcoming 3G MicroCell service. This service literally puts a tiny Internet-attached cell tower in your home or office, blasting out 5 bars of 3G goodness to about a 5,000 square foot area.
The 3G MicroCell comes at a price, of course -- the device is rumored to cost $150 and there will be no monthly charge if you wish to use your existing minutes. You can also add unlimited phone calls through the device for an extra $20 per month, so if you primarily use your iPhone in one location, it might be cheaper to get the minimum service plan for the iPhone and just use the 3G MicroCell unlimited plan for your calls.
AT&T's rollout of the 3G MicroCell service will make the iPhone available to a wider audience of potential users, and may also benefit the overstressed AT&T network by decreasing the number of voice and data calls using the regular cell towers.
At the present time, AT&T is testing the 3G MicroCell service in Charlotte, NC. You can check availability of the service by visiting the AT&T site.TUAWAT&T poised to roll out 3G MicroCell service originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: iPhone - AT&T - Apple - 3gMicrocell - SmartphoneПереслать - Microsoft's new retail hiring policy: shop at Apple
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Retail
If you're an Apple retail employee, you might want to keep an eye out for coy glances across the Genius Bar or little notes emailed to your iPhone -- someone may be trying to offer you a job. Word comes via The Loop, citing anonymous sources, that Microsoft's ramp-up process to launching its new line of retail stores has resulted in the harvest & hiring of some Apple Store managers, who in turn are making offers to their hand-picked lists of colleagues with the promise of higher wages in Microsoft's mall outposts. Some managers have been offered relocation assistance to go along with their salary boosts.
You can't blame Microsoft for going after the best in the effort to build out a retail presence (and apparently this kind of bodysnatching goes on all the time in the retail sector), but one does wonder how well the Apple team members will make the transition over to working for Microsoft -- it's a bit more of an adjustment than going from Victoria's Secret to Lady Foot Locker.
It might not just be the lure of more money that draws the iCrew over to the new shops; some may be profoundly dissatisfied with their current working environment, according to an ifoAppleStore report noted by AppleInsider. Frustrations between employees and management at the Alderwood Mall store in Washington have led to the threat of a walkout scheduled for October 3rd, which would be the first such demonstration of labor power by Apple retail employees, according to the post.If you're an Apple Store employee and you've been approached by Microsoft directly or by colleagues who are jumping ship, drop us a line at tuaw.com/tips and let us know what's going down.
Illustration via the Iconfactory, in belated honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day.TUAWMicrosoft's new retail hiring policy: shop at Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: iPhone - Microsoft - Apple - AppleStore - Unofficial Apple WeblogПереслать - Mac 101: Using Home Sharing in iTunes 9
Filed under: Video, iTunes, Mac 101
Home Sharing is one of the fantastic new features in iTunes 9, and one that slipped between the cracks in our coverage in the days after the software was released. Sang Tang showed us how to use FireWire to speed up transfers over your network, but this is a basic overview of how Home Sharing works and how you can use it to easily share media files to different computers in your household.
This video was made using the new screen recording option in QuickTime X, which proved to be extremely easy and useful.TUAWMac 101: Using Home Sharing in iTunes 9 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Apple - iTunes - TUAW - Macintosh - QuickTimeПереслать - Three new iPhone ads make their debut on prime-time television
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Video, Odds and ends, Found Footage
Were you watching the two-hour season premiere of House last night on Fox? Maybe you were watching one of the other prime-time shows, but if you had your eyes on the screen during some of the commercial breaks, you probably saw at least one of the three new iPhone ads that hit the airwaves last night.
Each of the new ads highlights a total of six apps, up from the three that were formerly the focus of the older ads. The first ad I saw last night, "Dine," looks at Zagat to Go, QuickOffice, TripCase, New York Subway 09, Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List, and Gap Style Mixer. [Note: all app links will open the iTunes App Store]
The next ad I viewed was "Nature," featuring iXpenseIt, Daily Finance, Guitar Toolkit, Lonely Planet Mandarin Phrasebook, iBird Explorer Plus, and the ever-popular Pizza Hut app. I didn't get a chance to see the third advertisement, "Pass," until I visited the Apple website this morning. It's a 30-second quick look at Fandango, G-Park, VocabWiz College Vocabulary, 365 Crosswords, Classics, and ABC Animals.
I'm happy to see that Apple is maintaining focus on the number and variety of apps in the App Store, instead of resorting to the narcissistic, touchy-feely, celebrity-filled tripe that T-Mobile has been using for their Android-based MyTouch 3G ads.TUAWThree new iPhone ads make their debut on prime-time television originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: IPhone - AppStore - Apple - TUAW - Unofficial Apple WeblogПереслать - Aussie drivers: Buy a cradle, or no iPhone GPS for you
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iPhone
Live in Australia? Have an iPhone? Do you use the iPhone's built-in Maps app, Navigon, or TomTom [iTunes links] to navigate? If you answered yes to all three of those questions, then I have some bad news for you: under the Australian Road Rule 8th Amendment, all use of the iPhone in your car is soon to be banned unless you buy a cradle for it, including using it as a GPS navigator.
An article from the Sydney Morning Herald initially makes it sound as though you won't be able to use such apps at all, especially after reading this quote from a spokesperson for VicRoads, the traffic authority for the Australian state of Victoria: "A phone will only be allowed to be used for its primary purpose. If it's a phone, it's a phone." But once you read farther down the article states, "Drivers will only be able to use mobile phones if they are placed in purpose-made cradles and operation is entirely hands-free." The language of the amendment itself also supports that interpretation.
So it's not the end of the road for iPhone nav apps in Australia, but if you want to continue using your iPhone for said purpose, you'd better go buy a cradle for it, because the fine for getting caught using your iPhone in the car without one is heinously expensive: AU$234! Even TomTom's iPhone cradle doesn't cost that much.
So far the new rule is only confirmed to be rolling out in Victoria, and not until November 9. But don't be surprised if other states and territories follow suit afterward.
New Zealand has a similar cellphone ban coming on November 1, but the NZ proposal is less draconian than the Australian version: the fine is only NZ$80, and the language in the proposal focuses on use of mobile phones for talking and texting, without making any mention of GPS or other uses.
The Australian law seems a bit of an overreach, but I fully support New Zealand's upcoming ban on talking and texting while driving (especially texting - I can't fathom why anyone would think it's okay to text and drive at the same time). I can't speak for Australia's roads, but the roads in New Zealand definitely require one's full attention. The iPhone in particular requires a lot of visual focus in order to use it as a phone unless you have a handsfree setup, and that kind of distraction from the task of driving could potentially lead to a fatal crash on our narrow, winding roads.
Of course there's a question of just how enforceable these laws will be in either country. Unless you're holding the phone up to the side of your head or using it at night, it's unlikely that a passing police car is going to see that your eyes are focused on what's in your hand rather than what's on the road. That's where common sense has to step in: is that phone call from your boss important enough to risk flying off the road? Probably not.
Thanks to reader Brian Rayner for sending this one in.
TUAWAussie drivers: Buy a cradle, or no iPhone GPS for you originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: iPhone - Apple - TomTom - Victoria - TUAWПереслать - Remote Mac support made even easier with Mac HelpMate 3.0
Filed under: Enterprise, OS, Software, Odds and ends, Snow Leopard
A little over a year ago, I was searching for a way to expand my reach as a Mac consultant. I had heard quite a bit from other Apple Consultants Network members about Mac HelpMate, but really didn't know much about it. After a free test drive, I ended up purchasing Mac HelpMate and its companion software for standalone Macs, Auto HelpMate. Since then, supporting users anywhere within or outside of the Denver area without having to hop into my car and drive to a client's house has become a reality.
Mac HelpMate works by creating a secure, user-initiated connection between a support professional and the user through a gateway server run by the brains behind the application, Apple Certified System Administrator Dean Shavit, who invented the Mac HelpMate service three and a half years ago.
The application is easy for my clients to set up, since there's a ZIRO (zero-interaction roll out) tool that I have on my company web site. One click, and my clients are sharing their screens with me, without having to install software or enter a password or code. The standalone application is used both by the support client and the support professional, and it runs on any Mac OS between 10.3 (Panther) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
I celebrated my first year of Mac HelpMate usage by re-subscribing to the service ($600 annually with a $100 discount to members of the Apple Consultants Network) and by upgrading to the new Mac HelpMate 3.0. The new version provides full compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, as well as a number of powerful new features.Continue reading Remote Mac support made even easier with Mac HelpMate 3.0
TUAWRemote Mac support made even easier with Mac HelpMate 3.0 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Snow Leopard - Mac OS X - Apple - Operating system - Mac OSПереслать - The confusing art of installing apps
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, OS, Switchers, Developer
John Gruber of Daring Fireball recently wrote an essay about quirks and user confusion around the application install process on Mac OS X. He had read a post from Alexander Limi's blog about the Firefox install experience, and decided to address it as a system-wide discussion.
After this, Andy Kim posted the methods The Hit List follows for installation -- when it's run from a non-standard location, the app asks if it should move itself to the Applications folder. Andy has placed his code for moving the app into the public domain so that other developers can take advantage of it.
With so many ideas around application install strategies, we wanted to take the time to examine the current app installation structure and propose an idea for how it could be better. You could ask, "Why does it matter where my app is installed?" OR "What if I don't want my applications in Applications?" If you're asking the first question, we suggest that you read on. If you're asking the second question, you're probably pretty obsessive about app organization and this post will be covering old ground for you.
What installation methods exist at the moment? The majority of Mac app installations would fall into these categories:- Disk image installers
- Disk image drag-and-drop
- Archive drag-and-drop
Continue reading The confusing art of installing apps
TUAWThe confusing art of installing apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sponsored Topics: Mac OS - Operating system - Andy Kim - Installation - TUAWПереслать
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