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- Vlingo 2 adds more voice power to iPhone
Filed under: iPhone, App Review
In the burgeoning market for iPhone voice recognition apps, the free Dragon Dictate clearly holds the top spot. In fact, this paragraph was dictated using DragonDictate (with some minor edits after the fact). However, the application doesn't always shine when it comes to getting your text quickly and easily into different places where you might want to use it. You can send an e-mail or send a text message if you want to, but you can't update your Facebook status or send a Twitter message without copying and pasting. Performing a search requires an entirely separate app.
To make your dictation process easier -- at least when it comes to getting your text to go where you want, when you want -- there's the latest update to the Vlingo app, which we first reviewed last June. Vlingo 2.0 is trying to up the ante for text recognition by putting all the 'next step' options in one convenient place.
You can search (Google, Yahoo, or Bing), find map items, dial your contacts (with optional contact name upload to Vlingo's servers to improve recognition) and update your Facebook or Twitter status. For email or SMS, you have two in-app purchase options to extend the free app's capabilities; it's $6.99 for either SMS or email action, $9.99 for both.Vlingo has gotten a thorough UI overhaul in this new version, and it's quite a bit easier to use than it was. The dictation button can be used in hold-down or tap-to-talk mode, and the app can be set to recognize speech on launch for maximum speed. You can specify what action you want by speaking it: "Email Joey, Subject how about some coffee, Message Got time to meet me at Starbucks? You're buying!" will create and address an outgoing email for you, all in one step.
To make your dictation process easier -- at least when it comes to getting your text to go where you want, when you want -- there's the latest update to the Vlingo app, which we first reviewed last June. Vlingo 2.0 is trying to up the ante for text recognition by putting all the 'next step' options in one convenient place.
You can search (Google, Yahoo, or Bing), find map items, dial your contacts (with optional contact name upload to Vlingo's servers to improve recognition) and update your Facebook or Twitter status. For email or SMS, you have two in-app purchase options to extend the free app's capabilities; it's $6.99 for either SMS or email action, $9.99 for both.Vlingo has gotten a thorough UI overhaul in this new version, and it's quite a bit easier to use than it was. The dictation button can be used in hold-down or tap-to-talk mode, and the app can be set to recognize speech on launch for maximum speed. You can specify what action you want by speaking it: "Email Joey, Subject how about some coffee, Message Got time to meet me at Starbucks? You're buying!" will create and address an outgoing email for you, all in one step.
TUAWVlingo 2 adds more voice power to iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone - Vlingo - Google - Facebook - DragonDictate
Переслать - Put yourself in the picture with PixyMe
Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
Do you remember the personalized movies that had been showing up in your email a while back? The one that sticks in my mind was a 'get out the vote' video the Obama campaign sent out a month before the presidential election. The story told by the video was that Obama lost by just one vote and it was you, whoever you are. You name was smoothly integrated into about a dozen places in the narrative. It was a real attention getter.
PixyMe (US $1.99) brings a static version of this technology to your iPhone or iPod touch. This beautifully designed and rendered app lets you incorporate any name or short phrase seamlessly into an eCard or postcard, appearing as though it were part of the photograph. The resulting personalized photo can be either emailed, sent to Facebook, saved in your photo album, or sent as a high-quality physical postcard to any address in the world. It works remarkably well, as you can see from the picture on the right and the gallery below.
It's unfortunate that this app has the all too common problem of dropping you into the fray with scant instructions. That would be okay for a simple one-trick-pony, but this app is fairly complex and has functions that need explanation. There is an info screen at the end of all the options, but all it gives you are the raw basics and a link to get to the PixyMe site. What you probably don't know is that on the site is a great introduction and all the information you need to get started quickly in a video tour. You can view it at the end of this post. I feel that this video should be incorporated into the app or directly linked to rather than dropping you at the site. That's my only complaint. The rest of the app is a delight.
PixyMe (US $1.99) brings a static version of this technology to your iPhone or iPod touch. This beautifully designed and rendered app lets you incorporate any name or short phrase seamlessly into an eCard or postcard, appearing as though it were part of the photograph. The resulting personalized photo can be either emailed, sent to Facebook, saved in your photo album, or sent as a high-quality physical postcard to any address in the world. It works remarkably well, as you can see from the picture on the right and the gallery below.
It's unfortunate that this app has the all too common problem of dropping you into the fray with scant instructions. That would be okay for a simple one-trick-pony, but this app is fairly complex and has functions that need explanation. There is an info screen at the end of all the options, but all it gives you are the raw basics and a link to get to the PixyMe site. What you probably don't know is that on the site is a great introduction and all the information you need to get started quickly in a video tour. You can view it at the end of this post. I feel that this video should be incorporated into the app or directly linked to rather than dropping you at the site. That's my only complaint. The rest of the app is a delight.TUAWPut yourself in the picture with PixyMe originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - AT&T: iPad will be a "Wi-Fi driven product," 3G won't be an issue
If I ran AT&T, I would leave the subject of whether or not the network could handle the iPad's extra 3G traffic demands completely out of the picture, saying something like "we hope so," or "we'll wait and see on how popular it is." But Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO, seems to be tempting fate.
First, he promised that AT&T could handle any demand placed on its network by Apple's iPad, and now he's suggesting that it won't be that bad anyway. In a Reuters article, Stephenson suggests that the iPad will be a "Wi-Fi driven product," and that "there's not going to be a lot of people out there looking for another subscription."
That may in fact be true, and while I'm almost willing to offer him the benefit of the doubt that the majority of browsing on the iPad will be done via Wi-Fi, I also doubt that those who elect to go with 3G won't be using the heck out of it. Maybe AT&T thinks the extra charges from the non-subscription usage will shore up the network, but it certainly sounds to me like Stephenson isn't too worried about AT&T's 3G networks, and from both our experiences with them on the iPhone and the expected popularity of the iPad, he probably should be.
Then again, maybe he's got to say that it won't be a problem -- suggesting that AT&T might not be able to keep up with service demands probably isn't the best thing for the CEO of the company to do. But it sounds like AT&T is underestimating, publicly at least, the kind of 3G network traffic the iPad will bring.TUAWAT&T: iPad will be a "Wi-Fi driven product," 3G won't be an issue originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - (Not) live from New York -- it's TUAW TV Live!
Filed under: Video, Podcasting
TUAWloha, everyone.
It's time for another chapter in the ongoing technical soap opera known as TUAW TV Live. This afternoon's show, beginning at 5 PM, has content to dazzle and amaze you. To avoid any broadcast nightmares this week, Steve will be doing the show solo in order to keep things simple.
As noted in an earlier post, today's topics include, but are not limited to:
- iPad availability (when and how many)
- A couple of Mac application demos
- Some fun videos
- A hands-on look at the LaCie Network Space 2 NAS
- Discussion of the topics you want to talk about in the chat tool
TUAW(Not) live from New York -- it's TUAW TV Live! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Boston creates app to report road problems
Filed under: Software, Freeware, iTunes, iPhone
Since moving to LA, I haven't quite had to deal with the potholes that Spring in Chicago usually brings (not that roads are any better out here, but at least they don't have to deal with all of the freezing and thawing). But despite the yearly flat tires and ruined alignments, Chicago hasn't gone quite as far as Boston, where the city government has developed not one but two apps to enable its citizens to report on potholes and other city issues.
Citizens Connect is an app developed late last year by the city that enables locals to report graffiti, potholes, broken streetlights, and other urban issues in the Boston area, and now they're working on a new app, nicknamed BUMP (for Boston Urban Mechanic Profiler), that will automatically transmit road conditions to a central database using the iPhone's accelerometer and data connection. That seems tough to do with all of the extra noise that must come from an accelerometer, but they are working with a researcher from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, so maybe they will be able to pull it off. Interesting to see metropolitan areas like this using newer technology to keep an eye on what's up in their city. Of course, actually fixing the potholes will take a little more work, but knowing what's wrong is helpful.TUAWBoston creates app to report road problems originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Y Combinator is seeking iPad app developers
Filed under: iPad
Y Combinator is a relatively famous tech startup firm, a company that invests in startup companies on a regular basis, both to encourage innovation and of course to pick up a tiny share of the equity. Their latest RFS (or Request For Startups) has them asking specifically for companies interested in iPad applications, and the reasons for this interest are pretty intriguing. They say straight off the bat that they don't think the iPad is just bigger iPhone or another tablet computer -- they believe that "the iPad is meant to be a Windows killer. Or more precisely, a Windows transcender." Apple, they say, believes this as well, but rather than take on Windows face first, they've chosen to sideswipe them through the tablet platform. Consumers will pick up an iPad, and almost won't even notice that they're slowly using it more and more while neglecting their more traditional computers. And by the time the iPad is boasting apps that aren't even available on traditional PCs, it's game over.
Could it happen? Even Y Combinator admits that it's still only a possibility, but given that they're a company that makes their livelihood by investing in the future, it definitely seems like the windmill is turning in the iPad's direction.
[Via DF]TUAWY Combinator is seeking iPad app developers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Valve teases a Mac release of Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress 2Even I was dubious about the rumor the other day of Steam coming to the Mac, but now here's something straight from Valve hinting that it might actually happen. MacRumors got an image of Half-Life's Gordon Freeman via email... with an Apple logo on his chest. MacNN got another picture, this one showing turrets from Portal and Team Fortress 2 parodying the "I'm a Mac" ads. And Shacknews got a third, with the Heavy from TF2 eating a sandwich shaped like an Apple logo in a parody of the iPod dancing ads.
Oh Lordy. Looks like Valve is planning to make a Mac announcement, and while it might not be quite as far-reaching as bringing the whole platform over, they might as well start with all of their blockbuster games. It's also possible that this is related to the secret message hunt going on the PC version of Portal, which itself seemed to be hinting at an announcement of Portal 2 or even the long-awaited Half-Life 3.
Whatever the announcement, it looks like Valve will have something to tell us at GDC next week. I'll be there with ears open -- if we hear that Valve is bringing some or all of their catalog to our platform, you'll be the first to know.
Update: Our game-obsessed friends at Joystiq have gotten copies of five of the images (there appear to be six total, according to the dots on the image above), and you can see them all in the gallery below. The rest of the images show the Steam platform itself, and Francis from Left 4 Dead. Awesome.
Update 2: Looks like Macworld got the last image. You hurt us, Valve. But we still love you anyway -- how can we not after seeing that "rest of us" ad parody for Steam below?
Gallery: Valve Mac faux ads
TUAWValve teases a Mac release of Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress 2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Daily Deals for March 3, 2010
Filed under: Deals
We wrote about blog app Blogo a while back and now it's on sale for $12.95. If you're in the market for a Mac-based blogging tool, give it a try.
If you missed Macworld then you missed Sennheiser selling their headphones for 50% off. But these Sennheiser PXC-310 noise-cancelling headphones for $179 (with free shipping) may ease the pain.
Earlier today we wrote about an iPod dock with a "bed shaker," but these Memorex Minimove iPod dock speakers won't likely shake you out of bed. Still, for under $30 it's a good deal if you're looking for a cheap dock to put in a spare room.
Those are all the deals for today, courtesy our friends at DealNews.TUAWDaily Deals for March 3, 2010 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Voalté One iPhone and iPad apps streamline healthcare communications
We've posted about the use of both the iPhone and iPad in the healthcare industry before, and there are a number of apps that have been developed to take advantage of the iPhone in hospitals and clinics. One of our readers pointed out that Voalté, a company that specializes in hospital paging and communications, has had a free iPhone app available for over a month.
The free Voalté One app works to integrate VoIP calling, text-messaging, and all of the alarms and alerts from patient monitoring systems onto an iPhone or iPod touch. Of course, there's more to using this than just installing the app on an iPhone -- the company designs and builds communication systems for hospitals -- so deploying an iPhone or iPad-based solution isn't exactly "free."
Screenshots found in the App Store show the app being used by a nurse to designate available or busy time, sending quick messages with a single tap, and a directory of hospital personnel listed by their current availability.
Voalté has also announced a version of the app for iPad. The company realizes that the size of the iPad isn't exactly perfect for nurses on the go, so they're targeting physicians and other clinicians who can benefit from the larger screen real estate for viewing medical images or educating patients. Voalté says that they'll have the iPad app available when the device ships, presumably later this month.
Thanks to reader Alex B. for the tip!TUAWVoalté One iPhone and iPad apps streamline healthcare communications originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple releases ProKit 5.1 update
Filed under: Multimedia, Software Update
Step right up for an update for ProKit apps. According to Apple:
"This ProKit Update fixes issues with user interface software resources that are shared by Apple's professional applications. The issues addressed include:
- Corrected an issue with improper scrolling behavior.
- Resolved memory leaks for improved performance.
- Addressed layout of interface elements in certain application alert windows.
The update is recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Aperture, Final Cut Express, Soundtrack, Logic Pro and Logic Express."
Installing the software doesn't require a re-boot and should show up in your Software Update window. Or if you'd prefer to install manually, you can download it from Apple's support page.TUAWApple releases ProKit 5.1 update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Corrected an issue with improper scrolling behavior.
- Coming up later today -- TUAW TV Live
Filed under: Video, Podcasting
Barring any unforeseen catastrophes (Steve is wrestling with a server problem at this point), the show will last about an hour and will cover a variety of topics:
- iPad availability (when and how many)
- A couple of Mac application demos
- Some fun videos
- A hands-on look at the LaCie Network Space 2 NAS
- Discussion of the topics you want to talk about in the chat tool
TUAWComing up later today -- TUAW TV Live originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rupert Murdoch confirms WSJ for iPad
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Multimedia, Rumors, iPad
Rupert Murdoch has confirmed, in a Q & A following his announcement of a New York 'metro' section for the Wall Street Journal, that an app for the iPad is under development (WSJ story here, behind the paywall). There's an iPhone app available now, and it's expected that the iPad version will expand upon it, with attention being paid to the iPad's big screen.
What's most interesting about this story is the extreme secrecy with which Apple is handing the process. it seems that WSJ developers do have access to a pre-release iPad, which Murdoch confirms is "kept under padlock and key." Not only that, but an Apple employee turns the key every night to confirm that the iPad is where it should be -- locked up tight, safe and sound. Not even preferred developers have earned Apple's full trust.
Apple paranoid? We can't imagine such a thing.
[via MacNN]TUAWRupert Murdoch confirms WSJ for iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - The saga of the Apple stair comes to a $9950 end
Filed under: Retail
Ten days ago we reported that eBay seller heylookitskibbe was auctioning a stair from the staircase from the Fifth Avenue Apple retail store in New York. Shortly after our report, the stuff hit the fan.
Heylookitskibbe turned out to be former Apple employee, Mark Burstiner. The stair, made by Seele GmbH exclusively for Apple, was being replaced by Seele employees when Burstiner asked if he could have it. They gave the 250 pound stair to him, which he kept for a year before auctioning it. When Seele GmbH saw the news that the stair was on eBay they claimed ownership of the stair and demand that the auction be taken down and the stair returned to them. Burstiner removed the auction but refused to return the stair, claiming that it had become his property.
Yesterday we reported that, despite the legal threats, the auction was back on eBay. The auction has now come to an end with Burstiner raking in $9950 for little more than a chunk of glass thousands of people have walked on. The starting bid was $700 with a Buy It Now price of $2500.TUAWThe saga of the Apple stair comes to a $9950 end originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Virgin America dumps Flash over lack of iPhone support
As the smack down between Apple and Adobe continues, Virgin America has dumped Flash from its website because of the lack of iPhone support. Virgin's new website, which launched Monday, replaces Flash with HTML to give users the ability to check in via their iPhones in the future. Virgin plans on moving their new site to HTML 5, once it's cleared standards ratification at the World Wide Web Consortium.
Virgin's Chief information officer Ravi Simhambhatla told The Register: "I don't want to cater to one hardware or one software platform one way to another, and Flash eliminates iPhone users. This year is going to be the year of the mobile [for Virgin]."
While Apple has left Flash out of the iPhone since it debuted in 2007, things stayed relatively civil between Apple and Adobe. That all changed when Apple unveiled the iPad and decided to leave Flash off that as well. Four days after the launch of the iPad, Steve Jobs held a town hall meeting with Apple employees where he trashed Adobe and Flash, saying, "They are lazy. They have all this potential to do interesting things, but they just refuse to do it. They don't do anything with the approaches that Apple is taking, like Carbon. Apple does not support Flash because it is so buggy. Whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it's because of Flash. No one will be using Flash. The world is moving to HTML5." Three weeks later Jobs met with the board of the Wall Street Journal where he allegedly talked smack about Flash again, saying Flash is a dying technology and likened it to floppy discs and CCFL-backlit LCDs.
With iPhone sales soaring with no peak in sight, will Flash still thrive without Apple's support? Then again, it's not just Apple that is turning against Flash. Google is openly committed to HTML5 and Microsoft has its own proprietary Flash competitor in Silverlight. Only time will tell if Virgin's dismissal of Flash is a one-off case or the first domino to fall.TUAWVirgin America dumps Flash over lack of iPhone support originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Macheist arrives. Again.
Filed under: Apple
The latest MacHeist countdown has finished and, after a few tense moments as they got their ducks in a row last night, the new bundle is ready for sale.
This year's "nano bundle" includes the following apps at an incredible discount: That's more than US$260 worth of software for a mere twenty bucks. Note that Tales of Monkey Island and Rapidweaver are the "Unlock Apps." That is to say, they'll become available once certain sales milestones have been reached; Monkey Island will go on sale once 50,000 bundles have been sold, and Rapidweaver after that.
I tend to buy software as I need it or as I realize that I've been using it for a while without sending off some cash to the developer. When participating in these "event" sales, I tend to forget that I ever downloaded the stuff, often being surprised at finding the software thus acquired in my /Applications folder. Your mileage will, of course, vary. For some of you out there in reader-land, this bundle may turn out to be the best thing since, I dunno, sliced bread or Wheatabix or citizen band radios or whatever, for you.
So if you're a bundle kind of person, Woo Hoo! The stuff is here (or at least, nearly here.) Here's hoping there are some goodies for you, this go 'round that will enhance your day-to-day Mac use and bring some joy into your software life.
Via our Christina W., whom we missTUAWMacheist arrives. Again. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iPhone gross profit margins nearly 60%
Filed under: Apple Financial, iPhone
Bernstein Research's Toni Sacconaghi issued a 13-page report last week in which he estimated that the iPhone's gross profit margins were an astounding 57.8%. Those margins tower above Apple's competitors with RIM estimated to have 43% profit margins, Nokia 33%, Motorola 32%, and HTC 31.7%.
Sacconaghi believes that the iPhone's high gross margins could change Apple's business model as the iPhone's share of Apple's overall revenue stream grows from 30% in FY09 to an estimated 45% to 50% in FY11.
Philip Elmer-DeWitt over at Apple 2.0 notes that while the Street generally assumes Apple's profit margins will decline over the next few years, Sacconaghi believes they will increase due to a few key points:
- iPhone prices are actually increasing. In Q3 2009, the average wholesale price was $588. In Q1 2010 it's risen to $638.
- Buyers are still more than eager for the iPhone. There is no sign of price resistance from either customers or carriers. Mobile partners are still lining up to get the iPhone with Apple adding 15 new ones over the past 4 months.
Sacconaghi rates AAPL as "Outperform" and has a price target of $250. In his report he states, "We believe that on a cash flow basis the stock is very attractively valued and that the stock is the most attractive secular name in our coverage universe."TUAWiPhone gross profit margins nearly 60% originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Found Footage: Apple designs in 3D
Filed under: Hardware, Retro Mac, Graphic Design
Transparent House, a San Fransisco-based 3D design and visualization studio, has created this stunning video that showcases some of Apple's best designs over its 34-year history. Ground-breaking products from the Apple I in 1976 to the iPad in 2010 are shown.
What makes this video so impressive is that everything in it is entirely 3D generated. The animation was done using 3Ds Max and V-Ray render and only took about 10 days to complete. Check out the video below to see if your favorite Apple product made the list.
Anatomy of Apple Design from Transparent House on Vimeo.
[via Mashable]
TUAWFound Footage: Apple designs in 3D originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iLuv iPhone dock includes "bed shaker"
Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone
The iLuv iMM178 shares a lot in common with many iPod docks available in the market today:
- Play and charge your iPhone or iPod -- check.
- Alarm clock scheduling based on full-week, weekdays and weekends -- check.
- Alarm clock with customizable sounds -- check.
- Alarm clock that vibrates to wake you up -- wait, did I read that wrong, or did that say that this alarm clock will vibrate to wake me up?
That's right, folks. The iLuv iMM178 (couldn't they have thought of a more friendly name?) is equipped with a corded "bed shaker" that, as its name suggests, will vibrate in tandem with your alarm. As the iLuv iMM178 wakes you up to The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations," it can also literally give you some good vibrations of its own with its bed shaker. iLuv suggests that the bed shaker be placed underneath your pillow.
In addition to these niceties, the iLuv iMM178 also plays FM radio, and has a time sync feature that reconciles time between it and your iPhone or iPod.
iLuv's website lists the iMM178 at US$99.99, where it's available for purchase.
Alternatively, you can improve your sleep habits with Sleep Cycle (available for $0.99), a bio-alarm clock iPhone app that analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you when you are in the lightest sleep phase.
TUAWiLuv iPhone dock includes "bed shaker" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - I have seen the future, and it's SSD
Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, First Look
On the Macworld show floor, I didn't really see one specific product that blew me away. What I did see, however, is the next big concept that's going to not only blow all of us away, but it will change the way we relate to our computers. It's the SSD (solid state drive) and it's almost ready for prime time. As we've mentioned before, an SSD is a high performance storage device that has no moving parts. These drives can contain DRAM or EEPROM memory, a CPU, a memory board and a battery card (more details here). Having no moving parts, they can move data much quicker than an HDD (hard disk drive) which uses quickly spinning platters with magnetic surfaces.
I got to play with what's being sold as the quickest SSD on the market, courtesy of Other World Computing. Their new Mercury Extreme Enterprise SSD drives start at US $229 for 50 GB and top out at 200 GB for $779.95. You can see our own Steve Sande in a video interview showing the boot time of this SSD vs. a stock 5400 rpm Apple drive. Watch for it at about 2:20 into the video. OWC set up a test of two Macbook Pros; I saw this demo myself and my jaw dropped as the SSD equipped laptop booted up and started running applications in 32 seconds. The HDD equipped Macbook Pro took at least three times as long to accomplish the same thing.
The computing experience is one of perception. How fast or slow your computer seems is based on more than the CPU speed alone. It's a composite of I/O speed, CPU speed and dozens of other factors. If you have a screamingly fast CPU with a poky drive, you have a poky computer as the chain is only as good as its weakest link. I've found, on my i7 iMac, that no matter what I do, I usually can't use up all the CPU speed, so the slowness may be due to the HDD not being able to keep up.
The current and future classes of SSDs are going to change all that. I can imagine sitting down, booting up and before I can lift my coffee cup, the computer has come up and is running startup programs. This will take some getting used to, since it will change my and everyone's work flow somewhat. Instead of all the little interruptions you get from waiting for something to happen, the response will be nearly instantaneous. This will tend to keep me more focused since I'm a procrastinator by nature, and get distracted quickly, like whenever I see a spinning beach ball. If a computer works as quickly as I feel it should work, I will be more engaged.
Previous releases of SSDs got a lot of bad press for running down your battery, losing speed over their lifetime, having low capacity, and being incredibly expensive. I haven't seen any battery tests for the OWC SSD drive, but the company advertises that the drive uses Advanced Wear Management, so that performance will not degrade over time, and they guarantee it over the five year life of the drive.
The other factor is price. The 200 GB version at $779 is very expensive when compared to under $100 for a 250 GB HDD. Until there is some sort of price parity, even at a slight premium, SSDs will sell to a niche market.
The last concern is capacity. Not long ago, the largest SSD you could buy was a 32 GB drive. Now Apple is selling them as stock items on the higher-end MacBook Air, and as a build to order option on the MBP (a 256 GB SSD adds $800 to the cost). I wonder how many of the $800 SSDs have been sold? I'm guessing it's a pretty small number.
So when will the stars align to the point that capacity, reliability, and price converge at a level that consumers will buy in a big way? I spent some time with people from both OWC and Drivesavers and separately asked reps exactly the same question: How long do you think it will take before large capacity (500 GB) SSD drives will be available at a price point that would be attractive to the average computer user? I got exactly the same response from both company reps: under two years. I expected much longer. If that pans out, I can see HDDs being slowly phased out in three to four years; eventually the HDD will go the way of the Betamax, Laserdisc, floppy disk, and sooner than you think, the DVD. I've bought and retired all of those technologies. I've seen this before.
I started with an Apple ][+ and a tape drive in the late 70s. A bit later the Disk ][ was introduced by Apple, giving me 143 KB of storage for $595, more capacity than I thought I'd ever need in my life or the life of my children. It added a massive speed increase to my computing experience. Some years later, I went for the big bucks and spent $1395 on a First Class Peripherals D9, which was a 90 MB HDD with streaming tape backup built in. Even being the slowest drive on the planet, at least in today's terms, my computing speed at least tripled. As HDDs got quicker and cheaper (and I did buy a hard-drive equipped Mac SE/30 somewhere in there) the perception of speed tripled again. Nothing that dramatic has happened in at least a decade, but the next big change is nearly upon us. In fact, it's here for the well heeled and the MacBook Air buyer, but about two years away for the rest of us.
This is going to be big.TUAWI have seen the future, and it's SSD originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Redeye mini puts ThinkFlood's IR transmitter in a smaller, cheaper package
Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
ThinkFlood released the Redeye in December of last year, which is a little unit that hooks up to your iPhone and, working with a separate app, turns Apple's handheld into universal IR remote. Our own Brett Terpstra liked the device, but said the unit was a little costly and could probably use a few tweaks. ThinkFlood has apparently made those tweaks, however, as they've now announced the Redeye mini, a smaller (and cheaper) form of the IR device. This one doesn't use the dock connector at all -- it's a tiny little unit that just plugs into your headphone port, and then can control any IR remote device with a free app.
The price is only US$49, much cheaper than the earlier device ($188). If you've been looking for a cheap and easy-to-use IR hookup for your iPhone, the Redeye mini might be just what you're waiting for. The press release does mention that the device requires you to run OS 3.2 on your iPhone, but given that the only date listed for sales so far is "Spring," ThinkFlood likely won't release until the new version is out anyway. But it'll be something to keep an eye on for sure.TUAWRedeye mini puts ThinkFlood's IR transmitter in a smaller, cheaper package originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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