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- TUAW TV Live: It's the Air Club for Men
With all apologies to Dave Caolo, who first coined the term Air Club for Men, I had to highjack his awesome phrase for today's TUAW TV Live. Given that most of the Mac App demos on today's show will be done on an 11.6" MacBook Air, I thought it fitting to use his jocularity as a title for the show today.
Some of the apps I'm planning to demonstrate during today's live show include the new sleek and beautiful email app known as Sparrow, the wonderful graphic tool Pixelmator, Splashtop Remote, and possibly another new low-cost 3D graphic tool.
From your Mac or PC, go to the next page by clicking the Read More link at the bottom of this post, and you'll find a livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments.
If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone and join the chat by downloading the free Ustream Viewing Application. If you're on an iPad, you should be able to use the Skyfire Browser to watch the stream, although you will not be able to participate in the chat.
We'll start at about 5 PM ET, so if you're seeing a prerecorded show, be sure to refresh your browser until you get the live stream.
Continue reading TUAW TV Live: It's the Air Club for Men
TUAW TV Live: It's the Air Club for Men originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple expected to have strong Q1 2011 shipments despite Intel's glitch
Intel recently had a kerfuffle with its upcoming chipset lines, finding a defect in the 6 series and causing production of certain models to be delayed by as much as a few months. But if you're waiting to buy a brand new MacBook Pro, don't worry -- because Apple is careful about when it upgrades its hardware, Digitimes says that shipments of new laptops designed in Cupertino won't be delayed at all. The delay may affect other brands, simply because they play their profit margins a little closer to the bottom line, but because Apple's prices already have so much profit built into them, it won't have a problem even if it is affected by delays.
According to reports, shipments are up yet again anyway. Sources in the supply chain say that targets from January of this year were met according to expectations, and orders may be even higher than expected for the rest of the quarter. So there's no shortage of good news along the supply chains for Apple.Apple expected to have strong Q1 2011 shipments despite Intel's glitch originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - FX Photo Studio HD for iPad adds more filters and printing
FX Photo Studio HD, was already a comprehensive collection of photo filters for the iPad. Version 3.0, priced at US $2.99 for a limited time, adds 53 new effects bringing the total number of filters to 181. Effects can be combined and modified, and changes can be saved. If you have compatible printers, you can print directly from the app, and share photos via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler or Flickr. An innovative feature is the ability to share your creations with friends who are also running the app.
FX Photo Studio HD can save your photos in the photo album on your iPad, copy images to the clipboard, or even save to a document folder so you can move the images to your computer or other iOS device.
There are filters for just about any mood. Images can be blurred, turned into black and white or sepia. Textures can be added, and even lightning bolts can be generated. You can simulate tilt-shift lenses, to make parts of your photos look like miniatures.
Continue reading FX Photo Studio HD for iPad adds more filters and printing
FX Photo Studio HD for iPad adds more filters and printing originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple outlines differences between CDMA and GSM phones
Apple detailed the differences between the GSM and CDMA iPhone when it comes to voice calling and its associated features. The document confirms the Verizon iPhone is unable to hold a conference call with more than two attendees as well as put a call on hold. The Verizon iPhone can also use a manual method to toggle call forwarding, call waiting and caller ID instead of using the settings within iOS. Though not earth shattering, these shortcuts and, in certain cases, limitations may be helpful for folks with either version of the iPhone.
[Via 9to5 Mac and Macgasm]Apple outlines differences between CDMA and GSM phones originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Warner Brothers sells movies as apps, skirts iTunes
In an interesting move, Warner Brothers has released two movies as apps -- including extras -- semi-skirting the iTunes Store. The idea is to offer movies to customers who live in countries without movie sales via iTunes. Of course, Apple still gets the 30% cut of the in-app purchase cost.
Interestingly, this technique goes directly against one of the clauses in Apple's current App Store guidelines, 2.21: "Apps that are simply a song or movie should be submitted to the iTunes store. Apps that are simply a book should be submitted to the iBookstore." Apparently not all apps-as-movies are created equal.
Movies are distributed as in-app purchases via free universal iOS apps (one per film). As of this writing only two movies are available: The Dark Knight and Inception. Once you've made your choice, the app offers DVR-like controls and works over Wi-Fi and 3G. You'll also find scene selection and extras like trivia. Fun, no?
Their prices are US$9.99 for streaming or $11.99 for purchase. Of course, movies are big, and at 1.2 GB The Dark Knight gobbles up a good amount of your device's internal storage.
It looks like fun. Let us know what you think if you check it out.[via 9to5Mac]
Warner Brothers sells movies as apps, skirts iTunes originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - AT&T CEO says App Store is bad for consumers
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson must be eating some sour grapes since his company lost its exclusive hold on the US iPhone market. During a keynote speech at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Stephenson said that platform-specific app stores like the ones run by Apple and Google are "bad for consumers," as they require a customer to purchase an app multiple times if they want to run it on different platforms.
In the words of Stephenson, "That's not how our customers expect to experience this environment." Oh really, Randall? I'd say that the more than 10 billion apps downloaded on the iOS platform alone would say that your customers are more than happy with the current app purchasing model.
What Stephenson would rather see are HTML5 and Web apps that are not platform-specific. Developers, in Stephenson's perfect world, would write these apps instead of using native code for a single platform and then sell the apps through the newly-announced Wholesale Applications Community -- which just happens to be an app store that will be run by carriers. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint are all partners in the WAC, and the CEOs of these companies are most likely losing sleep over the fact that they're not getting a cut of the billions to be had in the app sales arena.
Non-native apps won't be able to take advantage of device-specific hardware features, and most certainly will not be optimized for a platform. Instead, they'll most likely be cookie-cutter apps that are targeted to the lowest common denominator in terms of hardware.
[via The Mac Observer]
AT&T CEO says App Store is bad for consumers originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rdio music service iPhone app updated, gives better offline controls
The social music discovery service Rdio has gotten an iPhone facelift; the company's app has a bunch of new features in version 1.0 (released today), including a key improvement for users who sync their music from Rdio down to their phones for offline access.
Much like Apple's Ping social layer for iTunes, Rdio gives music recommendations and listings based on what your friends like to listen to -- but it also gives you direct access to the music, letting you play it on the company's website or on your mobile device.
Beyond the UI improvements in the new build (including a handy springboard for quick access to all the sections, and a persistent player at the bottom of the screen), the app now lets you select whether or not to sync music offline when on 3G connectivity, or only on WiFi. Pulling down multimegabytes of music tracks could easily crush a low-end data plan, so this will be a big help to some users.
The Rdio service was launched by two Skype founders (Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis) and is currently available only in the US and Canada. After a seven-day free trial period, the web-only service (which won't let you play music offline using the app) is $4.99 monthly; the premium mobile-enabled service is $9.99 a month.
Continue reading Rdio music service iPhone app updated, gives better offline controls
Rdio music service iPhone app updated, gives better offline controls originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Well, that's just Smurfy! Apple reportedly talks to Capcom about Smurfs' Village
We reported last week on how a kid playing with the Smurfs' Village iOS app racked up hundreds of dollars in charges, prompting a variety of responses regarding how Apple and parents should treat such apps. Now PocketGamer.biz is reporting that Apple has taken game publisher Capcom to task for making it so easy for kids to go on a Smurfberry-buying binge. The site also adds that Apple is looking into reducing the current 15-minute gap between purchases down to five -- still plenty of time to do some serious damage, as a few commenters on our last post noted.Capcom has written on the app's description that the ability to make these sorts of purchases quickly is a function of the iOS software and is not within its control.
When you download and launch the app, there is a pop-up that warns about this concern. It flashes off within a few seconds, though, to prompt you to turn on push notification for the app, but the alert does return. The screen featuring Smurfberries also warns that they will cost real money.
We won't know what Apple's true stance will be regarding this until we see an official statement and/or iOS update, but as always, we urge parents to be as cautious as possible with these sorts of apps.
[via AppleInsider]
Well, that's just Smurfy! Apple reportedly talks to Capcom about Smurfs' Village originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - TUAW TV Live at 5 PM ET -- Go ahead, Mac my day
I don't know what the weather is like in your part of the world, but here in the Front Range of Colorado, it's beautiful and expected to get into the 60s (degrees Fahrenheit) today. But rather than go outside and enjoy the great outdoors, I'll be slaving over a hot computer today at 5 PM ET to bring you the best in weekly streaming video. Not that I'm complaining -- TUAW TV Live is the highlight of my week!
Today on TUAW TV Live, it's going to be all Mac, all the time. Well, maybe I'll talk a wee bit about iPads, iPhones, accessories, and the like, but the main focus is everybody's favorite computer -- the Mac. There are some great new Mac apps I'll be demo'ing, I'll be expressing my deep love for my 11.6" MacBook Air (the perfect blogger's computer), and as always I'll be responding to your chat topics and tweets.
The action starts at 5 PM ET (2 PM PT / 10 PM GMT) today. Just drop by about five minutes before the show starts, and there will be easy-to-follow instructions on how to watch the livestream and participate in the chat.
(And yes, I do know that I'm mixing my metaphors with the photo illustration above since I'm supposed to be talking about Macs. But it just seemed like a fun thing to do...)
Be there. TUAWloha.
TUAW TV Live at 5 PM ET -- Go ahead, Mac my day originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Intel ad: Is this the new MacBook Pro? We don't think so
The Maciverse is all a-twitter this morning with speculation that an Intel promo photo is showing off the next-generation MacBook Pro. As you can see in the photo at right, there's a very thin laptop powered by the new Intel Sandy Bridge processor.
We reported about a month ago that Spanish Mac site FAQ-Mac.com had found an Intel promo showing an alleged Core i5 MacBook Pro that was to be given away. Somehow, people seem to be comparing that photo with the laptop seen in today's advertisement.
Most likely, this is just a lot of breathless anticipation by a lot of MacBook Pro owners who wish their computer was as thin and sexy as a MacBook Air -- but with a lot more power. Let's think about this, folks. First, although there are abundant rumors about a MacBook Pro refresh appearing next month, we still don't know what it would look like and it's rare for Apple to let anyone, even Intel, see what their designs look like in advance.
Next, this device doesn't appear to have the traditional iSight / FaceTime camera, and considering that cameras are built into most Apple products these days, it seems like that would be a great loss. It also appears to be missing the optical drive, which isn't unprecedented -- after all, the MacBook Air doesn't have one -- but would be a bit of a shock to MacBook Pro owners who are used to having that SuperDrive.
On the other hand, the black case could be an indication that Jony Ive and crew are starting to move away from the aluminum and glass design metaphor towards lighter carbon fiber construction. The opinion in the TUAW newsroom is that this is not a MacBook Pro; it's most likely a generic placeholder image. If we're wrong, I'll eat chocolate-covered bacon.
[via CrunchGear]
Intel ad: Is this the new MacBook Pro? We don't think so originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - The 4-inch iPhone display: Doing the math
Love iPhones? Like math? More in our Doing the Math series, examining the numbers behind the hardware.
Recent rumors suggest the iPhone 5 might have a four-inch screen, slightly larger than the 3.5-inch screen in the iPhone 4. I was skeptical of this rumor at first, because I thought boosting the screen size would require Apple to increase the overall size of the handset, too. I fiddled with some numbers and determined that while it's theoretically possible for Apple to put a 4-inch screen in the iPhone 5 while retaining its current 3:2 aspect ratio, it's unlikely to happen for a few reasons.
If Apple increases the iPhone 5's screen size to four inches but keeps it at the 3:2 aspect ratio all iPhones have had thus far, the overall dimensions work out to 3.32 x 2.22 inches. But the iPhone 4 handset's overall width is only 2.31 inches; if Apple wants to keep the iPhone 5 around the same overall size as the iPhone 4, that only leaves 0.045 inches (1 millimeter) on either side of the display. That's not a whole lot of clearance between the screen's edge and the edge of the handset itself; in fact, it essentially means the screen would cover the entire width of the front faceplate.
Apple could work around that issue by slightly increasing the iPhone 5's width, but there's another problem. If Apple increases the screen size to 4" but retains the same 960 x 640 pixel dimensions, the PPI (pixels per inch) value drops to about 289 ppi -- well below the iPhone 4 Retina Display's 326 ppi, and just barely at the threshold of a "Retina Display" level of quality. To maintain 326 ppi, the pixel dimensions on a hypothetical 4-inch, 3:2 screen must increase to the neighborhood of 1080 x 720, plus or minus a few pixels.
App developers would then have three sets of resolutions to support for the iPhone instead of two, and scaling from 960 x 640 to 1080 x 720 wouldn't be anywhere near as simple as the pixel-doubling that got developers by in the early days before they were able to scale apps up from 480 x 320 resolution. Worse, any apps kept at a 960 x 640 resolution and "zoomed" to fill the new pixel dimensions would probably look pretty terrible; instead of doubling the pixels as happened in the early Retina Display era, the scale works out to 1 1/8 "zoom."
What if Apple didn't stick with a 3:2 aspect ratio for the iPhone 5's screen and switched to something different? Read on to find out.
Continue reading The 4-inch iPhone display: Doing the math
The 4-inch iPhone display: Doing the math originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Ask TUAW Video Edition: Maintenance on your Mac
This week, Julie writes in about being a new Mac user (having come from the Windows world). She wants to know what kind of maintenance she needs to run to keep her Mac working. I give a few suggestions, but there are A LOT more we could give her.
Applications mentioned in this video:- DiskWarrior: US$99 for a great utility
- Onyx: a powerful system utility -- use with CAUTION!
Remember, you can leave us questions in the comments! The video is on the next page.Continue reading Ask TUAW Video Edition: Maintenance on your Mac
Ask TUAW Video Edition: Maintenance on your Mac originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Twitter website adds inline App Store previews
Macgasm brings us word that Twitter has expanded the in-page previews on its website to include iOS App Store app details. Although originally designed to do inline previews of made-for-Twitter image services like yfrog and TwitPic, Twitter has been expanding the concept in recent months; it now includes Flickr images, YouTube videos and images from the insanely popular Instagram service.
The preview for the App Store is quite detailed; as you can see, it includes the app icon, description and screenshot. If you haven't disabled iTunes opening automatically for web previews already, this might help prevent those annoying and unwanted "Aargh! Why is iTunes open now?" moments.
Two notes about this feature: you'll only see the thumbnails on the "new Twitter" web interface. They don't work on the old site, nor do they work in any Twitter clients -- including the official ones for Mac OS X and iPad. Secondly, the previews seem to be only for iOS apps; for whatever reason, Mac App Store links don't preview.
Twitter website adds inline App Store previews originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Google may introduce in-app purchasing to compete with Apple's model (Updated)
Google may debut its new in-app purchasing and subscription system to compete with Apple's controversial model. Similar to Apple, the Google system would let users purchase upgrades and other digital content within an application using Android's built-in payment system, Google Checkout. The new system for Android would give developers a 90% cut, while Google would grab the remaining 10%. This revenue split is more attractive than Apple's current 70:30.
Google is reportedly rolling out this system as soon as today and is possibly introducing early it to capitalize on the dissatisfaction that is brewing over Apple's recent changes to its subscription and in-app purchasing policy. These changes now require content providers like Amazon to offer in-app purchases of content that is offered for sale via another channel. Application developers have until June 30 to comply with this new requirement or risk having their application removed from the App Store.
This change would affect a wide variety of applications including the Kindle app, Hulu, Rhapsody and others. Rhapsody has already responded negatively to these changes and other developers may follow suit. Will Google's Android model be enticing enough to get developers to jump ship or is everyone blowing this out of proportion?
[Update: The original rumor is slightly incorrect. It is not Google's in-app purchasing model that is rolling out today. Instead, Google announced its One Pass subscription service for publishers. The service lets publishers set their own rates for content which will be accessible via the web, tablets and smartphones. In-app purchasing will be available but only through mobile applications that can process an in-app purchase outside of the app store (i.e., probably not iOS). Revenue sharing is set at 90:10 and the service provides direct access to subscriber's data. It is designed to help publishers promote and distribute digital content.Google may introduce in-app purchasing to compete with Apple's model (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Analyst: iPhone mini could increase Apple's market reach by 6X, revenue 2.5X
Analyst Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research predicts Apple could increase its addressable handset market by 6X in unit volume and 2.5X in revenue with the launch of a smaller, less expensive iPhone model, says Forbes. These projected numbers come from his analysis of handset market share and Apple's current market reach. Sacconaghi suggests Apple misses 60% of the handset market with its current strategy that limits distribution to select carriers and sells the iPhone at a relatively high price point.
Sacconaghi predicts Apple could take two approaches with the cheap iPhone. In one scenario, Apple would produce the iPhone Mini, a scaled-down version of the iPhone that would offer a less robust Internet and App experience. The handset would be less data-intensive and would debut with a low-cost data plan that costs $15 or less per month.
The other option would be to sell an 'iPhone touch,' which would be an iPhone without a data plan. This hypothetical beastie would have all the capabilities of the iPod touch plus voice calling, but no cellular data. 3G connectivity would be available but optional, a scenario that would let users rely on WiFi for all their data needs. [It's not clear from the Forbes excerpt of the report if Sacconaghi is explicitly saying that hardware-wise, an 'iPhone touch' is identical to an iPhone -- Apple would need to include all the 3G radio chips, antenna and corresponding battery power to handle 3G data if it's a customer-selectable option. --Ed.]Sacconaghi suggests that both of these handsets could debut with retail prices close to or less than $149. if Apple could capture even 5% of its missed market share with a cheap iPhone, the Cupertino company could see a minimum annual profit boost of $4.50 a share. [Another bit of confusion here; it's not at all clear that Toni S. is considering the unsubsidized price of the current iPhone, which starts at $599 and goes up from there. How we get from that price down to $149 without the full support of a carrier subsidy -- harder to justify without a revenue-rich data plan attached to the phone contract -- is not really clear. --Ed.]
While Sacconaghi expects Apple will make this move to a less expensive model, he believes the chance of a summer launch is low. The analyst points out that Apple's iPhone 4 supply is still constrained and the manufacturer would not want to steal the thunder from the launch of the iPhone 5 expected in June. If Apple were to pursue this low-cost option for the iPhone, perhaps a fall launch tied into its annual iPod refresh might be a more realistic possibility. Thoughts anyone?Analyst: iPhone mini could increase Apple's market reach by 6X, revenue 2.5X originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac OS now in the App Store
Finally out of beta, Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac is now available in the Mac App Store. The app lets those with a Windows Phone or a Zune HD and a Mac (an odd mix indeed) move photos, music and video between their devices and Macs running iTunes and iPhoto. Also, Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac can be used to update your Windows phone.
Note that, when syncing music, only unprotected (non DRM) tracks are supported. The app is free and, like we said, available right now.
[Via Engadget]Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac OS now in the App Store originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rumor of MacBook Pro refresh in March getting louder
Another report reinforces the rumor that Apple's MacBook Pro refresh will land in early March. This latest leak from AppleInsider claims volume production is underway, and assembled units will begin shipping the first week of March. The source of this information also hints that the MacBook Pro will see new product enhancements besides the Sandy Bridge processor. Details on which aspects of the notebook will see an upgrade were not provided, but we could easily see some of the popular features of the MacBook Air, such as a standard SSD drive or instant-on capability, coming to the MacBook Pro line.
This isn't the first time this rumor has been tossed around. Earlier this week, Danish blogger Kenneth Lund issued a similar report that predicted a March 1 launch date. Earlier this month, new dummy SKUs thought to be for the MacBook Pro were spotted in Best Buy's inventory system. Combine these rumors with the observation that current generation MacBook Pro hardware inventory is low, and you have multiple signs pointing to the imminent release of new MacBook Pro hardware. Anyone excited to find out what Apple has in store for its premier notebook lineup?Rumor of MacBook Pro refresh in March getting louder originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - TUAW's Daily App: Cows vs. Aliens
By the time you read this post (or 12 PM EST, whichever comes first), Cows vs. Aliens should be live on the App Store and ready for purchase. I first got to see the game back at Macworld (where we also talked about XMG Studios' comments on EA's big holiday sale), and as you can see from that video, the game is a pretty simple affair. It's completely touch-controlled, and the idea is that you push cows into the barn to keep them away from aliens, who you try to push off the precariously situated cliffs on either side. The gameplay comes in waves, and I believe there's only the one mode, but there is Game Center integration for leaderboards.
Cows vs. Aliens seems like good fun, especially for younger players. If you want something more complicated, there's plenty of that on the App Store, but if you want something for the kids to play (or something you can play with them -- the iPhone version works great on the iPad, and the game supports all 11 points of touch, so multiple people can play at the same time), Cows vs. Aliens seems like a good deal. It's US$0.99 on the App Store nowTUAW's Daily App: Cows vs. Aliens originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Kindle for iOS updated, adds page numbers and progress meters
The Kindle app for iOS (my personal reading app of choice) got a nice update yesterday that brings "real" page numbers into the app. Now, as you read along in some e-books, you'll get to see where you'd be in the printed version, so if you're reading Kindle books along with a class or book club, you can find the same pages you're all reading together. The update also adds information on the homescreen that shows your progress through the books on your iPhone, and you can now look up words using Google or Wikipedia directly within the app itself. Pretty groovy -- like I said, this is my reading app of choice on the iPhone, and the update only makes it better.
Some of these features were already seen in the Kindle for Mac app available on the App Store. But we'll probably see another Kindle update coming soon anyway, as of course, the app has to comply with the new restrictions on subscriptions, including offering the same in-app deals that are offered outside of the app, per Apple's new subscription rules. That shouldn't be too hard to do -- if indeed Amazon wants to do it. We'll have to wait and see on that one.Kindle for iOS updated, adds page numbers and progress meters originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Jetstar airline to offer in-flight iPads in April
Back in June 2010 we first reported on a pilot program by Qantas Airways' low-cost airline Jetstar to offer iPad rentals as in-flight entertainment, and now we have learned that Jetstar will finally start offering them in April for AUD$10 per flight. According to Australian Business Traveler, the in-flight iPads will come loaded with "movies, music, magazines, books and games" and will be available on Jetstar's A320 flights in Australia and Asia.
Jetstar had initially intended to launch the rental program in time for the holiday season after successful trial runs last summer, but due to contract negotiations and pending licensing agreements with Apple, they weren't able to get it ready in time. In talking with Australian Business Traveler, Jetstar marketing manager David May said that "if the trial works, we want to put them on every aircraft because they're so much slimmer and lighter than our existing units," and I imagine we will be seeing many other airlines follow suit.
With some airlines already offering integration between iPods and in-flight entertainment systems and iPads being used as electronic flight bags for pilots, just how far off are we from flying Apple Airlines? Anyone care to take a guess?Jetstar airline to offer in-flight iPads in April originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Overheating iPad suit dismissed
Shortly after the first iPad shipped last April, there were some allegations from users that the device overheated quickly in warm weather or direct sunlight. By July of 2010, three disgruntled iPad owners -- John Browning, Jacob Balthazar and Claudia Keller -- had filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple. Due to the alleged shut down problem from overheating, the trio stated that they felt that they had been taken in by Apple marketing claims that said that "reading on iPad is just like reading a book." Since books never overheat and shut down, the group accused Apple of fraud, deceptive advertising, and violating State of California consumer protection laws by producing, advertising and selling defective tablets.
Last Thursday, US District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel dismissed the lawsuit, saying that the trio's charges were "inadequate" and that they should have cited specific advertising where the claims of "reading on iPad is just like reading a book" were made. He's given the group 30 days to file an amended complaint with the information he's requested.
I don't know about you, but I have never thought that reading on an iPad is like reading a book. I don't have to charge a book, I don't have to turn a book on, and a book can't do other things (like play music in the background) while I'm reading it. Have you ever had your iPad overheat and shut down? If you have, let us know in the comments.
[via The Mac Observer]
Overheating iPad suit dismissed originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rhapsody won't sing Apple's subscription tune
Hit the fight bell, because here we go -- Harry McCracken reports that Rhapsody is the first company to pass on Apple's new subscription rules, saying in a statement that Apple's arrangement is "economically untenable." Typically, they say, a Rhapsody subscription only costs them a 2.5 percent credit card fee, but with Apple asking for 30 percent of any subscription payments accepted through the app, it just wouldn't work for Rhapsody to offer that service. And in what could possibly be seen as a veiled threat, Rhapsody mentions that it will "be collaborating with our market peers in determining an appropriate legal and business response to this latest development." Legal, you say? Interesting.
In reality, one of two things is likely to happen here -- either Rhapsody will change its mind and decide to take the hit from Apple, or it will not be allowed to release the app on the App Store at all, and it will have to look elsewhere for users. Apple's unlikely to back down from the 30 percent deal -- that's the deal it's seen lots of success with in the rest of iTunes, and I'm sure there are plenty of companies happy to offer subscriptions and let the cut go.
The bottom line, whether Rhapsody likes it or not, is that Apple built this platform up, and it's Apple's prerogative to charge what it wants and allow apps or not based on its own guidelines. If we see lots more companies take this tack, Apple might be forced to change, but as long as others buy into the subscription model, Apple's unlikely to back down first.Rhapsody won't sing Apple's subscription tune originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iWeb 3.0.3 update released
Software Update calls your name... the latest version of Apple's iWeb site editor (part of the iLife suite) is available now.
The iWeb patch contains "bug fixes and improvements," including: resolving an issue when using the iSight Movie widget on certain Macs; an issue publishing iWeb sites using FTP; and "improves compatibility with Mac OS X" (an odd thing to say, as it presupposes that iWeb might be compatible with some other operating system that we didn't know about). The update is 186 MB.
Removed the Aperture update detail, as it was indeed an old update -- sorry for the false alarm.
iWeb 3.0.3 update released originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - How to go music hunting for Shazam and Pandora
The New York Times has an interesting writeup of a growing new trade built around services commonly used as smartphone apps: music-tracking, or music-identifying services. You've probably played with Pandora or Shazam on your iPhone already, and the article profiles just how all of that music gets tracked down and identified for your listening pleasure. A surprising amount of it is still done simply by human hands. While everything is still fed into the system, obviously (computers do have to know what the music is and what it sounds like), humans do a lot of the actual tracking down, both finding new tracks to index and implement, and listening in to describe to the computers how it sounds.
The other side of it is interesting, too -- Shazam's employees will keep an eye on what's showing up on television or in movies, and make sure that the database can identify any songs popping up and being tagged a lot. It's really wild. Of course I know that there are networks of people and computers behind these apps tI only use for a moment every day, but they're such a small part of my life that I tend to forget just how much work goes into them.
[via Engadget]How to go music hunting for Shazam and Pandora originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Instagram photo sharing service reaches 2 million users
Picture-sharing service Instagram (driven only by the popularity of its free iOS app) has hit a whopping 2 million users already. As TechCrunch notes, the service hit its first million users in just three months, and six weeks after that, it has doubled that number. That's pretty astounding growth -- even other popular sharing services usually don't hit those milestones until a year or more after they start operation.
But Instagram certainly seems like it's hitting at the right place and time -- it's a super simple sharing service that offers a lot of features that tie in very well with all of its users walking around with connected HD cameras in their pockets. Instagram doesn't even have an Android app yet (though presumably we'll see one very soon), and also noted by TechCrunch, you can't even sign up for the service on the website -- it's all driven through Apple's iOS platform. That hints at quite a future for Instagram and its service.Instagram photo sharing service reaches 2 million users originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - App Store guidelines updated for subscriptions, more tweaks
Apple's guidelines for developers who place their wares in the App Store have been updated, with a few key bullets. Changes to accommodate the new subscription models are there in section 11, along with a stern warning up front to developers who might game the review system or steal other devs' work: "[Y]our apps will be removed from the store and you will be expelled from the developer program."
Additions and changes also include more specific examples of problematic me-too apps in section 2.11 (now noted "such as fart, burp, flashlight and Kama Sutra apps"); section 2.13 citing "simply web sites bundled as apps" or "do not provide any lasting entertainment value"; section 2.21 suggesting apps that are media-only should be submitted to the iTunes store instead.
Section 2.22 warns against arbitrary carrier differentiation in apps (no 'Angry Birds for Verizon'!); section 3.11 cautions apps not to warn users to restart before installing; and section 3.12 tells developers to have all included URLs live and working when the app is submitted (otherwise known by its street nickname, "The Embargo Crusher"). Where Apple was previously "thrilled" to have developers invest time and talent in creating App Store apps, now the company says it is merely "pleased."
The document (hosted behind the Dev Center registration wall) retains its conversational and just-us-geeks folksy introduction -- "We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, "I'll know it when I see it." And we think that you will also know it when you cross it." The opening section still ends with the familiar namaste for responsible and user-centric development:
Lastly, we love this stuff too, and honor what you do. We're really trying our best to create the best platform in the world for you to express your talents and make a living too. If it sounds like we're control freaks, well, maybe it's because we're so committed to our users and making sure they have a quality experience with our products. Just like almost all of you are too.
Our favorite clause remains 4.2: "Apps that use location-based APIs for automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other devices will be rejected." If you want to use iPhones as the brains of your army of drone dirigibles, you're gonna have to jailbreak.
[hat tip MacRumors]
App Store guidelines updated for subscriptions, more tweaks originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple's subscription model is boon to consumers, bad for publishers
As we reported earlier, Apple announced the arrival of new subscription services for apps in the App Store today. According to the press release, subscriptions purchased from within the App Store will utilize the same billing system currently employed for app and in-app purchases. Publishers are free to set the length and price of the subscriptions, which can be weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-yearly or yearly. Then with one click, customers choose the length of their subscription and are immediately charged for it.
The great thing about these digital subscriptions for customers is that they can cancel their subscription at any time with very little hassle. They simply need to go to their personal account page to stop re-billing or cancel a current subscription. Anyone who has ever dealt with the headache of getting out of a magazine subscription will recognize this as a huge benefit of Apple's subscription model.
However, as we've already seen, many content-based app publishers might not like all the new terms that Apple has laid out. All publishers of content-based apps (like Netflix, Hulu, etc.) must comply with Apple's new subscription service guidelines by June 30 or risk removal of their app from the App Store. The guideline compliance was originally rumored to go into effect March 31, but it seems that app publishers have four more months to make their apps compliant. Content-based app publishers are still free to sell content outside of the apps (like buying a Kindle magazine subscription from Amazon.com), but they now must offer the same content available for purchase directly within the app itself at the same or better price.Continue reading Apple's subscription model is boon to consumers, bad for publishers
Apple's subscription model is boon to consumers, bad for publishers originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Ask TUAW's triumphant return from abroad
So, here's what we need you to do: go to the comments of this post, think long and hard about which burning questions have been bothering you about your Mac, iPod, iPad, iPhone or AppleTV, and ask away! You can also email your questions directly to ask [at] tuaw.com.
Here are a few perennial favorites asked and answered:Q: Which MacBook Air should I buy?
A: Get the 11" if you have another computer, or the 13" if it's your primary machine. Order the BTO memory upgrade, too; you can't upgrade the RAM after the fact.
Q: What's the best way to sync my iPhone to multiple computers?
A: The only way to win is not to play -- syncing to more than one computer is asking for trouble, honestly. Pick your most accessible machine with the best storage situation for your media and applications library, and sync to that one. If you need to shuffle content around or purchase apps on multiple machines, go with Apple's Home Sharing to keep things synchronized.
So, head down to the comments at the end of this post, and do your best. When asking a question, it makes life a lot easier for the Ask TUAW team if you include what type of machine you're using, which version of Mac OS X you're running or, if you're asking an iPhone/iPod/iPad question, let us know which generation device and which version of iOS you have -- though, in general, you should always upgrade to the latest version if you can.
We've got a few questions left in the can from last time, so let's get cracking.
Dave asks:
I am seeing terrible performance from Finder when trying to access a Windows share over a VPN. If I do an 'ls' or 'cd' command to get to the same files, everything is instantaneous. Is there some setting in Finder that will make it act more like the 'ls' done via Terminal?
I have looked at a lot of Finder replacements and they all appear to have the same problem. Given this works great on Terminal, I'm a bit stumped at what Finder can be doing that would slow things down so dramatically.Continue reading Ask TUAW's triumphant return from abroad
Ask TUAW's triumphant return from abroad originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - AT&T highlights $49 iPhone 3GS in new TV ad
AT&T is wielding a new weapon in its fight against Verizon Wireless: the iPhone 3GS. In the carrier's latest advertisement, the almost 20-month old handset and its $49 price tag is dangled in front of customers as a cheap alternative to the iPhone 4. Price-wise, the iPhone 3GS lets customers jump on the iPhone bandwagon for $150 less than the 16 GB iPhone 4 and $250 less than the 32 GB model.
Of course, there is always that nagging monthly cost. Still, if you are going to pay for it anyway and don't need the latest and greatest that Apple has to offer, why not? AT&T is hoping you will think that way so that the carrier can lock you into a contract before Verizon has its own cheap previous generation model to peddle to the masses. AT&T's television advertisement is included in the second half of this post.Continue reading AT&T highlights $49 iPhone 3GS in new TV ad
AT&T highlights $49 iPhone 3GS in new TV ad originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Washington Post extends free iPad app subscription
The free ride on the Post iPad app was supposed to end in mid-February, but the Post app has been updated, and the iTunes Store description says that the full access subscription is still "provided for a limited time."
That's the same thing that another iPad paper, The Daily, did the other day. One wonders if the newspapers are afraid to pull the plug and see how a paid version will fare. I don't blame them. App Store reviews of both endeavors have been dreadful. Maybe they are trying to set up the in-app subscriptions Apple has allowed.
This latest update to the Washington Post app now includes the ability to read offline (duh!) and fixes the frequent crashes that plagued the software. I haven't seen anything in either of these efforts that would convince me to subscribe when the free trial ends. How about you? Were you enticed by the apps, or are you going to dump them when or if the free trials end?
Washington Post extends free iPad app subscription originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Verizon network reportedly handling iPhone traffic well
Verizon's vaunted network is handling the onslaught of new iPhones very well, according to a report published by web application performance firm Compuware Gomez. The report states that Verizon's mobile data performance seems untouched by the addition of hundreds of thousands of data-hungry iPhones to the network. There was virtually no change -- about four-tenths of one percent slower -- in the performance of the Verizon network in terms of browsing and page load times.
The firm made measurements of data performance on the Verizon network on the first four official days of iPhone availability -- February 10 - 13. Based on estimates from Wall Street analysts, upwards of 500,000 Verizon iPhones may have been purchased during pre-sales, with another 70,000 - 100,000 users switching from AT&T to Verizon. Compuware Gomez believes that between 500,000 and 700,000 new iPhone users are now using the Verizon network.
While that could be construed as causing additional demand for bandwidth on the Verizon network, many of the 500,000 Verizon iPhone pre-sales may have been to existing customers, therefore offsetting any expected increase in data usage. Compuware Gomez performs their tests by capturing data from a few thousand actual users spread across the US, so the numbers essentially mirror what real customers will see in the field.
Sure, this study was done only four days into the life of the iPhone on a new US carrier's network, but it's good to see that the huge number of iPhones did not immediately cause the VZW network to take a dirt nap. It will be fascinating to see if that trend stays steady as adoption of the iPhone by Verizon customers continues.
Verizon network reportedly handling iPhone traffic well originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple issues survey to MacBook Air owners, mentions 3G
Apple is sending out surveys to MacBook Air owners that hint at 3G connectivity and other hardware changes for its popular notebook. The survey queries current owners about their interest in wireless 3G connectivity as well as the customer's usage of web-based data storage services on the MacBook Air. The survey also addresses the issue of USB ports, keyboard function keys and the use of external hard drives with the portable computing device.
There is little doubt the latest MacBook Air is a step forward for Apple. The diminutive notebook merges the portable size of a tablet device with the power of a full notebook. The questions within this survey suggest Apple recognizes this mobility and may be looking to add a 3G radio to the notebook, a move that would pit the Air directly against the 3G iPad. Other questions hint at cloud-based services, which could suggest Apple is moving forward with the technology it acquired from its purchase of LaLa.
The use of surveys by Apple is a relatively common occurrence. Apple used a similar survey to tweak the Apple TV, which is slowly changing from a "hobby" to a viable media playback device. If you were Apple and had the power of Steve Jobs in your hands, how would you tweak the MacBook Air to make it even better than it already is?Apple issues survey to MacBook Air owners, mentions 3G originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Sparrow gets AppleScript support, immediately put to use with OmniFocus
Sparrow, the sleek new email client for Mac OS X, was updated yesterday to improve speed, fix some minor bugs and add some limited AppleScript support. While the changes might not be apparent to many Sparrow users, they were apparently an inspiration to Don Southard, who immediately figured out a way to use the AppleScript support with OmniFocus.
Southard's quick work allows him to delegate an OmniFocus task by sending an email with details about the task to another person via Sparrow. The script is saved and placed into the
~/Library/Scripts/Applications/OmniFocusfolder, and then a script icon named "Send to Sparrow" is placed on the OmniFocus toolbar at a place of your choosing. To delegate a task, you select a task, then click the icon to send it to Sparrow.The task's name, context and note fields are included in the email, with Delegated Task as the subject line. As Southard notes, you can easily rearrange the order of the task fields within the script.
It's a simple but effective AppleScript, and demonstrates the power of Apple's venerable scripting language in integration of different apps. As Sparrow evolves from the current 1.0.1 version, it would be nice to see additional AppleScript support built in so that people like Don Southard can do even more fun and useful things with the app.
[via MacStories, image from Tech Blog /via Dirt Don]
Sparrow gets AppleScript support, immediately put to use with OmniFocus originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Deutsche Telekom claims Apple will support near-field communication e-wallet
Fun things are afoot at the Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona, Spain.
Today's news comes from Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of cell carrier T-Mobile. The corporation announced that it's rolling out the ability to make payments with a near-field communication (NFC) enabled smartphone starting this year. Throughout 2012, the full payment system will be rolled out in the US through a previously announced joint venture with Apple and Verizon.
The system, to be known as T-Mobile's Mobile Wallet, will let users make payments simply by waving an NFC-equipped phone near a payment kiosk. The company believes that mobile payments that replace cash, such as buying a 72-ounce Slurpee at the local Kwik-E-Mart, are going to be the most popular form of transaction, followed by the ability to use the Mobile Wallet to pay for ticket transactions on public or private transportation.
Some of the other capabilities of Mobile Wallet include the ability to get customized coupons on your phone and support for loyalty programs, such as supermarket discount cards. Since losing an NFC-equipped phone would be akin to losing a wallet, security features are included to protect against phone theft or loss. There's no word on whether the NFC capability will be built into future iPhones or if a special case will be required.
[via Engadget]
Deutsche Telekom claims Apple will support near-field communication e-wallet originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Latest version of iBooks contains anti-jailbreaking measures
Seems like Apple isn't letting the Library of Congress's declaration that jailbreaking is legal stop it from throwing further obstacles in the way of people trying to open up their iOS hardware. The latest such gimmick is iBooks. Version 1.2.1 of the app, launched last week, refuses to open books on jailbroken phones, as detailed by Social Apples.
Comex of the iPhone Dev Team explained how the security measure works on Twitter. It seems that, before loading any DRM-controlled book (i.e., anything you buy from the iBookstore), iBooks tries to run a small program that has deliberately not been correctly signed to work on the iOS device. Normal devices will refuse to run this; iBooks detects that failure and loads as usual. However, jailbroken devices will (by default) run the program fine, which iBooks also detects and refuses to go any further.
UPDATE: further investigation suggests that, rather than this being new protection in the latest iBooks release, the protection itself is unchanged. Cydia developer Pushfix has written several posts on their Twitter account that clarify the situation. iBooks has always used a number of different checks, but under older jailbreak apps and iOS versions, many of the checks have passed despite the jailbreak. However, newer jailbreak routines have lifted more and more different restrictions that iOS applies internally, meaning iBooks has (to the user) appeared to become better and better at detecting the presence of a jailbreak.
Presumably, Apple took this step to protect iBooks content from having the DRM stripped off through use of a jailbroken device. Of course, people wanting to pirate e-books have plenty of places to do so; like so many antipiracy measures, this did a lot more to annoy paying customers than it did to slow down the pirates.
In any event, as is often the case in these cat-and-mouse games between Apple and the jailbreak devs, it wasn't long before version 0.9.5b5-4 of redsn0w was released tofix this issue.UPDATE: as numerous commenters have spotted, that link goes to a release of redsn0w from the middle of 2010 that fixed a similar issue with iBooks but does not address this latest change by Apple. At present, there is no solution short of removing the jailbreak altogether, though Comex reports that he has a fix ready. We apologize for the error. UPDATE2: several hours later, the iPhone Dev Team obliged us with PwnageTool 4.2 with a fix for the iBooks problem.[Thanks to Josh for sending this in, and Rene Ritchie for prompting us to dig deeper into the background issues.]
Latest version of iBooks contains anti-jailbreaking measures originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple officially launches App Store subscriptions
When Apple's Eddy Cue, Rupert Murdoch and others launched the iPad-only newspaper The Daily, Cue promised that its subscription model would be made available to other iOS publications soon. Today, Apple has officially launched App Store subscriptions.
Subscriptions are purchased through the apps themselves using the same billing system that the App Store has employed for in-app purchases. Individual publishers are able to set their own prices and lengths of subscriptions. As for Apple, it takes the same 30 percent share that it currently pulls from other in-app purchases.
Customers can manage their subscriptions from a special account page, and cancel a subscription when they're ready. In a press release, Steve Jobs explained the pricing model, saying, "...when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing. All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app, so that customers can easily subscribe with one-click right in the app."
Note that publishers may not provide links in their apps to purchase options outside of the app (like a subscriber website).
This has been a long time coming. Now for the big question: will people subscribe to magazines and newspapers on their iPads?CUPERTINO, California-February 15, 2011-Apple(R) today announced a new subscription service available to all publishers of content-based apps on the App Store℠, including magazines, newspapers, video, music, etc. This is the same innovative digital subscription billing service that Apple recently launched with News Corp.'s "The Daily" app.
Subscriptions purchased from within the App Store will be sold using the same App Store billing system that has been used to buy billions of apps and In-App Purchases. Publishers set the price and length of subscription (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-yearly or yearly). Then with one-click, customers pick the length of subscription and are automatically charged based on their chosen length of commitment (weekly, monthly, etc.). Customers can review and manage all of their subscriptions from their personal account page, including canceling the automatic renewal of a subscription. Apple processes all payments, keeping the same 30 percent share that it does today for other In-App Purchases.
"Our philosophy is simple-when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app, so that customers can easily subscribe with one-click right in the app. We believe that this innovative subscription service will provide publishers with a brand new opportunity to expand digital access to their content onto the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone, delighting both new and existing subscribers."
Publishers who use Apple's subscription service in their app can also leverage other methods for acquiring digital subscribers outside of the app. For example, publishers can sell digital subscriptions on their web sites, or can choose to provide free access to existing subscribers. Since Apple is not involved in these transactions, there is no revenue sharing or exchange of customer information with Apple. Publishers must provide their own authentication process inside the app for subscribers that have signed up outside of the app. However, Apple does require that if a publisher chooses to sell a digital subscription separately outside of the app, that same subscription offer must be made available, at the same price or less, to customers who wish to subscribe from within the app. In addition, publishers may no longer provide links in their apps (to a web site, for example) which allow the customer to purchase content or subscriptions outside of the app.
Protecting customer privacy is a key feature of all App Store transactions. Customers purchasing a subscription through the App Store will be given the option of providing the publisher with their name, email address and zip code when they subscribe. The use of such information will be governed by the publisher's privacy policy rather than Apple's. Publishers may seek additional information from App Store customers provided those customers are given a clear choice, and are informed that any additional information will be handled under the publisher's privacy policy rather than Apple's.
The revolutionary App Store offers more than 350,000 apps to consumers in 90 countries, with more than 60,000 native iPad[TM] apps. Customers of the more than 160 million iOS devices around the world can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.Apple officially launches App Store subscriptions originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iPad passes Reed College higher ed test
Reed College took the Apple iPad for a spin in 2010 and was pleased with the tablet's performance as an educational tool. The College was one of several educational establishments that tested the Kindle DX when the eReader was launched in 2009. When the pilot program was completed, the Kindle DX was deemed a failure for usage in a classroom situation. Where the Kindle failed, the Apple iPad excelled according to CTO Martin Ringle who was speaking with Fast Company.
According to the results from Reed College's iPad pilot program, the iPad's responsive and smooth scrolling touchscreen made it ideal for reading content in the classroom. Navigation among passages was quick and easy, a task that was difficult using the Kindle's navigation pointer. The highlighting and annotation of text was also easy, with many students choosing to highlight text on the iPad over traditional pen and paper.
The iPad pilot program did point out some flaws, most notable of which is the virtual keyboard. While easy to type short messages, the onscreen keyboard is not designed for long-form writing. This shortcoming could be alleviated with an external keyboard that lets you input text in a traditional and comfortable manner. The purchase of a keyboard, though, adds an additional expense to the final cost of adoption. Syncing and file system issues are also a hindrance as transferring PDF files via iTunes is slow. Once synced, documents are difficult to locate on the device, though the use of a third-party application like Good Reader would mitigate this issue.
Interestingly enough, the Reed report on the pilot program suggests schools may be open to the usage of Android tablets as well as the iPad. If a device hits the right price point and the correct set of features, schools will adopt these tablet devices en masse in the upcoming years.
[Via @counternotions]iPad passes Reed College higher ed test originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - TUAW's Daily App: Crystal SoulCrystal Soul is another puzzle/RPG mashup that features yet another take on mixing up the two genres. At its heart, the game is a new kind of puzzler, where you play as a character wandering a board of hexes. Every time you step into a hex with a monster (or a mana stone in it), you clear all of the monsters of the same color that are touching it. So, the basic goal is to wander the game board and clear out monsters as quickly as you can.
There are RPG elements, though -- you can play as a Swordsman, Ranger or Mage, and each class has its own spells that will help you clear the board by attacking in certain patterns or in special ways. The graphics, as you can see above, are cute and colorful, and there's a real hack-and-slash feel to the action, even though you're really only playing a tile puzzle game. In each of 20 stages, you need to accomplish a certain goal, or you can just play Survival mode and stay alive for as long as possible.
The game features full Game Center and OpenFeint integration, which is really nice, and the developers are actively updating it. As this post goes live, the game should still be US$0.99 as the result of a sale for Valentine's Day. Crystal Soul is an excellent title that's worth full price, but if you can pick it up for just a buck, you definitely should.TUAW's Daily App: Crystal Soul originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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