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- Top 3 iPhone apps: Gedeon Maheux
This week's top 3 apps features Gedeon Maheux, a designer (and one of the founders) at Iconfactory, the company behind App Store hits like Ramp Champ, Astronaut and Twitterrific among other applications for iOS and your Mac. We asked him his top iPhone apps (aside from those awesome Iconfactory apps) and he told us:
PhotoPad - a free photo editor for iPhone and iPad
Gowalla - A location-based check in service like FourSquare. Iconfactory did some work for Gowalla and if you compare the design of that app versus FourSquare it shows.
Last Temple - a puzzle game
Top 3 iPhone apps: Gedeon Maheux originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 14 May 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Nuance-like Apple speech recognition patent emerges
Rumors have been flying that Apple has entered into some kind of agreement with speech recognition company Nuance. Now Patently Apple has published an Apple patent that shows a possible use for Nuance's technology in the iPhone.
The patent covers text-to-speech and speech-to-text conversion. In the patent, Apple lists two ways it might be hard for someone to answer their phone in the usual way: communicating in noisy environments and being unable to communicate during a meeting. In the first situation Apple says the user might try shouting to overcome the noise, but shouting frequently renders the voice signal unintelligible. Likewise in a quiet environment, such as a meeting where the user doesn't want to disrupt what's going on around him, he might try whispering into his phone, but again whispering frequently renders the voice signal unintelligible.
Apple proposes to get around these limitations by running text-to-speech and speech-to-text conversion on the fly. Instead of shouting or whispering into the phone in a noise or quiet environment, respectively, the user could type a text message while live on the call and it would be read aloud to the person on the other end of the line.
Nuance-like Apple speech recognition patent emerges originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 14 May 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me move my iOS devices to a new computer
Dear Aunt TUAW,
I just bought a brand spanking new iMac. Since I want a clean slate, I am moving everything over manually from my old MacBook. So far so good, except for my iPhone, iPod touch, iPad etc. How do I switch my iOS devices over without the loss of my apps and their saved data. (I have put many many hours into Infinity Blade on long flights.) Thanks!
Your loving nephew,
Henry
Continue reading Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me move my iOS devices to a new computer
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me move my iOS devices to a new computer originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 14 May 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Malware, Macs, and crying wolf: Doing the math
Love Apple gear? Like math? TUAW's Doing the Math series examines the numbers and the science that lie behind the hardware.
The contentious subject of Mac security has been back in the news in recent weeks following the emergence of a fake antivirus package called MacDefender (also known as Mac Security and Mac Protector) that managed to steal a number of users' credit card details, and a new piece of "crimeware" called Weyland-Yutani BOT which allows non-technical hackers to easily create password grabbing webpages that specifically target Mac browsers.
This prompted a fresh round of "the Mac is under attack! Malware will drown us all! Exclamation!" blog posts, followed by the usual backlash against them. On the alarmist side, Ed Bott wrote "Coming soon to a Mac near you: serious malware", predicting doom, gloom, and dogs and cats living together.
The case for the defence was eloquently made in an article entitled "Wolf!" by Mac uber-blogger John Gruber where he simply collected assorted "Mac malware is inevitable" quotes from prominent analysts... going back to 2004, and all clearly unfulfilled in the sense of widespread attacks or exploits in the wild. Bott responded with a thoughtful post where he made a more reasoned case that malware for Macs really is inevitable in the long run, regardless of how inaccurate previous predictions have been.
So who's right, and who's wrong? Is it time to run to the hills or are people just sounding the gong of panic unnecessarily? In this post I'm going to try and dive a little deeper into the issues surrounding Mac malware, hypothetical and real, and separate the headlines from the facts.
Continue reading Malware, Macs, and crying wolf: Doing the math
Malware, Macs, and crying wolf: Doing the math originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 14 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - RoadAhead is a different and clever nav app
One of the joys of writing for TUAW is being able to devote some time to finding apps that are unique and make life easier for our readers. I especially like to find free apps, so here's my latest contribution.
RoadAhead is a free iOS app that looks up highway exits in your travel and lets you know what services are coming up. You can get everything or narrow your search down to categories such as coffee, ATMs, rest areas, or even ice cream and pharmacies. The app will also find service stations and will usually list gas prices so you can compare.
When you are at the exit, you can select your destination on a Google-sourced map. Tap again you'll get transferred to the Google Maps app with your route highlighted. The app also provides a contact phone number for your destination, and where appropriate, reviews from Yelp.
Continue reading RoadAhead is a different and clever nav app
RoadAhead is a different and clever nav app originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 14 May 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Flash Player for Mac updated to 10.3, adds preference pane and auto-updates
The beta version of Flash Player 10.3 gave way Thursday to the release version, downloadable freely from Adobe for installation on your Mac. The new build finally restores auto-update capability, which was unstable or unsupported on Mac OS X for quite a while. Now you'll be prompted to patch Flash when necessary (unless you're running the Chrome browser, which packs its own version of Flash).
Up until now, adjusting Flash's preferences and settings was done inside a Flash movie in the browser, which was quirky and a bit confusing for novice users. Now there's an honest-to-goodness System Preferences pane for controlling local data storage, peer-to-peer playback, camera/audio settings, purchased content and updating -- much more convenient. Flash Player now respects your private browsing settings (since 10.1) and will avoid saving any local content if your browser is set to private mode, but now you have a convenient button to clear the cache of all Flash content or block specific sites from storing local data.
Other new features include audio improvements for echo cancellation, video analytics tied to Adobe's SiteCatalyst product, bug fixes and security features. The full change list is here.
Of course, some would prefer to have no truck with Flash Player; we've got your back.
[hat tip MacStories]
Flash Player for Mac updated to 10.3, adds preference pane and auto-updates originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 14 May 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Engadget app updated with landscape mode, save for later options
Our good friends at Engadget have posted an update to their iOS app. The new version introduces a landscape viewing mode for all of the included content and new "save for later" options that will send your favorite Engadget posts off to reading services like Evernote, Instapaper, and Read It Later. The app is still free, and the new version is available right now in the App Store.
We've got our own app on the App Store, and you may recall that it was updated for Retina Display compatibility a few months ago. It still doesn't run natively on the iPad just yet, but we're told an update for that is still in the works. Presumably we'll see some of these Engadget updates on our app as well. As grandma always said, patience is a virtue... so don't worry, the updated (and free) TUAW app is still coming soon.
Engadget app updated with landscape mode, save for later options originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 14 May 2011 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Book publishers fight the one-screen problem
Publishers of ebooks are meeting this week at the World e-Reading Congress, and a site called the Bookseller has an interesting writeup of one of the issues being discussed there: Whether the book market can compete with, of all things, Angry Birds. Apple's iPad has become, publishers say, a "one-screen" device, and that's led to a one-screen problem. Ebooks and other traditional media are now competing, on a 1:1 ratio, for time that could also be spent using apps and games. Book publishing, one of the panelists says, finds itself "competing vertically and horizontally against all other media."
That's an interesting take on the subject, and sure, you could argue that since your books and video games are now basically running on the same devices, the competition could be a little more direct than it's been before. But to some extent, this is much ado over little to nothing -- books have always "competed" with other forms of entertainment, and in many cases they've not only survived but come out on top. Just because opening a book now consists of launching iBooks, the Kindle app or another ebook reading app doesn't mean the rules have changed all that much.
Sara Lloyd from Pan Macmillan, puts a good final word on the subject: "We have just been constrained by book covers, but we can now evolve further. The only difference now is that we won't always make things that look like books." That's the key here -- instead of viewing other apps on the iPad as competition for the old forms of book sales, it's probably time to start looking at how that form of media can evolve as well.
Book publishers fight the one-screen problem originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple offering free repairs for iPod touches, iPhones, and Macs damaged in the Japan quake and tsunami
Apple is offering free service and repair to those Mac users who were affected by the Japan tsunami and earthquake in March. As stated in a Support & Information Services note [Japanese version/ Google-translated English version] on Apple's Japanese website, the company is offering free repairs of any Macs, Cinema Displays, iPhones, iPads or iPod touches damaged in the disaster. Apple's offer applies to those directly affected by the earthquake who primarily live in municipalities covered by the Disaster Relief Act of 2011.
This isn't the first time Apple has offered to help those who suffered in the Japan disaster earlier this year. Local Apple Retail managers opened up Apple Stores as sorts of communication centers that allowed people to use the Internet on the store's machines to email, FaceTime and Skype their loved ones. Additionally, several Mac developers came to the aid of the disaster victims offering donations from the proceeds of their apps. Apple and all member of the Mac community who have helped and continue to help those in need deserve props and recognition for their support and humanity.
[Thanks to Peter for the tip.]
Apple offering free repairs for iPod touches, iPhones, and Macs damaged in the Japan quake and tsunami originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple Releases Lion Developer Preview 3
Hot on the heels of the Mac OS X 10.6.8 build Apple seeded to developers earlier today, Lion Developer Preview 3 was seeded to all developers. Though the update shows up in Lion's Software Update as "Lion Developer Preview Update" it is not a fourth update of Lion Developer Preview 2, but is a completely new version 3 build.
All Software Update says about the new 1.07 GB build is that "The Lion Developer Preview Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview 2." However, MacStories has confirmed that some of the new features in Developer Preview 3 include a new boot animation, new graphical elements in the Finder's toolbar, new desktop wallpapers and that Reading List is now enabled in Safari.
Apple Releases Lion Developer Preview 3 originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple App Store, iPhone 4 awarded Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records has awarded Apple several world records today for the App Store and the iPhone 4. Additionally, several iOS developers were also awarded world records. Here's the breakdown from the Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition:
Fastest-Selling Portable Gaming System -- iPhone 4: Guinness states that the iPhone 4's first-day sales estimates of 1.5 million make it the fastest selling game system in history. By comparison the PSP only sold 200,000 units its first day and the Nintendo DS sold 600,000 units in its first week.
Most Popular Application Marketplace; Largest Downloadable Video Game Store; and Largest Launch Line-up of Any Gaming System -- Apple App Store: As of the time Guinness made its records decision, the App Store had over 6.5 billion downloads and 259,470 apps for purchase or free download making it the most popular downloadable app store in the world. Of those apps, 37,362 were games, making the App Store the largest video game download store in the world. Finally, when the App Store launched on July 10, 2008, the App Store featured over 500 apps, including 145 games, making it the "Largest Launch Line-up of Any Gaming System."
Apple wasn't the only one to receive app accolades, however. iOS developers were also awarded titles by Guinness: Angry Birds got Top Paid-For App Store Game in Most Countries with more than 6.5 million downloads; Plants vs. Zombies was awarded Fastest-Selling iPhone/iPod Strategy Game with 300,000 paid downloads in its first nine days on sale; and Tap Tap Revenge was awarded the Most Popular iPhone Game Series with a combined 15 million downloads for all the Tap Tap games.
Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition is available on Amazon.
[via LA Times]
Apple App Store, iPhone 4 awarded Guinness World Records originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Lodsys patent claim threatens independent developers, what next?
Following up from this morning's flurry of news surrounding a series of legal threats to independent developers, there's this thorough and wonderful dissection of the situation by Florian Mueller, an intellectual property activist.
On his blog he states, "...companies like Apple will look at these issues on a case-by-case basis and make a determination in each case how far they go with their support." As Macworld pointed out early on, Section 6.2 of the iOS Paid Apps Agreement seems to put the liability for any infringement back on app developers. But that's unlikely to happen. Still, it's a sticky situation that (once again) turns our attention to some ugly truths about our courts and our patent system.
The patent in question, according to Cnet, appears to be patent number 7,222,078, an invention of Dan Abelow. Abelow is a successful inventor and in his resume he notes that his communication and customization patents are licensed and owned by Lodsys, LLC. I'm not a lawyer, but Mueller points out that the patent is broad, covering "methods and systems for gathering information from units of a commodity across a network" and in today's case (along with a previous infringement threat to Computer Logic X) is being applied to the "upgrade" button used to transition free iOS apps to their paid equivalents; it could possibly apply more broadly against the mechanism for in-app purchasing. Again, I'm no lawyer, but I'm not so sure it's that the patent is too broad, but that it is being very loosely applied here.
Continue reading Lodsys patent claim threatens independent developers, what next?
Lodsys patent claim threatens independent developers, what next? originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Exclusive: TinyChat to enable location-linked video chat on iPhone 4
When it comes to ad-hoc video chatting with friends, strangers or space aliens, the heir apparent to the Chatroulette throne is TinyChat.
This Flash-based video-chatting service, launched in 2009, lets you create chatrooms on the fly. You and several friends can all broadcast, while more attendees/fans/you-name-its can watch and comment.
It's become quite popular with more than 30,000 people joining the site every day and a million active daily users. It's even got the requisite celeb cred with financial backing from Sean 'Puffy' Combs and Charlie Sheen's replacement Ashton Kutcher.
Today, the site released a major redesign along with a new feature: location tagging for your video chats. You can choose to reveal your region or location down to a 10-mile radius, and the service displays a 'chats in your area' map to help you identify nearby conversations.
Co-founder Dan Blake says that this feature is a natural extension of the geotagging options in social services like Facebook or Twitter: "This is all about continuing to make the world a more connected place via the web. Say, if there's a regular Tinychat room you use to discuss fishing, we think this feature will make it even easier for those users to meet 'IRL' for an actual fishing trip!" (Of course, the service's safety tips page reminds you never, ever to agree to meet someone in real life that you encounter on the service... a bit of cognitive dissonance there.)
Where there's video and location awareness, you know what's bound to be right around the corner. TUAW has learned that TinyChat has an iPhone app in the late stages of development, scheduled for release within the next couple of weeks. iPhone 4 users will be able to participate in chats on the go, and can include their location information (again, this is optional) with their user profile or their chatroom settings. It's likely that TinyChat will be first to market with this capability; although Apple could always add location to FaceTime, that would probably provoke a wave of privacy concerns.
You can sign up for a free TinyChat account through the site or via Facebook; when the iPhone app is ready for prying eyes, we'll preview it here.
Exclusive: TinyChat to enable location-linked video chat on iPhone 4 originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Mac OS X 10.6.8 build seeded to developers
Apple has seeded the first build of Mac OS X 10.6.8 to developers, according to MacRumors. Right now there's no word on any changes included in the 10.6.8 build, but as is standard with later 10.x.x updates, most of the time any changes made are minor maintenance updates.
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is scheduled to be released later this summer, so it is a possibility that Mac OS X 10.6.8 could be the last iteration of Snow Leopard we see. We'll keep you abreast if we get any any word on the release notes for the latest Snow Leopard build and, as always, feel free to mention any changes you notice in 10.6.8 in the comments.
Mac OS X 10.6.8 build seeded to developers originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - The iPad 2 is highly unpopular... as a camera
Photo sharing site Flickr tracks and publishes the device origin of all the photos that are posted to its site. With over 4.5 million users uploading photos daily, this data set is enormous.
Stats from a month ago show the iPhone 4 is at the top of the heap of not just smartphones, but of digital cameras as well. Currently, over 4,000 daily users upload photos taken with their iPhone 4. Over 7 million photos have been uploaded since the iPhone 4 launched last June.
Moving to the iPad 2, the stats are pretty abysmal. A month ago, only nine users were uploading iPad 2 photos. Today, that number has climbed to a meager 22. If the camera was a key feature of the tablet, you would expect to see a lot more than 22 people uploading per day, especially with the millions of iPads that are circulating in the wild.
I hate to say it, but my own usage reflects this trend. I use my iPhone 4 all the time for taking photos and sharing them with friends. The camera on the iPad 2, though, has not been used once since I bought the tablet a month ago. If you have one or more of these devices, do you use them in the same way?
[Via Electricpig]
The iPad 2 is highly unpopular... as a camera originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rumor: 'iPhone 4S' to launch in September with T-Mobile and Sprint as added carriers
Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Misek issued a research note to clients today in which he claims the next iPhone will be branded the 'iPhone 4S' and will debut in September. The iPhone 4S will reportedly be a minor revamp of the iPhone including "minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support."
The iPhone 4S however, would not feature an LTE 4G chipset. Misek writes that despite Apple's hopes that LTE chipsets would be available in sufficient quantities for the next iPhone, the Qualcomm LTE chipset Apple would have used "is currently not achieving yields sufficient for inclusion in the iPhone 5." Hence, Apple has prepared a version of the iPhone without LTE.
iPhone fans may bemoan the lack of major new hardware features in the next iteration, but it seems that Apple is going to be relying on iOS as a major selling point for the new phone. Also, US users will be happy to learn that Misek is claiming that Apple is preparing to expand US carriers, adding Sprint and T-Mobile by the end of the year.
Misek's assertions for the expanded carriers seem to match a post from BoyGeniusReport that Apple is testing T-Mobile-compatible iPhone 4s in the wild. While the existing iPhone 4 will work on T-Mobile's GSM network in the US, it is limited to EDGE speeds as the AT&T and T-Mobile systems use different frequencies to support 3G data.
Misek also states that Apple is set to add China Mobile as a carrier in China by the end of 2011.
[via Forbes]
Rumor: 'iPhone 4S' to launch in September with T-Mobile and Sprint as added carriers originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple retail partner Foxlink to double footprint in Asia
Apple's reach in Asia is about to grow bigger, according to a report from DigiTimes published earlier today.
Foxlink, one of Apple's component suppliers and primary retail partners in Asia, revealed plans to expand its chain of Apple specialty shops in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. The Taiwan-based company aims to double the number of stores it operates in the region from 50 locations to 100 by the end of the year.
Similarly, Foxconn, another of Apple's biggest partners, also has plans to build more locations for its chain of Cybermart electronics outlets in China. One of Foxconn's new locations, in Changchun, China, will dedicate 200 square meters exclusively to Apple products. Other Cybermarts are expected to open in Xiamen, Zhengzhou, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Xinjiang, and Kunming.
China represents a huge opportunity for growth for Apple. The Cupertino company operates four of its own stores in the nation that have become its most visited and highest revenue generating locations in the world. Even so, Apple relies heavily on third party resellers to promote its hardware and software in Asia.
[via MacNN]
Apple retail partner Foxlink to double footprint in Asia originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Hotels.com app a good way to find last-minute hotel deals
Travel juggernaut Hotels.com has a new app available for both iOS and Android. The site is similar to discount travel sites such as Priceline and Orbitz, and it features last-minute deals from more than 135,000 around the world.
A rudimentary app released in 2008 basically served as a redirect to the Hotels.com site. The updated app allows you to access a complete reservation history even if you don't have a data connection, one-touch map location for your hotel (immensely helpful, I find), the ability to create a Hotels.com account from within the app and more.
The app is very fast and easy to use. I've not used Hotels.com very much, but I plan to keep this app on my phone in case I'm traveling and need to find a place to stay at the last minute or want to find a good deal.
[Via Macworld]
Hotels.com app a good way to find last-minute hotel deals originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - TUAW's Daily Mac App: Flexiglass
There are many things that OS X does well, and a few things that it could do better. One area of potential weakness is window management, and that's where Flexiglass comes in.
Flexiglass, a US$7.99 (currently 20% off) app from the Mac App Store, adds to and enhances the built-in window management features of OS X. It allows you to quickly resize and move a window using any part of said window when a modifier key is held down (the Option key by default), not just the title bar or the resize corner. With the modifier key, a left click and drag allows you to move the window, while a right click resizes the window, altering its size from the bottom or right hand-side edges. If on a trackpad, one, two or three-finger mousing does the same. The result is a fast and efficient means of window movement and resizing that doesn't get in the way of normal operations.
Flexiglass also allows you to move and resize windows to set positions like full screen, half screen horizontally or vertically by dragging the window to the edges of the screen or through keyboard shortcuts. An option to double click the title bar or right click the green zoom button to maximize a window is also included, while a right click on the red button will quit the program, not just close the window.
Flexiglass rolls in many features found in other separate apps, with lots of options to enable or disable features that you don't want. It's a fast, slick experience that caters to keyboard and mouse jockeys alike, so it's well worth considering if you find OS X lacking in the window management department.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: Flexiglass originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - HDD Fan Control software addresses iMac hard drive replacement issue
Yesterday, Other World Computing wrote a post suggesting you could not install third-party hard drives in the new Sandy Bridge iMacs. According to OWC, any change in the hard drive or switching to a hard drive bay would cause the drive fan to spin at maximum speed. Though this problem does exist, it may not be as troublesome as everyone first reported.
According to the developer behind HDD Fan Control, this is a problem that has been present in iMac models since late 2009. The dev wrote his HDD Fan control application after he replaced his own hard drive and the fan speed for the drive increased to 6000 rpm. He used the hard drive's S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) interface to control the speed of the fan and bring it down to a normal level. While Apple may not want you to replace the hard drive in your iMac, you may want to try this software option if you decide to crack open that all-in-one and do some hardware hacking. If you test it out, let us know how it works.
HDD Fan Control software addresses iMac hard drive replacement issue originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iPad 101: finding the Tab key in Pages
Eager to make my new iPad 2 earn its keep, I've stopped rationalizing the purchase and gotten down to work. The next logical purchase, I figured, is Pages, which I'll use for word processing while on the road. Mobile productivity is what the iPad is all about, isn't it?
I read the "getting started" tutorial and then waited for a project to present itself while I was away from my Mac. An opportunity soon presented itself during a boring train ride.
While riding the train to music rehearsal, I needed to type up a simple set list of songs. On the left, I wanted to type the song titles, and on the right, each song's key. This is something I've done hundreds of times on my Mac with minimal fuss.
Unfortunately, however, I hit a snag in Pages. I discovered that there is no tab key on the iPad's virtual keyboard -- even in Pages. I quickly double checked this on my iPhone keyboard and found the same result. I searched "tab" and "tab key" in the Pages help section with poor results.
I started fumbling around the various menu options in Pages, growing frustrated and confused at the lack of a tab key. Had the iPad let me down?
Fortunately, after ten minutes of repeated menu hopping, and searching various internet forums, I saw the tab icon staring me in the face, next to the text alignment icons. Pulling into the train station, I tapped the icon and a short menu appeared with the tab option at the top.
I can't fathom why Apple would decide not to put a tab key on the iPad's keyboard, at least in Pages. But thank goodness it's there, even if it does require two taps to make a tab indentation instead of the single keyboard stroke required on a conventional keyboard.
Have you had a little tiff with your iPad? Why not let us know in the comments below? We may even be able to help you work it out!
iPad 101: finding the Tab key in Pages originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Man uses Prey to track stolen MacBook Pro hundreds of miles, calls thief
Here's an incredible story of how author Sean Power retrieved his stolen 17" MacBook Pro from 800km away, using Prey and Twitter.
Sean's bag containing his laptop, some money and other important items was stolen. Three days later, he received a report from Prey noting the computer's location and a picture of the alleged thief, which was taken by the MBP's camera. Soon the man in custody of the laptop launched Skype from a bar, and Sean was able to learn his name.
Sean then took to Twitter, explaining the situation to his followers, who began to do a Google search on the name, determining that he was part owner of the bar. Sean then contacted the police while a Twitter follower volunteered to wait for them to arrive at the bar, posing as a woman who was waiting on a friend.
The police never arrived, noting that Sean hadn't filed a stolen item report. In the meantime, Sean watched as the man checked his email and even his bank account. Eventually, Sean called the man's cell phone.
The man freely gave up the laptop, bag and all of the stolen belongings to people in the bar.
It's an incredible story, and one that could have gone very wrong (approaching an alleged thief is best left to police). Prey played no small role. This piece of software can take photos of a person using a computer as well as sceenshots, all undetected. It will use either GPS or Wi-Fi triangulation to note its location, and it can keep your data locked down.
It's an incredible story, and we're glad it worked out. Congratulations to Sean and Prey.
Man uses Prey to track stolen MacBook Pro hundreds of miles, calls thief originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Apple patent reveals a text-to-speech and speech-to-text system for the iPhone
Apple recently filed a patent application for a text-to-speech and a speech-to-text converter designed to work in noisy environments. The patent describes a system that uses a converter included on the logic board of the phone. This hardware-based conversion would have a distinct advantage over current text-to-speech systems, which use an internet-based service from a company like Nuance to translate conversions.
Unlike Android's text-to-speech system, which is used for searching and navigation, Apple's patent describes a system used for sending and receiving phone calls. In one embodiment, a microphone on the iPhone would detect the ambient noise level and prompt the user to answer a call using text-to-speech in a noisy environment when talking on the phone may be difficult. The person answering the call would type in their messages, and the phone would convert it to speech heard by the caller.
In another example, the user could choose to talk via a two-way texting system that uses both text-to-speech and a speech-to-text within the conversation. Basically, your caller's words would be converted to text that you could read, and you could input a text response that is converted to speech for the caller on the other end. It's an elegant system that would be useful for making phone calls at a loud sporting event or a crowded bar.
Apple is rumored to be in talks with Nuance that could bring an advanced speech recognition system to iOS. This above patent may describe a small part of what is to come for iPhone owners in the future.
Apple patent reveals a text-to-speech and speech-to-text system for the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Judge rules for Kodak in Apple lawsuit
An ITC judge has ruled that Apple's allegations of patent infringement against Kodak are unfounded. You'll remember that Apple claims Kodak is using two of its technologies illegally in several products, including the Z-series, M-series and C-series cameras. One of the technologies in question allows a camera to process two images simultaneously, while the other lets users adjust an image's color, balance and resolution at the same time.
ITC Judge Robert Rogers did not agree with Apple's complaints, but his ruling is still subject to full ITC review. Also, the ITC is yet to rule on a separate filing raised against both Apple and RIM by Kodak.
Judge rules for Kodak in Apple lawsuit originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - iOS developers hit by patent infringement complaints for using in-app purchase
This morning, several iOS developers have tweeted that they have been served with papers regarding their applications' use of in-app purchases. PCalc Lite developer James Thomson tweeted that he received a FedEx package of legal papers this morning. Thomson lives in Scotland. As Thomson clarifies, he hasn't been sued yet, but he's "been told that I am infringing their patent, they want me to license it, and I have 21 days."
Chicago-based developer Patrick McCarron confirmed that he too had met with identical circumstances. Both developers have declined to name the party of the complaint, and both will be consulting with Apple, whose in-app purchase mechanism they are using, before making any further statements. Thomson told John Siracusa it was not MacroSolve, a company that has been increasing its enforcement of patents around mobile tech.
In-App purchase is the mechanism by which applications can offer upgrades and extended features to customers from inside the application, creating an extended revenue flow after the initial software purchase. Many developers use this feature to provide free-to-paid pathways or to offer upgrades, subscriptions and booster packs.
More as this develops. If you are an independent developer served with a similar complaint and would like to discuss it with TUAW, please contact us here.
Update: MacRumors suggests this is Lodsys, based on previous claims against some pretty large printer companies and a conversation with developer Rob Gloess over a potential lawsuit surrounding an "upgrade" button in his apps.
But the Lodsys patents appear to target "upgrade" mechanisms, not in-app purchases. Of course, the meaning of an in-app purchase to enable certain features or add-ons could be construed as an "upgrade." Still, we as yet have no confirmation that Lodsys is behind the current notices being sent out, but we have reached out to them for comment.
Update 2: Both MacRumors and Macworld are reporting independent verification of these claims coming from Lodsys.
Well, Lodsys, good luck with that. If you think Apple will roll over and let you scuttle the App Store, you haven't been reading the news for the past several years.
Update 3: Nilay Patel tweets that he believes patent portfolio kingpins Intellectual Ventures may be behind this. His tweet: "The patent was assigned to Ferrara Ethereal LLC, which is an IV shell company. They must have given some enforcement rights to Lodsys." It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?
iOS developers hit by patent infringement complaints for using in-app purchase originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Nuu ships MiniKey for iPhone 4
Chinese accessory maker Nuu has released the MiniKey, a stylish case and Bluetooth keyboard combo for the iPhone 4. The case includes a landscape keyboard that makes the iPhone look, well, just like an HTC phone.
The keyboard slides out from the back side of the case and works with email, messaging and other text-based applications. Because the virtual keyboard does not launch, the MiniKey lets you write a novella using the entire screen of the iPhone 4. It also includes a few extra features like backlit keys, a command key that can be used for shortcuts and a toggle key that lets you switch between the MiniKey keyboard and the on-screen keyboard.
The Nuu keyboard is a bit pricey at US$79.99, especially when 4iThumbs sells an overlay keyboard for under $25, and ThinkGeek sells a flip keyboard case for $39. You can order the Nuu Mini Keyboard from Nuu's online store or a variety of retailers in Europe, Hong Kong and the UK. The full list of online merchants can be found at Nuu's website.
[Via Electronista]
Nuu ships MiniKey for iPhone 4 originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - TUAW's Daily iOS App: Samurai Girl
Samurai Girl is a 2D Korean RPG on iOS that's surprisingly deep. The combat is pretty traditional 2D stuff, but this game has all of the features that you'd expect in a full RPG, including over 50 quests and various skills to earn, a full collectibles and crafting system and even a pet system, which the game claims is the first ever seen in an action RPG (I'll argue that Torchlight has pets, but whatever).
Unfortunately, the game suffers from a pretty cluttered UI, so while the controls are responsive, it might take a little getting used to all of the buttons and seeing around them. But the action is pretty fast and furious, and while the game's Korean heritage doesn't do it any favors (it can be a little confusing knowing where to go and what to do), the RPG elements are surprisingly deep and make for a nice big experience.
Plus, the game's on sale for just a buck this weekend, so if you have any interest in playing this one at all, it's more than worth a try.
TUAW's Daily iOS App: Samurai Girl originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 13 May 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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