Tuesday, June 14, 2011

TheAppleBlog — Apple and iOS News, Tips and Reviews (13 сообщений)

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  • Streetline raises $15M from Bill Ford, RockPort for smarter parking

    A wireless solution to the nightmare that is parking is getting a sizable investment from some well-known players. On Tuesday, startup Streetline, which uses wireless sensors and cell phones to find parking spots for drivers, announced it has raised $15 million from Fontinalis Partners, the investment fund from former Ford CEO Bill Ford, as well as RockPort Capital Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures.

    Streetline embeds its wireless sensors on the streets around parking spots and in meters. Each sensor connects to a mesh network which feeds the parking availability data to a central office, and potential parkers can find open spots through updated street signs or on their cell phones. The company’s Parker app is available on iTunes .

    The four-year-old company has deployed its technology in places like Los Angeles; San Francisco; New York City; Sausalito, Calif.; and the University of Maryland. Streetline CEO Zia Yusuf said its city and university customers commonly have between a few hundred to a few thousand parking spots connected via the system, and many customers are expanding early small deployments into larger networks. Streetline says the new funds, which are its Series B, will go toward expanding its network of sensors and services.

    The company sells the service to the city or parking provider, and offers the driver access to the service and the mobile app for free. The network costs about $25 to $30 per parking space to install. Parking revenues are a major source of funds for cities, and parking providers can use the smart system to offer dynamic pricing to raise and lower prices depending on demand and time of day. For example, cities looking to reduce congestion in urban areas can raise parking rates at certain times to reduce traffic.

    The app saves not only time, but also a lot of wasted gas, which is used up by drivers circling the block searching for a space. Streetline says 30 percent of traffic in cities comes from drivers looking for parking spaces, and the company cites a year-long study that says in a 15-block district in Los Angeles, drivers drove 950,000 extra miles, emitted 730 tons of carbon and burned 47,000 gallons of gas looking for parking.

    Streetline is one of several companies using wireless and software to make transportation and parking smarter. A company called Skymeter is looking to deliver a similar smart parking service, but does so by installing a "black box" in the car that houses the network connection, computing device, GPS chip and software. Using a cell phone as a connection to the driver is a lower-cost way to do this, but Streetline’s sensors on the street can give more granular parking-specific data. Companies could also use the cell phone on its own without extra computing in the car or parking space, and a company called Virtual Vehicle Company is building software to offer car data services to companies.

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  • How to get your Mac hardware ready to roar with Lion

    Apple is gearing up to release Lion, and Mac owners eager to try it out should be gearing up to get the most out of OS X 10.7 when it arrives in July. The new operating system is the first to leave some Intel-based Macs out of the party, and even with the minimum specs, you won’t be getting the full experience. Here’s how to prepare your older Mac to best handle Lion, without having to fork over for a brand new machine. *

    RAM

    This is the easiest place you can make an improvement with almost any Mac. iMacs have a user-accessible memory slot located on the bottom edge of the display, between the built-in speakers. It’s as simple as removing three screws, and then replacing the computer’s existing memory with large capacity, compatible RAM units. MacBooks and MacBook Pros are also easily upgradeable when it comes to memory, and require only the removal of the bottom case or a memory area cover, depending on your model.

    Remember to make absolutely sure that the RAM you’re buying is compatible with your computer. You can do this by finding out which Mac you have, by doing the following:

    1. Go to the Apple menu in the top left corner of the menu bar.
    2. Click on “About This Mac.”
    3. Click on the “More Info…” button.
    4. Take note of the Model Identifier in the Hardware Overview that opens. It should say something like “iMac12,2″ or “MacBook3,1.”
    5. Go to EveryMac.com and enter that identifier to get the complete specs for your machine, including what type of RAM it uses and the maximum amount it can support.

    If you’d rather make it easier on yourself, you can go to OWC and browse for your model in the Memory section of their online store. Note that this does require that you at least know when you bought the computer, but you can find that out using the method described above.

    Note that some Mac mini models and MacBook Airs make upgrading the RAM yourself very difficult or impossible, in which case you might want to consult with an authorized Mac service provider.

    Hard Drive

    RAM is easier to upgrade, but for Lion, a hard drive change could make the biggest difference. They can be a bit trickier to upgrade, and nearly impossible if you have an iMac, but for most Mac notebooks, the process isn’t very challenging. If you’re unsure how to change your hard drive, check the official Apple manual for your computer, which you can identify using the method described above.

    There are a few options available to you here. Like Dave Greenbaum, you could choose to go with a solid-state drive. This is the best possible option, but it’s also the priciest, and you get relatively little storage space for your money.

    Another option is to supplement your existing HDD by installing a separate, smaller capacity SSD as your startup volume. If you have a MacBook Pro, this isn’t too difficult to do. Weldon Dodd provided an excellent walkthrough of how he achieved this with his own computer. Lion requires a minimum of 8 GB of free space on your drive, but a 40 GB drive that you can get for around $100 is probably as small as you should go, even if you don’t plan on keeping anything else on there.

    Finally, you can also get the best of both worlds in a single drive, using a hybrid drive. Seagate makes a hybrid drive that provides 500 GB of storage, along with a 4 GB flash storage module. It manages to achieve a 32 MB cache with a 7200 RPM drive speed, and provides much better performance than a traditional drive, in my experience, plus it’s way cheaper than a standalone SSD. Boot times, app launch times, and wake from sleep times all drastically improved after I installed this in my MacBook Pro.

    The most expensive of the above-mentioned options probably won’t cost you more than $500, and that’s only if you opt for a relatively capacious SSD. Noticeable improvements shouldn’t cost you more than $100, which is a great deal shy of the $1000+ you’d spend on a brand new Mac. Any other suggestions for DIY improvements that could make transitioning to Lion that much more satisfying?

    * Ed. Please remember that DIY modifications to Apple equipment is done at your own risk, and voids your AppleCare warranty.

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  • Share your music with portable speakers for your iDevice

    Headsets — like the Turtle Beach PX5 that Darrell reviewed recently — are great for listening to music on your own. But while you’re outdoors this summer, there are times when you may want to share your music with those around you. There are many portable boom boxes designed for iPods and iPod touches, but here are a few of the more unusual options.

    Grace Digital Audio Eco Extreme

    If you want something rugged for taking on a bike or to the beach, you might like the Eco Extreme. The manufacturer claims it is both waterproof and shock-resistant. It seems to seal pretty tightly, but I haven’t tested it in watery conditions yet.

    The Eco Extreme is designed to stand upright when desired, includes a carabiner for attaching to backpacks, and a pouch for storing cards and other small items in addition to your music player. It requires 3 AA batteries (not included), but the Eco Extreme will not charge your iDevice, since it uses the headphone jack to connect. This is a bonus if you ever want to use the Eco Extreme with something other than an Apple product.

    The 3-inch speaker is pretty small, and is rated at 3 watts and a frequency range of 200Hz – 10KHz. It puts out decent sound for its size, but don’t expect high fidelity. However, the Eco Extreme might be a good way for the kids to listen to music while at the pool or the beach.

    The Eco Extreme comes in several colors, retails for $49.99, and is available from the Grace Audio website.

    iMainGo X

    If you want better sound quality, and don’t mind doing without the shock- and water-resistance of the Eco Extreme,the iMainGo X, which also has a number of additional features.

    It connects to your music player using a standard headphone jack, and it has a flexible, clear plastic cover on one side so that you can access your player’s controls without taking it out of the case. You can use the iMainGo X with iPhones as well as iPods and iPod touches, and with other MP3 players. Since it has both an aux and mic in jacks, it can even be used with iPads, Kindles, tablets, and laptops — even gaming consoles and guitars! Unlike the Eco Extreme, the iMainGo X has an external headphone jack if you want to keep your music to yourself — in fact, it has two, so your kids can share in the backseat without disrupting your peace and quiet.

    The design is kind of cute — it looks a bit like an old-style cassette Walkman. The holes where the reels would be are actually the speakers, and their fidelity is much better than the Eco Extreme. I was quite impressed with the quality, frequency range, and volume that can be produced by the two 37mm (about 1-1/2″) speakers. You can even daisy-chain more than one iMainGo X if you want more sound.

    The iMainGo X uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery rated for 12 hours of playback time, and it comes with an AC adapter, a travel bag, and a carrying strap. It retails for $69.95, and is available through the iMainGo website and other online retailers.

    SuperTooth Disco

    The SuperTooth Disco is the 800-pound gorilla of portable sound. With a rating of 28 watts, this speaker can put out an amazing amount of high-fidelity sound, with excellent frequency response. In fact, I’ve found that it’s a bit difficult to set the levels low enough to not blast out the neighbors, which is hardly surprising since the SuperTooth Disco has specs that include two standard speakers rated at 8 watts each, plus a 12-watt subwoofer.

    As you might guess from the name, ths SuperTooth Disco connects to your player using Bluetooth A2DP, so it can be used with Macs, iPods, iPhones, iPads, and many other devices. It also has a standard audio line-in jack, so you can use a cable if you wish. I’ve been using Bluetooth, and playing music from my MacBook Pro has never sounded so good. I’ve heard interference on rare occasions, but never often enough to be a problem.

    The Disco includes a NiMH battery pack rated at 10 hours of playback time, and an AC adapter. At 89 x 315 x 70mm (3.5 x 12.5 x 2.75 inches) and weighing 1140 grams (2.5 pounds), this is definitely a speaker that you won’t want to put in a backpack or on a bike, although it does come with a carrying case. But if you really want to share your music with a crowd at your next summer party, the SuperTooth Disco can handle it.

    The Disco retails for $149.00 and is available in the U.S. at department, specialty and mobile phone stores; the manufacturer’s online shop seems to be only for European orders.

    The Speakal iPig

    This one’s a bit ridiculous, and could be a relative of the Swoop, but I have three friends with kids who said they want one after taking one look at it.

    The iPig actually has very good sound. It comes with five speakers, including a 15 watt subwoofer. The iPig puts out 25 watts, and it has adjustable bass and treble, so it’s not far behind the SuperTooth Disco in sound capabilities.

    You can control the volume by touching the pig’s ears, which is a nice touch. To make other changes, you’ll need the included remote, which works fine, but is tiny and will probably get lost quickly. The iPig can be operated with an included rechargeable lithium-ion battery rated at 6 hours of operation, or using the included AC adapter. It will even recharge your iDevice through the dock connector in the pig’s head. It’s portable, but its shape isn’t conducive to carrying, and it’s surprisingly heavy, so I’m not sure kids are going to want to lug it around.

    The iPig comes in regular and “cool” versions; the regular version has round eyes, and the cool version looks like it’s wearing shades. Oh, and if you don’t like white, it comes in yellow, pink and black, and the same manufacturer makes the iPanda, the vaguely apple-shaped iPom, the miSoccer soccer ball, and the ghostly iBoo.

    The iPig retails for $139.99 and is available from the Speakal website.

    Disclaimer: All speaker systems tested for this review were provided by the manufacturers.

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  • Tested: SSD brings new life to an old MacBook

    Solid-state drives (SSDs) appear to provide quite a performance boost on new Macs, so I wondered if they could breath new life into my original black MacBook, too. Most SSD testing compares maximum speeds on disk-intensive applications such as graphics or video editing, bu would an SSD provide a noticeable improvement in speed for everyday use on my aging Mac?

    For my test, I turned to reputable Mac upgrade retailer Other World Computing, and installed their Mercury Extreme Pro 115 GB drive. I installed a fresh copy of 10.6.6 (the most current version when my test began in February) with all applicable updates, and then used the Migration Assistant to import my system from a Western Digital Scorpio Blue 320 GB HD.

    Initial impressions were spectacular. A cold boot of my MacBook to the login screen took an average of 19.5 seconds, and to get from login to a full Finder "ready to work" state took an average of only 8.2 additional seconds. Launching Safari was nearly instant, and Microsoft Word 2011 took an average of 2.4 seconds to load. Battery life was difficult to test, but my average use time from a full charge was 4-5 hours, using a two-month old official Apple replacement battery.

    After a month, I cloned the SSD back to my original Western Digital HDD and the boot and Finder load took more than twice as long. On average cold boot time was 46 seconds with a variance of about 10 percent, and the time from login to full Finder was 38 seconds. Safari launched in 3.5 seconds, and Word in 7.2 seconds. Battery life was back to about 2 hours. I could only tolerate using the original drive for about a week and decided to switch back to the SSD. I retested the SSD (without cloning back from the Western Digital) and results were identical to my tests at the time of initial install.

    After I had been using the SSD for over three months, I repeated my original tests, and the results were exactly the same, showing no degradation of speed. That could be due in part to OWC's wear-management technology, so your mileage with other brand drives might vary.

    For those of us using older MacBooks (especially the discontinued "Blackbook") who aren’t keen on retiring our devices, I strongly recommend a SSD. With RAM maxing out at an anemic 2 GB on these models, an SSD provides an amazing speed enhancement. Although my MacBook is nearly five years old, its fast boot and application launch time, as well as its significant longer battery life made me fall in love with it all over again. A new MacBook might be great, but this one gets the job done nicely, and for only a couple hundred dollars, I've got what feels like a brand new Mac in my bag.

    Disclosure: While the product was initially provided free from OWC, at the end of the review period, Dave had a need for speed and purchased the used drive.

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  • Mac RSS reader roundup: Reeder, NetNewsWire Lite, and Pulp

    For all the talk of social media services like Twitter and Facebook replacing RSS, I still find it to be the best way to get news quickly and efficiently, and it seems like Mac developers agree. A quick look at the Mac App Store shows quite a few RSS reader options, but here’s a look at three of the best: Reeder, NetNewsWire Lite, and Pulp.

    Reeder ($9.99)

    Reeder started its life as an iPhone app, got an iPad upgrade, and now finally has come to the Mac. This evolution helps explain why it looks and works like a Lion app already: It has fade-in scrollbars, multitouch gestures, and there’s even an option for monochrome sidebar icons, just like those found in the new Lion Finder.

    Reeder only syncs with Google Reader, so you’ll have to set up a Google account if you want to use it. However, Reeder’s integration with Google’s web app is stellar. The keyboard shortcuts are exactly the same, and you can manage your Google subscriptions within Reeder by deleting feeds, adding new ones, or making folders. Sharing, starring, and noting articles can also be done in Reeder.

    Reeder can share articles with numerous third-party services, including Twitter, Instapaper, ReadItLater, Readability, Pinboard, Delicious, and Zootool. Services can be individually disabled as desired, and you can add shortcuts for each in the toolbar.

    Reeder offers a bevy of other customization options as well. You can change its appearance by choosing from two presets: one that looks like Reeder for iPhone, and another that uses standard OS X colors. These presets can be customized with a unique slider system, allowing fine-grain control over the UI. Keyboard shortcuts, multitouch gestures, and third-party services can also be customized to your heart’s content.

    Reeder is a good app for power users and general users alike. It offers a lot of options, so power users can get their fix, but the interface is simple enough that new users should figure it out quickly. Since Reeder is also available for iOS, it’s a good choice for users with multiple Apple devices, since the Google Reader sync ensures your feeds and read items will be synced across platforms.

    NetNewsWire Lite (Free)

    Unlike newcomers Reeder and Pulp, NetNewsWire has been around since 2002, when OS X was still learning how to walk. Don’t assume that the app feels out-of-touch because it’s older, though. The latest release is a complete rewrite, and according to Brent Simmons, the developer, it’s the “best code I've ever done, by far.”

    NetNewsWire has a more traditional interface than Reeder or Pulp, but it’s no more difficult to use, and it still looks great. It doesn’t sync with Google Reader, so all feeds are managed locally. The lack of Google sync could be a dealbreaker for some, but you can import and export your subscriptions in OPML, something Reeder can’t do.

    Article Styles let you change the way articles look.

    Another thing NNW has that Reeder lacks is Article Styles, which are six pre-defined CSS style-sheets that change how an article is displayed. You can customize these style-sheets, but it involves messing around in the app’s Resources folder, so it’s not exactly easy.

    NNW has many limitations. It can only share articles with Twitter, Instapaper, and MarsEdit (a blogging app). It isn’t very customizable beyond moving buttons around and hiding the toolbar. It’s also 64-bit only, so it won’t run on older Macs with Core Duo processors. But if you just need a cheap, no-frills RSS reader, NetNewsWire Lite is your app. The little it does, it does well, and for free. It’s also worth pointing out that NNW is in a transition period, having been acquired by Black Pixel, and a more full-featured version should come out eventually.

    Pulp ($9.99)

    Pulp is relatively unknown compared to the other two apps mentioned, but it was recently featured in the Mac App Store. Rather than competing on features, Pulp’s big strength is its interface, which mimics a newspaper. It’s organized by pages and columns; each page can have multiple columns, and each column can have multiple RSS feeds.

    Pulp is very easy to use, and offers a good alternative to using folders to sort content. However, the newspaper-like organization is less practical for users with lots of RSS feeds. I’ve had upwards of 4,000 unread articles in a single refresh, and the thought of trying to sort through that many with this interface is daunting.

    Another unique UI element of Pulp is the Shelf, a wood-themed drawer that you can drag articles into for later reading. It isn’t going to replace Instapaper for power users, but for the average user, it works. Speaking of Instapaper, Pulp has it as an integrated service sharing option, as well as Facebook, Twitter, ReadItLater, and Readability. That’s not as many options as Reeder provides, but it should be enough to keep most users happy.

    Like NetNewsWire, Pulp doesn’t sync with Google Reader, but it does have its own syncing implementation called Pulp Sync. Setup was painless, and worked as advertised on multiple Macs, even preserving my custom column configuration.

    Pulp's article view wastes a lot of space.

    The one thing I have to complain about in Pulp is how articles are displayed. There’s a huge chunk of wasted space devoted to displaying a reflection of the app’s main screen below the article. Clicking on the reflection brings you back to the main screen, but a simple back button would have sufficed. I’m not sure why the developer thought this was a good idea, and it’s disconcerting that it’s still there, since the app has already seen multiple updates.

    Which RSS reader do you like the best? Is there one that isn’t on this list that’s better than these options? Tell us about it in the comments.

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  • Why Nokia deal with Apple may spark mobile patent war

    Missile launch by Steve JurvetsonAfter a protracted period of patent warfare, Nokia and Apple appear to have settled their differences — with a bundle of cash. Nokia boss Stephen Elop says the two companies have agreed to drop their lawsuits against each other, with Apple paying a one-time sum and a regular license fee to use Nokia's technology.

    “We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees,” said Elop in the announcement, before suggesting that Nokia might be able to use its apparent victory to prize some money out of the hands of other companies as well. That means Android, in particular, could be in the firing line.

    So far Apple remains silent on the nature of the deal, but it has to be said that the move comes something of a surprise given that the US International Trade Commission had previously ruled that the American company had not infringed a number of Nokia patents. Still, it may have proved easier for both sides to settle and move on than continue a war that showed few signs of ending, despite entering a second year of litigation.

    The agreement and payments end all patent cases between the two companies, but there's still one major unanswered question: exactly how much is the deal for. That's being kept tightly under wraps, but there is a hint in Nokia's statement that the deal will be a significant boost to its bottom line. The release says "this agreement is expected to have a positive financial impact on Nokia’s recently revised outlook for the second quarter 2011 of around break-even non-IFRS operating margin for Devices & Services."

    Sifting through the jargon, that seems to imply that Apple's payments will make up some of the expected deficit in sales of handsets and software, which is the largest part of Nokia's business. Last month Nokia had said that it was downgrading its expectations, after lack luster sales meant it was losing as much as 9 percent of its profits in the handset business. It's not clear how much of that shortfall this deal will make up, but my back of the envelope calculations suggest a wide range that reaches as high as $900 million (though it is most likely lower).

    Beyond the immediate news, there are also longer-term issues to consider. First, there's the effect on Apple. I think those are minimal: the company has huge cash reserves and now has ended almost all possibility of further litigation from Nokia in this area.

    More importantly, there's the impact on Nokia and its image. While the payments may help the company right itself temporarily (remember, the company says the money is only going to shore up its dismal Q2 results) they may betray a deeper issue — that it is becoming reliant on others. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the case, it's going to be hard to fight the image that everybody else is now keeping Nokia afloat through their payments. After all, these millions from Apple come on top of billions from Microsoft.

    Perhaps the most important long-term impact could be that this victory encourages Nokia to launch more lawsuits. Some suggest that Android, for example, could now be a prime target. Nokia has already launched cases against the likes of Samsung, LG, Sharp and Toshiba, and — as Florian Mueller of the FOSS Patents blog points out — Nokia is preparing to go on the warpath.

    Having proven its ability to defeat Apple — after the most bitterly contest patent dispute that this industry has seen to date — is a clear proof of concept. Other companies whom Nokia will ask to pay royalties will have to think very hard whether to pay or pick a fight.

    Maximizing cash from its patent portfolio is an expensive and time-consuming gambit, but it seems to have paid off for Nokia so far. In fact, perhaps even more than Stephen Elop's famous "burning platform" memo, this situation encapsulates Nokia's ongoing problems more succinctly than almost anything else: as the company that comes up with technology that everybody else manages to exploit better than it can.

    Photograph used under Creative Commons license courtesy of Steve Jurvetson

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  • Unlocked iPhone 4 now available in the U.S. starting at $649

    Apple Tuesday began selling the iPhone 4 unlocked in the U.S., as reports had suggested they would. Both 16 GB and 32 GB GSM versions of the iPhone 4 in both black and white are available in the Apple online store, and 9to5Mac indicates they will also be available in Apple Retail stores beginning Wednesday.

    An unlocked iPhone won’t come cheap for U.S. residents. The 16 GB iPhone 4 sells for $649 U.S., while the higher capacity 32 GB model goes for $749. In exchange for the higher asking price, you wont’ be saddled with a multiyear carrier service contract, however, and you can use the phone with any supported GSM network in the world, so long as you get the appropriate micro SIM card and service plan.

    As I mentioned yesterday, while the device itself is unlocked, the options for U.S. 3G GSM service are extremely limited, which means that while this iPhone 4 may offer the impression of carrier choice, in effect you’re still pretty much stuck with AT&T, or T-Mobile if  you’re willing to sacrifice 3G speeds. T-Mobile, of course, is in the process of being acquired by AT&T, and some suspect this is a move on behalf of AT&T to encourage U.S. regulators to let the deal go through.

    Still, many commenters on our post yesterday about the prospect of an unlocked iPhone suggested they were interested in purchasing such a device, with many citing overseas travel as a big reason why a carrier-agnostic phone would work well for them. I also brought up the possibility that reselling the iPhone later might be easier, and maybe even more lucrative.

    Now that it’s here, and now that we know the price, does this change anyone’s decision about whether an unlocked iPhone 4 is an attractive buy?

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  • What to do with your MobileMe-hosted site post-iCloud

    Sometimes, not saying anything at all is saying something. Apple failed to update iWeb in its latest iLife refresh, and at last week’s keynote at WWDC, there were plenty of details about iCloud, but no mention of what was to become of the web hosting side of MobileMe. Now it appears Steve Jobs has spoken via email, and those of using this part of MobileMe will be forced to look elsewhere.

    The usual suspects. By simply searching for the term “Top 10 Web Hosting,” you will find several lists, all vying for the honor of the definitive top 10 list of web hosts. I’ll save you a lot of trouble, and point you to hostmonster.com, justhost.com, fatcow.com, bluehost.com and hostgator.com, all of which appear ranked highly in most of these lists. Be sure the package you select supports hosting domain names on the account, and be aware of page limits and bandwidth caps on entry-level accounts. You should be able to find decent virtual accommodations for personal use for less than $5/mo.

    Domain registrar. Apple doesn’t provide a domain service of their own. You can point your registered domain to your MobileMe account, but Apple is not a registrar themselves. Many, if not all, domain registrars also offer web hosting solutions, too. I happen to use GoDaddy as my domain registrar, and have been looking at what they have to offer.  I was able to find a plan that suited my needs for less than $10/mo.

    Squarespace. This is where things start to get interesting. Squarespace has lots of nice features to offer its customers. It is featured on many of the podcasts I listen to and watch. Squarespace’s strength lies in its easy-to-use, prefab template-based site development that is highly customizable supports multiple authors. But if you’re handling your web design and development elsewhere, this may be more than you need, and in order to avoid a ten page limit you have to start looking at plans that costs as much as $20/mo.

    Apple may be getting out of the web game in favor of moving to the cloud, but it’s a feature that’s well-represented by many providers already, so it really isn’t a great loss. Nor is the demise of iWeb, which, truth be told, wasn’t a stellar web page creation tool to begin with. If anything, this may be the shot in the arm needed to get users to make some timely improvements to their personal websites.

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  • Motorola brings iPad and Android streaming in-house

    Motorola has announced a new device that will let consumers stream live TV to IP-enabled devices like the iPad or other connected devices around the home. The Motorola Televation works by plugging into the cable coax and a customer’s Wi-Fi router and will automatically stream TV content to devices connected to a home network.

    Already, operators like Time Warner Cable and Cablevision have introduced applications on the iPad that allow for in-home streaming of live TV stations. And while those applications make sure that the viewer is tuning in on a device connected to the home network, there are still video streams being fed over the ISPs’ broadband infrastructure.

    The Motorola Televation product seeks to alleviate some of the strain by taking the heavy lifting out of video delivery in the broadband network and moving it to the home Wi-Fi network instead. It also clears up some of the messy rights issues related to streaming content within the home; since the Televation product connects to the same linear video feeds as an operator’s set-top box, Motorola argues that operators won’t have to worry about being sued over live TV streamed over a broadband network.

    The box transcodes video streams on the fly from the original MPEG-2 format to IP-deliverable MPEG-4 streams, matching up the resolution, bit rate and quality of those streams with the devices that are trying to access them. It also includes a bit of proprietary digital rights management (DRM) technology to ensure that the streams are secure while being distributed to other devices. The core technology to offer streaming video through a TV tuner isn’t exactly new, but Motorola’s offering has a 1 GHz tuner and CableCard functionality.

    For iPad owners, that means that they will be able to access live video over the Wi-Fi network from anywhere within the home. But the Televation product could have other benefits to operators: Because its streams can be accessed by IP-connected TVs, it could potentially alleviate the need for a set-top box in every room with a television.

    Reducing the need for set-top boxes could lower capex for operators as they bring new customers online or as those customers connect new TVs to digital signals. Since faulty set-top boxes are frequently the reason for customer support calls, replacing them with an IP video signal could also improve customer satisfaction.

    Unfortunately, the Motorola Televation won’t be available directly to consumers but will be marketed at the operators themselves to deploy to their customers. Those service providers will also make their own branded applications for iPad and Android, and Motorola is providing customers with software development kits (SDKs) to do so.

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  • Sleep with your iPhone? Now you can make it cuddly.

    Oh Kickstarter, thank you very much for making this possible. That thing you see in the image above is “the first mobile plush for iPhone and iPod touch.” It’s a stuffed owl called Swoop (because why not?), and you put your iPhone or iPod touch in a transparent and touch-friendly pouch in its gut, thus making it much more enjoyable to hug and cuddle your Apple mobile device.

    The Swoop project is said to be “great for kids” on the product’s official website, but it might appeal to adults, too, since apparently a whole lot of us sleep with our devices anyway. This just means you can keep it even closer, and in fact even rest your face against it so that you never have to worry about missing a late-night email again.

    Swoop isn’t a reality just yet. The project’s creators still have a ways to go before they meet their modest $7,500 goal. A $25 pledge on Kickstarter qualifies as a pre-order, so if you feel like the only thing your iPhone is missing is slightly softer edges, this might be the project for you.

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  • Apple will shake up web work once again with iOS 5

    Apple seems to have a significant impact on the future of work without directly intending to. The iPhone has made steady inroads into the enterprise since its introduction, and the iPad is making big waves as well. These devices are especially useful for remote workers, for whom computing tech is the very lifeblood of their daily grind. Apple’s next-generation mobile operating system brings big improvements for consumers, but they’ll be no less beneficial to mobile workers.

    Notifications

    It’s hard to understand just how much better it is to be able to see your work-related emails lined up at a glance on your lock screen as they come in, without having to even unlock your device, until you’ve tried it for yourself. Plus, you can jump to any email in the list automatically with one swipe, instead of having to unlock, open the mail application, scroll and find the right email, then tap on the email. The new iOS notifications can also do the same thing for text messages, voicemail or even with alerts from third-party apps. This makes everything you do on your phone or iPad much, much easier; a boon for busy remote workers who are inundated daily with demands for their attention.

    iMessage

    While the value of iMessage, Apple’s new text and MMS replacement, may be reduced by being limited to a single platform (iOS only), that limitation didn’t stop BlackBerry Messenger from being a huge hit with the enterprise crowd. iMessage will even work on iPads and iPod touches, devices which don’t normally support text messaging. It’s also smart enough to detect when your recipient can receive iMessages, so iOS-based web workers will be using it whether or not they realize it.

    AirPlay mirroring

    An iPad 2, coupled with an Apple TV, can function as a mobile workstation, and a presentation tool you can use anywhere there’s a television or video output device. AirPlay mirroring of apps makes it easier to work on presentations and longer documents, especially when you pair your iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard for easier typing. Plus, developers should be able to leverage the new feature to come up with some really innovative two-screen interfaces that could significantly change the way we use mobile devices to get work done.

    Documents in the cloud

    As part of iOS 5 and iCloud, developers will be able to add simple cross-device syncing of document changes. This will be an incredible boon for remote workers, and especially for distributed teams, who should be able to take advantage of this in apps that let members work collaboratively on a single document. We could see solutions that allow a distributed team to work together on projects as if they were working on a corporate server, instead, using Apple’s free iCloud product, which should be handy for small companies and freelancers.

    PC-free

    There are mobile workers who can do everything they need to get done on an iPad and an iPhone, especially with the right software support from an in-house IT development team. For those workers, the most important thing about iOS 5 is that it finally severs the essential connection between iOS devices and a home PC. A workstation with an all-day battery and an always-on connection is now within reach, especially for remote workers with relatively light computing demands.

    Apple gave mobile workers a lot to be thankful for with OS X Lion, too, including auto save, resume and version tracking for documents built into the OS, but I think the changes made in iOS 5 will have the biggest impact for remote teams. Apple also made a couple changes directly aimed at enterprise customers, like encryption for iMessage and S/MIME support in iOS Mail. If you’ve been waiting for a good time to introduce Apple devices to your mobile workflow, there’s never been a better time than this fall, when iOS 5 is released.

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  • Why Apple's obsolescence effect is overblown

    Not long after Steve Jobs’s keynote, a lament went out about apps and services iOS 5 and iCloud will render obsolete. However, after reviewing early reports of how iOS 5 works, I’d argue that many of the “threatened” apps will still hold a place in the hearts of users.

    Instapaper. After watching Steve Jobs demo the new Reader function in Safari, Instapaper developer Marco Arment famously tweeted a one-word expletive in response. Like Instapaper, the Reader tool does make text-heavy pages much easier to read on the iPhone and iPad, but Instapaper does much more than just that. It saves files for reading later across pretty much any platform, and allows you to download them to local storage so that you can check them out even when you’re without a connection. Instapaper also works great with third-party services like Evernote, and it’s hard to imagine Apple’s offering will be as strong in that area.

    SMS. Oh, how quick people were to proclaim SMS dead. We’d be free from the cost of alerting our significant others we were running late. While iMessenger’s iOS-to-iOS “free” sending is indeed a boon, I text with exactly one person who has an iOS device. To add insult to this injury, I text her so infrequently I’ll see no text savings. It may be anecdotal, but considering the trajectory of Android in the U.S., it’s also representative of the experience of many others. SMS won’t be felled by iMessage alone.

    Camera +. For quick pics of my cat doing something stupid, iOS’s native Camera app being accessible from the lock screen will make it go-to app for quick sharing. However, Camera+ will still sit on my main screen for primary picture-taking. Camera+ is an app designed by a professional photographer, and brings tons of great enhancements not offered by the stock iOS 5 alternative.

    OmniFocus. While this one hasn’t specifically been proclaimed dead, the Reminders app covers a lot of what basic users need it and other to-do apps for. I don’t deal with much project-level stuff, and I could probably just enter  my school, work and writing assignments into Reminders. (Plus, the new location feature is actually pretty darn cool). What I live and die by in OmniFocus, though, are due dates and forecasting that let me see at-a-glance the big picture of what I have to do and when. So long as to-do apps can provide compelling features that aren’t available in native offerings, users will remain interested.

    Dropbox. Dropbox is actually likely to get more of my money now. Jobs was vague on how Documents in the Cloud will work when it comes to OS X and Windows. Dropbox still seems like it’s going to be my go-to place to shove a document I need to share or access from different PCs. Also, having gotten burned by iDisk syncing issues before, Apple is going to have to earn the privilege of keeping my mission-critical files on iCloud. It is, after all, the company that brought me MobileMe.

    Zinio. At first, I thought Zinio was a goner — assuming I could transfer my subscriptions to Newsstand. A Twitter exchange with Macworld’s Jason Snell educated me that Newsstand isn’t a true service, but rather “a place where apps (like Zinio and Daily Reader) can live.” Here’s hoping Zinio has an update at iOS 5 launch to take advantage of background downloading.

    Instacast. It’s a little unclear how podcasts will work with the Wi-Fi Sync / iCloud stuff. My gut tells me it’ll work the same way it currently does, meaning you’ll have to manually fetch new episodes. On a cellular network, this usually just isn’t going to happen, because episodes tend to be over 20 MB, especially when dealing with video. Instacast is my go-to podcast fetcher now. I love the badge that pops up telling me I have a new episode, and I can download new episodes even on a cellular network.

    I’m very excited about iOS 5, especially since it looks like it’s bringing me lots of great new functionality, while still giving me a place for my favorite apps. How about you? What “dead” apps will still live on your iOS device, and which do you think will be genuinely replaced?

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  • Would an unlocked iPhone change your buying habits?

    Apple may be on the verge of offering a factory-unlocked iPhone 4 for sale in the U.S., according to a new report Sunday (via Electronista). Apple already offers the iPhone 4 for sale unlocked in some other countries, so it should be easy for the company to do, but will it affect your buying decision?

    Assuming Apple does what it has done in other countries where the iPhone 4 is unlocked to work with any carrier, unlocked versions will likely be sold exclusively through Apple itself, and will come with a fairly steep price tag, since it won’t come with any carrier subsidy. Without a contract, the iPhone 4 starts at $599 for the 16 GB version, and $699 for the 32 GB model. But, of course, you aren’t tied to any service commitment, and you’ll avoid the dreaded early termination fee, which can be as much as $325 for AT&T customers.

    But there is a substantial catch. Unlike in other countries, an unlocked GSM iPhone in the U.S. doesn’t present many alternatives for those looking to play outside AT&T’s sandbox. You can’t use the device with Sprint’s network, or Verizon’s, since both are based on CDMA technology, and Apple isn’t planning on offering an unlocked CDMA device for sale in the U.S., according to the report. You can use it with T-Mobile, but you’ll be sacrificing 3G speeds for data traffic, and will instead have to settle on EDGE. Canadians have three choices of major carriers when it comes to 3G GSM service, and as do U.K. smartphone users, by comparison.

    But carrier choice isn’t the only reason to opt for an unlocked iPhone. Having a factory-unlocked device makes the process of using it in international destinations easier by far (since you don’t have to resort to potentially risky and unsupported aftermarket unlock procedures), so frequent travellers will appreciate the convenience.

    And even if you aren’t a globe-trotter, there are still big advantages to getting your phone factory unlocked, with resale value being possibly the biggest. The market for second-hand iOS devices is always hot, and you should be able to get a higher asking price by selling internationally to markets where the iPhone 4 might not be available, or might be available but prohibitively expensive, so long as you have a factory-unlocked version that buyers can easily use with their local provider.

    According to Electronista, AT&T may be encouraging Apple to offer an unlocked version of the iPhone 4 as a way of countering Sprint’s objection to the proposed AT&T / T-Mobile merger. Sprint thinks the deal will give AT&T more control over exclusives with hardware providers, and an unlocked iPhone would make that seem like less of an issue without doing too much to hurt AT&T’s business. But whatever the reason, having an unlocked version available definitely isn’t a bad thing for shoppers.

    Would you buy an unlocked version over a carrier-subsidized locked one?

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