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- Skype 5.2 for Mac brings group screen sharing
Skype released a new version of its OS X client Tuesday. Version 5.2 introduced group screen sharing in addition to group video calling, which has been available since the Skype 5.0 beta for Mac. Both are useful features, but you can only take advantage of them if you happen to be a Skype Premium subscriber.
For non-Premium users, there are some improvements that make it a worthwhile upgrade from version 5.1. For one, it seems to be a lot less buggy than previous versions, which for me frequently had trouble with landline calls and some freezing issues. The UI also boasts some small changes, like the ability to completely hide the sidebar menu to make it easier to focus on a single conversation. You can also now pop out video controls in a small hovering window when you interact with other applications or your desktop. This keeps the person you’re talking with on top and visible, and also allows you quick access to hang up and mute commands.
The changes should appeal to Skype power-users, and especially those Premium subscribers who use group calling for meetings and virtual conferences. The new screen sharing options (limited to OS X for now) make video chat a whole lot more productive, and Skype still offers the best video chat quality of any of the various OS X options that I’ve seen. Our readers seem to agree, as more than half chose Skype as their Mac video chat client of choice in our recent poll. It’s nice to see that even after acquisition by Microsoft, Skype’s presence on other platforms isn’t being ignored, especially now that Google seems to be interested in making a big play in the group video chat market.
Unfortunately, the new UI Skype introduced in 5.0 and refined slightly in 5.1 remains largely unchanged. It’s still too big and obtrusive for an app that would be served better by being more inconspicuous. There are quite a few tutorials out there providing instructions for downgrading to the more simplified and minimalist Skype 2.8, and if you’re not a Premium user, this new version doesn’t really offer much incentive to upgrade. Since group calling and group screen sharing only require one Premium user to initiate, however, you might want to suck it up and make the switch, just so that you can use the new features if a request to do so comes your way.
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Переслать - Why a 15M iPhone 5 order placed now makes sense
Apple has reportedly placed an order for 15 million next-generation iPhones with supplier Pegatron, according to DigiTimes. While Apple obviously isn’t commenting, a big order now makes sense for a number of reasons, not the least of which is Apple’s change from its traditional new hardware announcement during the June developer event.
DigiTimes gets its information from sources within Apple’s supply chain, and though it has a mixed track record when it comes to the accuracy of its reports, it does tend to do much better when dealing with the suppliers that win device manufacturing contracts. A fall launch for the next iPhone, and September in particular, has long been rumored and repeated in various reports, and placing an order now, just a couple of months ahead of such time, is definitely in keeping with how Apple’s supply chain works.
The 15 million units is a bit high for a launch order, but there are a number of factors that could contribute to Apple needing a larger than usual initial stock pool. First, Apple could be planning to launch the next iPhone in more markets simultaneously. The U.S. remains its largest market, and also one that still showed 155 percent growth last quarter, but iPhone growth in China is exploding, and if trends continue, Apple’s biggest business will be soon be overseas. A simultaneous worldwide release could better capitalize on the iPhone’s success in emerging markets, especially timed as it just in advance of holiday shopping.
Apple also has to expect, as Verizon clearly does, that a new iPhone available simultaneously on the two biggest U.S. carriers will create more demand that previous iPhones have. While the Verizon iPhone 4 launch didn’t exactly draw huge crowds, the phone still appears to have sold well by recent estimates, despite it being technology that’s nearly a year old in a marker where hardware is fast improving.
Also consider that more existing iPhone customers than usual might be eligible for a hardware upgrade when the iPhone 5 arrives. In the U.K. especially, customers who purchased the iPhone 4 on an 18 month contract will be ready for new hardware come September. If more people are eligible for special pricing, then it stands to reason that there could be higher than usual demand for launch-day stock, and Apple has already had plenty of trouble meeting demand in the past as it is.
At this point, it’s just a matter of fine-tuning when we can expect to see a new iPhone, not if it’s coming. More and more, signs are pointing to September, so we won’t have to wait long to find out for sure.
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Переслать - Celebrating the fourth of Jul-iOS with firework apps
After reading through the description and reviews of over twenty fireworks apps, I tried out a little over a dozen of the best to come up with a few good choices for your Independence Day festivities. I tested apps designed specifically for the iPad, and tried to find ones that come with TV-out capabilities, so that you can share your fireworks display with the whole family.
Basic fireworks apps
My number one pick for a traditional fireworks app would have to go to iLoveFireworks. It looked the best on a large display, supported multi-touch, and had a good variety of random firework bursts. It can also record a show that can be played back in a continuous loop. I almost liked Fireworks Arcade, as it added a sort of fruit ninja gaming element to the show, but it would only work in portrait mode, which detracted from the big screen appeal I was looking for. If you’re looking to add your own photos or artwork as a backdrop to the fireworks display, FireworksToy works well, but does not have the same variety or attention to detail offered by iLoveFireworks when it comes to the fireworks themselves.
Putting on a light show
Plain old fireworks can get boring. Luckily, there are alternatives that offer lots of variety for your light shows, including a great collection from a company called Elements of Design. Spawn Illuminati HD, one of the standouts, was designed specifically for attaching to large screen displays. With Illuminati, you can take control of the visual aspects of the show in ways you can’t with standard fireworks apps. On the big screen, it’s like the modern-day equivalent of the psychedelic liquid light shows of the 60s and 70s.
Mesmerizing games
Putting on an engaging visual show can extend to games, too, like Osmos for iPad. You will find that people will quickly pick up on the physics behind the game, and should have fun either playing themselves or even just watching. Equally fun, and a little more Mr. Wizard, is the instantly addictive Ions app. With this app you can add positive and negative points on the screen as well as change gravity effects on ions as they shoot across the screen, which makes for intensely interesting visuals.
If you can’t see the real thing, or you just want something extra to supplement it, the three best indoor replacements for a good old fashioned fireworks display are iLoveFireworks, Illuminati, and Ions. Set these three to music and let your guests interact with the show in ways they can’t outdoors.
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