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Talkcast reminder: iTunes, iPods and all the week's news, 10pm ET 5 Sep 2010, 6:45 pm
Holiday weekend or no holiday weekend: we're live tonight on Talkshoe, so call in and chat with us. Of course, there were a few announcements of note this week, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about anything besides iTunes 10 or new iPods! Bring your interests, your questions and/or your gripes and we'll lay it down. To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantage of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8.
If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac or your PC, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients or using the Talkshoe client's ShoePhone tool; basic instructions are here.
We'll kick things off at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT. See you there!
TUAWTalkcast reminder: iTunes, iPods and all the week's news, 10pm ET originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Mac 101: Use Preview to display a slideshow 5 Sep 2010, 5:30 pm
Over the weekend I went to visit some relatives I haven't seen for some time. As is required by such family gatherings, I brought a large number of photographs to share with them.I planned to show the photographs on my MacBook, which has recently been refurbished, but hasn't had iPhoto reinstalled on it. Running late, I didn't have time to install it as planned. As a last resort, I thought I'd just show the photos using Quick Look and scroll through them in full screen.
When I eventually got round to showing off my photos (you know, that rather drowsy time just after dinner), I realized that Quick Look won't let you scroll through items when in full screen, let alone do a slideshow (which would be pretty useful). However, you can resize the Quick Look window to almost full screen.
Well, to say the least, with hundreds of photos to get through, people already getting bored, my finger hurting from scrolling and my wife giving me the look that says "I told you so," I began to wish I had made the time to reinstall iPhoto. There was no internet access either, so I couldn't even download something like Picasa.
At that point my cousin strolled into the room and said, "That must be taking you ages, why don't you just do a slideshow using Preview?" He then selected all the photos in the folder, right clicked and selected 'Open With Preview.' With the Preview app open, he selected 'View' from the menu bar and then 'Slideshow.' It was that simple.
Thankfully, I was able to leave the photos to display themselves. People could watch as much or as little as they wanted, when they felt like it (the way such photo exhibitions should be!).
You can check out more things to do with Preview at this Apple support page.
TUAWMac 101: Use Preview to display a slideshow originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iTunes 10 drops custom ringtone purchasing 5 Sep 2010, 12:00 pm
Along with the up-front iTunes 10 changes (social awareness, monochrome sidebar, new-attitude icon), it looks like Apple has quietly dropped one store-centric feature from the latest version. Roberto Baldwin at Mac|Life notes that the feature allowing users to buy a section of a track from the iTunes Store for use as a custom ringtone has gone AWOL between 9.2.1 and 10.Granted, there are lots and lots of ways to make DIY ringtones from tracks you already own or other sources, but the iTunes-authorized method was certainly convenient. Apple may be proud to announce that Ping already has over 1 million users, but now we know that none of them are making ringtones straight from the store.
[via MacRumors]
TUAWiTunes 10 drops custom ringtone purchasing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Found Footage: WNBC anchor shows Earl via iPad 5 Sep 2010, 10:45 am
Nobody ever claimed that the iPad was weatherproof, but that didn't stop news anchor Chuck Scarborough from taking his tablet out to the seashore. Reader Michael Neumann saw the veteran NYC broadcaster using his iPad to show weather radar during Hurricane Earl's race up the US east coast. He could have saved money on that case, though.
Chuck's app of choice looks to be the Weather Channel's iPad offering, but we've seen lots of TV-centric solutions for the magical and revolutionary gadget. If you have a favorite clip or featured appearance of the iPad on the tube, drop a link in the comments below.
Thanks Michael!
TUAWFound Footage: WNBC anchor shows Earl via iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Parallels Desktop 6 appears on store shelves 5 Sep 2010, 9:30 am
No official announcement from the virtualization mavens at Parallels, but it appears that the next version of the company's Mac app for Windows virtual machines is already popping up at retail. Sharp-eyed reader Matthew Fern snapped this shot of Parallels Desktop 6 already on sale at Fry's Electronics in Roseville, CA.
We've got a call into the Parallels press office to find out about upgrade options and actual yes-we-admit-it release info, but chances are we'll have to wait until after the Labor Day holiday to get the final word.
Thanks Matt!
TUAWParallels Desktop 6 appears on store shelves originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iOS 4.1 release may finally resolve your iPhone 3G woes 5 Sep 2010, 6:00 am
Good news, everyone! The software update that was "coming soon" to resolve iOS 4.0's terrible performance on the iPhone 3G has gone "gold master" (GM) and should be available to the general public next week. I've had the opportunity to test this update out on my wife's iPhone 3G, and I'm happy to report that it does indeed appear to resolve all the stuttering, crashing, and generalized slowness the iPhone 3G was suffering under even previous beta builds of iOS 4.1.I tested her iPhone 3G out under the iOS 4.1 GM by doing things that would have brought her iPhone to a standstill before. First, I started a playlist in the iPod app and let it play in the background. Then I went into Safari, where she had four "tabs" open, and navigated to an image-heavy page.
Normally just loading such a page would have caused the background music from iPod.app to start stuttering, but even though I started scrolling back and forth through the page before all images finished loading, I couldn't get Safari to freeze or iPod.app to stutter.
Next, I loaded up the Maps app and started navigating along an input route with music still playing in the background. This was a guaranteed way to bring her iPhone 3G to a screeching halt before, but no matter how much demand I placed on the iPhone, it took it like a champ. I tested Google Earth's app as well, and it was far more responsive than I've ever seen it in iOS 4.
I'm not sure what under-the-hood changes Apple made to get iOS 4 running on the iPhone 3G at an acceptable speed (finally), but I did notice one thing: Spotlight Search on the iPhone 3G no longer searches through text messages. I verified this by comparing the Spotlight settings side-by-side with my iPhone 4; "Messages" was missing as an option on the iPhone 3G. On previous iOS 4 builds, one of the most popular suggestions for improving iPhone 3G performance was disabling Spotlight, so maybe that was the problem all along.
Your mileage certainly may vary, but for at least one iPhone 3G, iOS 4.1's gold master release has finally made the phone just as responsive and useful as it was before iOS 4. And there was much rejoicing.
TUAWiOS 4.1 release may finally resolve your iPhone 3G woes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Looking forward to AirPlay 4 Sep 2010, 4:00 pm
As you may have heard, Apple had some sort of event on Wednesday. In amongst the Big News like iPods and iOSs and iTunes and First, the best bit. Jobs showed an iPad (running the forthcoming 4.2 version of iOS) being fired up, pressing a few buttons, and streaming its output to a big screen TV via an Apple TV. This addresses my number one complaint: a friend comes to my house, I show them the Airport Express system, I show them the Remote app so they can use their iPhone to control my iTunes... and they ask me why they can't also stream their own music directly from their device. Sure, this is going to be tough on battery life, but it's not like I'm short of chargers. They want to listen to their own music and if you could see inside my iTunes you'd know why. And now they will be able to!
I was briefly concerned that this jazzy new functionality would not work with my existing Airport Express devices. Fortunately, Apple's sneak peak at iOS 4.2 confirms that an Airport Express will be able to receive a stream from any iOS 4.2 device, so more good news there too.
TUAWLooking forward to AirPlay originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
App review: Tichu card game ups the ante for digital trick taking 4 Sep 2010, 2:30 pm
Normally, to get a game of Tichu going, you need to round up three friends. If you don't have any card-playing friends who know Tichu, then maybe you have to tell them you're going to have a Bridge party, then *bam!* you bust out the 56-card Tichu deck at the last minute. This sort of gamer subterfuge is a thing of the past, thanks to the brand-new Tichu app from Steve Blanding. Now, any number of players can enjoy the card game at any time: one person can play against three computer opponents or link up with other people on their iDevices (the $2.99 app is universal) and the computer will fill in any empty seats.
Why bother with all of this? Because Tichu is one of the best - and most well-regarded - card game around. The rules will be familiar enough to people who enjoy trick-taking games but it's different enough to present a fresh challenge and is enjoyable every time. Keep reading to find out all about it.
TUAWApp review: Tichu card game ups the ante for digital trick taking originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Shazam updates for iOS 4.0, adds subscription model for Encore features 4 Sep 2010, 9:00 am
Additionally, the free Shazam app now offers a subscription model upgrade to the paid version, which allows for as many tags as you want, extra features like "Drive and Tag," and more information about the songs you hear with the app. For a limited price of $2.99, you can get access to Shazam Encore for an entire year, or for $4.99 (the price of the paid app on the App Store), you can get a "lifetime subscription." Clearly Shazam wants to offer something a little cheaper for customers who aren't sure if they'll use the app that much, but honestly, if you want the pro options, the Encore version is worth the $5.
On the other hand, all I've ever had is the free version, and for the occasional "hear a song on the radio or in a store and wonder what the heck it is," Shazam has served me quite well. Good to know it'll now look and run better on the iPhone 4.
TUAWShazam updates for iOS 4.0, adds subscription model for Encore features originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Telltale releases Puzzle Agent on the iPhone, iPad 4 Sep 2010, 8:00 am
The game's also available on the iPad as Puzzle Agent HD, for a premium price of $6.99, though it doesn't offer up any extra features besides of course the larger graphics (and easier to read text in some cases). But whichever one you choose is mostly just a matter of practicality -- both are excellent to play through.
And this is an extra bit of news unrelated except for the "Puzzle" connection, but it's always nice to go into a holiday weekend with something to look forward to: Namco has announced that it will be bringing the great Puzzle Quest 2 to the iPhone sometime this fall, complete with Game Center integrated for full multiplayer. We'll look forward to that one for sure.
TUAWTelltale releases Puzzle Agent on the iPhone, iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iTunes 101: Share your Ping profile 4 Sep 2010, 7:00 am
Here's a tip about something that had me confused for a while, I hate to admit. After setting up Ping in iTunes 10 and getting my profile just so, I naturally wanted to tell the eager masses where to find me. After all, many of the folks I follow on Twitter were sharing URLs to their accounts. But where did it come from?The answer is quite simple. Log into your account, and right-click (or control-click) on the "My Profile" link. Then select "Copy link" from the contextual menu and you're all set! Paste that address in Twitter, email or where ever you want to broadcast your shiny new account.
Another, more roundabout way of accomplishing the same task is to search for yourself on Ping, and when your name shows up under "People," right-click your avatar icon and choose "Copy link."
We'll have more iTunes 10 tips and tricks coming right up.
TUAWiTunes 101: Share your Ping profile originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TUAW Giveaway: Chuck Gnome 3 Sep 2010, 11:00 pm
Chuck Gnome was chosen as our Daily App here on the site about a month ago, and now Movable Sprites has offered us a few copies to give away to you readers. Since we last posted about it, the game has updated to version 1.1 and added in a new episode, a new mini game, new music, and lots more. Plus, the price was lowered to 99 cents (and there's still a lite version available for you to check out). But if a buck is still too much for you to check out this gnome tossin' good time, you can enter below to win one of 10 copies from TUAW and Movable Sprites!
To enter the giveaway, leave us a comment telling us what you'd like to chuck Chuck at in real life. Here are the official rules:
- Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
- To enter, leave a comment telling us what real-life object, place, or thing you'd like to throw Chuck Gnome at.
- The comment must be left before midnight on Monday, September 6, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
- You may enter only once.
- Ten winners will be selected. All will receive one promo code for Chuck Gnome, valued at $0.99 each.
- Click Here for complete Official Rules.
TUAWTUAW Giveaway: Chuck Gnome originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Why I'm not excited about the new Apple TV 3 Sep 2010, 6:30 pm
I'll admit it. I'll buy almost anything Apple makes. I was going to hold out on the iPad, but after reading more about it, I wound up in line the first day it was for sale. As they say, resistance is futile.That's not the case with the Apple TV. When Apple brings a product out, I expect a small revolution. Some exciting new concept, or new and unique feature. With the Apple TV, it's certainly lower in price, but instead of revolutionizing the idea of a set-top box, the new unit actually takes features away from the now discarded Apple TV 'classic'.
First, there is the loss of actually owning a movie or a TV show. When the VCR first appeared in the 70s, the idea of owning a movie was quite unique. Before VHS or Betamax you went to a theater, paid your couple of dollars, or watched the oldies on TV loaded with commercials.
Second, the Apple TV requires an HDMI connection -- its HDMI port means you need an HDMI hookup or nothing. I understand the reasons for going with that standard, but I'm still holding on to an older AV receiver, and my 'classic' Apple TV works just fine with that.
TUAWWhy I'm not excited about the new Apple TV originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iOS surpasses Linux as browsing platform 3 Sep 2010, 5:30 pm
Seems like only yesterday that Linux was vastly outpacing iOS in terms of how many were using it as a browsing platform. Actually, make that last November; at that time, Linux's presence more than doubled the total iOS stake. Now, iOS-based browsers claim 1.13 percent of all browsing platforms, compared to a declining 0.85 percent for Linux.To the right is a screengrab from Google Analytics, as I see traffic coming to one of my own websites. However, I'm sure the list looks very different depending on the content. For example, I'm pretty sure TUAW's #1 OS isn't any flavor of Windows (but I'll check).
How long before the total of all mobile-only OS clients outranks desktop OS users in this area?
[via AppleInsider]
TUAWiOS surpasses Linux as browsing platform originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Analyst: Apple producing more iPads 3 Sep 2010, 4:30 pm
Analyst Katy Huberty from Morgan Stanley tells All Things D that she believes Apple is ramping up production on the iPad, aiming to build as many as three million a month by the end of this year. That would mean that the company could make 36 million iPads next year, which brings the total close to (but not quite) the whopping 40 million units predicted by her supply chain analysis. Sales estimates for next year started out around 10 million iPads, but have since risen to as high as 42 million units, which would be quite a year for a product that didn't exist before this past April.Currently, says Huberty, Apple is producing about two million iPads a month, and that's brought shipping times on the website down, and helped availability across the board. But the manufacturing process needs to be refined even further, and of course if, as expected earlier next year, the device sees a revision, that may delay things even further. There seems to be one thing most analysts agree on, however: Apple is going to sell a whole lot of iPads in 2011.
TUAWAnalyst: Apple producing more iPads originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Fixing broken iTunes Automator workflows in iTunes 10 3 Sep 2010, 3:30 pm
If you depend on Automator workflows for managing music or other tasks in iTunes, the upgrade to version 10 may have come as a bit of a cold shock. Macworld pointed out that most available workflows for iTunes simply would not load with iTunes 10; a frustrating circumstance, to be sure.Fortunately, the problem turns out not to be that complicated; Automator's version checking thinks that iTunes 10.0 is a lower version than 9.0, because the versions are sorting alphabetically instead of numerically (oof!). Macfixit points to a workaround: opening up the Info.plist files inside the packages for the dysfunctional workflows and manually changing the version threshold. It's not ideal, but if you have critical Automator functionality that would otherwise keep you on iTunes 9, it's worth a try.
TUAWFixing broken iTunes Automator workflows in iTunes 10 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple trailers page adds showtimes and theater maps 3 Sep 2010, 2:30 pm
Since people still seem to want to leave their houses and go to the movies (despite Apple's best efforts to keep them firmly on their couches), the iTunes Movie Trailers site now features a sophisticated Showtimes view. This HTML5-savvy offering uses location awareness in your browser to show the movies playing nearest you, along with the upcoming screening schedule and links to the theater sites for ticket purchases.
The site works great in Safari, Firefox 3 or Chrome on your Mac; it also works perfectly on the iPad, although on the iPhone it's a little bit compact.
Check it out for yourself, or see our gallery of screenshots below.
[via Ars Technica]
TUAWApple trailers page adds showtimes and theater maps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Flick this! Croke puts Crokinole on the iPhone 3 Sep 2010, 1:30 pm
Crokinole is a beautiful, simple game with a long history. In the tradition of pool and Carrom, Crokinole is a dexterity game that pits two (or four) people against each other around a circular wooden board. Players try to flick little wooden discs towards the center, knocking out opponent's discs if they're in the target area. It takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to get frustrated at because you're just not good enough. The trouble is, if you want a decent Crokinole board at home, it'll set you back a few hundred dollars; $130 or so is the minimum, and you can always pay more if you really want to go all out. It's not hard to find boards costing $400 or more (don't ask how much the Death Star board costs) and you need someplace to store it when it's not in use. These things are about a meter across, and made of heavy wood, so this isn't a trivial issue.
With the Croke iPhone app, you can have a somewhat similar experience on a touchscreen. It's not the same thing, but it's also only $1.99, so you're getting to play without paying through the nose. Read on to see if this flick's for you.
TUAWFlick this! Croke puts Crokinole on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
How Apple's newest iPods prove (and disprove) that it learns from design mistakes 3 Sep 2010, 12:00 pm
When Apple released the third-generation iPod shuffle in 2009, I saw it as a perfect example of the design hubris that many Apple detractors point to. From a usability perspective, there really wasn't anything wrong with the second-generation iPod shuffle -- it had a minimal number of buttons, true, but their functions were fairly obvious. In a textbook example of the emphasis of form over function, Apple's third-generation iPod shuffle removed all of the controls from the device itself and moved them to the headphones' inline remote. Not only was the remote far more complex to use than the old shuffle's simple buttons, it also meant that, if you wanted to use third-party headphones, you'd either have to give up all control over the iPod or shell out more money for an inline remote adapter. The third-gen iPod shuffle got savaged in reviews, and it deserved it.Apple's fourth-generation iPod shuffle mercifully brought the buttons back. Apple even lists "buttons" as a feature on its page for the iPod shuffle. In a rare departure from typical Apple design, the fourth-generation iPod shuffle is much larger than the third-gen; it's not that Apple can't make a music player the size of your thumbnail, but it seems like Apple realized that it shouldn't. So, the return of buttons to the iPod shuffle proves that Apple doesn't always emphasize form over function. Right?
Unfortunately, although the iPod shuffle proves that Apple is perfectly capable of learning from its design missteps, the new iPod nano and iPod touch both feature design compromises that are almost as boneheaded as the buttonless third-gen iPod shuffle. Click "Read More" to see the way these new iPods, nice as they are in some respects, are in other ways an example of a "one step forward, two steps back" design.
TUAWHow Apple's newest iPods prove (and disprove) that it learns from design mistakes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Epic Citadel shows the bright promise of iOS gaming's future 3 Sep 2010, 11:00 am
The fact that the Unreal 3 engine now runs seamlessly on iOS devices is a huge deal. This is the same game engine that's responsible for many high-quality titles on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, so having it run games on a device that fits in the palm of your hand is pretty mind-blowing. You can get a taste of Epic Games' Unreal 3 in iOS efforts with Epic Citadel, available on the App Store -- but because of the demanding graphical requirements, it's only compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, and 3rd and 4th generation iPod touches. If you don't have one of those devices, the demo likely won't run at all.
A demo is really all Epic Citadel is; it's not a game as such, since there's really nothing for you to do except wander around and gape at the environment. And gape you will, because this is console-quality graphics on a 3.5 inch screen. While wandering through the castle grounds, I exclaimed several times, "I can't believe this is running on a freaking cell phone." The graphics in Epic Citadel easily surpass anything I've seen on the iPhone before, and they put the Nintendo DS to shame. Even the Wii doesn't put out graphics with this level of detail. To my eyes, only the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC games are competitive with the graphical richness I'm seeing in Epic Citadel on the iPhone.
Don't just take my word for it, though. Either download the demo yourself ,or if you can't run it on your device, check out our coverage in the video above. The game engine is truly amazing on the iPhone 4, especially with the Retina Display. And if this is the future of gaming in iOS, ... Nintendo and Sony had better step up their game.
TUAWEpic Citadel shows the bright promise of iOS gaming's future originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple awarded new patents 3 Sep 2010, 10:00 am
This past week, Apple had a host of new patents officially approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office. From streamlining the way images are rendered to preventing the accidental opening of applications, a large chunk of the patents seem to relate to the ways that a user interacts with a device. Macsimum News has a synopsis of all the patents awarded.A few of the patents that stick out are for operations that we take for granted on a daily basis.
One of them relates to scrolling through a list on a touch input device (say your iPhone contacts list), with the acceleration of the scrolling of that list being determined by the input of your finger. That's pretty nifty!
Another is for immediate search feedback on a Web browser application, like the Safari search bar. So, for instance, when you start typing in the first few letters of a search query and a list pops up of the potential items that you're searching for - that's immediate search feedback.
I think I would be lost without this feature. Often times, I can't remember the title of a song, but if I can remember the first couple lyrics, I can type them in, and a link to the song title will appear in the list. Or when I can't quite remember how to spell a word (embarrassing, I know), I go to the Safari search bar instead of going to the dictionary. Somehow, it's always the easier place to turn to.
These are some pretty simple features, but they make such a profound difference in the ways that we use and interact with the computer devices around us on a daily basis. There's some solid innovation going on over there in Cupertino.
TUAWApple awarded new patents originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iTunes 101: Using the Album Art widget 3 Sep 2010, 9:00 am
Here's a cool new feature in iTunes 10 that we haven't mentioned yet: when listening to any song in your library, you can double click on the album art window in the lower left hand corner to detach it from the main window and see it full size. That's not new -- you could get a closer look at the art in previous versions of iTunes. But what is new is that when you mouse over that detached art, you now get full QuickTime-style controls for your tracks. You can then minimize the main window (using those weirdly-aligned buttons, of course), and then just control the music directly from that square widget (which can also be resized any way you want).Pretty neat, and somewhat hard to find if you don't usually zoom in to see your album art full size. This replicates some (not all) of the functionality provided by CoverSutra and a number of other "iTunes controllers," so it looks like Apple has (yet again) decided to make a popular function in third-party apps part of the official thing.
TUAWiTunes 101: Using the Album Art widget originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TUAW Review: Twitter for iPad 3 Sep 2010, 8:00 am
As soon as the official Twitter app for iPad (free) hit the App Store, you could tell that it was going to be a controversial app. Immediately, the twitterverse was filled with people either commenting on how much they loved the innovative and unique user interface, and others ranting about how much they despised the UI. One of our bloggers said that she enjoyed the new features of Twitter for iPad so much that she "wanted to have a cigarette after I was done, and I don't even smoke." On the other hand, TJ Luoma reported in his first look at the Twitter app that "... judging by most of the comments of people that I follow on Twitter, the initial reaction is definitely one of 'too busy' and 'over designed.' "Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone. I have been a fan of Twittelator for iPad ($4.99) since it appeared in the App Store, so I wasn't expecting that Twitter would make an impact on my tweeting. Wrong. After a few hours of using the free Twitter app on my iPad, I'm pretty well smitten with it. The rest of this post describes how the Twitter app works to let you do more tweeting and less fumbling around trying to figure out how to do something. Be sure to take a look at the gallery below for screenshots of Twitter for iPad in action.
TUAWTUAW Review: Twitter for iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TUAW's Daily App: Mirror's Edge 3 Sep 2010, 7:00 am
Out of all of the "major" game publishers, EA has shown Apple quite a bit of love in the past, and this is probably the company's best original (in mechanics, if not actually name or premise) title for the iOS platform. It's a real shame that it took so long for this one to make it around to the handheld, but now that it's here, it is worth the $4.99 purchase price for those looking for a premium iPhone experience.
And heck, if that's too much, just be patient another eight months or so and you'll probably see the game on sale. If you're interested in this gameplay at all -- basically a complicated Canabalt, with heroine Faith running, sliding and shooting her way across rooftops -- definitely give it a look.
TUAWTUAW's Daily App: Mirror's Edge originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Steve Jobs: Facebook had "onerous terms" for Ping 2 Sep 2010, 7:30 pm
He didn't elaborate, obviously, but you can see in Facebook's public documentation that Apple probably wouldn't have appreciated handing any more of its network over to Facebook than it did. All Ping seems to be at this point is a system of "liking" certain content (specifically on the iTunes Store, to the frustration of many of us who want to do it directly from our personal library of music), and if Facebook required that all of the "like" buttons went their way, you can see why Jobs wouldn't agree.
Turns out that even after Ping's launch, things got even more fractious between the two companies -- Apple did kick off Ping with the option to add friends with Facebook Connect, but Facebook blocked access when it was discovered that Apple wasn't playing by the rules. It's actually an open service, unless Facebook decides that it isn't, and apparently Apple's Ping network was an unwelcome guest with a lot of traffic since Apple didn't come to terms with FB ahead of time. Apple removed the service from Ping, but you'll still see some notes around suggesting you can bring in friends from Facebook.
So. Looks like Ping is already making a splash with much larger social networks. If Apple can build up its network without using Facebook's services, it seems much less likely that they'll find a way to share users in the future. As you can see above, Facebook is still implemented on iTunes, in the form of sharing albums and songs that you like, but it's completely separate from what's been built for Ping.
Despite the sour start to the social mixup between Ping and FB, Engadget suggests that conversations between the two companies are still ongoing. It may not be long before all this is a hearty laugh between friends.
TUAWSteve Jobs: Facebook had "onerous terms" for Ping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Epic's Mike Capps talks about Epic Citadel and the future of iOS gaming 2 Sep 2010, 6:30 pm
Gamasutra cornered Epic Games' Mike Capps (he of the very impressive Epic Citadel demo yesterday at the Apple special event), and Capps confirms that what you see running on your iPhone is the real deal -- Unreal Engine 3, with all of the bells and whistles that it has on the major HD consoles. The actual game that Project Sword will become is being designed by Chair (which is the same group that did the popular Shadow Complex game for Xbox 360), and we'll see the full project soon.
Capps also confirms that UE 3 needs at least an iPhone 3GS to run, but he says that in terms of hardware, Apple's devices are right where they need to be. High-resolution textures are an issue (you can't install a 15gb game on an 16gb portable device), but the memory and speed are actually there, says Capps. "You've got 16 gigs of flash memory," he says, "which is way better, faster memory than what most people have generally on a home PC. So that stuff works really well."
The biggest issue holding handheld gaming back is larger environments, but game developers are getting better and better at designing worlds that render quickly and well to all kinds of platforms. And Capps looks into the future, and sees even more possibilities for Apple and their product lines. "It doesn't take a whole lot of leaps of faith to say, 'Right now, I can display from my iPad to my Apple TV on a big screen TV.' How far away are we from 'that's my game console, and it's displaying wirelessly to my television set?' It's not far away."
That's kind of a trippy thought -- that Apple had to finally move away from the Mac to earn a larger foothold in gaming. It's very heartening, as a gamer and an Apple fan, to hear Capps as excited as he is about the possibilities for iOS and the App Store.
[via Joystiq[
TUAWEpic's Mike Capps talks about Epic Citadel and the future of iOS gaming originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apple releases preview 3 of Xcode 4 2 Sep 2010, 5:45 pm
Okay, I might be a little bit fangrrlish about the new Xcode 4 IDE. But seriously, it's really an awesome update to the existing Xcode tools. Yes, it's still majorly buggy and yes, there are still many features missing in action -- but it's such a treat to see how the new tools are evolving into their final form. Today, Apple has released developer preview 3 of the new Xcode 4 suite, which you can download by heading over to the developer.apple.com site. You will need to sign in with your online or paid developer credentials to access the page and the preview dmg. I'm a little iffy about what the NDA situation is with regards to the release (I believe it is under NDA until it leaves beta) so I'll leave finding out about the details (there's a Readme and release notes) to you.
TUAWApple releases preview 3 of Xcode 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
OpenFeint announces PlayTime, real-time multiplayer with voice chat for iOS and Android 2 Sep 2010, 5:00 pm
Game Center is almost out in consumers' hands, but that hasn't stopped the folks at OpenFeint from pushing forward on their unofficial social network for gamers. PlayTime is a newly-announced feature of the third-party social networking software that will allow players on both iOS and Android to play in real-time with each other, and even use voice chat while doing that. OpenFeint is splitting its multiplayer services into two different paths: "Casual" games will use highscores to offer up multiplayer and even co-op challenges, while "Core" games will actually run real-time multiplayer, in conjunction with a system from a company called Exit Games.Sounds interesting -- the new features are being tested by developers right now, and will be available in OpenFeint sometime later on this year. Game Center will definitely make a big splash in iPhone gaming when it gets released next week, but OpenFeint is still planning on sticking around and innovating where even Apple hasn't yet dared to go. iOS game players will be glad to have both around when all is said and done.
TUAWOpenFeint announces PlayTime, real-time multiplayer with voice chat for iOS and Android originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iTunes 10 quick tip: Liking a song in Ping 2 Sep 2010, 4:30 pm
Here's a quick tip for iTunes that puzzled a few of us this morning: once you've gone ahead and set up Ping in iTunes 10, how do you 'like' a song instead of an album? The albums have those handy thumbs-up buttons, but it's not as obvious for songs.
A bit of exploration reveals that the 'Like' command is under the pop-up menu for each song, along with the other song-specific actions like gifting, sharing, wish-list-adding and the 'Other Versions' search.
We'll have more iTunes 10 tips and tricks coming right up.
TUAWiTunes 10 quick tip: Liking a song in Ping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iTerm 2 in early development 2 Sep 2010, 4:00 pm
Power users of the command-line are no doubt familiar with iTerm, the free replacement terminal application. iTerm has been the go-to alternative for people who wanted tabbed windows and other advanced features.
Development of iTerm has been fairly slow and irregular. The initial release was back in 2002 and the 0.10 release is almost a year old. A look at the version history shows very little has happened since 2006.
A "fork" of the project is now available on Google Code and goes by the name iterm2. The current version, labeled "Alpha 6" was just released yesterday. On the surface it looks pretty much the same, until you get into the bookmarks, preferences, and profiles which have been completely rewritten.
Thanks to TUAW reader Nikola Knezevic for sending this in!
TUAWiTerm 2 in early development originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Twitterrific 3 for the iPad: change, tough love, and better 2 Sep 2010, 3:00 pm
Here's a good sign that you've made some pretty significant changes to your application: three different people from the company write three different posts about the new design. That's what the folks from Iconfactory did about Twitterrific 3. David Lanham wrote about Redesigning Twitterrific, not just the timeline, but also the settings, contacts, filtering, and more to "optimize the user experience." Gedeon Maheux wrote about Twitterrific's Tough Love, and realizing that Twitterrific had gotten out of hand, along with the steps they took to make it better rather than just pile more on top of it. Craig Hockenberry wrote about not designing for early adopters, whose expectations may limit making something better by expecting you to simply build on what you had before.
I was an early adopter of Twitterrific on the Mac, and still compare all other applications to Twitterrific when I am using them. When I first heard about the changes in Twitterrific 3, I was sure I was going to hate them. After having used it for awhile, I still think Twitterrific is my favorite iPad app. I've been using it since I bought my iPad back in mid-June, and although I've tried some of the others, I keep coming back to Twitterrific. Many others have just started using Twitterrific 3 for the iPhone or iPad because Twitter turned off "basic authorization" logins. All Twitter applications now must use Twitter's (severely, thoroughly flawed) OAuth system for logging in.
Read on for my thoughts on the app, as well as what TUAW heard directly from Iconfactory about the future of the app.
TUAWTwitterrific 3 for the iPad: change, tough love, and better originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iOS 4.1 with HDR built-in comes as a shock to HDR app developers 2 Sep 2010, 2:00 pm
If I had to make a list of the top ten features I thought would be included in the iOS 4.1 update, HDR photography would not have been on it. HDR really came out of the blue, and one developer told me he was 'shocked' to hear that the feature was included in the next iPhone update.
Let's back up a minute. HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography is a method where pictures are taken at different exposures and combined into one image. Since the iPhone and most monitors can't really display the full light to dark range of the image, the HDR software tone maps the picture, so you see details in the shadows and don't blow out the highlights, such as a bright sky. HDR images are controversial. Some people hate them, and think it produces garish pictures. Others love the flexibility to shoot pictures in challenging lighting conditions.
I like to use HDR at times when shooting landscapes, and recently documented a photo trek where I was able to use HDR apps on the iPhone.
TUAWiOS 4.1 with HDR built-in comes as a shock to HDR app developers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Set up your own Priority Inbox with Apple's Mail 2 Sep 2010, 1:00 pm
Last month, Google released Priority Inbox, a system that learns which messages are the most important to you and highlights them automatically over time. It's in beta right now and Google is slowly turning it on for its users. If you're tired of waiting, or if you use Apple's Mail and not Gmail, you'll appreciate this setup from Ben Brooks.
Ben explains how a combination of rules acts as his "priority inbox" for Mail. He's got some basic rules in place, like one that identifies messages from Apple and one that files backups away. Others are more clever.
For instance, he's written one that first notices if his work address is in the CC field, and then checks if his name appears in the message body. If not, it's highlighted red and stored away. That way, it's marked "less important" in Priority Inbox terms.
Conversely, another rule searches for messages from people on a pre-defined "Important" list and flags them. Taken individually the rules are clever but not amazing. Combined, however, they make for an effective system. Go and read the whole post.
[Via Shawn Blanc]
TUAWSet up your own Priority Inbox with Apple's Mail originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Five dislikes plus five likes equals iTunes 10 2 Sep 2010, 12:00 pm
Before I get rolling here, let me warn you -- I'm not a frequent user of iTunes. I don't spend all of my time purchasing new music, videos, and movies, nor do I obsess over creating playlists to share with my friends. However, I do use it often enough that after firing up iTunes 10 last night, I immediately found some things I wasn't fond of and some other items I quickly loved. Am I going to lose sleep over the things I don't like? Nope. But I hope that it gets TUAW readers thinking about what they like and dislike about the new iteration of iTunes.
Dislikes:
- What's with the close / minimize / maximize buttons being vertical in the top "toolbar" of iTunes 10 (see example at right)? As I stated to my cohorts here at TUAW this morning, doesn't that fly in the face of 10 years of experience with OS X and even violate Apple's Human Interface Guidlines? Fortunately, there's relief. A tweet from @rudyrichter showed how to fix this -- pop into Terminal and type or paste in "defaults write com.apple.iTunes full-window -1", press Return, relaunch iTunes and life is back to normal.
- I miss the colorful icons in the sidebar. There used to be color in the icons for Library, Store, and Shared Items. What happened to the color? It looks so ... drab over there now. If anyone can come up with a defaults command to bring the colors back, I'll give 'em a nickel. Hey, they also removed color icons in the preferences. I want my color back! Everything is so grey and boring. Perhaps that's Apple's way of saying "focus on the content we're trying to sell you, not the application."
TUAWFive dislikes plus five likes equals iTunes 10 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iTunes 101: How to set up Ping 2 Sep 2010, 11:00 am
Apple has jumped into the social media pool with both feet by introducing Ping to iTunes 10. Since this is brand-new, we'll show you how to set it up and start pinging your friends. Whatever that means.
After installing iTunes 10, you'll see the Ping button. Click it to enter your Apple ID and begin the process of creating your profile. It'll pull the information stored on the account, like name and address, but fortunately you can edit it. You can add a photo to represent yourself as well. There are many PhotoBooth-style filters available, so have fun playing around.
Note that your photo won't go live until Apple approves it. Mine took a good 20 minutes to show up, and others have said the same thing. Just be patient, it'll get there.
Click below to read more.
TUAWiTunes 101: How to set up Ping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Official Twitter app updated for iPad 2 Sep 2010, 10:00 am
A few months ago, Twitter announced that they had acquired Tweetie and the web (I refuse to use the word "blogosphere" because it is a stupid word) exploded with predictions that they had effectively killed off the market for 3rd party Twitter applications by offering a free alternative.
With the release of Twitter as a universal app that now includes iPad support (read the official announcement here) I feel confident that the reports of the death of 3rd party Twitter applications have been greatly exaggerated.
The UI for Twitter for iPad is, without question, unlike any other Twitter application that we've seen. Opinions around the TUAW offices differ on whether this difference is "awesome" or "an abomination." I definitely range towards the latter end of the scale, and judging by most of the comments of people that I follow on Twitter, the initial reaction is definitely one of "too busy" and "over designed."
This is in sharp contrast to Twitterrific, which just released a major update for the iPad and iPhone where the Iconfactory made dramatic simplifications to the app, while retaining the most important features for the most users. (Craig Hockenberry talked about those changes here.)
TUAWOfficial Twitter app updated for iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Count The Beats: Akai brings the analog synth to your iPhone, and more 2 Sep 2010, 9:00 am
If you have a secret love affair with shoulder padded t-shirts (that you wear around the house when no one's looking), and you instinctively roll up your sleeves when you put on your favourite blazer jacket (and don't get why people look at you funny), then here's an app for you.
Back in June Akai Professional released SynthStation for the iPhone / iPod touch, and we got excited. Very excited. Why? Because we love synths, especially when they are the old school type (cue Terminator soundtrack). And it just so happens to be that Akai has got a rather large name for itself when it comes to synths, especially the old school type. So we decided to take a closer look. You know, any opportunity to lay down some ominous beats over a sea of warm pulsating analog synth.
SynthStation is an all-in-one mobile music creation setup. It comprises of three virtual analog synths sonically tailored for melodies, chords and bass lines respectively. To go with your texture, there's a comprehensive and customizable drum kit, too. Add some awesome sounding synth effects, a sequencer, on the fly input and tweaking, a mixer to pull it all together and you've got yourself a package that Thom Yorke may even appreciate for his next solo project.
TUAWCount The Beats: Akai brings the analog synth to your iPhone, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Billboard nominates music app awards 2 Sep 2010, 8:00 am
Winners will be announced at the summit, and they will be selected by a panel of judges that includes (not kidding about this) MC Hammer and a bunch of CEOs and marketing folks. It seems silly (and let's face it... it is), but Billboard is a big deal in the music industry, and this means that the dinosaur-like recording giants are at least starting to notice the effect that apps have on artist profiles. Plus, it's good to see LaDiDa get a little more attention -- I liked that one.
TUAWBillboard nominates music app awards originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TUAW's Daily App: Super Mega Worm 2 Sep 2010, 7:00 am
Quality pixelated graphics and excellent sounds help immersion a lot, and the control scheme is surprisingly fitting for the kind of movement that the worm does. There's even a little mini-game in jumping off of various vehicles into the atmosphere and exploring the game field in both directions. Super Mega Worm isn't really a title for the faint of heart; even though the graphics are pretty retro, things get gory fast. But if you've ever found yourself laughing at or cheering for the monster in a horror movie, Super Mega Worm will probably dig its way into your free time. The game is US$2.99 on the App Store right now.
TUAWTUAW's Daily App: Super Mega Worm originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iTunes 10. It lives 1 Sep 2010, 8:55 pm
Have you been waiting all day for iTunes 10 to go live? It finally has. Although the download page remains a little spotty, this direct link seems to work fine for downloading. We're installing our version right now and will update with fun iTunes facts as we discover them.Happy Pinging, everyone!
Update: Windows link to supplement the OS X one above. And an x64 link as well. (Thank you to everyone pitching in in the comments!)
Update: See our gallery of installation and setup screenshots.
p.s. Hey, we're on Ping! Come share our awful musical tastes (Erica Sadun, Steven Sande, Victor Agreda, Dave Caolo, etc)! And let us share yours!
TUAWiTunes 10. It lives originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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