The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gif The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com en-us Copyright 2010 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Analysts see iPhone remaining exclusive to AT&T, spurring sales of anti-depressants]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/analysts-see-iphone-remaining-exclusive-to-atandt-spurring-sales/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/analysts-see-iphone-remaining-exclusive-to-atandt-spurring-sales/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/analysts-see-iphone-remaining-exclusive-to-atandt-spurring-sales/#commentsFiled under:


Those among you hoping for an impending dissolution of AT&T's exclusive hold (or testicular constriction, if you will) on the iPhone may want to sit down before reading the following words. According to AppleInsider, two separate analysts are making similar predictions that the iPhone will remain shackled to AT&T's network, offering the iPad-AT&T partnership as evidence. It's ok, I wept too.

Vijay Jayant, of Barclays Capital, was quoted as saying "(The) launch of Apple's iPad on AT&T's network is a vote of confidence in AT&T's network by the equipment maker." I don't know which part of that statement I find more shocking and disturbing. The possibility of his prediction being accurate, or the notion that someone has confidence in AT&T's network? That's infreakingsane! Jayant, however, sees this pact lasting only through the remainder of 2010, as do the folks at Credit Suisse who echoed similar projections last week. I suppose we can hold out hope for another 10 months.

Personally, I'm going to deny this rumor exists in hopes of preventing its materialization. I cast thee out, demon, and unhear your blasphemy!

TUAWAnalysts see iPhone remaining exclusive to AT&T, spurring sales of anti-depressants originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ATTexclusivityiphoneTue, 09 Feb 2010 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Apple is the third largest smartphone maker]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/apple-is-the-third-largest-smartphone-maker/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/apple-is-the-third-largest-smartphone-maker/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/apple-is-the-third-largest-smartphone-maker/#commentsFiled under:

Apple is now the world's third largest smartphone producer, coming in behind Nokia and Research in Motion. IDC's latest report from its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker cites continued interest in the iPhone and Apple starting to offer the device in China as major driving forces behind the growing dominance in the smartphone world.

Apple shipped 25.1 million iPhone units in 2009, 8.7 million of those in the fourth quarter. By comparison, Nokia shipped 67.7 million device units throughout the year with 20.8 million in the fourth quarter alone. Manufacturers Motorola and HTC round out the top five smartphone makers. It's worth noting that while Apple still trails RIM and Nokia by unit sales, by some estimates the company already surpassed Nokia in Q3 of 2009 by generating more profit from handset sales than any other manufacturer.

A similar report released by AdMob at the end of January also shows the increasing use of the iPhone around the world. The amazing thing is that Nokia, RIM, Motorola and HTC all produce multiple devices while Apple has leapfrogged over into its position with just a single flagship phone, the 3GS. Motorola, which had fallen off the top five list in the past year, scrambled back onto it with the introduction of the Droid. Google's now entering the market, and Symbian is still very strong in Africa and Asia. It'll be interesting to see how Apple fares against these smartphone competitors in the next year.

[Via Wired]

TUAWApple is the third largest smartphone maker originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>HTCIDCiphonemotorolanokiaRIMsalessmartphoneSymbianTue, 09 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gearing up for Macworld: My 5 apps & packing list]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/gearing-up-for-macworld-my-5-apps-and-packing-list/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/gearing-up-for-macworld-my-5-apps-and-packing-list/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/gearing-up-for-macworld-my-5-apps-and-packing-list/#commentsFiled under:

Hitting the road for a week or more can be daunting enough when packing for a regular business trip, but when the itinerary includes the hustle and flow of Macworld Expo, I start to think a bit more seriously about exactly what I'm taking and why.

The good news is, of course, that a few well-chosen apps can substitute for destination guides and navigational help. The bad news... there's still a lot of stuff to bring along. Here are five-plus apps I loaded specifically for this trip, and a few hardware items that I couldn't do without.

The Apps

As many times as I've been to San Francisco, I still don't have a firm notion of the city's geography outside the immediate vicinity of Moscone Center (don't blame SF -- I still get lost in my own home town, too). To help me get around, I've tried iBART, BayTripper and the free, location-aware nextbus.com mobile site.

Still, I come back to two tried-and-true tools every time. For public transit and walking directions, the Maps app does a great job; bus timing may not be precise, but you get where you're going. If your transit needs are a little more personal, the astonishing Taxi Magic app gets a ride to wherever you are in no time flat -- and with no additional fee, if you pay in cash. Honorable mention: the Zipcar app, if you need wheels of your own in a jiffy.

Before boarding the plane to come out to the West Coast, I checked that my two favorite air travel apps were loaded and ready. The Tripit app (paired with a Tripit Pro subscription) keeps my itineraries right at my fingertips, including the ability to search for alternative flight reservations. While I'm hopping through the airports on either end, Gate Guru helps make sure I don't skip past the best place to eat while I'm meandering towards my gate.
Keeping with the travel theme, two of the nodconcept travel apps -- Travel Assistant and Rooms -- have found a place on my iPhone. Travel Assistant syncs my trips with the Tripit service but adds a rewards account database, travel log and packing/activity list manager to the function suite; it also scrolls directly to the current date when viewing a trip, which is very handy if you forget which city you're in. Speaking of forgetting, since the days of having your room number actually printed on your hotel key are long gone, you'd better have another way of tracking that bit of info before you find yourself blankly staring down the hallway at 2 am. Rooms ups the ante from the original Room app, which badged its own icon with your room number for immediate reference; you can now track the room numbers of several traveling companions, as well.

Beyond those travel basics, I also loaded up Pzizz, for catching up on scarce sleep; Foursquare, for keeping track of my fellow TUAW night owls; Happy Hour and Good Food Near You for balancing my diet; the KQED Check, Please podcast for restaurant reviews from real San Franciscans; iMacworld, for knowing what's going on when; and the closed beta of VoiceCentral Black Swan edition, for the best Google Voice client on the iPhone so I can keep my voicemail sorted out while I'm on the move.

Now onto the hardware...

The Gear

My most essential road accessory, without question, is my Belkin mini surge protector. 3 grounded outlets + 2 USB charging ports in a compact, friendly package has made me a happy man. 2nd most essential, and certainly the cheapest, is an Ezonics SD card to USB adapter. I think I might have paid all of $7 for it, and it has served with distinction for photo offloading and in-a-pinch flash drive duty. I've got a few SD cards to swap in and out of cameras, and a quick and accessible reader is vital. The only drawback is that the reader is wide enough to block the other USB port, so I usually bring along a short M-F USB extender cable as well.

I normally use a Verizon MiFi card to provide mobile internet access, but for this trip I'm carrying a Sprint Overdrive 3G/4G wireless mobile router (I had a stop in a 4G-capable city before coming to SF, but the unit only works on 3G here). Sprint thoughtfully includes Sierra Wireless drivers to allow Mac users to tether the router over USB, which is handy if you're trying to conserve laptop battery power by turning off Wi-Fi.

Storage is always at a bit of a premium, so I'm offloading some of my bulkier files (older movies, photos and music) to external drives for the week. My LaCie 500GB Little Disk is a loyal pal, and I've got a few other drives in the bag, including a borrowed and super-fast WD Firewire 800 MyPassport Studio drive that I'm loath to return. A random assortment of USB flash drives accompanies the bigger media, but I'm putting small stickers with my phone number on them to make sure they find their way home. I've also got more cables than I need, even though I tried to double up on USB cords; they just seem to multiply in the bag. Fortunately I have several small photo kit velcro-seal pouches to keep the mess under management.

Another thing that gets kept in those pouches: cameras. It seems that every year I bring another different camera to Macworld Expo, and every year the one I use most frequently for video and photos alike is my steadfast Canon PowerShot SD600. It's now verging on four years old (that's almost middle-aged, to you and me) but it's still perfectly capable of delivering sharp 640x480 video at 30fps with remarkably solid sound, not to mention clear 6MP images. I'd love an SLR but I know I wouldn't love lugging it around the show.

Meanwhile, my Aiptek Action HD camera (otherwise known as 'Crappy, the World's Worst Cheap HD Video Camera') usually stays in the case. This year I am also carrying an original standard-def Flip Mino for quick, impromptu videos like this one; since my iPhone is a 3G I don't have native support for good video capture, and as you can tell by this motley assortment of old and inexpensive cams, I'm something of a skinflint when it comes to spending money on cameras.

Finally, yes, a close eye on the picture above would reveal both my iPhone 3G (sporting the 'rugged' Case-Mate Naked Case, with electrostatic screen cover for hard duty, and supplemented by a Monoprice external battery) and another phone: an HTC Droid Eris on Verizon, which I'm testing out this week just in case I get stuck in some AT&T dead zones. Just don't take any pictures of me using it while I'm wearing my TUAW staff shirt, OK?

What items can't you do without when coming to Macworld? Let us know below!

TUAWGearing up for Macworld: My 5 apps & packing list originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>5 apps5AppsgearpackingTue, 09 Feb 2010 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Drobo is having a "Spirit of Macworld 2010" video contest]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/drobo-is-having-a-spirit-of-macworld-2010-video-contest/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/drobo-is-having-a-spirit-of-macworld-2010-video-contest/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/drobo-is-having-a-spirit-of-macworld-2010-video-contest/#commentsFiled under: ,

If you're an amateur or professional videographer and you'll be attending Macworld Expo 2010 in San Francisco this week, Data Robotics has a contest just for you.

Come up with an original video (less than 60 seconds in length) that best captures the spirit of Macworld 2010, submit it to a special Drobo Flickr group by February 19, and you'll have an opportunity to win one of two Drobo S five-drive storage devices (note that non-Pro Flickr users are limited to 2 video uploads per month). The Drobo S connects to your Mac via USB 2.0, Firewire 800, or eSATA, and can be populated with up to five drives for tons of storage. TUAW has reported on the new Drobo S and Drobo Elite devices in the past, and they're a popular storage tool for anyone who needs vast amounts of expandable storage but doesn't want to hassle with administering a RAID array.

To find out if you've won the contest after your entry has been made, just follow Data Robotics on Twitter at http://twitter.com/drobo. Full contest rules and instructions can be found here.

TUAWDrobo is having a "Spirit of Macworld 2010" video contest originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>contestdata roboticsDataRoboticsdrobodrobo elitedrobo sDroboEliteDroboSmacworld expoMacworldExpovideoTue, 09 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Kerio Connect 7 -- A new name and powerful new features]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/kerio-connect-7-a-new-name-and-powerful-new-features/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/kerio-connect-7-a-new-name-and-powerful-new-features/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/kerio-connect-7-a-new-name-and-powerful-new-features/#commentsFiled under: ,

Kerio, developers of Kerio Mail Server, announced today that a new version of their powerful enterprise-class collaboration product is now available. Kerio Connect 7, as the product is now called, is a re-branding of the venerable server application that illustrates that the package has gone well beyond just being a mail server.

John Jones of Kerio explained the details of the new release in a recent phone interview with TUAW. Kerio Connect 7 now allows distributed servers to work with one another, making it possible for large enterprises with widely-dispersed facilities to place servers at locations local to each office.

The multiple servers can behave as a single, large server, sharing calendars and global address lists, and users can be easily moved between servers for load balancing. The new release also provides web-based administration tools.

The minimum size group license for Kerio Connect 7 is 5 users, making it possible for small organizations to start out with a power collaboration server, and then scale up as they gain employees. Kerio Connect 7 also supports CardDAV and CalDAV, providing a way for organizations to share address books and calendars. The server is, of course, cross-platform (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux) and works well with all clients including iPhone and Android phones. In addition to running natively, Kerio Connect 7 can be run on a virtual machine under either VMWare or Parallels.

The upgrade is free to customers who have purchased support and maintenance from Kerio, and other pricing for the product can be found on the Kerio website.

TUAWKerio Connect 7 -- A new name and powerful new features originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterpriseKeriokerio connectkerio connect 7KerioConnectKerioConnect7mail serverMailServerTue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[AT&T updates Navigator app for the 5th time]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/atandt-updates-navigator-app-for-the-5th-time/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/atandt-updates-navigator-app-for-the-5th-time/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/atandt-updates-navigator-app-for-the-5th-time/#commentsFiled under: ,

Hot on the heels of the Navigon update, AT&T is adding more features to its subscription based Navigator app for iPhone [iTunes link]. This update includes 'shake-to-go,' which allows users to shake their iPhone at any time while in an AT&T Navigator menu screen; the phone will automatically initiate a route to a pre-designated "home" address the user has set. This doesn't work while in navigation mode, so there's no worry about a pothole or bumpy road initiating a new route during a trip.

Other updated features include:
  • Speed Limit Display & Alerts: Navigation screen includes speed limit information and provides visual alerts if the limit is exceeded
  • Last Trip Origin: Once a trip is completed, users can easily return to the origin of their last trip by accessing the "Recent Places" menu
  • Nighttime Maps: The brightness levels of map screens are adjusted for nighttime driving for easier viewing
  • Improved Route Avoidance Options: Drivers may now choose to avoid routes that make use of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes or choose to avoid routes that include toll roads
  • Improved Pedestrian Mode: Users will be able to clearly identify when they are navigating in pedestrian mode with the introduction of a new pedestrian icon on the map screen
All current subscribers will get the new features free of charge. The app, which was developed for AT&T by TeleNav, costs US$9.99 per month, or $69 a year. The maps on this app are not present on the iPhone, so to use it you will have to have a good cellular signal and the maps will be downloaded as needed.

The latest version is 1.5i and current owners should be able to download the latest build from the iTunes store.

TUAWAT&T updates Navigator app for the 5th time originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ATT NavigatorAttNavigatorGPSiPhonenavigationNavigation softwareNavigationSoftwareturn by turnTue, 09 Feb 2010 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Apple offers 2 software updates for iLife '09 and Camera RAW]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/apple-offers-2-software-updates/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/apple-offers-2-software-updates/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/apple-offers-2-software-updates/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Well, it's Tuesday, and that's Apple's favorite day to update software.

Today we get an iLife '09 update, and a bunch of camera RAW updates.

Here's what Apple has to say about the iLife update:

Provides system software resources that are shared by iLife and other applications. This update improves overall stability for the Media Browser and iPhoto slideshows. It also provides compatibility between Aperture 3 and the Media Browser.

The update is recommended for all users of iLife '09, iWork '09, and Aperture.

And the camera updates:

This update extends RAW image compatibility for Aperture 3 and iPhoto '09 for the following cameras and formats:

Canon PowerShot S90
Canon sRAW
Canon mRAW
Leica D-LUX 4
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

It's not earthshaking, but will be welcome for heavy iLife '09 users. You can get these from the software update option under the Apple menu.

[Thanks Michael for the tip]

TUAWApple offers 2 software updates for iLife '09 and Camera RAW originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Aperture 3camera RAWilifeiLife 09multimediasoftware updateSoftwareUpdateupdateTue, 09 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 2 available now]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/iphone-sdk-3-2-beta-2-available-now/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/iphone-sdk-3-2-beta-2-available-now/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/iphone-sdk-3-2-beta-2-available-now/#commentsJust a quick heads up to all your iPhone and iPad developers out there. The new version of the 3.2 SDK is now available for download. The Apple developer site is getting a bit slammed right now but it looks like a really exciting new update. Can't wait to start playing with it myself.

As per last time, the new beta SDK is under NDA, so please go check out the details for yourself to get further information about the changes between this beta and the last.

TUAWiPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 2 available now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3.2 beta 23.2Beta2iphonesdkTue, 09 Feb 2010 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ludicrous speed: 56 WPM on the iPhone]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/ludicrous-speed-56-wpm-on-the-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/ludicrous-speed-56-wpm-on-the-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/ludicrous-speed-56-wpm-on-the-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , ,




I can type fairly quickly on my iPhone, at least in landscape mode -- I average about 30 - 35 words per minute compared to around 77 WPM on a standard keyboard -- but the guy in the video above has gone to plaid with his typing speed. Using an app called iTextSpeed [US$0.99, iTunes Link], this anonymous texting speed demon reaches an incredible 56 words per minute on his iPhone in portrait mode. I have no idea how he does it, particularly in portrait mode; I make an average of one mistake every other word unless I'm in landscape, but the guy in the video, whose thumbs look even bigger than mine, only screws up one word during the entire timed sequence.

A few people grouse about the iPhone's lack of a physical keyboard, but the cyborg-thumbed guy in this video proves that for some of us, it's not an issue whatsoever.

[Via Macenstein]

TUAWLudicrous speed: 56 WPM on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>iPhoneiTextSpeedkeyboardtextingTue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TUAW How To: Downgrading your 3.1.3 iPhone to 3.1.2]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/tuaw-how-to-downgrading-your-3-1-3-iphone-to-3-1-2/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/tuaw-how-to-downgrading-your-3-1-3-iphone-to-3-1-2/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/tuaw-how-to-downgrading-your-3-1-3-iphone-to-3-1-2/#commentsFiled under:

Last week I downloaded (but did not install) the iPhone OS 3.1.3 firmware for my 3GS. I wanted to have a copy of the firmware on hand, but didn't want to upgrade right away. I checked "Do not ask me again" and clicked Download Only. I thought that was the end of the matter.

Unfortunately, this Sunday, I plugged in my iPhone and left the room to grab some tea. When I returned, the iPhone was 50% of the way through the 3.1.3 firmware upgrade procedure. It did something I had no idea that it would do: it upgraded me without asking.

How frustrating! What's more, I didn't have a copy of 3.1.2 on-hand to downgrade to because iTunes automatically deleted the old firmware files and I was using default Time Machine settings; Time Machine does not normally back up ~/Library, the folder that contains the iTunes ipsw files.

Fortunately, I had several resources. First, because I had jailbroken my phone and registered my device signature with Jay Freeman's caching service, I knew I could downgrade my phone. As Jay and I discussed in this LiveChat from a few months back, Apple no longer allows you to freely downgrade your iPhone software. All firmware installations must be verified with Apple's signature servers.

By jailbreaking your phone and registering your device signature with Jay's system, you'll be able to bypass Apple's verification system and return to the firmware you prefer -- or at least to the earliest firmware whose signature you have stored on the caching site. To make this happen, you must both register your device and update your /etc/hosts file. Jay's site has complete instructions on how to comply.

Second, I could grab a copy of old firmware from sites like Felix Bruns' http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/ and iClarified's http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=750. These sites provide Apple download links for old firmware releases. I downloaded a fresh copy of the 3.1.2 ipsw (iPhone software archive) and installed it onto my system. Using a standard option-restore trick, I was able to put that firmware onto my iPhone. iTunes verified the upgrade with Jay's server and installed it onto the device.

Note: If you receive the "The iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (3004)." error, make sure to quit iTunes and flush caches at the command line: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache.

If your device updates properly, you will receive a 1015 error and your unit will now enter a semi-permanent recovery mode, the mode in which your device shows an iTunes logo and will not boot further. To proceed, you'll need to use iRecovery. Download a copy from this site. (It requires libusb, so read the entire post before running.) Run iRecovery from the command line and supply the -s flag. Wait for the "]" prompt, and do not type anything until you see that prompt appear.

Enter the following commands:

] setenv auto-boot true
] saveenv
] /exit

After, you will return to the command line. Reboot your phone by pressing the home and sleep buttons for 10 seconds, per the instructions on the site, and your iPhone should boot back to standard 3.1.2.

Note: Be aware that this method does not downgrade your baseband. It remains at the 3.1.3 setting.

Thanks Jay Freeman, Sjoerd (aka WiFone), and Paul "PhoenixDev" Griffin

TUAWTUAW How To: Downgrading your 3.1.3 iPhone to 3.1.2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3.1.23.1.3Bad AppleBadAppleBasebanddowngradedowngradingDownloadsfirmwareHackingHacksiPhoneiPhone firmwareIphoneFirmwarejailbreakJay FreemanJayFreemanPhoenixDevSauriksignature serverSignatureServerTricksWiFoneTue, 09 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[iPad pre-orders overwhelm Norwegian stores]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/ipad-pre-orders-overwhelm-norwegian-stores/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/ipad-pre-orders-overwhelm-norwegian-stores/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/ipad-pre-orders-overwhelm-norwegian-stores/#commentsFiled under: ,

Who's got low expectations for the iPad? Not the Norwegians, as one local store can't keep up with pre-orders.

Late last week, retailer Eplehuset (Apple House) suspended pre-orders all together when they sold out. A message posted to their site states that those who have already placed orders will have their spot in line reserved, while others are out of luck. "We have chosen not to receive more pre-orders for now," the site says via Google Translate, "we will contact you as soon as we know anything more."

Additionally, iPod1 reports that retailer Humac has suspended iPad pre-orders. We don't have any stats on which model is being ordered most often, but Electronista suggests that it's the 64GB iPad with 3G model. It's also notable that most countries aren't offering pre-orders yet (including Apple itself in the US), so there's no way to gauge if the Norwegian customers' enthusiasm is typical.

While e-readers like the Nook and Kindle generated a lot of pre-release buzz, tablet computers historically haven't sparked a blaze of enthusiasm in the wider market. If these retailers' experiences turn out to be typical, Apple will have a real hit on their hands (and in ours) with the iPad.

TUAWiPad pre-orders overwhelm Norwegian stores originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hardwareipadpre-ordersretailTue, 09 Feb 2010 15:15:00 EST<![CDATA[SD card reader for iPhone might help bridge the photo gap]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/sd-card-reader-for-iphone-might-help-bridge-the-photo-gap/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/sd-card-reader-for-iphone-might-help-bridge-the-photo-gap/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/sd-card-reader-for-iphone-might-help-bridge-the-photo-gap/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It's cool that Apple is getting all cozy with SD cards for the iPad; it helps to sell the idea that the iPad is closer to a MacBook than an iPhone. As useful as an SD card reader is for the iPad, there is one minor hiccup: it probably won't work with the iPhone.

ZoomMediaPlus aims to fill that gap with the ZoomIt SD card reader/application for the iPhone. The ZoomIt is a dongle that plugs in to the iPhone's dock connector and (with the use of Zoom's app) allows you to view and share content stored on an SD card.

According to ZoomMediaPlus, the card reader works in conjunction with its application that can be installed on either an iPhone or iPod touch. The app has a file browser that lets you browse files by group such as documents, pictures, or videos. It's also possible to copy files of any type from an SD card to your iPhone's internal storage.

The ZoomIt iPhone app also has the ability to quickly and easily send photos and documents from the SD card via email. Further, photos on an SD card can be sent via MMS or simply added to the internal photo library.

The ZoomIt SD card reader is available now for pre-order for $49.95US -- which is a savings of over 15% off the final retail price ($59.95US). According to ZoomMediaPlus, pre-orders will begin shipping in April of this year. Of course, by that time, Apple's own SD card reader could be available and surprising us all with iPhone compatibility.

[via Engadget]

TUAWSD card reader for iPhone might help bridge the photo gap originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessoriesipadiphoneperipheralssd cardSdCardzoomitTue, 09 Feb 2010 14:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Answers for the 'rents about the iPad]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/answers-for-the-rents-about-the-ipad/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/answers-for-the-rents-about-the-ipad/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/answers-for-the-rents-about-the-ipad/#commentsFiled under:

So my folks were here this weekend, and as you'd expect my Dad is really curious about the upcoming iPad, or as he likes to put it "his new 3G iPad". I convinced him that he should wait for April so he could get the new postpaid-data-ready iPad, which he could use anywhere, not just with WiFi hotspots.

As we were talking, I began to realize that he didn't really have a clear idea of exactly what this gadget is -- and lots of you probably have parents in similar situations. So I put together this Q&A using actual questions my Dad asked throughout the course of the weekend.

"So I can use it instead of my normal computer, right?"
The iPad isn't going to replace your home computer. In fact, it's supposed to be like an iPod -- a mobile device you bring along but not a primary system. You manage your music and movies and everything over on your main machine (a Windows unit in my Dad's case) and then synchronize that data to your iPad using iTunes.

"But what about Microsoft Works? Can I load that on?"
Afraid not. The iPad is more like a mobile phone than it is like a computer. You won't be able to run Windows on it, or even the Macintosh operating system OS X. It has its own private system and can only run apps that you buy at the App Store. (Trust me, my Dad does not want to know from jailbreaking or Cydia.)


"So how do I get apps on it?"
You can buy applications from iTunes, either on your home computer or on the device itself. There are a gadzillion of really great games and utilities available and they usually cost just a few bucks. It's a way, way better deal than buying applications for your PC or for most mobile phones.

"Where do I put in the DVDs?"
Unfortunately, you don't. You can rent or buy movies from iTunes, again either at your computer or on the device, but you can't get a DVD from the library and watch it on your system unless you want me to tell you more than you really need to know about something called "ripping". Rentals cost just a few dollars. You have a month in which to start watching the movie and once you start watching it, you have to finish watching within 24 hours. If you buy a movie, it's yours to watch forever. Just be aware that movies are big space hogs, so don't put too many movies on your iPad at once. You can store them on your home computer and just choose which movies you want to sync at any time.

"So what's the point of it?"
The iPad is going to let you check your mail, surf the web, and enjoy your music and videos when you're out waiting for Mom to finish up at the store. Or the dentist. Or the doctor's. Or the DMV. Or wherever she's dragged you. You can pull this out and play a few games or get on the Internet or just watch some TV.

"Right. So when can I buy it?"
April. That's when you can get the 3G version -- and you want that because Mom's errands rarely offer free WiFi connectivity. 3G lets you connect to the Internet wherever AT&T has a decent signal in your area.

TUAWAnswers for the 'rents about the iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DadDVDsFAQiPadiPad touchIpadTouchMicrosoft WorksMicrosoftWorksMomQAQuestionsQuestions and AnswersQuestionsAndAnswersWindowsTue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SDK devsugar: Re-signing applications]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/sdk-devsugar-re-signing-applications/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/sdk-devsugar-re-signing-applications/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/sdk-devsugar-re-signing-applications/#commentsFiled under:

TUAW's devsugar series helps introduce developers to tools and tricks that they might not yet be familiar with. Today's tip centers on signing already-compiled and already-signed applications with a new custom signature.

A while back, I posted about a way to sign already-compiled applications with your personal credentials in order to better allow developer-to-developer distribution. By re-signing an application, it allows you to install it on any of the devices you have registered to your account at Apple without having to go through the fuss and bother of normal ad-hoc distribution. In addition, it makes it easier to develop applications on a contractor's machines, to ship them to a client, and then have them signed and shipped to App Store using the client's identity.

A basic command-line solution is as follows. It calls codesign (found in /usr/bin) to sign the application, using the default keychain item that matches "iPhone Developer". It's a handy script, especially for informal beta distributions.

#! /bin/bash

export CODESIGN_ALLOCATE=/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/usr/bin/codesign_allocate

codesign -f -s "iPhone Developer" $1
There are, however, several problems with this approach. First, it assumes you only want to sign with development (typically "Debug build") credentials. That's not going to work if you need to re-sign for distribution. (Solution? Change iPhone Developer to iPhone Distribution). Second, it assumes you only have one developer or distribution profile in your keychain. (Solution? Change iPhone Developer, for example, to iPhone Developer: Company Name to exactly match just one keychain entry.) Third, it assumes the person doing the re-signing knows how to use a command line. For that, the solution is a little more complicated.

Recently, this topic came up on a developer e-mail list that I moderate: how do you make it easier for a non-technical client to re-sign an application, normally for distribution. As a solution, I put forth the proposal that one could embed the above shell script behavior into an AppleScript droplet. After consulting with a few colleagues, and gathering their requirements, I decided to give the project a try. I built an AppleScript application that signs any application dropped onto it.

You can find a working copy of the application at my website. App Signer iterates through any apps dropped onto it, checks to ensure whether each file (or bundle, really) ends with an ".app" extension, and then attempts to sign those files using /usr/bin/codesign.

Users can choose to sign with Developer credentials, Distribution credentials, or select Other to open a prompt and enter text for keychain disambiguation. (See the screen shot at the top of this post for an example of the disambiguation dialog.) The application displays results for each application, one at a time.

Please note the following caveats:
  • I make no attempt to guarantee that the app dropped onto this utility is actually an iPhone app (rather than, say a Macintosh application).
  • When working with on-device keychains, the identity used to sign the application has to match the application id set forth in the Info.plist file for the application, otherwise keychain access will fail.
  • This is a free application. It is offered under the BSD license. Use it at your own risk. Credit always appreciated. The open source github repository for App Signer can be found here.
  • To create the application, open the AppleScript source in Script Editor and choose File > Save As > File Format: Application.

TUAWSDK devsugar: Re-signing applications originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AppleScriptApplicationscodesigncodesigningDevelopmentdevsugariPhoneiPhone SDKIphoneSdkScript EditorScriptEditorshell scriptsShellScriptssigningunixXcodeTue, 09 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Apple ships latest version of Aperture for photo professionals]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/apple-ships-latest-version-of-aperture-for-photo-professionals/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/apple-ships-latest-version-of-aperture-for-photo-professionals/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/apple-ships-latest-version-of-aperture-for-photo-professionals/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It certainly caused a lot of excitement when the Apple web store went down this morning. No, it wasn't an updated MacBook Pro line but Aperture 3, Apple's high-end photo editing and image management software.

The latest version is U.S. $199.00, and upgrades are available for any existing Aperture users for $99.00.

Apple says Aperture 3 has "more than 200 new features", including Faces and Places, brought over from iPhoto '09. There is an enhanced tool called Brushes, which allows photographers to paint adjustments and filters directly onto their images using new enhanced edge detection.

This latest version of Aperture runs in 64 bit on Snow Leopard and 64 bit processors.

Aperture has been in a long features war with Adobe Lightroom, a similar and very popular application. Aperture was last updated in February, 2008.

We'll have a close look at Aperture 3 when we get our hands on it. Apple has a free 30 day download for people who want an advance look, but as of this writing download links haven't yet been provided. Aperture 3 needs an intel-based Mac, so older machines like the G5 are out of luck.

TUAWApple ships latest version of Aperture for photo professionals originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AdobeAperture 3Aperture3iPhotophoto softwareTue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Apple Store is back online]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/the-apple-store-is-offline/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/the-apple-store-is-offline/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/the-apple-store-is-offline/#commentsFiled under:

Yes, as expected, the Apple Store is down for the morning, presumably to update us with brand new MacBook Pros and whatever else Apple has cooked up for a release.

We'll keep an eye on the website along with you readers, and when we see what's been updated, we'll let you know. Do be patient -- as many of us are traveling to Macworld today, we might actually be on the roads and/or in the air when it happens, but we'll update as soon as we can. Stay tuned.

Update: It's back up, and it appears the new hotness is... Aperture 3.

Thanks to all who sent this in!

TUAWThe Apple Store is back online originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appleapple storeAppleStoremacbook-promacbooksofflinereleasetuesdayupdatesTue, 09 Feb 2010 08:24:00 EST<![CDATA[TUAW Giveaway: Win a BearExtender n3]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/tuaw-giveaway-win-a-bearextender-n3/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/tuaw-giveaway-win-a-bearextender-n3/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/tuaw-giveaway-win-a-bearextender-n3/#commentsFiled under: ,


Last month, we highly recommended the BearExtender n3 [US $44.97] as a great way to extend a Wi-Fi network to reach those pesky dead spots. In my testing, I found that it's possible to get around three times as much range as from an Airport device.

Now the nice people at Rokland Technologies have given us five units to give to you. If you're having weak signal problems, you want one of these. I bought the unit they sent me to review and have been overjoyed and amazed at it performing exactly as advertised.

The details of the giveaway are as follows:
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter, leave a comment telling us what what problem you would solve with a BearExtender n3.
  • The comment must be left before February 13, 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: One BearExtender n3 (Value: US$49.97)
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.
Best of luck to everyone

TUAWTUAW Giveaway: Win a BearExtender n3 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bearexpressn3BearExtender N3BearExtenderN3extendergiveawaygiveawaysRokland TechnologiesRoklandTechnologieswi-fiwirelessTue, 09 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Navigon adds some unique features to GPS app]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/navigon-adds-some-unique-features-to-gps-app/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/navigon-adds-some-unique-features-to-gps-app/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/navigon-adds-some-unique-features-to-gps-app/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Navigon has been very aggressive about keeping its highly rated MobileNavigator app [iTunes link] up to date. Now, new features are putting it even further ahead of a lot of the competition.

The update adds three innovative features: in-app connection to Facebook and Twitter, Panorama View 3D with 3D terrain views powered from NASA data, and personalized route delivery via NAVIGON MyRoutes, an intelligent direction provider.

For Facebook and Twitter connectivity, a simple icon tap posts the user's current position, destination, and ETA without navigation interruption -- handy for advising family of your expected arrival or updating other travelers with your location if you stopped for a break.

The MyRoutes feature analyzes driving habits, patterns, location, time/day and provides up to three routes clearly displayed in-map with ETA, distance and driving times for each.

The 3D views enable intuitive orientation of the surrounding environment, and show you what lies ahead with digital landscape elevations, shadows, and geographic images. Panorama View 3D is integrated in-map, independent from the phone's data connection. The Panorama View 3D feature will be available via an in-app purchase.

There is a special Macworld promotion of the current version of MobileNavigator for US$69.99 and one time in-app purchase of Traffic Live for $19.99 (regularly $24.99) from February 5-15. All the new features except Panorama View are free updates for existing owners of the app. The Panorama View feature will be $9.99. All the new announced features are expected to be available this spring.

Besides being available for the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the NAVIGON app also runs on the first-generation iPhone or an iPod touch. Additional accessories are required for GPS navigation on these devices.

TUAWNavigon adds some unique features to GPS app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3D viewsFacebookGPSiPhoneMobile NavigatorNavigonTwitterTue, 09 Feb 2010 06:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Found Footage: Charlie Rose hosts iPad chat club]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/found-footage-charlie-rose-hosts-ipad-chat-club/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/found-footage-charlie-rose-hosts-ipad-chat-club/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/09/found-footage-charlie-rose-hosts-ipad-chat-club/#commentsFiled under: ,


In case you missed it last week, PBS top gab guy Charlie Rose (no relation) hosted a roundtable discussion about the latest product from Steve & co. on his show, featuring the NYT's David Carr, 'Uncle' Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, and TechCrunch founder/would-be tablet impresario Michael Arrington. The segment is about 23 minutes long, but it's a good conversation.

Mossberg described the iPad as "wicked fast" and praised the software's grace notes and sophistication, while noting that nobody has really succeeded at making a tablet that the market embraced wholeheartedly. Arrington said "Personally, I think people are going to love this." David Carr (who strongly evokes the actor Austin Pendleton for some reason) also compared the Apple tablet to the Kindle, with the Amazon device coming out unfavorably: "Mr. Jobs did say we stand on the shoulders of Amazon, and he was very professional and gracious about that, but he left that picture of the Kindle up there for two minutes... it looked like something Mennonites made 150 years ago." Ow.

[via iPhoneSavior & TechCrunch]

TUAWFound Footage: Charlie Rose hosts iPad chat club originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>charlie roseCharlieRosedavid carrDavidCarrfound footageFoundFootageipadpbswalt mossbergWaltMossbergTue, 09 Feb 2010 04:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The tweet that made Steve Jobs furious]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/the-tweet-that-made-steve-jobs-furious/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/the-tweet-that-made-steve-jobs-furious/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/the-tweet-that-made-steve-jobs-furious/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Apple doesn't have a huge social media presence. There's an iTunes Facebook page and what can arguably be called a MobileMe blog, but that's about it. However, they do monitor the likes of Twitter, like any self-respecting company would, and a recent tweet reportedly ticked off Steve Jobs but good.

Recently, Steve set up meetings with tech writers and executives from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to promote the iPad. He gathered the group from the Times at Pranna, where he ordered off the menu, wore "... a very funny hat" and reportedly tried to sell them on distribution via the iPad. Having taken place in a public restaurant, the gathering was called "Intimate" and "family-style" by observers.

By contrast, representatives from the Wall Street Journal met Steve and his new device behind closed doors. According to sources, the Journal group was confined to the 5th floor of their building and several staffers who wanted to meet Jobs could not. One of the lucky few was editor Alan Murray, who sent the following Tweet, supposedly after playing with an iPad:

"This tweet sent from an iPad. Does it look cool?"

According to Valleywag, the tweet infuriated Steve Jobs and was soon deleted. When Valleywag followed up with Alan to ask about the incident, he replied by simply saying that he can't discuss it. Later in the day, he wrote via email, "I will say that Apple's general paranoia about news coverage is truly extraordinary- but that's not telling you anything you didn't already know."

Apple is notorious for great design, extreme secrecy and yes, what many have called paranoia. Teams working on unreleased products are kept under a so-called "cone of silence" with Steve's notorious temper -- he has reportedly gone off on high-profile members of the press who had written disagreeable reviews of Apple products -- keeping things in check.

Lest you think Steve is just a big meanie, he gets it as much as he dishes it out. In rather not-safe-for-work terms, Steve shared with the panel of journalists the flavor of some of the angry emails he's received from disgruntled fans after product announcements. We'll let you read that on your own.

[Via MacRumors page 2]

TUAWThe tweet that made Steve Jobs furious originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ipadrumorssteve jobsSteveJobstwitterMon, 08 Feb 2010 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: MacBook Pro refresh imminent, SKUs dropped from Best Buy systems]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/rumor-macbook-pro-refresh-imminent-skus-dropped-from-best-buy/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/rumor-macbook-pro-refresh-imminent-skus-dropped-from-best-buy/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/rumor-macbook-pro-refresh-imminent-skus-dropped-from-best-buy/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Update: Commenters point out that our tipster pulled the Best Buy inventory screen image from this thread on the MacRumors forums (he did provide independent confirmation of the SKU deletion). I was not aware of the forum thread at the time the post was written, and there was at the time no corresponding post on the main MacRumors site (although there is now). My apologies to the forum poster for the lack of credit for the image; I should have double-verified where it came from before running it.

In the world of retail computer sales, nothing is quite so deterministic as the disappearance of model SKUs (stock keeping units, store jargon for "the numbers that correspond to the widgets we sell, and how we track our inventory and sales") from a chain's price list or database system. When that happens, no additional orders can be placed for the deleted item(s), and it's a pretty safe bet that something new is right around the corner.

Dovetailing nicely with the rumor I noted early Saturday morning regarding benchmark results showing up for a mystery MacBook Pro, we now have a tip that existing MacBook Pro SKUs have been deleted from Best Buy's sales system. The picture above (which was posted in the MacRumors forums) shows the screen display for the 13" model, no longer orderable. It's now dramatically more likely that we'll see new MacBook Pro models in the immediate future -- possibly as early as this Tuesday, just in time for Apple to show them off on the Macworld Expo show fl--

Oh. Right. Drat.

Thanks Jose

TUAWRumor: MacBook Pro refresh imminent, SKUs dropped from Best Buy systems originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>best buyBestBuycore i7CoreI7macbook proMacbookProrumorMon, 08 Feb 2010 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Game developers on iPhone outnumber DS and PSP two-to-one]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/game-developers-on-iphone-outnumber-ds-and-psp-two-to-one/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/game-developers-on-iphone-outnumber-ds-and-psp-two-to-one/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/game-developers-on-iphone-outnumber-ds-and-psp-two-to-one/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Game Developer Research has published its 2009/10 survey of video game developers, and the results are pretty impressive for the still relatively fledgling iPhone platform: The number of developers who are working on mobile games increased by 12 percent, and there are actually twice as many developers working on iPhone games as are working on the Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP handheld consoles.

That's a pretty amazing number, though it's not quite a surprise when you consider it. First of all, Nintendo DS and PSP publishing takes a much larger investment than Apple's $100 developer fee and an SDK download. Second, while the DS and the PSP are certainly selling a lot of games, they're not actually releasing nearly as many as the hundreds of thousands of apps on the App Store. Finally, new DS and PSP games sell for $30 or $40, while new App Store games sell much closer to 99 cents. So the fact that there are lots more people moving to the much more open and accessible platform isn't really that surprising.

But a figure like that does show just how much Apple's handheld platform has changed the mobile gaming environment. I would argue that there's still a place for handhelds like the DS and PSP -- devices essentially meant to play games rather than check email or browse the Internet. Even with the iPad coming, Apple still isn't actually focusing on games, though the iPod touch is probably closest to that idea. Whether Apple focuses on gaming or not, there's no question that there's a huge new player in the mobile gaming space. Sooner rather than later, Nintendo and Sony may have to sweeten their deals to keep premium developers on their platform.

TUAWGame developers on iPhone outnumber DS and PSP two-to-one originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appleappsdevelopersdsigame developer researchgame-developersGameDeveloperResearchhandheldnintendopspresearchsonysurveyMon, 08 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Plants vs. Zombies coming to iPhone on February 15th]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/plants-vs-zombies-coming-to-iphone-on-february-15th/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/plants-vs-zombies-coming-to-iphone-on-february-15th/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/plants-vs-zombies-coming-to-iphone-on-february-15th/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Yes, PopCap is at it again -- this time, their crazy addictive (just like all of their games) take on the tower defense genre, Plants vs. Zombies, is headed off to the iPhone. They just tweeted confirmation a little while ago, and released this trailer showing all of the flower vs. undead action that we enjoyed so much in the other versions of the game, squeezed into the smaller screen of the iPhone.

They don't mention a price point, but I'm guessing it'll come out at $4.99, since that's what most of their releases have debuted at (though if you're patient, it'll probably drop down in price after a while). I'll tell you that yes, if you've never played it, the game is more than worth $5, but even if you don't believe me, you can go play it online for free and see what you think. PopCap is the master of dropping colorful graphics, sparkling gameplay, and constant little rewards on your plate, so PvZ on the iPhone will probably be yet another meal you won't want to stop eating.

TUAWPlants vs. Zombies coming to iPhone on February 15th originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>addictivecollectingfive-bucksgamesiphoneplants vs zombiesPlantsVsZombiespopcappopcap gamesPopcapGamesreleasesunundeadMon, 08 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Loopt teams with Mobile Spinach for check-in discounts, Booyah talks about MyTown]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/loopt-teams-with-mobile-spinach-for-check-in-discounts-booyah-t/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/loopt-teams-with-mobile-spinach-for-check-in-discounts-booyah-t/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/loopt-teams-with-mobile-spinach-for-check-in-discounts-booyah-t/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If the iPhone has a leading app genre, aside from gaming, I'd say the current surge of "check-in" apps is probably it. Sure, back when the App Store first opened up, Twitter apps were everywhere (and they're still being made daily, it seems), but in terms of a genre that can only exist on a location-aware device like the iPhone, "check-in" apps like Foursquare, Gowalla, and so on, are making their mark right now. Here's news on two such apps continuing to grow on the App Store skyline.

First up, Loopt [iTunes link] has announced a partnership with a company called Mobile Spinach to start trying to monetize this kind of app usage. Mobile Spinach delivers local ads, and Loopt says that it'll be using their location-based social networking service to bring specials and deals to users from wherever they check-in from. Note that while Apple doesn't necessarily want location-based advertising as the sole purpose of an app, it seems to be all right with location-based advertising as an extra feature like this. Loopt tells us at TUAW that it's a great deal for the company, as it is "an easier and cost-effective way to do online/mobile advertising," and that it means "Loopt users can get great free offers on everyday things they want in need just by walking around in the neighborhood." It'll be interesting to see just how useful this extra advertising can be.

After the link below, read about how MyTown finally got the success they'd been hoping for.

Elsewhere in check-in app news, PocketGamer has an interesting interview with Keith Lee of Booyah about their extremely popular MyTown check-in app. It's been fascinating to follow these guys -- they're former Blizzard devs, and their first app called Booyah Society, had some good ideas but failed to impress. So they went back to the drawing board, and MyTown [iTunes link] (which I've been playing with lately) has definitely made a few steps forward. As Lee points out, they looked at how they could better validate what people were doing, and they also upped the "gaming" side of it -- you can earn points and money and even buy the properties you check in from to create your own kind of social networking city. And then when other people check in from the properties that you "buy," you earn "rent."

Lee says they really pushed on iteration and what felt fun for the team -- he says that they had a few different expectations for Booyah Society, but that the relative failure of that app helped them learn a lot about which directions to go with on MyTown. Lee also talks about monetization -- the app currently has a partnership with Citysearch (so you can easily access news and information about the places you check-in from), but they're just running in-app ads, not necessarily anything tied to location yet. The app also has some in-app purchases -- Lee says that they wanted to design for both the occasionally "check-in" user as well as the social "spammer," so there are a few ways that the game balances those two types of players out so everyone levels at a fair rate.

Very interesting stuff. With their pedigree, it's not surprising that Booyah eventually hit gold with MyTown, but the way they did it is really fascinating. I think we're only scratching the surface of these check-in apps, whether you like them or not. As they get more competitive and more popular, we'll really start to see some major innovation happening.

TUAWLoopt teams with Mobile Spinach for check-in discounts, Booyah talks about MyTown originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertisingapp-storeappleappsbooyahcheck-ingowallaiphonelocation-basedlooptlooptsmytownMon, 08 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Microsoft still beats Apple in cash and investments, for now]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/microsoft-still-beats-apple-in-cash-and-investments-for-now/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/microsoft-still-beats-apple-in-cash-and-investments-for-now/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/microsoft-still-beats-apple-in-cash-and-investments-for-now/#commentsFiled under: ,

Back during the earnings call a few weeks ago, it was mentioned that Apple has a jaw-dropping almost $40 billion just sitting around in cash. In the chat, we started talking about other companies that might have that much money in the hopper -- Google came up, but I don't think we were able to guess another one. But it turns out Apple isn't even the most flush company out there, and the name of the first might surprise you: According to this chart on Silicon Alley Insider, Microsoft is currently sitting on just slightly more money than even Apple, with Google and Intel coming close behind; although Apple briefly pulled ahead of MS at the end of 2008, the Redmond Revenue Racers had more cash through most of '09 than Apple did.

Well how 'bout that. Of course, the current curves are not so favorable to Microsoft (after the Win7 update push slows down a bit) so it may not be long before Apple's pile grows even bigger. We can probably look for some significant acquisitions from all of these companies very soon -- with the rest of the economy down and lots of interesting ideas looking to sell, odds are we'll see some of this money spent on worthy purchases.

[via Cult of Mac]

TUAWMicrosoft still beats Apple in cash and investments, for now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applebillionscapitalcashcharteconomyfinancialsgoogleintelmicrosoftmoneysilicon-alley-insidertech-companiesMon, 08 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Purported pics of next-gen iPhone front face surface]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/purported-pics-of-next-gen-iphone-front-face-surface/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/purported-pics-of-next-gen-iphone-front-face-surface/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/purported-pics-of-next-gen-iphone-front-face-surface/#commentsFiled under: , ,

iResQ, the iPhone/iPod repair site, has posted pics of what they claim is the front faceplate of the next-gen iPhone. Two things about this piece of hardware are particularly interesting. First, the part is approximately 1/4 of an inch taller than the iPhone 3GS, indicative of a slightly taller form factor for the next-gen iPhone. Second, there's a small, reflective strip directly above the hole for the phone speaker. iResQ believes this is likely to be the new location for the iPhone's proximity sensor rather than an indication of any new hardware; however, moving the proximity sensor to a new location and increasing the overall length of the device could still point to a front-facing camera or other new hardware on the next-gen iPhone.

It's worth mentioning the possibility that these "iPhone" parts aren't legitimate. iResQ hasn't revealed its source for the part, and purported iPhone bezels leaked in 2009 turned out to be parts for a completely different device. The backside of the supposed next-gen iPhone's face is missing quite a few parts present on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which either means the part iResQ received was incomplete, the next-gen iPhone has had its internal hardware shifted around, or the part is fake.

So case manufacturers, don't throw out your old blueprints just yet. Unfortunately, it's likely we won't find out whether these are legit or not until June/July of this year; despite rumors of an iPhone update in April, the most likely date for the next-gen iPhone's release is early summer.

[Via MacRumors]

TUAWPurported pics of next-gen iPhone front face surface originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aprilbezelscameracaseiPhoneiphone3giresqjulyjuneleakednext-generationpicturesproximity-sensorrepairrumorrumorsMon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Dev team releases PwnageTool 3.1.5 to jailbreak iPhone 3.1.3 firmware]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/dev-team-releases-pwnagetool-3-1-5-to-jailbreak-iphone-3-1-3-fir/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/dev-team-releases-pwnagetool-3-1-5-to-jailbreak-iphone-3-1-3-fir/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/dev-team-releases-pwnagetool-3-1-5-to-jailbreak-iphone-3-1-3-fir/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Jailbreakers ahoy! Yesterday brought the release of the Dev Team's pwnage tool for jailbreaking and unlocking iPhones equipped with the new 3.1.3 firmware. As usual, though, there are a few catches: first, if you don't need to update to 3.1.3, the dev team says you shouldn't bother anyway -- it doesn't do much that the old versions of the firmware doesn't, so if you don't need to upgrade, just leave your jailbreak as is.

3G and 3GS users especially should be leery of this one, since if a mistake is made, there's a chance you could upgrade your firmware and then not be able to unlock it again. They also have all sorts of other warnings and exceptions on their blog post. As they say, don't download and run those files without seriously thinking about what you're doing with your iPhone.

If, after all of that thinking, you decide it is time to crack open your iPhone with the 3.1.3 firmware, the jailbreak will put together a custom 3.1.3 IPSW for you to restore back on to your iPhone -- here's a quick how-to to start with. Good luck, and be careful out there!

[via Engadget]

TUAWDev team releases PwnageTool 3.1.5 to jailbreak iPhone 3.1.3 firmware originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>exceptionsinstalliphoneipswjailbreakpwnagetoolpwnagetool-3.1.5warningsMon, 08 Feb 2010 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Could iPad prices drop the way the iPhone did after launch?]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/could-ipad-prices-drop-the-way-the-iphone-did-after-launch/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/could-ipad-prices-drop-the-way-the-iphone-did-after-launch/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/could-ipad-prices-drop-the-way-the-iphone-did-after-launch/#commentsFiled under: ,

Looks like they might. That's the opinion of a note out last night from Credit Suisse quoting meetings with Apple executives. The Wall Street Journal this morning quotes Senior Analyst Bill Shope as saying "While it remains to be seen how much traction the iPad gets initially, management noted that it will remain nimble (pricing could change if the company is not attracting as many customers as anticipated)."

This is a similar situation to the original iPhone launch in 2007, where the original price quickly dropped US $200 from the original $599 retail. Agitated early adopters got a $100 Apple store credit from Apple.

Apple will be watching sales of the device carefully in the early days, and the company appears to have enough margin built into the iPad to take some hits if it is slow moving.

On the other hand, if the iPad blows the doors off Apple stores in sales, don't expect any discounts soon.

TUAWCould iPad prices drop the way the iPhone did after launch? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AppleApple retailiPadiPad demandpricingsalesMon, 08 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hutchison offers discounted iPad in Austria]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/hutchison-offers-discounted-ipad-in-austria/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/hutchison-offers-discounted-ipad-in-austria/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/hutchison-offers-discounted-ipad-in-austria/#commentsFiled under: ,

Hutchison Austria is following in the wake of the iPhone and is offering a subsidized iPad to users willing to commit to a 2-year data contract, Engadget reports. When you sign up for a €29.90, 5GB monthly contract, you'll get a €333 markdown on the iPad -- which may or may not be all that much since we still don't know how much an iPad is going to cost overseas. Instead of built-in 3G service, a Huawei i-Mo 3G modem will be provided.

It's not a bad idea, and we're likely to see more carriers jump on this particular bandwagon as the iPad gets closer to release. What I would love to see from carriers is a way to extend existing service for iPhone customers to those who want an iPad plus iPhone. AT&T already gets close to $100 a month from me for basic cell service, plus iPhone data and a text messaging plan. I wouldn't mind paying an additional $5-10 a month for my iPhone contract to cover an iPad as well.

The thought of having to pay another $15 or $30 a month for extra 3G service to an iPad, on top of the charges already being paid for an iPhone, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and if the decision is made to have an iPad join my family, I'm most likely sticking with Wi-Fi only.

TUAWHutchison offers discounted iPad in Austria originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atthutchison austriaHutchisonAustriaipadiphoneSubsidyMon, 08 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Turn your old Macs into clocks, lamps and more]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/turn-your-old-macs-into-clocks-lamps-and-more/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/turn-your-old-macs-into-clocks-lamps-and-more/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/turn-your-old-macs-into-clocks-lamps-and-more/#commentsFiled under: ,

We've written about the recycled Mac clocks that pixelthis on Etsy has created before, but this one is definitely worth a mention. This particular piece combines an old iBook G4 with an Apple mouse to create a time piece that's complete with a working pendulum. Current pieces include a clock made from a recycled iMac G4 motherboard.

Looking for other handcrafted Apple goods for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day? How about a cap honoring Apple of a bygone era? Or an Alfred Hitchock decal for your MacBook? Or if you want a custom-made laptop case, here's one made out of denim. If you need a new lamp for your desk, try one made from an old G4 iMac. If your special someone really desires jewelry, you can always get some Apple cufflinks or earrings.

[Via The Daily What]

TUAWTurn your old Macs into clocks, lamps and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>clockcraftdiyG4imacOldMacMon, 08 Feb 2010 12:15:00 EST<![CDATA[TUAW Giveaway: iCamcorder for iPhone EDGE, 2G, 3G]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/tuaw-giveaway-icamcorder-for-iphone-edge-2g-3g/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/tuaw-giveaway-icamcorder-for-iphone-edge-2g-3g/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/tuaw-giveaway-icamcorder-for-iphone-edge-2g-3g/#commentsFiled under: ,

If you don't have an iPhone 3GS, there are now apps available to enable video recording capabilities on the older phones. One of those apps, Drahtwerk's iCamcorder [US$0.99, iTunes Link], has a ton of features that might make 3GS owners jealous. Some of those features include:
  • Quad-cam, mirror, pop-art, old movie,color-flip and four more special effects
  • Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube sharing of recorded videos
  • Adjustable recording frame rate
  • Bonjour sharing for downloading videos from your iPhone

Drahtwerk wanted to give away some promo codes for this app, and now 20 lucky TUAW readers are going to walk away with a free copy of iCamcorder. Here's how to enter:
  • Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • To enter, leave a comment telling us what you'd like to record with iCamcorder.
  • The comment must be left before Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Twenty winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Prize: One promo code for a copy of iCamcorder (Value: US$0.99)
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.
Good luck, TUAW-ites!

TUAWTUAW Giveaway: iCamcorder for iPhone EDGE, 2G, 3G originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>giveawayicamcordertuawvideovideo effectsVideoEffectsMon, 08 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[iPad in the family: What it'll take]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/ipad-in-the-family-what-itll-take/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/ipad-in-the-family-what-itll-take/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/08/ipad-in-the-family-what-itll-take/#commentsFiled under:

When Steve Jobs announced the iPad, I thought it was neat, but I didn't see how it would really fit into my life. What could it do for me that my iPhone or MacBook Pro couldn't? It seemed like that gap Steve Jobs said the iPad filled was targeted at a group of people I didn't belong to. So I asked the TUAW readers if you'd be getting one. Then I began talking to my family about the iPad and discovered some surprising things: the very people I thought would never buy one plan to, and the people I thought would jump at it are holding off.

So here's a rundown of four very different people in my family and if/why they will be getting an iPad:

Person: My mother. 62. Queen of the Luddites.
Computer proficiency: Absolutely none.
Will she be getting the iPad? Yep. The 16GB 3G model.
Why? My mom has never owned a computer. She doesn't have an internet connection. She couldn't explain to you what Facebook is. And she refers to my iPhone as "that information device."

Given all this, I was quite surprised when she said she'll be getting one right away. But then it made perfect sense. My mom hates computers because the icons are so small and the various program UI's are relatively confusing (remember, she's a 62 year old woman who still clings to her VHS tapes). My mom never saw the value in getting a computer and subscribing to a $30 monthly internet service when computers were always hard for her to use (she never really understood the mouse moves the cursor on the screen thing) and the only thing she would really use the computer for would be email.

For her the iPad is perfect. It's not small like the iPhone, so she can see everything on the screen without squinting. Because my mom is a light internet user (think email and Skype), the $15 pay-as-you-go 250MB 3G price plan is perfect for her - especially since she can cancel at any time. She doesn't have to sign a $30 a month contract and has no modem to worry about dying on her. But, the real appeal about the iPad is there is no mouse for her to fuddle with or cursor to follow. With the iPad, when she wants to check on her email, she simply touches the screen. My mom has poor sight but the iPad is both large enough and features a simple enough UI that she can touch to email with ease.

Best of all, when she isn't checking her email, the iPad will double as a digital picture frame. My mom loves her photos and has recently gotten a digital camera. But with no computer, she's had to take the camera card to Walgreen's to get the pictures printed. Now with the iPad and the camera connection kit she can bypass a computer entirely and view her photos as never before.

Person: My brother. 34. Public school teacher.
Computer proficiency: Intermediate.
Will he be getting the iPad? Not yet.
Why? My brother won't be getting an iPad until it offers him something he doesn't already have in his iMac. What would that something be? An iComicbook store.

My brother has collected comics since he was a kid - back when they were 75 cents an issue. Today they run about $3.99 each - a price many think is just too high. He's had to cut back on the amount of comics he reads because of their high cover price. But what if he could buy a digital issue for 99 cents each? That would be enough for him to get the iPad.

And it just might happen. Jon Fortt over at Fortune wrote an article that made a lot of sense about why he believes comics will come to the iPad. His thesis? Steve Jobs is the largest Disney shareholder. In August Disney bought Marvel Comics. Disney is extremely concerned about turning a young, tech savvy, male audience back to their brands. The marriage of Disney and Marvel might just produce a subsection of the iBookstore in the very near future called the iComicstore. If Marvel signs on, you can bet DC Comics will follow suit. Once this happens, my brother will buy an iPad, as I'm sure legions of comics fans would.

Person: Me. 32. Tech blogger and writer.
Computer proficiency: Expert.
Will I be getting the iPad? Not yet.
Why? No, not because they didn't put a front facing camera on it as planned. Really people, do you really want the person you're vid chatting with to be staring up at your nose hair? I think the iPad's pretty cool, but I see it more as a content/leisure device - and right now the content is lacking. Sure, the iBooks app is nice, but I'll have to see if reading a book on an iPad is an enjoyable as reading a paperback or as easy on the eyes as reading on an E-ink reader.

There is one thing that would make me buy an iPad right away. It's another subsection of the iBookstore that I envision: the iMagazine store. I've written about this before, but I'll repeat my talking points here: I like magazines, but like my brother, I find the newsstand cover prices are a bit too high when I only want to read one interesting article that's caught my eye. If I could buy that single issue on an iPad for 99 cents, it would be a done deal. Add bookmarking, highlighting, and a built-in dictionary panel like the one in Mac OS X and I would be in heaven.

As with comics, the expensive cover price is a result of the costs of printing, shipping, and distribution. If magazine and comic publishers switched to the digital iPad distribution format, they could easily cut the cover prices while still maintaining profits (due to no printing or shipping costs, and cheaper distribution costs through Apple). Magazine publishers may actually be able to make a healthier profit if they introduce pay-per-click dynamic ads in the issues. This would especially benefit digital comic books because many fans go back and read their favorite issues again and again (thus they would be seeing new ads each time).

Person: My sister. 30. Occupational Therapist.
Computer proficiency: Intermediate.
Will she be getting the iPad? What's that?
Why? Please, I'm still trying to get her on a Mac or even just an iPod.

IMHO, Apple will implement an iMagazine and iComicbook store sooner rather than later and that's when my brother and I will jump on the iPad bandwagon. In the meantime, I'll have to live with the fact that my mom will have the latest and greatest tech gadget on the planet while I curl up with a good book and a copy of Men's Health.

TUAWiPad in the family: What it'll take originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As a tabletop board game, Hive has been around since 2001. It draws inspiration from classic abstract strategy games like chess and shogi but does away with that pesky board (see also: Tile Chess). The iPhone/iPod touch app [US$1.99, iTunes link] brings everything from the physical version to your pocket, and if clever placement of bug-decorated pieces is your thing, the game is well worth the download - at least for a short while.

The Game

The rules of this two-player game are entirely simple. Each turn, you either add a piece to the hive (you can think of the hive as the board) or, if you've already placed your queen bee, you can move a piece in the hive. The object of the game is to surround your opponent's bee and, like in chess, each type of piece (different kinds of bugs) has its own movement abilities, so knowing when to move where is a challenge and certainly part of the fun. Beetles climb on other bugs, the ant runs around the hive, and so on.The full rules are detailed in the app's tutorial, or you can watch a video review after the jump (or get the rules PDF). Read on to discover if these bugs are the kind you want invading your iPhone.


Gallery: Hive



A game of Hive goes pretty quickly, taking anywhere between five and 30 minutes depending on how good you are and what level you're playing against. The app can save up to eight games so you'll always have room for any game that gets interrupted.

The App

Since Hive, like chess and many other abstract strategy games where all pieces and options are known at all times, is a game of perfect information, it works wonderfully as a two player app. In fact, if your tabletop board game shelves are already full of abstract games, there's really no reason any more to shell out the $25 or $30 for the physical copy when almost the same functionality - with quicker set up - can be had for $1.99 in the App Store. Heck, just the 2007 Mosquito expansion costs $10 in a store. There's no way an iPhone can replace an entire board game collection, but in this case, it makes more sense to have the app than the box.

While the app doesn't offer a way to playing with multiple mosquito tiles, the game's visual options are ridiculously varied. None of them make the game look quite as nice and the polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride (sorry, Bakelite) pieces available for tabletop play, but you can pick from about two dozen background colors and five different tile types. There are also four difficulty levels and toggles to to turn the mosquito option and tournament rules on and off and to select which color the AI will play in single player mode. We recommend leaving the tournament rules set to be always on. Tournament rules mean that neither player can place the Bee as their first piece, a choice that often leads to games that end in a draw. Boring.

The trouble is that the AI, even on hard, is not too difficult to beat. In the course of an evening, an experienced abstract game player can learn the rules and manage to beat the system with some regularity. It's not a total cakewalk, but a difficulty level beyond "hard" would be appreciated. You know, something really frustrating. Considering the game's mediocre AI, a real online player option would be a great thing. Instead, the pass-the-device two-player and local network P2P are all that's offered.

Of course, a harder-working AI might be a bit much for early iPhones. Running on a first-gen iPod Touch, the game repeatedly reported low memory and suggested restarting the device. Even after doing so, though, the message appeared. Still, the app continued to work, so it's not the most useful of warnings. When playing the medium and hard AI levels, there is some - not too much - delay in the bot's moves, which is kind of nice and mimics playing against a person, but it might become too annoying if the AI got smarter.

Thankfully, the game's music and sound effects can be muted and, if iTunes is playing when the app starts, the audio continues without interruption. Also, while there is no undo button per se, you can touch the "Hive" logo on the game screen and call up the game menu, which includes a "Back to Game" option. If you do this when you're selected the wrong piece, the piece will be unselected when you come back to the game. Handy, but the location of the logo makes it kind of troublesome for one player in a two-player game.

All in all, Hive is like so many of the "easy to learn, hard to master" style of games. Even when playing on the iPod touch, having two human players is better than playing against the bots, and the game loses nothing in the translation to virtual tabletop.

Review of the board game version by the Dice Tower:


Official app promo from Lotus Studios:

TUAWReview: Hive board game app offers all sorts of buggy fun originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're back live tonight with the usual gang of ruffians, this time (partially) live from San Francisco as we warm up for Macworld Expo 2010! So what if the iPad isn't out for a few more weeks? We're revved up for the show -- it's our first year with a booth of our own, and our first year livestreaming video directly from the expo floor -- so what we need now is to hear from you. What coverage do you want to see, which products do you want reviews, who are the pundits and industry veterans you want to hear from? C'mon & call the show to let us know.

We'll kick things off at 10pm Eastern (7pm Pacific); hopefully the Superbowl will be over by then, and if not, we'll vamp. Once you sign in on Talkshoe, you'll be able to call in with your own phone and chat live with TUAW bloggers and listeners. See you then!

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, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk with you then!

TUAWTalkcast tonight, 10 pm ET: Macworld Expo preview originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>macworldpodcasttalkcastSun, 07 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TUAW at Big Nerd Ranch: Aaron Hillegass]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/07/tuaw-at-big-nerd-ranch-aaron-hillegass/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/07/tuaw-at-big-nerd-ranch-aaron-hillegass/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/07/tuaw-at-big-nerd-ranch-aaron-hillegass/#commentsFiled under: ,

More coverage of TUAW's inside look at developer boot camp. See below for notes & disclaimer.

On my last day at Big Nerd Ranch, I got a chance to sit down with with the biggest nerd at the ranch, Aaron Hillegass, and talk about nerds, NextStep, the iPad and more. Aaron has a unique vantage point on all things Apple, and it was definitely an enjoyable conversation. If you continue reading after the first video, there's a second short video of Aaron and I out at the site of the future Big Nerd Ranch.

After chatting with Aaron for a while, we drove about 20 minutes to get to the site of the "new" ranch (it's much closer to the airport than the current residence). Ground hasn't been broken yet, but the plans are laid for a new Big Nerd Ranch. Aaron expounds a little on his "monastic" approach, and had me walking up and down slippery slopes to see the land ...

A big thanks to Aaron for his time, it was definitely a pleasure and an honor to sit down with him!

In order to give our readers the first-hand account of what it's like to experience developer boot camp, Big Nerd Ranch has permitted Brett to attend complimentary classes and has provided transportation/lodging assistance. Other than those considerations, no sponsorship or advertising relationship exists between BNR and TUAW. This series is not an endorsement of BNR's programs or teaching methodology.

TUAWTUAW at Big Nerd Ranch: Aaron Hillegass originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A while back, we had a product announcement about the OWLE bubo (US$129.95). That bizarre name is actually a play on words: OWLE stands for "Optical Widget for Life Enhancement" (the company's name) and bubo is the genus for American horned owls and old world eagle owls. The device, if you have an imagination, even looks like a cartoonist's idea of a horned owl.

So, now that we've got the name all figured out, what the heck is an OWLE bubo? You could call it the ultimate iPhone case for photographers, and you'd be pretty darned close. The current bubo is a sleek, machined piece of aluminum that is designed to be held with both hands for better stability when shooting photos or video with the iPhone. The bubo does a great job of making it easier to shoot video, but that's just scraping the surface of the feature set.

bubo also has a 37mm .45x wide-angle/macro combo lens that is awesome for doing close-ups of objects, taking crowd or landscape photos, or doing interviews. In fact, it's this last use case that finally convinced me to purchase a bubo. Since TUAW is going to be doing a lot of video and other photography at Macworld Expo during the this week, I want to see if I can make my iPhone 3GS my primary tool for capturing imagery since I'd prefer to pack light. The lens accommodates screw-in filters at a standard 49mm size, so UV haze or polarizing filters can be added to further improve image quality.
The lens is one excellent feature, but there's more. OWLE includes a 3.5mm 4-pin omni-style mic with a windscreen that can be swiveled to pick up either the camera operator's voice or the sound the subject is making. The aluminum case also provides four standard threaded receptacles for mounting on a tripod or attaching other threaded accessories, and there's also a cold shoe mount for adding extras like lights or other mics (see front view at right). That's a quick release for a Manfrotto monopod attached to the bottom, and a 36-LED camcorder light in the cold shoe.

OWLE's testing a bubo made from composites that should be lighter than the aluminum model, although I think I'd prefer the heft and strength of aluminum. They're also saying that a bubo for iPod nano is "coming soon," although there are no pictures or drawings of what that may look like.

The screw-in design for the lens will make it possible for OWLE to sell other lenses for the bubo case. While the company isn't divulging future plans, a spokesperson said that telephoto or zoom lenses were in consideration as accessories.

How does it work in the real world? Pretty darned good! Inside the box is the bubo with the lens attached, the small mic (which plugs into the headphone port on the iPhone), a pair of lens covers in case you wish to remove the lens, a lens cleaning cloth, a silicone case for your iPhone (the bubo works with a lot of standard iPhone cases), a small case for carrying the lens when removed, and instructions.

I had to remove the existing case from my iPhone (an Otterbox Commuter) and used the included case since the Otterbox was a very tight fit in the bubo. The iPhone fits snugly into the case, but users will want to take care not to jar the bubo as the iPhone could simply "pop out." I'd love to see some sort of swiveling tabs to help hold the iPhone in, although in normal use it should remain firmly lodged in the bubo. The photo at right shows the niche that the iPhone fits into.

The construction of the bubo is rock solid. The design of the case makes it very easy to grip it in both hands, helping to create a stable handheld platform for your iPhone photography. I found that using one of the threaded receptacles to attach the bubo to a tripod, monopod, or clamp worked very well in keeping the device completely still.

How does that mic work? A quick test showed that it really helped in terms of clarifying and amplifying sound from speakers who were standing in front of me. However, on several occasions the mic also seemed to be picking up interference from the iPhone itself. Needless to say, I'll be checking this out more completely before doing any major interviews at Macworld Expo.

The cold shoe (as opposed to a hot shoe, which provides power to a camera accessory) was useful in attaching a Sima LED Camcorder light to the bubo, although it was a bit of a tight fit. Whether this is due to tight clearances in the construction of the bubo or the base of the camcorder light isn't clear, but it really required a lot of force to jam the light onto the cold shoe.

Since a picture is worth at least a thousand words, I'm going to show you several images taken with my iPhone 3GS. The first (at top) is taken without the bubo, while the second (at bottom) uses the bubo's wide-angle lens:

Notice that the lower picture, taken with the bubo from the exact same location, shows a wider field of view. The shrubs in the foreground and large spruce off to the left are not visible in the upper shot taken with the built-in iPhone 3GS lens.

The bubo's lens does a fairly good job with close-up macro shots as well. In the next set of photos, the top picture represents the closest picture I could take with the standard lens of the iPhone 3GS, while the bottom picture shows just how close I could focus:

Purists will note that I got a little TOO close on the bottom closeup, as the foreground petal of the artificial flower is slightly out of focus.

Are there other macro / closeup attachments for the iPhone that don't cost as much? Sure. The Griffin Clarifi (US$34.99) is a perfect solution -- if you don't need all of the attachment points that the bubo offers or a cold shoe attachment isn't needed. Likewise, you could purchase the little microphone (VeriCorder Mini Mic, US$20.00) separately for better recordings. But frankly, for self-filming of interviews with an iPhone 3GS on a Manfrotto monopod complete with an attached LED light, there really was no other solution.

If you'd like to see the bubo in action, I'll have it at Macworld Expo next week. Drop by the TUAW Booth (#654) and ask for me, or just look for the middle-aged nerd carrying one around -- that will be me.

TUAWHands-on with the OWLE bubo: Better photos and video from your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessorybubocameracloseupcold shoeColdShoehardwareiphonemacro lensMacroLensowleowle buboOwleBubophotoreviewroad testedRoadTestedwide-angleSun, 07 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Patent suggests location-based social networking for iPhone]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/07/patent-suggests-location-based-social-networking-for-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/07/patent-suggests-location-based-social-networking-for-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/07/patent-suggests-location-based-social-networking-for-iphone/#commentsFiled under: ,

Imagine you and a friend are on a phone call, and both of you own iPhones. You're trying to meet up somewhere downtown in a city neither of you know very well, so the best answer you can give your friend when he asks, "Where are you now?" is "Uhhh..." followed by several seconds of silence. It's already possible to share your location using the Maps app on the iPhone -- find your current location, tap on the blue marker on the map, tap "Share Location," and then send it to your friend either as an e-mail or MMS. Then your friend receives the e-mail or MMS with your location, opens it in Maps, and has the option of finding directions to your location from his current location.

If that sounds like a lot of unnecessarily complex steps to answer the simple question of "Where are you," you're in luck, because according to a new patent application, Apple agrees with you. By putting "Request location info" and "Release location info" buttons on the call screen in the Phone app, it would be possible to share your location or request someone else's with a single button press. The same process applies -- the iPhone polls its GPS to find out where you are, then transmits that info to your friend's iPhone -- but instead of having to jump through all the hoops yourself, the OS handles it for you in the background. Once your phone receives a request for location info it comes up in a notification, probably very similar to the notifications location-based apps already use when they request permission to use location data. If you agree to release your location data to the caller, it's transmitted in a fully encrypted signal to the caller's iPhone. Your location data would then show up on your friend's iPhone, complete with the option to find directions.

Some other interesting information has come out of this patent application. In describing the type of call this feature could be applied to, Apple says, "Note that the reference to 'voice call' here is not limited to a conventional, sound-only conversation. It may also include video of the two users, synchronized with their audio. The call may be a cellular network telephone call that has been initiated by either user." This shows further evidence that Apple is researching the possibility of including video conferencing capabilities in a future iteration of the iPhone.

Additionally, Apple seems to be exploring greater location-awareness options for its own apps, including weather and a Yellow Pages app. The patent also refers to several apps as "Widgets" -- Calculator, Alarm Clock, and Dictionary all fall under an application module subset referred to as "Widget Modules." There's two possibilities here: either these apps are still being referred to as widgets because their basic interfaces grew out of OS X's Dashboard Widgets (an explanation I've heard a few times before), or Apple is looking toward bringing Dashboard-style functionality to a future version of the iPhone OS, with smaller apps like Calculator and Alarm Clock being implemented as "widgets" rather than standalone apps. This has been offered as one possible explanation for the mysterious absence of several of Apple's apps from the iPad.

TUAWPatent suggests location-based social networking for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DashboardGPSiPadiPhonelocationmapspatentrumorvideo conferencingwidgetsSun, 07 Feb 2010 02:00:00 EST<![CDATA[16 month-old bug continues to crash Flash]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/06/16-month-old-bug-continues-to-crash-flash/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/06/16-month-old-bug-continues-to-crash-flash/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/06/16-month-old-bug-continues-to-crash-flash/#commentsFiled under:

Matthew Dempsky has discovered a bug which will crash the Flash player on every supported platform. That might not seem like a huge deal, except that he discovered this bug in September of 2008 and has reported it to Adobe, which hasn't fixed it yet.

16 months later.

If you'd like to test it for yourself, make sure there's nothing important open in your browser window and head to http://flashcrash.dempsky.org/.

In Safari and Google Chrome, this crashes the plugin but not the browser. It took Firefox 3.6 down entirely.

Why would Matthew post such a page? Isn't that reckless? Well, he explains on that page:
"Regarding crashing, I can tell you that we don't ship Flash with any known crash bugs, and if there was such a widespread problem historically Flash could not have achieved its wide use today," Lynch wrote. "Addressing crash issues is a top priority in the engineering team, and currently there are open reports we are researching in Flash Player 10." (Source: PC Mag, "Adobe Defends Flash, Calls Apple Uncooperative")

He goes on to say:

This page exploits a bug that I reported to Adobe in September 2008, and has affected every release of Flash on every platform since then. Despite numerous email exchanges with the Flash product manager about the bug, the bug report being hidden from the public for "security" reasons, and [although] Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch's claims otherwise, it continues to be an issue.

...I'm not an Apple fan boy out to prove Steve Jobs right in Apple's decision not to support Flash on the iPhone / iPad. Instead, I'm just a software engineer who at one time had to deal with Adobe's sorry excuse for a development platform and made an earnest effort on several occasions at helping them improve it for everyone. (This issue is merely the tip of the iceberg of ridiculous bugs and random backwards and forwards incompatibilities known as Adobe's Flash Player plug-in.) After trying to work with them to fix this issue and experiencing nothing but frustration, I just don't give a damn anymore.

Adobe has been able to rest on its laurels with Flash, because it was a de facto standard. Now that the platform is being left behind by new mobile devices and computing metaphors, Adobe is making an appeal to the public that Flash isn't that bad.

Adobe's been able to do much the same with Photoshop and CS4. Even people who love the apps and use them every day have learned to live with the crashes and other problems. Adobe seemed not to be in too much of a rush to get Snow Leopard compatible versions out. Ditto for when Apple switched to Intel.

I'm amazed by people who continue to defend Flash, including those who believe that alternatives will have a chance if web developers weren't pushed to start using newer alternatives like H.264 and HTML 5. (No, I'm not saying H.264/HTML 5 is a drop-in replacement for Flash, and I'm not even going to mention SVG.)

If we all went with the "de facto standard" we'd be using Internet Explorer 6 on Windows. Actually, we'd probably be using Internet Explorer 4.

No doubt that Flash has done some great things. At one time, it was cutting edge stuff. Now it's a dull butter knife.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you about ClickToFlash which I've reviewed previously.

(Hat tip to Craig Hockenberry and Mike Damm for bringing this story to our attention.)

TUAW16 month-old bug continues to crash Flash originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adobecrashingflashSat, 06 Feb 2010 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: Geekbench hints at a Core i7 MacBook Pro]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/06/rumor-geekbench-hints-at-the-core-i7-macbook-pro/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/06/rumor-geekbench-hints-at-the-core-i7-macbook-pro/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/06/rumor-geekbench-hints-at-the-core-i7-macbook-pro/#commentsFiled under: , ,

A quick couple of tips from readers Ken and Jack, and this thread over at the MacRumors forums, point us towards an interesting results page at the Geekbench site (Google cached version, in case they get hammered), which aggregates benchmark results from thousands of users all over the globe. This particular page reports the performance of a previously unreleased MacBook Pro model (MacBookPro6,1) which claims an Intel Core i7 M 620 processor running the show.

Real? Maybe, although at this point it's a bit suspicious that it's not running a dev build of 10.6.3 instead of an internal build of 10.6.2 as reported on the page; also, Geekbench results are frequently spoofed by hackintoshes (unless Apple built an AMD-based MacBook Pro and simply neglected to tell us about it). Fast? Heck yes; the benchmark score of 5260 handily blows by the speed of currently shipping machines.

The eventual appearance of the 6,1 version of the MBP has been a bit of a foregone conclusion since October of last year, when developer builds of OS X 10.6.2 were found to include support files specific to those model IDs. A laptop refresh in Q1 would be a very nice thing, but in this case I wouldn't get the checkbook sharpened quite yet.

Thanks to Ken and Jack for sending this one in.

TUAWRumor: Geekbench hints at a Core i7 MacBook Pro originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>core i7CoreI7geekbenchintelmacbook proMacbookProrumorsSat, 06 Feb 2010 02:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TUAW is going to Macworld 2010]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/tuaw-is-going-to-macworld/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/tuaw-is-going-to-macworld/http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/tuaw-is-going-to-macworld/#commentsFiled under: ,

Join TUAW next week from Macworld 2010! Several TUAW team members will be in San Francisco for the biggest expo of the year for the Apple faithful, including David Winograd, Ken Ray, Brett Terpstra, Mike Schramm, Steve Sande, Mike Rose, Dave Caolo and myself. Despite Apple's bailing on the event, the good folks behind Macworld have put together a week's worth of amazing learning and product demos plus talks with Kevin Smith, Guy Kawasaki, Leo Laporte among others.

This year TUAW will have a booth (number 654, come on down and say "Hi!") and we'll be livestreaming video from the show floor. We'll have plenty of hands-on video from the floor and around the show as well, plus our usual stream of posts and galleries. It'll feel like you're there!

We've got a few more surprises in store, so stay tuned for more details on Monday.

By the way, huge thanks to Paul Kent and the folks at IDG World Expo for Macworld and the enthusiastic support of the community at large.

TUAWTUAW is going to Macworld 2010 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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