A new study from BookNet Canada notes that the ebook market may be in trouble. Paperback books, says BookNet, made up 58% of all purchases last year, with hardcover taking 24%. But ebooks were only 15% of total sales last year, a figure that's down overall from 2012's first quarter, where they made up 17.6%. In other words, ebooks are selling, but they're hardly taking over the market.

Now, those numbers reflect sales in Canada. In the US, ebooks make up 22% of the market, so the numbers are higher here. But still, given how ubiquitous ebooks now are, it's surprising to not see them taking more of the market. BookNet says buyers cite the convenience of shopping for other items at the same time and pricing as two reasons they're still looking for books in brick-and-mortar stores rather than online.

Finally, Apple's iPad only made its way up to number three on the list of the most popular ebook readers in Canada. The Kobo ebook reader was the most popular up in the Great White North, followed by Amazon's Kindle and then Apple's tablet.

Ebooks not growing much in Canada, slightly better in the US originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ebooks not growing much in Canada, slightly better in the US originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scanner Pro has always been one of the best iOS document scanners applications around, and it just got better. Readdle has updated Sacnner Pro to include real-time border detection.

Scanner Pro allows your iPhone or iPad to scan receipts, whiteboards, or any single or multi-page document. "Why not just use your device's built-in camera?" Scanner Pro has got you covered. It'll auto-crop your documents, remove shadows, correct awkward perspectives and save in multiple formats. Images can be sent right to Evernote, Dropbox and Google Drive.

If you have this great app then go right away and update it. If you don't, then go grab it from the App Store now. Scanner Pro has been a long-time friend of my mobile office workflow.

Scanner Pro 4.5 Updated to Make iOS Scanning Easier originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Scanner Pro 4.5 Updated to Make iOS Scanning Easier originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The sun is one of the most important stars in our galaxy. It gives us light, enables the growth of plants, is a source of energy and is the cornerstone of our calendar. To learn more about this spectacular star, you should check out the Sun By Kids Discover app.

The iPad app features interactive 3D models as well as audio and HD video to teach you about the sun. You'll learn the difference between the solstice and the equinox and follow the steps as a star is born. The app is packed full of stunning photos, clever animations and easy-to-read trivia about the sun. Think you are an expert ? Then test your knowledge using the puzzles, quizzes and games included in the app. There is even an activities section that teaches you how to study the sun in real life.

The Sun By Kids Discover app is available for US$3.99 from the iOS App Store. It is compatible with the iPad and requires iOS 5.0 or later.

Daily iPad App: Sun by Discover Kids is a star-studded look at our Sun originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPad App: Sun by Discover Kids is a star-studded look at our Sun originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It has been busy in the App Store with a handful of new apps landing on iOS and OS X. Take a few minutes and check out our list of standout apps from the past few weeks!

iOS Apps

Video Filters [iOS Universal; Category: Photography & Video; US$3.99] Pro HD Video Camera with 100 Fully Customizable, Real-Time Video Filters.

HeartPhys [iPad; Category: Medical; $1.99] Learn physiology through interactive diagrams.

Stria [iOS Universal; Category: Music; $8.99] Multilevel Interactive Sound Synthesizer "Stria" is the title of a very important composition by John Chowning. This computer music piece rapresents the manifest of Frequency Modulation technique applied to audio synthesis, invented by Mr. Chowning himself.

DataMan Enterprise : Track Data Usage In Real-Time [iPhone; Category: Business; $19.99] Manage multiple plans. DataMan Enterprise allows you to set up multiple cellular data plan profiles, each containing a separate set of plan info and usage data.

Little Viking Dungeon Of Doom [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $0.99] An epic adventure through 100 levels of monsters, traps and danger.

Manuganu [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $0.99] Run, jump, slide from ropes and dodge rocks! Not enough? There is much more in Manuganu.

Frozen Synapse [iPad; Category: Games; $6.99] Frozen Synapse is a multi-award-winning tactical game.

Gravity Guy 2 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $0.99] Our brave Guy now finds himself on top of towers running for his life, jumping from one platform to another, while avoiding many hazards placed across his path.

Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery : Episode 1 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $2.99] A small boy, his big new friend, and a huge problem. Join Camp Eagle Feathers' newest 'Brave', Jacob Jones, on an amazing adventure to uncover just what is going on at Camp Eagle Feather.

CastleMine [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $0.99] Defend your castle from the evils that lurk below in this unique strategy game.

Bombcats [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Free with in-app purchases] Seven cute but volatile felines ready to explode into action to save their imprisoned furry friends.

OS X Apps

Minbox [OS X; Category: Photography & Video; Free] Minbox lets you send any collection of photos or files from your Mac via email, all for free.

File Twins [OS X; Category: Utilities; Free] File Twins is a practical application acting as your duplicate file cleaner.

Eggscellent [OS X; Category: Productivity; $9.99] Based on effective time management principles, Eggscellent transforms your to-do list into manageable activities.

Art Mogul [OS X; Category: Games; $2.99] Step into the shoes of an Art Mogul in this thrilling mix of hidden object, strategy and business sim.

LittleLink [OS X; Category: Productivity; $0.99] LittleLinks is a nifty little app that automatically shrinks all the links and url's you copy to your clipboard.

Folder Magic [OS X; Category: Productivity; Free] Create exquisite and unique folders for your computer with hundreds of pre-created images.

New and notable apps for iOS and OS X - May 22 edition originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New and notable apps for iOS and OS X - May 22 edition originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As anyone who has read TUAW over the past few weeks can tell there's no shortage of iPad keyboards on the market these days. All of them tend to use Bluetooth to connect to the iPad, which is fine -- except when you're a school teacher or IT person who needs to figure out which keyboard is paired with a particular iPad. So that students can simply grab a keyboard, plug it in and start typing away, Logitech has announced the Logitech Wired Keyboard for iPad (US$59.99, available later this year).

The keyboard will come in two flavors; a Lightning-equipped model that will be shipping in August, and a 30-pin connector version that is expected in October. Since it's designed to be used by students of all ages, the Wired Keyboard has a spill-resistant design and is expected to put up with the pounding of over 5 million keystrokes.

There are shortcut keys for the regular iPad functions, such as Siri, app switching and copy and paste. There's also an integrated Home button for jumping to the Home screen with a single push.

Logitech will display the Wired Keyboard for iPad at the 2013 International Society for Technology in Education conference scheduled for June 23-26 in San Antonio, Texas.

Logitech intros wired iPad keyboard especially for education market originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Logitech intros wired iPad keyboard especially for education market originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has announced a brand-new game console today, though the company would probably be disappointed to hear that I called it that. The Xbox One is really more of an entertainment center all-in-one -- it's designed to connect your games, your streaming media and cable television all together in one set-top box. In some ways, it's a competitor to Apple TV. The Xbox One will also include a new Kinect camera, which will boast Siri-like voice control over all of its functions, and allow users to switch back and forth between live games, live TV or any of the console's various apps.

Obviously, that release is only tangentially related to Apple and its products, but there are a few closer ties that might become more important in the future. First up, Microsoft has already confirmed that the Xbox One will work with its SmartGlass system, for which there is already an app on the iPhone and the iPad. It's unclear just what SmartGlass will do for the Xbox One, but we'll stay tuned for more functionality on that end.

And second, Microsoft is apparently learning from Apple. The Cupertino company has famously been making its own "system-on-a-chip" hardware lately to go into new iPhones and iPads, and Microsoft has now done exactly the same. The Xbox One's CPU is a chip based on AMD designs, but customized by Microsoft's own R&D labs. There are a few reasons for that, including the power requirements, and the fact that the Xbox One actually runs a few different operating systems at a time (to easily switch back and forth between the games and the TV content). But Microsoft clearly borrowed the model for the hardware from Apple, and presumably later versions of the Xbox One will have even more customized chips in them. The Xbox One is due out sometime this year, but there's no official release date announced yet.

Microsoft announces Xbox One, with more SmartGlass and TV integration originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft announces Xbox One, with more SmartGlass and TV integration originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beethoven's 9th Symphony (free plus in-app purchases) is an epic iPad app that lets you explore one of the greatest symphonies ever written in a unique, compelling way. Classical music lovers will definitely want to check it out.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony uses every trick in the multimedia tool box. For starters, you can listen to four different performances of the work, taken from the well-known DGG catalog. As you listen, follow along with the the score in real time. The original manuscript displays each page as the music plays, but with modern notation.

An interesting feature called the "BeatMap" offers an overhead view of the orchestra, complete with symbols of the various instruments that glow as they are played.

The app also features several interviews, both contemporary and historic, with notable people like Leonard Bernstein and Gustavo Dudamel.

The four included performances date from 1962, with the most recent from 1992 played with period instruments. The Leonard Bernstein 1979 recording contains video of the performance, that you can watch in full-screen mode. It's interesting to compare the four concerts, and you can instantly switch between them, hearing how recording technology has advanced, and how performances differ. Having the four concerts in sync for comparison is unique and valuable.

This app is a great experience for adults and young musicians. I can't think of a better way to share this musical treasure in such depth.

Gallery: Beethoven's 9th Symphony

On to some negatives. The app does not directly support AirPlay, which is a mistake. You can certainly listen on headphones, but one should be able to hear this on a nice sound system. You can force AirPlay output with video mirroring by double-clicking the Home button and using the icon bar AirPlay tool, but the sound output stutters at times, and the video struggles to remain in sync.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony is not cheap. While you can download the app for free, you only get two minutes of each movement. A $13.99 in-app purchase unlocks the complete works. While the app is relatively expensive, it's less than the price of the four performances on separate CDs, and you wouldn't get the videos, the interviews or the full scores. Even if you opt for the free version, you download everything, and this is a large app at 1.53 GB. I had to do some housecleaning before I could run it.

I previously took a look at the first offering in this series, called The Orchestra. It was also excellent, but the Beethoven app is superior because it goes into great depth on a single work.

If you're interested in classical music, I think this is an app you will return to again and again. There's a lot of information, as well as the visual and sonic joys.

I'd also suggest you take a look at some parallel and less expensive apps if Beethoven appeals to you. Beethoven Symphonies ($1.99) has some nice selctions and performances. I also liked the free, ad-supported Beethoven Symphony Collection which also includes the scores to view.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony requires an iPad and iOS 6.

Just about everything you'll want to know about Beethoven's 9th on your iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Just about everything you'll want to know about Beethoven's 9th on your iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Crump at GigaOm has an interesting piece on how the iPad is becoming an important tool for music bands. Crump is an amateur musician whose band is rehearsing for a gig. What's interesting is Crump's realization that the iPad is almost all his band needs at rehearsal.

Crump explains how his iPad fits into band rehearsals. First, he chooses the songs in the Music player app and sends his friends links to the songs on YouTube. Next he'll use the AmpliTube app (free) to load up his selected song from the iPad's music app and play along with it via a Fender Squire USB guitar. To chart the songs during rehearsal, Crump uses Apple's Pages app (US$9.99). He supports the iPad in front of him by using the iKlip 2 ($39.99) from IK Multimedia. The iKlip 2 is a universal microphone stand that allows you to attach an iPad to almost any mic boom.

If you're a musician, Crump's piece is well worth a read. It's another example of how Apple's iDevices are changing almost everything we do.

How iPads, YouTube help bands practice originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

How iPads, YouTube help bands practice originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai is often referred to as "the world's only 7-Star hotel." And now you can see why. The hotel has announced that it will be giving 24-carat gold-plated iPads to guests at check-in. The iPad will act as a "virtual concierge" for the hotel's guests, with information like maps, housekeeping services, spa services and more.

Guests will be required to give the iPads back when they check out, unless they choose to purchase it (there's no word on the cost). The gold-plated iPad isn't the only Apple product that the Burj Al Arab's guests can enjoy: each of its 202 rooms has an iMac as well.

'The world's only 7-Star hotel' is giving 24k gold-plated iPads to guests originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

'The world's only 7-Star hotel' is giving 24k gold-plated iPads to guests originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Football fans rejoice (that's soccer for you in America)! Sky Sports has released an update to its popular iPad app that offers a new feature called Sky Sports 360. It lets you switch between over 20 camera angles during a replay. The app also allows you to choose to view the replays at normal speed or in slow motion. Announcing the new feature, Director of Sky Sports Digital Media David Gibbs told Sky Sports:

"This is great news for the Sky Sports for iPad app, which keeps getting better and better. This is about putting the technology into the hands of the viewer and allowing them to recapture the big moments in the final. It's the first time we've offered this through our app and it's another example of our investment in the Sky Sports viewer's experience."

Though the feature is built into the iPad app now, it won't go live for the first time until this Saturday, May 25th, during the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich. Sky Sports 360 will also be available throughout the 2013-2014 season.

Sky Sports for iPad is a free download from the UK App Store. It's free to use for all customers who subscribe to the Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 channels. Non-subscribers can access content in the app for £4.99 a month via in-app purchase.

Sky Sports for iPad lets you choose your own replay camera angles originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sky Sports for iPad lets you choose your own replay camera angles originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is an excellent deal for any iOS owners who are fans of football and video games. EA is releasing the 25th anniversary iteration of the Madden football series this year, called Madden 25. And in the Anniversary Edition, which costs US$100, there will be a deal with DirecTV and the NFL to set up streaming to your television, your PC and consoles, or any mobile devices you have. The NFL has been stepping up on streaming game coverage to iOS over the last year or so, and usually services like that can cost a few hundred dollars.

To get the deal, you'll have to pre-order the Anniversary Edition of Madden 25 ($100, versus the standard version's $60) over on Amazon. The biggest hitch is that you'll need to actually have a DirecTV subscription to stream the games to your television. But even without a DirecTV sub, you can still get a code for the streaming, which will still allow you to see the games on your mobile device. Note also that this is for a "17-week free trial," which basically means that when the season is over, so is your service (so no playoff games, for example).

Still, if you were thinking of picking up Madden 25 anyway, that's a solid deal, and it could mean hours of streaming games on your mobile device.

[via 9to5Mac]

Pre-order Madden 25 on Amazon, get a deal for NFL app streaming originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pre-order Madden 25 on Amazon, get a deal for NFL app streaming originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spring means migration and the return of birds to many parts of North America. It also means warmer weather and sunny days that are perfect for birding. Here is a list of apps to help you get outside and start learning about our feathered friends (all prices are USD).

Field Guide for birds [iOS Universal; $0.99 to $19.99]

There are several big-name field guides that include photos and illustrations to help identification, bird calls, range data and other information about each bird species. Included in this list of guides are Audubon, Peterson, Sibley and the all-digital iBird.

Audubon Birds is a digital version of the popular paperback field guide. It has excellent images of the birds, range maps and multiple calls and songs for each bird. It also includes NatureShare which allows you to find and share local bird sightings. The Audubon Birds app is on sale now for $3.99, down from $14.99.

Peterson is another pocket guide to North American birds that has made its way to the digital platform. Peterson has a full version of its paperback guide that sells for $14.99. The company also recently introduced a Pocket edition of its traditional guide that features a lower price tag ($0.99) and a fewer details.

Sibley, another paperback guide, is known for its great illustrations and these details look great on the iPad and iPhone. The Sibley eGuide also has a handy comparison tool and a bird song repeat feature so you can call out to other birds while you are in the field. The Sibley eGuide to North American birds costs $19.99.

iBird offers a variety of guides to suit your pocketbook and your geographical location. If you want a guide that covers 938 North American and Hawaiian species, then you should check out the iBird Pro Guide to Birds, currently available for $19.99. This version also includes audio songs and calls, a search feature that lets you save frequently used searches and iCloud syncing for your notes and favorite birds. There is also a Plus version available for $14.99 that has fewer search filters than the Pro version. iBird has affordable versions ($6.99) for regions like the Midwest, West, South and North. iBirds also has a backyard birds version that'll get you birding from the comfort of your deck longer for $2.99.

Larkwire Birdsong Series [iOS Universal; $14.99 or less]

If you want to turn memorizing bird calls into a game, then you should check out the Larkwire Birdsong series. Similar to the bird guides, Larkwire has several universal iOS apps to meet the needs of a variety of birders.

A Master Birder version is available for both land birds and water birds. The master land bird version includes 394 sounds that cover 343 land species, while the water bird version has 253 sounds from 135 species of water birds. Between these two guides, almost all the major North American land and water birds are covered.

Larksong's regional guides, core guides and backyard guide will introduce you to bird calling on a smaller scale. There's even a basic guide that includes 20 essential bird songs for free.

Chirp! Bird Song USA+ [iOS Universal; $2.99]

Chirp! Bird Song USA+ is part bird song app, part reference app. It uses GPS to find bird calls that are common in your location. As your bird-calling skills improve, you can branch out to include all 263 bird song and calls in the app. Besides the audio recordings, the app has snippets about each call and quiz feature to test your knowledge.

Cornell Lab Bird Q&A [iPhone; $2.99]

The Cornell Lab Bird Q&A app is an educational app about birds. It features a question-and-answer format that cover cool facts about birds, bird feeding, migration and more. These frequently asked questions are answered by the experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Birdwatchers Diary [iPhone; $12.99]

Birdwatcher's Diary is a journaling app that allows you to log your bird sightings while in the field. Each entry includes field notes, a time stamp, location information and more. When you are done, you can upload your birding lists to eBird or back them up to Dropbox.

Five apps to help you identify birds and their beautiful songs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Five apps to help you identify birds and their beautiful songs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"Wait, who's Brett Terpstra? Does that guy still write here?" Yes, he does, on special occasions. The release of Lick of the Day 2.0 seemed like a decent reason to come out of hiding.

Lick of the Day is an app from Agile Partners for iPhone and iPad which teaches guitar players new skills in an easy-to-digest video and interactive format (see previous coverage by Matt Tinsley). With each lesson you get a high-quality video that includes explanations, fast and slow versions as well as tips for making the most of picking patterns and finger positions. Each lick also includes tab / notation, text narrative and backing tracks for practicing. The live fingerboard representation as the tab plays for you is one of my favorite parts of the app.

In version 2, Agile partners with TrueFire to include 20 new Lick Packs that cover 500 blues, rock, jazz, rockabilly and acoustic lessons. Basically, if you play guitar, there's something there to enhance your ability, whether you're just getting started or a seasoned pro. They don't talk down to you; they present the music theory and techniques while building from the simple to the highly skilled, with enough instruction along the way to get you there.

My personal guitar skills have enhanced tenfold over the last year, due in large part to this app. I'm excited to see all of the new content and features coming out in such a valuable part of my music toolkit. Check out Lick of the Day in the App Store. It's free, with each "Lick Pack" being an in-app purchase (US$2.99) with free samples from the pack to try out before purchasing.

Agile Partners releases Lick of the Day 2.0 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Agile Partners releases Lick of the Day 2.0 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last time I talked to the guys from Happy Owl Studio, they were busy cranking out great-looking leather bags for Apple devices. Now the company is producing the Cashbox (starts at US$750 - $1,500, depending on the payment solution selected for the register), a product that was still in planning back in early '12 and is now ready to give your iPad cash register a solid and sustainable home.

As you'll see in the video at the bottom of this post, Happy Owl uses sustainably grown and harvested bamboo wood that is then cut to precise measurements with a CNC milling machine, laser-etched with a logo of your choice and hand-finished. The guts of the Cashbox are all industry-standard -- an iPad, of course, as well as a Star receipt printer and a Vasario cash drawer.

The Cashbox can not only accept credit and debit cards through Square, PayPal or any of the other common iPad payment solutions, but also has a cash drawer for taking the old legal tender as well. One unique feature is the tilting iPad holder that flips from letting a clerk enter an order to a customer's view of the transaction for signature.

The Cashbox certainly appears to be a lot more sturdy and usable than the upcoming "Stand" or the existing Business in a Box solutions from Square. If you're looking at an iPad-based register solution for your business, the Cashbox is definitely worth a look for a solid custom register.

Happy Owl Studio Cashbox: a beautiful hand-crafted iPad cash register originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Happy Owl Studio Cashbox: a beautiful hand-crafted iPad cash register originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was seen visiting Apple's headquarters in Cupertino over the weekend, reports The Hurriyet Daily News. The visit was part of a series of stops to major technology companies in Silicon Valley, including Google and Microsoft. The visit wasn't just out of casual interest on the PM's part, however. Turkey is seeking to purchase 10.6 million tablet computers for use in its schools.

Even for a company as large as Apple, an additional 10.6 million iPads sold would be massive. It's unknown who Erdoğan met with at Apple, but this was not the first time a Turkish government official stopped by. Way back in 2011, Turkish Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan visited Apple to discuss the same tablet education program.

Turkish Prime Minister visits Apple HQ originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Turkish Prime Minister visits Apple HQ originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In an interview with The Street, US Air Force Major Brian Moritz described the huge drop in costs. "We're saving about 90 pounds of paper per aircraft and limiting the need for each crew member to carry a 30- to 40-pound paper pile [of flight manuals]. It adds up to quite a lot of weight in paper."

The Street notes that specific weight savings varies across aircraft. For instance, the iPads eliminate 250 pounds from a four-person C-17, and up to 490 pounds in a C-5 with a crew of 10.

In a related story from the civilian world, American Airlines recently described how its adoption of iPads has reduced the number of pilots reporting back injuries. American's VP of Airline Operations, Patrick O'Keeffe recently noted at the Tablet Strategy Conference in New York City, "We've reduced the single biggest source of pilot injuries, carrying those packs. And we are now able to save $1 million in fuel costs and stop printing all the page revisions."

US Air Force is saving huge money with iPads originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

US Air Force is saving huge money with iPads originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macworld Senior Contributor Kirk McElhearn has several excellent tips for iOS owners looking to sync their large iTunes library with their iPad, iPhone or iPod. Their libraries are so big that they exceed the capacity of their devices, which forces them to pick and choose what items they want to sync.

McElhearn walks users through two methods for syncing an oversized library. Each method lets you control which tracks are synced and which ones are not. The most efficient method allows users to sync playlists, individual artists, specific genres and even selected albums with their iOS device. You can read about the two methods in the article on Macworld's website.

When your iOS device runs out of storage space originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When your iOS device runs out of storage space originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASA has a series of excellent educational iOS apps that appeal to adults and kids alike. Most have a strong scientific bent, but if you lean more towards art than science, NASA has an iPad app for you, too. Mixing a little bit of earth and planetary science with a keen eye for art, NASA has created its Earth As Art app, an iPad title that shows off the unseen beauty of our planet.

NASA's Earth As Art app picks the best images of Earth from the Terra, Landsat 5, Landsat 7, EO-1 and Aqua satellites. It also adds in some choice photos from the USGS Landsat image gallery. The satellites used to take these photos can measure light outside the visible range. The resulting images show you the Earth as you have never seen it before.

The images are presented in gallery format, allowing you to see a thumbnail of each stunning photograph. You can also switch to list format, which is sorted by geographical location. When viewing an image, you can pinch and zoom to look closely at a specific section. Each image has a brief and only slightly scientific description that you can access by tapping on the "i" in the corner. You may not understand the scientific reasons why each photo looks the way it does, but this is an art-centric app. You are expected to sit back and enjoy the images, not necessarily dissect them.

Besides stunning images, the app also has a several time-lapse photos that show changes in a specific location. I particularly enjoyed the Dubai series that shows the creation of its artificial palm islands and the rapid development of the area. The changes in just a short 11 years is unbelievable.

The NASA Earth As Art app is available for free. It's an iPad app and requires iOS 4.3 or later.

Daily iPad App: NASA's Earth As Art shows us our beautiful planet originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPad App: NASA's Earth As Art shows us our beautiful planet originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Parental Controls on iOS are extremely helpful for parents of iOS-device-using kids. They allow a parent to block in-app purchases, restrict explicit content on the device and block apps that are not needed for younger children (Mail, Safari, etc.).

Setting up these restrictions requires a special 4-digit PIN that only needs to be entered when a parent makes changes to the parental control settings. Because the code is entered so infrequently, it is easy to forget the password, especially if you set up restrictions in haste and don't take the time to record the code in your favorite password keeper. This happened to me recently, and I will give you a few tips on what to do if you find yourself in this unfortunate situation.

Assess and Review

If you realize that you have forgotten your parental control password, don't panic. The first thing you should do is stop entering password guesses, as iOS will lock you out of parental controls when you hit five incorrect password attempts. After the fifth try, you have to wait for a minute before you can try again. This wait time goes up to five minutes, 15 minutes and eventually an hour, which can be very inconvenient if you find the password written down on some loose post-it note in your junk drawer.

If you can't find that lost password anywhere, then you have two choices to fix the problem -- you can either wipe your phone and start from scratch, or try to reset the password by careful editing of system files. I prefer the former solution, but will present the latter for those who are comfortable with hex editors and SHA-1 hashes.

Perform a Factory Restore

In my opinion, your best option is to wipe the device completely and perform a factory restore. You will lose the photos, notes and other personal information on the device, but you already had those backed up via iTunes sync, in iCloud, Photo Stream or other services like Dropbox, right?

You have to restore the iOS device back to factory settings and can't restore using an iTunes backup, as all the backups contain your parental control password along with your photos and app data. Forget about any saved backups and set up your iPhone or iPad as a new device within iTunes. You can restore your iOS device to factory settings using iTunes and this handy guide from Apple. Keep in mind this will also blow up any game progress or other customizations, so be prepared for that conversation with the younger users of the device.

When your device is restored, you can connect to iCloud and download your notes, bookmarks and other data. You will have to configure any email accounts and re-install all your apps. It's a pain in the neck to do this, but it is the safest solution to get parental controls back and running.

Recover the Password by Editing System Files

If you are very tech savvy and don't mind a slight risk of bricking your device, you can edit a few system files and either find the parental control password or reset it. These two procedures assume you are using a Mac or a PC to backup your device and the backups are not encrypted.

If you happen to have an older iOS device that hasn't been updated to iOS 6, you can use these directions from Simon Blog to locate the parental controls password in a system file (com.apple.springboard.plist) that is stored in a backup on your desktop machine. I tested this on a very old (and now abandoned) iPod touch that is still running iOS 4.1, and it works. The PIN is stored as a string and can be found without touching your iOS device.

If your device is on iOS 6 or later versions of iOS 5, you may have to dig a bit deeper to unlock the parental control password. In recent versions of iOS, Apple removed the parental control PIN and now keeps it hidden from prying eyes. You can no longer read it as a string, but you can force iOS to change it using a few carefully placed lines of code.

The detailed process of resetting your parental control password is explained by iPhone Backup Extractor and requires you to locate a recent iTunes backup from the iOS device. You then edit the com.apple.springboard.plist file and the manifest.db file in the backup, and enter in a new parental control password that overwrites the old one. To send those password changes over to your device, you must restore your device in iTunes using the backup that you just modified. If successful, you will have a new Parental Control password that you can easily enter.

The process is straightforward, but it requires you to know how to use a hex editor and understand a bit about SHA-1 hashes. I tried this technique twice -- once on an iPad mini running iOS 6.0.2 and once on an iPad running iOS 6.1.3. Both times it did work, and I was able to change my parental control password to 1234.

I have to admit that it was a bit nerve-wracking, especially during the restore process, as I was concerned that the smallest mistake would foul up my device. Though I don't recommend this process, I present it for those who are desperate and don't mind the risk if it means preserving that important game save, photo or document.

Parenting tip: Recover your lost parental control password, or not originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Parenting tip: Recover your lost parental control password, or not originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JellyBus, the makers of popular iOS image-editing software PicsPlayPro, recently launched a collage-making app, Moldiv, and packed it full of features that'll appeal to creative types who are looking to throw together a beautiful collage.

The first thing you notice about Modiv is the large number of frames available at your fingertips. There are 80 free frames and 60 premiums that you can buy as a pack via a US$1.99. Moldiv's basic frames provide you with a variety of columnar and angular layouts that are sufficient for most users.

The next thing you notice about Moldiv is how easy it is to use. Tap on your frame to select your photo layout and then tap on a section to add a photo. You can pull the photo from your photo gallery or take a new one using the camera. Once you add in your photos, you can spend a few minutes tweaking the layout by adjusting the frame width and adding a background to fill in the white parts of the frame. Just like the frame options, the background selection is robust. You can choose from a set of 40 free backgrounds or buy a second, more colorful set for $0.99.

Moldiv also lets you add text or stamps on your collage. Similar to other parts of the app, Moldiv offers a set of free stamps and premium stamps that cost 99 cents each. There's also a shape tool that lets you overlay another photo on your collage. You can select your shape and then choose a photo from your camera roll. You can adjust the shape to fit the photo and get the right look. I used this feature in a collage of my one-year old. I used a four-square layout with pictures of him playing and then put a heart-shaped insert with a close-up photo right in the middle. It looked great!

Moldiv is a no-frills editor that lets you create collages quickly. You pick your frame, add your photos and then embellish them a bit with text or stamps. When you are done, you can save the collage to your camera roll, send it to other apps or share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr or Flickr.

Moldiv does have its fair share of in-app purchases, which some may find bothersome. I wasn't frustrated by them as I found the basic options were creative enough to suit my needs. I don't mind paying extra if I want to get fancier with my photos. I would like to see an "unlock all" option that would let me buy everything at once.

Moldiv is available for free from the iOS App Store. I used the iPad version as I enjoy editing on my iPad and not my iPhone. Moldiv is a universal app, so you can edit on either device.

Daily iPad App: Use Moldiv to quickly create a collage originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Daily iPad App: Use Moldiv to quickly create a collage originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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