Not just Sunday, but Mother's Day Sunday! Once you've wrapped up brunch and presents for Mom, join us for the show tonight! We'll have a little news about system updates and new maps but mostly we want to talk to moms. We'll spend some time with a few of our favorites, provided they aren't still off getting massages or enjoying a Mother's Day that extends well into the evening.

Kelly hosting the show means Kelly hosting the aftershow, and you know that's always a good time. Join us for the non-recorded, off-topic, random conversation.

Since it's really all about you, the community, join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): 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 X-Lite or other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice), basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: Mamas edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 13 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Another quarter, another blowout. While analysts and pundits imagined that domestic iPhone sales would signal an end to the gravy train, international demand pushed the handset past the 35 million mark and shot AAPL back above the $600 line. Even with the iPad refresh hitting at the end of the quarter, Apple sold almost 12 million of the tablets to get to 67 million total sales in just two years on the market.

Apple's developer conference, WWDC, opened up ticket sales this week -- and promptly closed them again a couple of hours later as the event sold out. Some ticket buyers who thought they were good to go found out otherwise when Apple's overzealous group ticket restrictions cancelled their valid orders.

Meanwhile, The New York Times has been focusing on Apple as a proxy for all things large and corporate lately, and the beat goes on with today's feature story on how the company uses some... interesting tactics to minimize its tax liability in the US and abroad. We'll discuss the story, and consider whether or not slapping a lowercase "i" into a headline works in favor of -- or against -- solid business journalism.

That's our rundown for tonight's Talkcast. We welcome your calls, questions and comments at 10 pm ET, 7 pm PT tonight live on Talkshoe.

To participate in the call, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): 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 X-Lite or other SIP clients -- basic instructions are here. Skype users with dial-out credit can call in via the service, or use those free iPhone minutes. Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight: Profits, taxes and WWDC at 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well well well, Sunday. It's that time again, Talkshoe time! It's also time for some nice new hardware speculation live from my house, and we'll talk a little bit about some real news this week as well, such as a preview of NAB and a quick episode of Where's Tim?

Kelly hosting the show means Kelly hosting the aftershow, a lovely non-recorded conversation about whatever strikes our fancy. A lot of times it's cake, but sometimes we solve the world's problems as well. You just never know.

Since it's really all about you, the community, join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): 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 X-Lite or other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice), basic instructions are here. (If you prefer Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: AirPro Edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We meet again, Sunday. At least this one has been mildly entertaining in some respects (for example, the trimumphant return of the Apple Store Playset to ThinkGeek's front page and TUAW's honoring of Betteridge's Law for the day).

While fun, it is not a joke that we'll be firing up the Talkcast starting at 7PM Pacific time, 10pm Eastern. We'll discuss App Stores for Mac OS and iOS; specifically the high points and low points of each. We'll also spend a bit of time on the Fair Labor Association report released this week.

As usual, Kelly's hosting the show means there will be aftershow. Unlike the cake, the aftershow is NOT a lie. (Sometimes the aftershow has cake discussion as well, but that's another story.)

Since it's really all about you, the community, join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): 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 X-Lite or other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice), basic instructions are here. (If you prefer Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!

Will TUAW skip its Talkcast tonight? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's Sunday, and like a lot of Sundays, we'll be Talkcasting it up starting at 7PM Pacific time, 10pm Eastern. We'll discuss security instead of turning up our noses at the need. In fact, we will be chatting with George Starcher, since he just dropped all kinds of science about this very topic on the latest Typical Mac User podcast.

We'll also talk about whatever else pops up during the course of the show. If you'd like to influence that, be sure to join us live using the instructions below.

As usual, Kelly hosting the show means there will be aftershow. Bring your best recipes for cake or for saving the world, either way, you might need one or both for the aftershow. It's hard to say, really.

Since it's really all about you, the community, join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): 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 X-Lite or other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice), basic instructions are here. (If you prefer Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: Security Edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oregon company Grove is a purveyor of beautifully made Apple accessories, and they've had a big couple of weeks. On launch day for the new iPad, they announced their new iPad cases, a bamboo shell-style back with a felt or leather cover. Today, Grove released their new wool felt sleeve, a gorgeous mix of bamboo and wool felt that will do that new iPad of yours justice. I have laid hands on these myself, and the mix of texture and design is wonderful and in a really well built product to boot.

Grove announces new bamboo and felt iPad sleeves originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's Sunday, like it or not! If you are in a DST-observing area and remembered to "spring forward," then we'll be right on time for you tonight, 7PM Pacific time, 10pm Eastern. We'll finally be discussing the actual new iPad as opposed to speculating about it; we'll chat about the new updates available for iPhoto and iMovie, and who knows what else. We might even get some updates from SxSW and GDC.

Per tradition, Kelly hosting the show means there will be aftershow. Which means...well, anything really, the aftershow has a tendency to wander.

Since it's really all about you, the community, join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): 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 X-Lite or other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice), basic instructions are here. (If you prefer Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: iPad no-speculation edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Grove, a company from Portland, Oregon, has announced brand new iPad cases to go with the new iPad. Grove is able to start selling them immediately because it doesn't have to send off modified case specs to a factory in China. Grove's designers just go downstairs and prototype a new one. Every piece of the process, from sketching to shipping, all takes place in one building, so the turnaround time is really just the length of time it takes to travel the stairs.

The newly announced cases are a hard bamboo shell around the back of the iPad, with a beautiful wraparound cover to protect the screen while not in use. Covers come in your choice of leather (black or brown), or a thick charcoal-colored wool. There's a super soft ultra-suede on the inside, much like the Smart Cover, and the same material is in the shell to protect the iPad's back.

I got to touch the prototypes for the new cases recently, and they are gorgeous! They're lightweight while offering some protection, and beautifully crafted. I particularly like the leather covers because you can also get them with a design on them, and that design is put there with frickin' lasers. You can choose from a variety of artist designs or send off your own, and Grove will laser that onto a leather cover for you. You can use a memorable photo, a company logo, or anything else you'd like.

Wool felt and plain leather cases are US$139, the Artist Series cases are $149, and the custom leather runs $179. However, for the rest of March, you get $20 off each of those prices. I assure you, they're worth every penny. I'm already saving mine!

Grove announces new iPad cases originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today, along with the update of iTunes, there was a really interesting update to the Terms and Conditions. You can check out the entire set of terms if you like, but here's the good bit:

Certain paid In App Subscriptions may offer a free trial period prior to charging your Account. If you decide you do not want to purchase the In App Subscription, turn off auto-renewal in your Account settings during the free trial period.

Looking at that bit of the terms, this looks a lot like the door is opening to allow what some have held up as the Holy Grail of App Store features: free trials. This is going to be a VERY big deal for people who are already having to maintain a free version of an app separately from the paid version, or have to try to sell people on the in-app purchases.

We haven't seen any of these yet, but hopefully this is an option available to developers that will start being utilized immediately.

Apple updates T & C, includes terms for demo licensing originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TheNextWeb has confirmed there is a solution to a problem a lot of developers could encounter: If the iPad were to go to a retina display (which it did), application file sizes would increase dramatically. That 20 MB limit on what you can download from the store over-the-air becomes meaningless pretty quickly, especially for universal apps; customers would be stuck with Wi-Fi for purchases.

It turns out the solution is to move the cap to 50 megabytes, up from the 20 it was yesterday. While this makes the impulse purchase easier, it also means that folks who aren't on unlimited data plans are likely to bump up against their own caps sooner than later if they like to cruise through the App Store when they aren't on Wi-Fi.

App Store download cap bumped up to 50MB for OTA downloads originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to our sister site Engadget, one of the few new features of the new Apple TV is better Netflix integration. There is now higher resolution streaming available, 1080p like other platforms are receiving now. If you aren't planning to get a new Apple TV, you might still enjoy the option of signup and payment directly through the new interface. I admit, I'm a bit disappointed the resolution won't be Tim80p, as the above photo implies.

New Apple TV brings tighter Netflix integration originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you enjoyed our metaliveblog but you still want to see the event with your own eyes, Apple has already posted the video of the new iPad introduction for your enjoyment.

Start watching now so you can be all ready for TUAW TV Live this afternoon, hosted by Steve Sande and yours truly.

There's quite a bit of good stuff in there, and TUAW has decided we wholeheartedly endorse the new slightly Southern-accented presentations from Apple. Enjoy!

Apple posts new iPad event video originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well! Another Sunday, another Talkcast. We're warming up for the big touchable announcement this week, so that means the House of Crackpot Theories will be welcoming new guests and old friends alike.

As always, Kelly hosting the show means there will be aftershow. Which could mean...well, anything really, all bets are off when the aftershow's on.

Since it's really all about you, the community, join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): 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 know those headphones that came with your iPhone or iPod touch?), you can connect via the free X-Lite Zoiper, or Blink SIP clients. You can also use any other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice), with these instructions. (If you prefer Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast reminder, 10pm ET / 7 pm PT: Anticipation Edition originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Once again it's Understudy Wednesday on TUAW TV Live, meaning you get a bonus dose of TUAW Talkcast host Kelly, and co-host (or partner in crime, depending who you ask) Doc Rock.

Since Apple didn't have the decency to consult the TUAW TV Live schedule, they released Mountain Lion the day after last week's show so this we'll be talking about that and any other news and hardware or demos that Kelly and Doc come up with before the show starts.

Below, you'll find a Ustream livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments.

If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone and join the chat by downloading the free Ustream App. It's a universal app and is wonderful on an iPad, both for viewing and participating in the chat.

We'll start at about 5 PM ET, so if you're seeing a prerecorded show, be sure to refresh your browser until you see the live stream. For those of you who are not able to join us for the live edition, you'll be able to view it later this evening on our TUAW Video YouTube channel and as part of the TUAW TV Live podcast viewable in iTunes or on any of your Apple devices.

No Flash? Check out the YouTube channel or podcast listed above or click here.

TUAW TV Live at 5pm ET: Mountain Lion Edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well! Another Sunday, another Talkcast. I'd like to thank Apple for giving me something to talk about this week, and while we're at it, we can chat about a new and cute little beta app too.

This evening we'll have some guests too! One Apple briefing recipient, The Loop's Jim Dalrymple*, and Jeff Gamet of The Mac Observer will be there to discuss the latest Apple Cat and possibly how the OS kitty stacks up against the real one.

As always, Kelly hosting the show means there will be aftershow. Which could mean...well, anything really, all bets are off when the aftershow's on.

Since it's really all about you, the community, join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): 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 know those headphones that came with your iPhone or iPod touch?), you can connect via the free X-Lite Zoiper, or Blink SIP clients. You can also use any other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice), with these instructions. (If you prefer Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: White sale edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We come again to the end of the weekend, and it's time for another round of talkcasting. We will have a stack of speculation to get to, from new MacBook Pro rumors to impending new iPads. We'll cover other headlines of the week as well, but be warned most of the show will probably consist of theories, whether they're from my House (of Crackpot Theories) or not.

We'll even have a little time for bonus rumormongering in the aftershow, if that's the sort of thing you enjoy.

Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download 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 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cellphone weekend minutes!): 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 (you know those headphones that came with your iPhone?), you can connect via the free Zoiper, X-Lite or Blink SIP clients; and basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!

TUAW Talkcast 7pm PT/10pm ET: iPad 3 speculation edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's not just any Sunday, this one happens to be Super! If you're over the game, or don't know what game I'm referring to, then join me at 7PM Pacific, 10PM Eastern for a look at the week's news and events.

We'll cover the latest Lion update, warts and all, as well as Siri's sitcom debut. If you want to make sure we talk about your favorite topic, get there early and let me know so we can get it on the list.

Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download 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 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cellphone weekend minutes!): 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, X-Lite, or Blink SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 10pm ET/7pm PT: Super Edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On the first day of Macworld|iWorld, one of the talks on the main stage was by three people who help bring the animated series South Park to life each week: David Lenna (CTO), Ryan Quincy (Animation Producer), and Eric Stough (Animation Director and Producer). It was an interview-format talk, with the questions being asked by Andy Ihnatko. There were clips from the series as well as from last fall's documentary Six Days To Air.

The unique style of South Park's animation comes from its humble beginnings. When co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker first started shooting animation, they were actually using construction paper cutouts. Time constraints make that virtually impossible now, so the series is animated in Maya on Macs (keeping to that app much as possible so they don't have to switch between tools), using high-powered 3D rendering software to make everything look like it was shot with cut-up construction paper.

* Very little animation gets cut: They usually have about 24 minutes of animation for a 22-minute show.
* Blizzard got them actual environments and files to drop in when they shot the episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft," which was largely set within the game's environment.
* Their network is about 45 XServes and a stack of Mac Pros, which they pointed out, are getting a bit long in the tooth.
* When a suggestion is made for a new tool or workflow, the hard rule is that it cannot take any longer than things take now. Even today the schedule is so tight, if it takes an extra 10 seconds on every machine, the whole schedule is off.
* They have a team of people working right now on converting episodes to HD from SD. One of the episodes that will likely always live in SD is the aforementioned "Make Love, Not Warcraft."
* Initially they thought they might be able to get an episode out in two weeks, but have managed to tighten the process down to less than one.

There were also clips shown from the episode "Major Boobage." There was video of what the initial storyboards look like shown side by side with the finished product, and some video of live action that was filmed as reference and animated over.

It wasn't a long enough talk for them to get into the nuts and bolts of workflow, but it was very nice to know that part of how an entire show can go from a funny idea to a finished product in less than a week is thanks to Macs.

Macworld|iWorld's South Park talk originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here we are again, another Sunday. What remains of our TUAW crew after covering Macworld | iWorld 2012 (and more importantly, all of the ancillary events associated with MWiW) will be around tonight to chat about the show and whatever else we can come up with to fill out the hour.

What's left of Kelly's voice will be hosting this evening, so you might have to listen closely. What's left of Paul Kent has said he will make every attempt to join us, but if he can't make it this week he said he'd join us next week.

Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download 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 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cellphone weekend minutes!): 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, X-Lite, or Blink SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 10pm ET/7pm PT: Post Macworld-iWorld Edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We're in between big events for the Mac types, we just had the education event last week, and this coming week we have Macworld|iWorld, or as I like to call it, It's So Nice To Finally Meet You In Person World.

We'll be chatting specifically about how Apple's latest foray into education will impact both teachers and students, and we have a couple of educators scheduled to appear. If you are an educator or can talk one into joining us this evening, please do! Same goes for those who are attending MacWorld|iWorld, we want to know what you are looking forward to and any tips you have for others.

As always, Kelly hosting the show means there will be aftershow. Which could mean anything really, the aftershow has a tendency to wander.

Since it's really all about you, the community, join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): 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 X-Lite or other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice), basic instructions are here. (If you prefer Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: Education/Macworld edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Announced today at Apple's education event, iTunes U -- a long-standing feature of the iTunes Store -- is now a separate application (universal) for iOS devices running iOS 5.

Since 2006, iTunes U has been a way to electronically distribute class lectures. Both Berkeley and Stanford have released courses on iTunes U, as have many other schools. Now, the iTunes U app offers lectures from a wide variety of high-powered schools, plus more.

Apple demonstrated a course overview, required credits, a syllabus, and office hours this morning. We also saw a place for posts from teachers so there's an easy way to update the class, and a spot where students can take notes. Tapping on an assignment automagically takes a student straight to the specific materials in iBooks, and there's even a task list for students to cross off items as they are completed.

iTunes U is a free application for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, available now.

iTunes U graduates into separate iOS app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As part of today's education announcement, you can pick up a preview of the biology textbook book E. O. Wilson's Life on Earth as a free download from the iTunes store. Requirements for this title are an iPad running iOS 5 and the latest iBooks version, the newly released iBooks 2. Parts of this textbook were demoed during the event this morning.

Included in this preview release is a demonstration of a virtual cell which students can zoom into, a step by step explanation of cell division (accompanied by footage), and a guided tour of a nature preserve.

New chapters of the book will be released in the spring, and eventually the entire book will be available to students (or people interested in biology) everywhere. Final pricing is not yet known.

iBooks 2 showcased with preview of E.O. Wilson biology textbook originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A new company that debuted at CES is looking to figure out a way to give users of web video (both content owners and viewers) exactly what each of them wants without ruining the experience for either side.

Shodogg wants to be the middleman of the video experience, tapdancing on the line between protective content owners and content-hungry users. If you have a web-enabled television (and if CES was any indication, that's a question of "when," not "if"), and you are playing a video on your iPad, you can send that video to the TV easily and as securely as possible. The idea is similar to what you have with AirPlay via the iPhone/iPad and Apple TV, except that Shodogg is intended to work with any smartphone and any web-enabled screen -- you can 'toss' your videos to the TV, control them with your phone-as-remote, and maintain playlists for yourself or share them with friends (like Boxee does now).

While Shodogg plans to support all varieties of handsets and screens, right now the company's signup-only alpha test is limited to the iPhone and to a small set of browsers. Participants in the alpha can try out the connected video playback features, but not all the bells and whistles will be working yet.

I am an optimist, so to me Shodogg is a very exciting thing: users and content providers both win, and I hope that all parties involved will be interested since it strikes a balance that seems to meet everyone's requirements.

Full disclosure: This particular company caught my eye because Seth Green was there representing them, because he is a Shodogg investor and advisor. We went to find out what they were about, and in speaking with Seth, it turns out they are trying to do something really interesting. Other advisors include the CEO of JibJab and an NBCU exec, so it is entirely possible this could be the thing that tips the scale for video consumption. You can check out the demo video below.

Shodogg - Video's Best Friend from Shodogg on Vimeo.

Shodogg makes a grand debut at CES originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AllThingsD has an interesting story on their site about the Newton and a few specifics on the end of its short life. At the 1997 Worldwide Developer Conference (held the year Steve returned to Apple), Steve was asked about the Newton, and he said, "...if somebody would just make a little thing where you're connected to the Net at all times, and you've got a little keyboard. God, I'd love to buy one." In what will surprise approximately no one, he went on to describe how he hated the stylus, calling it a "little scribble thing."

Another tidbit came to light when Sculley mentioned how the Newton's technology had carried forward to today. He said, "ARM not only was the key technology behind the Newton, but it eventually became the key technology behind every mobile device in the world today, including the iPhone and the iPad."

There is more to be had from Sculley's perspective in an interview he gave the BBC, but the thing I found most interesting was how he kept saying Steve was ahead of his time. How the Newton was 15 years too early, and how the horsepower to keep up with laser printers was a year-and-a-half ahead of when Steve initially released the desktop publishing applications.

For a bit of fun, check out how the Newton MessagePad 120 compares to an iPhone or iPad. To find out for yourself what Steve said, you can watch the video below.

In which Steve once again predicts the future: the Newton and the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While making our rounds on the show floor at CES, we came across the DXG booth, which displayed an interesting piece of hardware: An iPhone dock.

No really! In what we originally thought was an interesting twist, DXG has some iPhone docks with cameras in them. Well that is certainly something we haven't seen before, it doesn't seem like anybody has done a dock with a camera in it. Let's find out more!

Well, we tried. We kept asking about how the camera worked, and they said it worked with an iPhone. Then we asked what apps you could use it with (thinking Skype and FaceTime would be nice with a dock that might have a nicer camera than the iPhone front cam), and they said they have their own app that uses the camera. As far as we could tell, you can't use these with anything but their own custom app.

After a variety of attempts to break through the language barrier failed, we took their sheet of product information and moved on. The only problem is that the models with cameras aren't mentioned on the DXG site, nor in any printed materials. So we're going off of the image you see below, which discusses the IVB-300.

DXG is also clumsily touting "dock+Peek" but we've no idea what that means. It could be referring to their app, which we never saw. But in the end the primary utility here appears to be motion detection, which will then trigger the camera to snap a pic or video, which can then be sent elsewhere via email or FTP. Useful? Perhaps. It's too bad they spent all that money on a booth just to flub basic communications, however. It's also entirely possible these will never make it to market, but we'll keep an eye out for them.

DXG docks with cameras in them are of limited use originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday we got a chance to stop by the Scosche booth at CES. While we were there, we got to see all manner of items, from the just released to the recent but also pretty cool. Here's what we saw:

Kelly's top pick: A new car charger. Why? It has three very important features all in one convenient package! It is not only a dual USB charger, but both ports will charge iPads, AND it's the teeny compact style that just barely peeks out of your power port. It's coming soon, and when it does, I'll be getting several.

Victor's top pick: freedomMIC Bluetooth Wireless Microphone. Not only is it a wireless mic that is handy for recording nicer audio when you are shooting with your iPhone, but you can also use it as a remote to start and stop recording, or snap a still photo with your iPhone camera. If you use your iPhone for reporting (as I have done), you'll find this mic super handy.

We saw a number of other neat things in the Scosche booth as well. We saw a case with two pieces for the iPhone that has a silicone sleeve to protect the back and front of the iPhone, and then an aluminum Element case style band that buckles around it (think springform pan) for extra protection (and aesthetic coolness). This was really neat to see and very sturdy to use, the latch was solid and it really did look sharp on the iPhone. Plus, unlike the Element, you don't need a tool to get the metal band off.

Also there was a really interesting cable. I know, cables aren't THAT interesting, and that's true, until you see one cable transform from one you always have to carry into the other one you always have to carry. Since I basically only need two cables, it was nice to see them both in one. You take the 30-pin end and it lifts up and pivots over, unveiling a micro-USB end as well. Generally I only need to charge on micro-USB, and this way I can have the "emergency" iPhone cable as well without taking up another cable's worth of space. It's called the syncABLE Pro.

Speaking of iPhone cables, another nice thing to see was that Scosche has expanded on their line of flipSYNC cables, a compact cable about the size of a car alarm remote that unfolds into a USB charging cable. Now they have the clipSYNC which includes a carabiner-style clip to attach it to your bag, and also a flavor that has a battery in it and is still really compact.

TUAW visits Scosche at CES originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Moshi, makers of a variety of accessories for your Mac and iPhone, have announced a new set of headphones at CES called Clarus. They have two interesting characteristics, one inside the headphones, and one outside.

Outside they are a little different than a number of in-ear style headphones in that they have the ear loop to hang over your ear and keep the earpiece in place. They do offer a few sizes of covers for the earbud itself, which is handy, but even better is that you don't have to rely on that to hold them in your ear. Made of a semi-rigid material, the loop is soft to the touch and flexes enough to let you wiggle them around to get the perfect fit.

Inside, there is a great big difference: there are two drivers! Generally headphones will have a single driver, and that driver has to be all purpose since there's only one. This tends to mean you have to choose whether you want clear crisp sound in the high end, or a bumping thumping low end. With two drivers, you no longer have to decide which you prefer. I don't know how they managed to fit two drivers into these compact little headphones, but I can tell you how happy I am that they managed to do it.

I got to listen to a pair on the floor, and unlike some booths that were using a specific sample or only one variety of sound to show off, I was allowed to plug in my iPhone and play whatever I wanted. First off, putting them on was really easy. That flexibility in the earpiece helped me settle them in, and then I tried samples from four different songs (a mashup, guitar-heavy rock, electronic, and acoustic guitar/piano) and got really impressive results. They were a variety of bitrates, and everything sounded clear and balanced in every sample. It was really nice to get to hear something I was really familiar with so I could tell how it would sound compared to all the other places I listen to the same music.

There are other details that are nice, like the braided cover on the cord, the iPhone mic/control capsule on the cable, and the color detail on the earpiece to help put them in the correct ear. Retail price is $200 and they are available now at Moshi's website.

More Moshi headphones seen at CES

Moshi releases Clarus headphones at CES originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday I got a chance to chat with Steve McGowan of the Matias Corporation about one of their new products, the Slim One Keyboard. It's a fabulous idea, really: Take the form factor of the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and give it a button in the top right that says "iPhone". You've got your iPhone on a dock or syncing, and you get a text message. Hit that magical little iPhone button, and boom! Your keyboard is now bluetoothed up to your iPhone so you can reply to that text, then a second press of the iPhone button disconnects from your iPhone and your typing goes back to your computer.

If the name sounds familiar, Matias has previously made waves with their Tactile One keyboard, which uses switches like the Apple Extended Keyboard II used, so it is a very responsive (and clacky) keyboard.

You can see a demo of the Slim One Keyboard in the video below. It is available in Mac and Windows flavors for the iPhone.

Matias Slim One keyboard at CES originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today, while checking out the variety of iPhone case options available in the iLounge Pavilion at CES, I saw a display that caught my eye: iPhone 4 cases made from recycled bicycle tires. As a Portlander, I am legally obligated* to follow up on any product that is recycled or bike-related, so I went over and checked them out.

They are made by a company called Skech, and I actually got my hands on the Skech Trax case. This is a flip style case (like a steno pad, not like a book) with a nice soft interior and the exterior is made of the aforementioned used tires. This is cool because all the cases are a little different and have some cool texture to them.

I also liked that the inside material is available in a variety of colors, and the flap that covers the screen also includes a couple of card sleeves for business cards or ID and a credit card if you need to travel light. It has a hole for the camera, and the top is open for access to power or the headphone jack. There is a magnetic clasp to hold it shut the rest of the time, and the whole thing feels really well put together.

Be aware that it is not the most protectionary of cases, but it will keep your keys off the screen while your phone is in your bag, and look reasonably nice outside your bag too.

*There was an ordinance passed in 1998.**

**Yes, I am kidding.

Spotted at CES: Skech Trax iPhone 4 case originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Third Rail Mobility, a case/battery system that our own Mike Rose reviewed (and liked), announced revisions to their iPhone 4/4S case and battery systems at CES 2012. Now they are available in colors aside from black, allowing you to customize your iPhone and keep it charged. Soon their line will include green, red, pink, white, purple, and blue.

On the off chance you want to keep your black case but add an extra layer of protection or just accessorize a bit based on whatever outfit you're wearing today, you're also in luck: Third Rail has also announced a line of silicone "bumpers" that slip around your existing Third Rail case in assorted colors, letting you choose a color and yet still use your battery. And while they were at it, Third Rail Mobility also announced a new battery for their cases, a 2000 mAh capacity battery which will more than double the life of your iPhone 4 (1420 mAh) or iPhone 4S (1432 mAh).

Their cases are a twist on the battery case style we're all used to seeing: the battery snaps into the back of the case, so when you don't need a battery you have a nice trim case, but when you do need one, you just pop it on the back and you're ready to go. Another nice feature: You can attach multiple batteries together, so when one runs out, stack another one on top and keep going. Third Rail cases also have a power switch, so if you want to charge up at strategic intervals you have that option as well.

These updated versions of the Third Rail Case will be available in the spring.

Third Rail Mobility announces new cases, battery at CES originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Howdy kids! It's been a couple of weeks since we all got together on a Sunday evening what with all the holiday hullabaloo, so now that we're all nice and settled in to the new year, let's hang out and catch up, shall we?

We have all the gifts to talk about, the trials and tribulations of heading home and ending up as tech support, and maybe even the first 2012 visit to my House to discuss the rumored media event.

Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download 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 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cellphone weekend minutes!): 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 X-Lite, or Blink Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: Hello 2012 Edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's Sunday once again and this can mean only one thing: Talkcast Time! If the holiday crazies haven't completely overcome you yet, join me at 5PM Hawaii/7PM Pacific/10PM Eastern for some holiday goings-on.

We'll be discussing gifts for those who haven't finished shopping already, primarily from our own Holiday Gift Guides, but we're also looking for your suggestions as well. What's the one thing you've asked Santa for? What's the killer gift idea you have for someone else? Let us know!

As usual, the chat room will be providing color commentary and generally trying to cause trouble, so do join them, it's always a lovely conversation going on in conjunction with the recording. And besides, you never know who will actually show up!

Also keep in mind that we are planning to have some aftershow tonight, and it's been a while since the last one so it's bound to be interesting. Come find out why we never EVER record it!

Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download 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 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cellphone weekend minutes!): 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 X-Lite, or Blink Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: Shopping Edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Starting today, if you want to be a mobile developer, you have a prime opportunity to make it happen. RunRev, makers of LiveCode, are offering Game Academy, an online course in game development. Here's how it works: Over the course of seven weeks (there's a break in the middle for Christmas), you will learn how to use LiveCode to develop a basic mobile game. Nothing fancy, just a little fun thing to help you learn your way around LiveCode. You'll get webinars, reading material, sample code, and even a free trial of the LiveCode software.

A couple of bonus things to know here: First, you can start with ANY level of development experience. I met with RunRev's CEO Kevin Miller at MacTech this year, and he assured me himself that even though I've never launched XCode, I will be capable of going from zero to finished game by the end of the course. Also, it's free! You can cancel at any point, but when you get to the end you can buy LiveCode for $99. Here's another bonus: Once you create your game or app, you can actually compile it for iOS or Android. Or both! Remember you will have to go through whatever the requirements are for distribution for your app in the respective stores.

Kevin himself gave a live demo at MacTech, where he went from zero to app in three minutes flat. If you're still curious how your app might turn out, you can always check out the list of apps built with LiveCode..

I'm excited about it, and already signed up. Will you be there?

LiveCode launches Game Academy originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here we are again, another Sunday. Provided you survived Black Friday and the turkey-based festivities, we'd love to have you join the TUAW family for a post-shopping, post-tryptophan-coma Talkcast.

Most likely we will have a few of the regulars, providing what we'll call "color commentary" in the chat room. Also, if you show up for the recording, you are automatically invited to stay for the aftershow. Learn why TUAWTF is never recorded!

Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download 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 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cellphone weekend minutes!): 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, X-Lite, or Blink SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 4pm HI/7pm PT/10pm ET: Holiday kickoff edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Can I use your computer real quick?"

Depending on who asks you this question over the next week, reactions may range from nothing to frantic flailing toward your machine to see if you can make it do something that looks like it is unusable, getting you out of having to relinquish it to a family member with a checkered techno-past. Since you've already done the basics to protect your Mac, like set a screensaver password, what else can you do to family-proof your machine?

Luckily, a small bit of prep work can make this question easy to answer. All you have to do is whip up a guest account on your system. Guest accounts are perfect because logging in as a guest user limits the amount of damage that can be inflicted on your system to virtually nothing. Guest users can't change other user accounts or system settings and have no remote access. If you really want to ratchet things down, you can also use Parental Controls to limit the apps a guest account can use, or filter internet content.

While all of that is nice, one of the most important differences between a guest account and a regular account is files: Any files created or downloaded by a guest account are deleted on logout, so every time you log in as a guest user it always looks like nobody has ever logged in before.

If this sounds like the way to go for you, and you're running 10.5 or higher, here's how to create a guest account:

• Go to System Preferences and select Users and Groups (10.7) or Accounts (10.5 or 10.6).
• In that panel, click on the Guest User, and check "Allow guests to log in to this computer."

That's it! No really! All you have to do is determine whether you want to turn on Parental Controls or allow the guest account to connect to shared folders, and you're done. Now your Mac is ready for whatever your visitors can throw at it.

Mac 101: Create a guest account originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pizza. It's pretty popular for the most part, so really it was just a question of time before it came to the iPad. While Pizza Hut was first with an iPad app, Domino's is the first with a game. Domino's Pizza Hero is that game, and like most rhythm type games, it's quite a bit of fun.

This app has some bonuses though: You can progress through levels and learn the magic of pizza creation, and when you have it all figured out, you can walk through the process of building the pizza of your dreams, and then place an order through the app for that very pizza. It's a lot of fun, and the ordering process looks pretty straightforward.

My only real complaint is that the feedback in the app as you complete levels is sometimes contradictory. "Great job with the sauce!" "Your sauce skills need work." Who do I believe? Other than that I really enjoyed the app, and since it's all Game Center integrated, you can even throw down with the usual game playing suspects. Perhaps the loser of the competition has to foot the bill for the winner's custom pizzas?

I enjoyed it and while there is very clear branding, it wasn't really overwhelming while playing the games themselves. Turns out with my index finger I'm a pizza slicing machine! Who knew? It's a free app, so check it out, especially this coming weekend when you've reached your limit of turkey leftovers.

Pizza app wars heat up as Domino's brings game to iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to the FOSS Patents Blog, earlier today the US International Trade Commission entirely dismissed the first S3 Graphics complaint against Apple. Interestingly, the official notice (PDF link) has no explanation why the Administrative Law Judge was overruled. There is still one pending complaint by S3 Graphics against Apple which has not been ruled on.

Part of what makes this an issue is that HTC is in the process of buying S3 Graphics, and a couple of strikes against Apple patent-wise would have just sweetened that deal. At least we don't have to wait long for more progress on the ITC front, as a date of December 6th has been set for a ruling on Apple's first complaint against S3 Graphics.

And don't forget there's still a bit of tussling between Apple and HTC going on as well, with a patent infringement throwdown still not yet decided between them, either. Whew!

It's all a bit confusing at first glance, so get comfy, get ready to take some notes, and head over to the FOSS Patents Blog for more information and links to other coverage that will help you make sense of all the legal wrangling.

ITC rules Apple didn't violate S3 Graphics' patents originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A lot of iPad and iPhone users have found the sweet spot for that device: the couch. And now TechCrunch reports eBay and PayPal are hoping to capitalize on that with a new addition to their iOS app. A new feature called "Watch With eBay" appears in the latest update to the iPad version of the eBay app, allowing you to cruise eBay for items related to whatever you're watching.

Right now, the way the app determines what you're watching is by finding out from you. After you type in your zip code and select your cable provider and channel, it shows you items related to that particular show, as illustrated in the image here. While it's still reasonably neat to have this happen, and the searches are pretty slick, I'll like it a lot more when there's some sort of SoundHound functionality that can identify the TV show for me. If you want to see the new feature in action, eBay has a video on YouTube showing it off.

For my example it was mostly accurate, but I did get a few copies of the Queen Documentary mixed in with all the autographed photos and coffee table books. I searched again using "Ellen" as an example and it gave me items related to the guests on her show today. I am guessing this is just the first wave of this sort of interaction, and I'm interested to see where it ends up. Who do you think will be next, and how?

New Ebay iPad app promotes "couch commerce" originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We previously told you about DevilRobber and what sort of unsavory things it can do to (and with) your Mac. (In case you don't click over to read the article, here's the scoop: it's bad. Real bad.) Back in the day (November 1st), it was a Trojan horse and sent a little of your personal info off to some far flung servers.

But CNet is reporting the new version has mutated, and now it tries to grab your Terminal history and system logs. This new "improved" version can be picked up by downloading Pixelmator from someplace that is not the Mac App Store (currently the only place to legitimately get a copy). But the fun doesn't end there! It also tries (but does not succeed at) making off with information stored in your 1Password data file. CNet's story makes it sound like DevilRobber can actually do something with that file, but in reality that data is safe, as confirmed by Agile themselves. They have a nice writeup on their site about all of this and the steps you can take to make extra super sure your data is safe.

This is also another of those opportunities we here at TUAW occasionally take to remind you that malware is bad but real, and you DO need to protect yourself. Remember "Macs don't get viruses" is just as accurate as "Macs don't have any good games" (which is to say not accurate at all), and protection is ridiculously easy. Get yourself a nice antivirus utility and spend a little time with Little Snitch to make sure nothing suspicious is being sent from your machine, and that should help you avoid a lot of problems.

DevilRobber now "improved", still nasty malware threat originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

First, it was a few people who wanted to get work email on their personal iPhones so they could keep up with the office even if they weren't there. Then it was a couple of high level people who decided they'd get iPhones as their official company phone. Now you have stacks of them all over the place and people are starting to ask questions about managing this many devices and security policies and...urgh! What ARE you going to do about all of that?

Instead of the heart attack you're likely considering at the moment, let me make a different suggestion: Check out the new Mobile Device Management Primer from MacTech! First and foremost, this is a FREE resource. Really. Go get it. It's THAT simple. It's written by Russell Poucher, an Apple Certified Trainer and session chair for the upcoming MacTech MDM event.

If the primer isn't enough, or it's just enough to show you all the things that you didn't even realize you should be worried about, MacTech has announced an event called MacTech InDepth: Mobile Device Management. This will take place in San Francisco on December 7th. If you were a regular person, you'd have to pay full price, but you're not! You, dear reader, get to use the special TUAW deal and get $200 off an entire day of curated knowledge. Even more important than the sessions, you get to hang out with a bunch of other folks who also showed up to learn more about MDM, giving you the chance to attend my favorite part of any conference, the "hallway track." This part is the part no webinar or conference call can duplicate, the part where you get to chat with other people randomly over lunch or between sessions. I have attended conferences and learned at least as much from the hallway track as I have from the tracks themselves!

Whether you get to go to San Francisco or not, you should definitely check out the primer above and spend a little time with it, especially if you are just starting to look at iPhones in your IT environment. It's free! So go get it, and see if you have any free time in early December. I hear San Francisco is almost as lovely then as it is in January...

MacTech offers free Mobile Device Management Primer originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.