OtterBox, a pioneer in smartphone case technology based in Ft. Collins, Colo., today got a little bit larger. The company acquired LifeProof, a company that builds a line of waterproof cases that provide superior protection without adding a lot of bulk or weight to devices.

OtterBox will begin incorporating the LifeProof line into its own line of cases over the next month, and it appears that both companies will retain existing employees for the time being. OtterBox has about 650 employees worldwide, while LifeProof has about 250 in its San Diego office.

It will be interesting to watch this acquisition unfold. Could this be the start of consolidation of accessory manufacturers in the booming Apple market? We'll keep an eye out for other rumor or takeover talk.

OtterBox acquires LifeProof originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today on TUAW TV Live, cohost Shawn "Doc Rock" Boyd and I will be conversing about a number of topics. Yesterday saw Apple CEO Tim Cook being grilled by a Senate committee about corporate taxes and at the same time passing along a hint that a "refreshed Mac line" will be manufactured in the Great State of Texas, so both of those are worthy of banter. There are also some new products that have made it to the TUAW Labs in recent days, so we'll have some quick unboxings for your viewing pleasure.

To view the livestream and join the chat, visit the TUAW TV Live page here. Be sure to bookmark that page on your browser for future TUAW TV events. Past episodes can be found on our YouTube channel, and today's show will also appear on this page within 24 hours.

TUAW TV Live: Taxes, Texas and Tim originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSS

Daily Update for May 22, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google's Chrome browser for OS X has had the ability to do voice search for about two years now, but the latest version of Chrome appears to bring something a bit more Siri-like to the mix. Now, when you ask Google certain questions about the weather, sports scores, stock prices, directions and calculations, you get a spoken answer.

The latest version is 27.0.1453.93, which you can update to by selecting About Chrome from the Chrome menu, and approving any updates or restarting the browser if prompted. Once Chrome is up, head on over to the google.com search page and you'll see the familiar microphone in the search field (note that the mic does not appear in the Chrome "omnibar"). Click the mic, respond to any requests to let Chrome have access to your mic and video camera and then start asking questions.

The result is not quite the conversational search that was touted during the Google I/O keynote last week, but it definitely shows the direction that Google is heading and it's bringing a bit of Siri-like functionality to OS X before Apple does. The video below demonstrates several of the searches that I performed -- it's all done in real time, so you get to see the failures as well. The current release seems to have a tendency to display "No Internet Connection" frequently, a problem that reloading the browser will fix. By the way, if you've used the mobile version of the Google search app, this will all be familiar to you.

Google Chrome update adds a bit of Siri to OS X originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

OmniGroup, the Seattle-based developers of OmniOutliner, OmniGraphSketcher, OmniGraffle, OmniFocus and OmniPlan, has announced that today they are shipping OmniPresence document syncing.

OmniPresence rounds out the automatic syncing solutions that OmniGroup added first to OmniFocus in 2008 and OmniPlan in 2011. OmniGroup CEO Ken Case noted in a May 20 blog post that OmniPresence works well with Mac apps that support OS X Auto Save and Versions. To quote Case, "Using the same underlying document coordination as Versions, OmniPresence lets your app know when a document has been changed on another device, and double-checks to make sure it always syncs a current and complete copy of any documents currently being edited. OmniPresence can't prevent conflicting edits from multiple devices, but when that happens it automatically saves both versions of conflicting edits so that no edits are lost."

OmniPresence is built on top of open web server technologies, which means that users can sync document using their own web server. Apache server, for example, is built into Mountain Lion Server, so any user or company can keep OmniPresence syncing running well into the future. Since many customers will choose not to set up their own servers, OmniGroup is scaling up their Omni Sync Server to support OmniPresence. Anyone who previously checked the "I am brave" box on sync.omnigroup.com should already have access.

Developers will be able to see the source code to OmniPresence on github. A demo video of OmniPresence in action is embedded below.

OmniGroup releases OmniPresence, free sync technology for OS X and iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It may not seem like all that much changed after last night's Apple Store downtime, but the company actually made a number of design changes that, according to MacStories editor Federico Viticci, bring "a cleaner, more subdued style for graphical elements and larger image-centric spots for products and accessories."

Rolled out just in time to start selling the goods for Father's Day on June 16, the new design does away with the thin sidebars in favor of wider blocks that provide space for larger images of items on sale. Here's the old design:

And here's the new:

The changes are more pronounced on the Accessories page. As an example, the old iPad accessories page wasted space by using a short sidebar on the left side to list different categories. The result was that the entire page was narrower than it needed to be:

Now the categories are over on the right side, featuring easy-to-view thumbnails for each category. The individual item thumbnails are larger, and there's actually space (not visible in this image) below the category list that can be filled with product descriptions:

All in all, it's a welcome change to the store, providing a much cleaner look, larger images of products and a less rigid framework for arranging product on the virtual shelves.

Apple applies design changes to online store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW has covered the alternative energy accessories from Etón before: the BoostTurbine is an excellent way to charge up an iPhone or iPad when the power is out, while the FRX3 acts as an emergency radio and has both solar cells and a hand crank for providing a charge to your iPhone when you need it. And the Mobius solar case for iPhone is a smart way to top off your phone. Now the company has announced the Rugged Rukus (US$99.99), an "all-terrain, solar-powered, wireless speaker."

Designed to work with any of your Bluetooth-equipped goodies, the wedge-shaped Rugged Rukus sports a 20-square-inch photovoltaic cell on one side that charges the internal lithium battery (it can also be charged by plugging into any USB port). In full sunlight, that battery can go from empty to full in five hours, and when the lights go out the Rugged Rukus can operate for up to 8 hours blasting your tunes. A USB charge takes only about 2.5 hours. Note that you can also use the battery in the Rugged Rukus to charge your iPhone.

Don't be concerned about babying the Rugged Rukus if you're at the beach or camping in a rainstorm, as it has an IPX-4 splashproof rating and it's also drop-proof from one meter (3.3 feet). The Rugged Rukus will be available soon on Amazon and at Apple and REI stores.

Etón Rugged Rukus: Solid solar sound originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

The team at Olloclip has taken the wraps off of their newest product, a case for the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5 called the Quick-Flip Case (US$49.99) that works with the Olloclip 3-in-one lenses to produce a lightweight solution for all-purpose iPhoneography. Let's take a look!

Design

At first glance, this doesn't look like much of a case. It's made out of a smoked translucent black or opaque white polyurethane material and looks like any of a thousand other slip-on hard cases for iPhone. But then the little features start to appear and you realize how the Quick-Flip case can be used to assist in taking photos with your iPhone.

Gallery: Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter

By itself, the case has a pivoting corner that rotates 180° out of the way so that you can install your Olloclip lenses. That pivoting piece also has a second function -- it presses up against the volume up button on the side of your iPhone so that you can just squeeze the button slowly to take a photo. No more need to tap that virtual shutter button on the screen.

The real fun comes when you attach the included Pro-Photo Adapter. It slides onto the bottom of the iPhone and includes a pair of threaded tripod mount points as well as a cold shoe mount for other accessories like video lights or microphones.

In case you happen to own a 5th-generation iPod touch, there's a special adapter that's included with the iPhone 5 case to make it compatible with the "non-phone iPhone."

Functionality

For Olloclip-toting iPhone owners, the Quick-Flip Case should be a no-brainer if you take a ton of photos. Your iPhone remains fairly well protected in the case, and with a quick flick of the top the bare shoulder of the phone is exposed so you can slide on the Olloclip.

Using the rotated corner piece as a trigger button for taking photos is pure genius. Rather than holding onto the iPhone with one hand and swatting at the display to take a photo, you can use both hands to keep the iPhone steady while gently squeezing the button. It's sure to reduce blur in your photos, especially under low-light conditions.

I was happy to see that Olloclip uses metal inserts for the tripod mounts as that will add to the usable life of the Quick-Flip case -- provided Apple keeps a similar size for the next-generation iPhone. The cold shoe is also a nice touch for adding goodies that can make the difference between dull, underlit video and properly illuminated personal movies.

Conclusion

While it's a bit pricey for an iPhone case, the Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter -- along with the Olloclip lenses (purchases separately) -- make for an incredibly useful set of accessories for anyone who takes a lot of photos with their iPhone.

Pros

• Quick-Flip Case makes it easy to protect your iPhone while also facilitating the installation of the Olloclip 3-in-one lens
• The design of the case makes it possible to hold the iPhone with both hands while shooting pictures, helping to steady your photographs
• Mounting the case on a tripod in either landscape or portrait mode is a piece of cake with the two threaded tripod mounts
• Cold-shoe mount works well for adding small LED light bars or microphones

Cons

• The case itself is nothing spectacular in terms of looks or protection

Who is it for?

• Dedicated iPhoneographers who want use their devices to get the best possible photographs and need the steadiness of a tripod mount at a moment's notice

Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter add protection, tripod mount originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Those of us who use Google's Chrome browser for OS X are familiar with how Chrome web apps can be installed and launched from within the browser. Now it appears that Google is working on a way to bring those Chrome apps even closer to the heart of your Mac by creating a Chrome apps launcher for OS X.

Google engineer François Beaufort detailed the plans in a Google+ post, noting that OS X users can actually try out a beta of the Chrome OS app launcher right now. To do so, you need to install the most recent build of Chromium, then set the --show-app-list switch through the CLI.

After performing that magic, launch Chromium and click its Dock icon to display a grid of your Chrome apps, ready to launch (see image above). Put this on your MacBook Air and it's almost like having a Chromebook! Note that this software is not quite ready for prime time, but for Chrome fans it may be worth the effort to give it a try.

Google to bring Chrome app launcher to OS X originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Every year, Millward Brown Optimor produces the BrandZ list, a listing of the 100 most valuable brands. As with last year, Apple is at the top of the list with a 2013 brand value of just over US$185 billion.

Apple's brand value rose only 1 percent this year, but that number is still well over No. 2 Google at $113.7 billion. How much of a gap lies in the brand value between Apple and Google? How about almost the value of the venerable Coca-Cola brand at $78.4 billion (the soft drink company is at No. 5 on the list).

Another tech brand rounded out the top three, with IBM coming in just behind Google at $112.5 billion. The value of the top 100 brands is a staggering $2.6 trillion globally, up 7 percent from 2012.

Although Apple's share price and investor sentiment have lagged in the last year, BrandZ director Peter Walshe notes that brand is more sustainable than financials: "What we see with the most popular or powerful brands is that brand lasts a lot longer, is more robust and doesn't tend to slip as much, whereas the finances go up and down."

A PDF of the BrandZ Top 100 2013 is available for download here.

Apple still most valuable global brand originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSS

Daily Update for May 21, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This morning, AT&T sent out a message to Oklahoma customers affected by yesterday's tornado devastation noting that those in the affected areas will have all voice, data and text overages waived through June 30.

The company also reminded AT&T Wireless customers across the country that they can support disaster relief efforts by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. That text message sends a donation of $10 to the American Red Cross and is charged on the customer's monthly bill.

Bryan Gonterman, state president for AT&T Oklahoma, said in a statement, "Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area Monday. We are coordinating with local authorities and bringing in additional resources. We recommend text messaging for communications with family, friends and loved ones given heavy call volumes."

AT&T waiving overage charges for Oklahoma customers affected by tornadoes originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's official: Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer has gone completely bonkers, as the Yahoo-owned Flickr has just announced that all users now have a free terabyte of storage. That's a thousand gigabytes, folks. For free.

As the Flickr website touts, one terabyte will hold 537,731 photos at an average size of 6.5 megapixels each. No more are you going to need to scale down the size of your images to fit 'em on Flickr -- just upload them at their native resolution.

It's worth remembering that Flickr has a free iPhone app available to facilitate uploading, viewing and sharing your images.

Yahoo raises the stakes for free Flickr storage: 1 terabyte originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSS

Daily Update for May 20, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tired of the same old keyboard design and looking for something a bit different? The Penclic Mini Keyboard K2 (US$69.95) definitely fits the bill in terms of not being the typical keyboard, and as you'll see in this review that's not necessarily a good thing.

Design and Functionality

When I think of Scandinavian design, I usually think of sleek minimalist wooden furniture. The Swedish-designed Penclic Mini Keyboard K2 comes in black (unless you're looking at the company's website, where the keyboard is white), and definitely has a different look to it. It's about the same width and depth of the Apple Wireless Keyboard, but with a top end that swoops up. It's striking but difficult to describe; if that description makes no sense to you, just take a look at the photos. That thick top end is where the batteries -- a pair of rechargeable NiMH AAAs -- reside. The keyboard comes with a retractable USB to micro-USB cable that can be used to recharge the batteries, which are supposed to last about two months on a charge.

Getting to the batteries is pretty easy -- you flip the keyboard over and there's a little door that you open to pop them in. Of course, the door isn't attached to anything, so in my case it promptly went flying across the room and ended up on the floor. Unlike most every other battery-powered device that I've used in the past half-century, there's no little indicator to tell you which direction the batteries need to be facing. As luck would have it, the first time I installed the batteries they were put in backward.

Not that you get all that much of an indication that the batteries are installed properly and are charged up... You're supposed to see a red LED on the strange little "Wireless" sign on the top end of the keyboard flash once if everything's hunky-dory. It did just after I installed the batteries, but then didn't flash on subsequent flicks of the power switch on the bottom of the keyboard. I took this as an indication that the batteries were discharged, so I took the opportunity to look into how the charging works.

To plug in the charger, there's a little red silicone door (image below) that needs to be opened. I poked and prodded at the door with my fingernail and couldn't get it to budge. Finally -- wanting to get this review written sometime in the current century -- I resorted to using the corner of a SIM card to pry open the door. Plugging in the USB cable resulted in repeated green flashes on the keyboard LED, which the owner's manual said was a sign that the batteries were charging. Note to the Penclic designers: just leave the frickin' cable door off! It's not needed, and it's certainly a pain to get open.

Also on the bottom side of the keyboard are two flip-up feet that raise the angle of typing a bit. They're plastic, and I would hope that they contain a bit of metal as I can see them snapping off if you bang on your keyboard in frustration like I'm doing writing this review.

The key layout is pretty standard and may actually be attractive to our European readers as it has the ever-popular Alt Gr key -- although it's spelled (appropriately enough) on the Mini Keyboard K2 as "Alt Grr". That angry-sounding "Grr" is appropriate, since this is definintely not an Apple-friendly keyboard -- as the standard Command keys are nowhere to be found. The return key on the board is a bright orange for no apparent reason other than to be different, and there's an orange numeric keypad overlaying the 789-uio-jkl-m? keys. There's no indication how that keypad is supposed to be accessed; the function keys use a blue theme, but if I followed the color cues here, it seems like I should depress the Return key to activate the numeric keys. There's also an oddly-labeled key located between the Fn and Alt keys on the left side of the lower row of keys, and the owner's manual provides no clue as to what it does.

I have to admit I smiled at the F2 key, which is also labeled in blue with "Silence!" Rather than using the typical international symbol for mute that you see on just about every other keyboard in the world, Penclic's designers chose to use the English word "Silence!" and promptly alienate and confuse non-English speakers.

One thing I really don't understand about the Penclic Mini Keyboard is why the designers chose to go with a proprietary wireless mode rather than use the widely-accepted Bluetooth standard. Bluetooth works with almost everything today, from iPhones and iPads to Macs and PCs. You're not going to be able to use the Penclic with an iPhone or iPad, and when you choose to use it with your Mac or PC, you'll have to give up a USB port to house a minuscule wireless receiver. That receiver has a maximum range of 5 meters (about 15 feet) compared to Bluetooth's usual range of about 10 meters. Knowing how widespread Bluetooth keyboards are, it probably cost Penclic more to produce this proprietary model.

Let's get into the pricing while I'm thinking about it, shall we? For $69.95 you're getting a keyboard that has a non-standard key layout and even specifically states in the owner's manual "MAC (sic) operating systems do not support all the special functions." A quick search on Amazon for cheap Bluetooth keyboards that are Mac- and iPad-friendly finds them for as little as $13.96 with free Amazon Prime shipping! Even top-brand names are less expensive -- Logitech's awesome solar-powered Bluetooth keyboard (K760) sells for about $60 and doesn't need a dongle, a cheap retractable USB cable, or AAA rechargeable batteries behind a flyaway plastic door.

As for typing -- the main reason you'd want a keyboard -- this is nothing spectacular. The keys have a decent amount of feedback that's common to just about any keyboard that uses the same type of scissor keys. When those little legs are propping up the Mini Keyboard K2, it tends to be quite a bit noisier than most other keyboards.

Conclusion

The Penclic Mini Keyboard K2 has nothing to recommend it, unless you're so wound up in "Scandinavian design" that you just have to get this keyboard to match your IKEA furniture.

Pros

• It has an Alt Grr key that should make some European buyers dance with glee
• What a lovely box!

Cons

• Just about everything else, including the choice of AAA batteries, the lack of a battery direction indicator in the battery compartment, the idiotic idea of putting a silicone door over the micro-USB charging port, the lack of Bluetooth support, the lack of any semblance of support for Apple devices, strange and unexplained keyboard markings, noise, ad infinitum

Who is it for?

• This guy, that's who...

Control-Alt-Grrrrrr: A look at Penclic's Mini Keyboard K2 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Asymco mobile industry analyst Horace Dediu is up to his number-crunching again, this time with numbers showing that Apple Stores continue to have the top retail revenues per visitor of any retailer in the US.

The first quarter of 2013 (Apple's second fiscal quarter) saw visitor growth of 7 percent and a new record revenue of US$57.60 per visitor. Average revenue per store was $13 million, a record-setting level for a non-holiday quarter.

Dediu noticed that the average visitors per store has steadied out at about 250,000 per store per quarter, and posits that number might be stagnant because fire regulations keep the stores from packing in even more visitors. Apple's employment in stores has increased as well to about 110 employees per store, climbing from less than half that level in 2007.

Apple's new retail strategy appears to be expanding US stores in size and opening new stores outside of the US. According to Dediu, that allows for growth in the number of visitors to the US Apple Stores and in "maintaining the brand's relationship with customers."

Asymco's Horace Dediu touts record Apple Store revenues in Q1 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 20 May 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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.

What can be more comfortable to a cat than a pillow that blows warm air out of an optical media slot and vibrates ever so gently? That appears to be why Biru (Indonesian for Blue) loves to rest on a Mac mini owned by reader Peter Stagg and his wife.

Peter says, "Biru is my wife's British Short-haired and constant companion, especially when she is working in her study or on her laptop. He has claimed the lives of two laptops so far and is working on the Mac mini, very slowly. When he's not enjoying the warm air expelled from the optical media slot he lies across the front of the keyboard and doubles as a wrist support." Biru also seems to be keeping a Logitech headset nice and warm for his owners!

So there you have it! A cat who not only forces equipment upgrades from his owners, but who is also a working Mac accessory! If you've got a Caturday nominee to share, let us know via our feedback page. For security reasons we can't accept inbound attachments, so you should host the photo (Dropbox, Flickr, iPhoto Journals, etc.) and send us the link.

Thanks, Peter!

Caturday: Mac mini is Biru's pillow originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 18 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One thing that seems to be a common attribute of hard-core Apple fans is that they are connoisseurs of great design. It doesn't matter if it's the sleek curves of a new iMac or the minimalist slab of the iPhone 5, we love how the devices are designed with pleasing dimensions and an enjoyable tactile sensation. That's why I was instantly attracted to the Kenu Airframe (US$24.95), a simple and lightweight smartphone car mount that's perfect for present and future iPhones.

Design

Some of the car mounts I've received for review over the years have been expensive overkill. They often use a suction cup mount to stick to the front window of the car, which doesn't work very well in hot dry environments as they tend to pop off when they sit in the sun for a while, dropping your expensive phone to the floor of the car. There's usually a long arm designed to bring the iPhone closer to your hand, which has the undesirable effect of making the phone sway or bounce.

The Kenu Airframe is simplicity defined: it uses a soft plastic clip to attach to an air vent in your car. That clip rotates 90 degrees to properly fit thick or thin grilles on your vent. The idea of mounting the iPhone to your air vent is pure genius as well, as in hot conditions you'll most likely have air conditioning turned on, which will cool the phone and keep it from overheating.

Gallery: Kenu Airframe

An expandable jaw on the Airframe can hold most phones regardless of their width, giving you some semblance of insurance against needing to purchase another car mount should a future iteration of iPhone be a different width.

One other fun thing: if you need an impromptu stand for your iPhone, just grab your Airframe and a business or credit card from your wallet, then pop that card into the clip on the back. Voila! Your iPhone is standing up on its own.

Functionality

Installing the Airframe is quite simple. Find a spot in your car with a vent where you'd like to hang your iPhone, and push the clip onto the plastic grille. That's it. Next, grab your iPhone and push it into the jaws of the Airframe, and you're done. One note: if you have a thick iPhone case like the Mophie Juice Pack, the Airframe won't be able to grab onto your phone. It works swimmingly with a lot of the thinner cases.

The way the clip is designed virtually guarantees that the Airframe is not going to fall out of the vent grille. There's a lot of road construction going on near my home right now and it's practically "four-wheeling" territory on one of the main drags with a lot of bumps and dips. Even at the maximum speed allowed in the construction zone, the jarring and swerving didn't move the Airframe or my iPhone a bit.

The travel stand idea with the credit card is also brilliant. It's a perfect way to use a car mount anywhere -- something that you can't do with a "normal" suction-cup equipped mount.

If there are any negatives I can think of, it's that this might not be a good idea in the winter if you have the clips inserted into a vent blowing hot air onto your iPhone. I don't know for sure if this would cause your iPhone to shut off due to high temperatures, but it's worth thinking about.

Conclusion

Whether you use your iPhone in the car for entertainment, directions, or just to have your phone at arm's reach when you're driving, the Airframe is a simple, sturdy, and functional car mount that takes up very little room.

Pros

• Very compact design and light (less than 1 oz.) enough to carry anywhere
• Doesn't rely on suction cups to mount your phone in your vehicle
• Using the Airframe with a credit card as a travel stand for your phone is sheer genius
• Soft rubber material on the jaws and clips ensures a tight grip to phone and vent without scratching either

Cons

• Doesn't work with thicker cases like the Mophie Juice Packs
• Rather expensive when some car mounts are available for as little as $3.57

Who is it for?

• Anyone looking for an unobtrusive and functional car mount for their iPhone

Kenu Airframe: An ingenious car mount for your iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

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Daily Update for May 17, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earlier this month TUAW reported that iOS 6 had obtained FIPS 140-2 certification, "opening the door to more government use." It didn't take long for that door to swing wide open, as the Pentagon has now officially approved iPhones and iPads running a version of iOS 6 for use on secure government networks.

Two weeks ago, Samsung devices running the Knox security layer and BlackBerry devices including the BlackBerry 10 smartphones and PlayBook tablets were given the nod by the US military. Adding Apple's iOS devices to the mix was part of the platform-agnostic plans of the Pentagon revealed in February. Those plans detailed adding wireless voice, video and data capabilities for classified and unclassified communications by October 2013. The approved devices will begin to be used more widely in the military and intelligence communities late in 2013 or in early 2014.

iPhones and iPads already have a home in some parts of the government that don't require such strict security, but the new Pentagon certification should make for more widespread adoption of iOS.

[via AppleInsider]

US Pentagon grants security clearance to iPad, iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The next time you wish to hack into a Mac, it may help to grab your wand and book of spells. At the NoSuchCon security conference this week, security architect Alex Ionescu presented a talk where he revealed that special undocumented code on a Mac's SMC (system management controller) can be invoked by entering a secret spell used in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

That spell is "SpecialisRevelio," the words used by a wizard to "reveal charms and hexes that have been cast onto a target" or "reveal the ingredients of a potion." In an Ars Technica post about the secret spell, blogger Dan Goodin notes, "While most details are far too technical for this article, the gist of the research is that the SMC is a chip that very few people can read, but just about anyone with rudimentary technical skills can 'flash' update."

One of the possible attacks that Ionescu pointed out is infecting the SMC with code to pull out the FileVault key used to encrypt a Mac drive, although to implement this, an attacker would have to know details of the Mac like the model, year and screen size in advance.

Much more likely attacks provided by the spell backdoor include marking targets. The SMC could be programmed to emit audible or visual alerts through the fans or LED displays, which could point out a specific Mac to an attacker. A Mac could even be programmed to turn off at a certain time and refuse to boot again.

There's good news in all of this scary talk: to reflash the firmware an attacker has to have physical access to the Mac. Ionescu also reported that many of the SMC security holes were plugged in OS X Mountain Lion. A full copy of the presentation can be downloaded here (PDF file).

Your Mac's connection to Harry Potter originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Brandon Ashmore, a 21-year-old from Mentor, Ohio, has a lot to smile about as the winner of a US$10,000 gift card from Apple for being the person who downloaded the 50 billionth app from the App Store. Ashmore told NewsChannel5 in Cleveland that he had saved up five apps to download onto his iPhone 5 to try to win the contest, and thought he was being pranked when an Apple rep called him to relay the good news.

Ashmore finally believed the caller, saying that the Apple employee had "too much information" about him. The winning app was Say the Same Thing by SpaceInch, LLC, a free word game that has been floating around the Top Free Apps list since it was released in April 2013.

So what's Ashmore going to do with his $10,000 gift card? He refers to the credit as "free music, movies and books for life."

Apple's 50 billionth app contest winner saved up five app purchases originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Macworld blogger Steven Aquino wrote a fascinating piece today on how Apple's Retina display technology has helped him -- a legally blind individual with extremely low vision -- to be able to enjoy Apple's products as if he had no vision limitations at all.

Aquino says that he had used the original iPhone and iPad successfully with their displays set to full brightness, but "seeing my iPhone 4's Retina screen was a total game-changer." The high pixel density -- 326 pixels per inch -- and turning the screen brightness all the way up made it so "even the smallest text was readable, and I was able to spot details in images that were previously indistinguishable."

How much of a difference does a Retina display make to Aquino? "Simply put, I will no longer use an iPhone or iPad that doesn't feature a Retina display. Having used a Retina display, I can't go back to something that makes using my devices that much more difficult." Of course, he admits that having the screen brightness turned all the way up does eat up his battery charge quickly, so much so that a Mophie Powerstation Duo is in his favorite device bag at all times.

Apple's Retina display aids accessibility originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

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Daily Update for May 16, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Attendees of Macworld/iWorld and WWDC have always known that if they needed an Apple fix during their conference stay, they could walk over to the Apple Store at the corner of Stockton and Ellis streets. The SFGate blog is reporting that the company has submitted plans to open a new flagship store on Union Square a few blocks away.

The new store is expected to occupy a space at Stockton and Post streets that was previously the home of a Levi's store. The design of the new building is intriguing -- it's a silver box-shaped store with an all-glass front, with the iconic Apple logo seemingly floating in midair.

Apple said that the move to the new location -- about 45 percent larger than the existing store -- will increase employment by about 50 jobs over the existing 350. There's currently no schedule for the renovation and relocation.

San Francisco politicians were thrilled by the news, with Supervisor David Chiu saying that he hoped the new flagship store would "turbo-charge" the Union Square area, and Mayor Ed Lee saying his office is working with Apple on green initiatives.

Apple to re-locate flagship store in San Francisco originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today, iPhone 5 users have another way to keep their phone charged up for those times when the battery is getting sucked dry. Mophie, which previously brought us the Juice Pack Helium and Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5, today announced the Juice Pack Plus (US$119.95).

The case comes in hues of black, white and PRODUCT(RED), and differs from its siblings in thickness, weight, and capacity. The battery in the Plus is a whopping 2,100 mAh, while the Air has 1,700 mAh of extra power and the Helium provides 1,500 mAh. Weight for the Plus and Air is 2.68 oz., while the Helium weighs in at a svelte 2.44 oz. The Plus is 0.70 inch thick, the Air is 0.63 inch thick and the Helium is just 0.59 inch thick.

The battery of the Juice Pack Plus is enough to give your iPhone 5 120 percent of a charge -- enough to top it off completely once and then have enough juice left over to make some emergency calls.

Mophie says that the black model will ship within one or two days; the white model ships next week on May 22nd, and the special PRODUCT(RED) model will be available on May 31st. We hope to have a full review of the Juice Pack Plus soon.

New Mophie Juice Pack Plus gives your iPhone 5 extra oomph originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW has covered the US Department of Justice price-fixing case against Apple for the past several years. Now an email sent from former Apple CEO Steve Jobs to James Murdoch of News Corporation (parent company of HarperCollins publishers) is being interpreted by the DOJ as showing that Apple and HarperCollins conspired with other publishers to raise e-book prices. John Paczkowski at AllThingsD pointed out yesterday that the DOJ might be taking the email out of context.

The seemingly incriminating portion of Jobs' email is this: "Throw in with Apple and see if we can all make a go of this to create a real mainstream e-books market at $12.99 and $14.99." As Paczkowski points out, reading the entire email, it appears that Jobs was simply using those price points as "price caps in broader pricing tiers" and that he "openly concedes that the agency model he's proposing may well fail."

Jobs wrote, "We simply don't think the e-book market can be successful with pricing higher than $12.99 or $14.99. Heck, Amazon is selling these books at $9.99, and who knows, maybe they are right and we will fail even at $12.99. But we're willing to try at the prices we proposed. We are not willing to try at higher prices, because we are pretty sure we'll all fail."

Paczkowski notes that this is just "one piece of evidence in a much larger case," but that the DOJ appears to have "cherry-picked a quote for maximum effect." The full exhibit from which the Jobs email was taken is included below.

The Steve Jobs email that has the DOJ's interest originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

DODOcase just announced the perfect accompaniment to Victor's post earlier this week about when and how to use paper versus software. DODONotes (US$13.95) weds a high-quality paper notebook to your iPhone.

Gallery: DODONotes

It's a simple idea, really -- the DODONotes notebook has a cutout on the front of it that is just perfectly sized for an iPhone 5, 4S or 4. There's an elastic band that holds the notebook securely to the iPhone. With a quick pull, you take the notebook off of your iPhone, jot a few quick notes or sketch an idea and then reattach DODONotes to your phone. There's enough play in the elastic that you can probably attach a small pen or pencil without too much of a strain.

The notebook is made of a beautiful 24 lb. text Mohawk Superfine paper in a Soft White Eggshell finish. I am absolutely sure that TUAW editor and notebook connoisseur Dave Caolo is going to order a ton of these to feed his paper habit...

DODONotes: The perfect marriage of paper and iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

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Daily Update for May 15, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today at the Google I/O 2013 keynote, developers were treated to a long (three-hour) keynote that covered the gamut from Android developer tools to Google+. The most fascinating parts of the talk for those of us in the Apple world were the variety of features that will be available to iOS users (and those using Google products on the web) almost immediately.

My usual partner in crime, Shawn "Doc Rock" Boyd, and I will be getting together this afternoon for an hour of chat about these announcements and more. This week we're starting something a little different: you'll be able to watch today's show on the TUAW TV Live page. You wanted a wider video, you've got it.

TUAW TV Live: Google's announcements about iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW readers know of my affinity for Belkin WeMo home automation tools, whether I'm using them to get Siri to turn on the Christmas tree or keep my cat cool in the summer. Today Belkin announced IFTTT multi-device control for WeMo switches.

What does that mean? It means that you can now control more than just one WeMo switch in your house with IFTTT recipes. Previously, you could only control one of those devices at a time through IFTTT. Now it's simple to write recipes for multiple switches as seen in the image at the top of this post.

Belkin announced that since the IFTTT.com WeMo Channels launched over 30,000 recipes have been created and over 400 shared recipes are available online. Now I just need to get one more WeMo switch so I can water my garden remotely through Siri...

Belkin WeMo rolls out IFTTT multi-device control originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The next time your Samsung Galaxy-toting friends try to annoy you, here's a piece of information you can throw back at them. According to a study published yesterday by investment bank Piper Jaffray, iPhones depreciate at less than half the rate of similar Android devices from Samsung.

Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray referred to the new index as "a pulse on what consumers are willing to pay for unsubsidized phones in the US." The index compares US eBay auction ending prices for the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II over a rolling eight weeks to create a trend on resale prices.

"The key takeaway from eight weeks of data is that the iPhone is holding slightly more of its value compared to the top two Galaxy phones," according to Munster. The iPhone 5's eBay auction ending value dropped about 11.2 percent in the last eight weeks, while the comparable Samsung Galaxy S III dropped 13.7 percent in value.

The iPhone 4S kept its value the best, dropping only 7 percent during the same time period. The Galaxy Note II did the worst job of retaining its value, dropping a full 15 percent in just eight weeks. Munster expects iPhone aftermarket prices to drop as the release of the next model of iPhone draws nearer.

Study: iPhone retains value better than top Galaxy models originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With this review, I think that we're just about through the Spring 2013 crop of iPad Bluetooth keyboard folio cases, and it appears that I've saved the best for last. The ClamCase Pro for iPad (US$169, currently available for $20 off with coupon code SPRING20) was a pleasant surprise, providing the best keyboard I've ever used on an iPad along with some of the best protection to be found on any of the new keyboard folios.

Design

The ClamCase Pro is designed to look like a little laptop computer. The area around the keyboard is solid aluminum, and the keyboard itself uses black keys with white lettering. The top and bottom of the case are encased in white polycarbonate, which lends a very clean look and provides excellent protection. The iPad is held securely into place with two barely visible clips on either side of the device, and that design makes it simple to remove the iPad when necessary.

On the back of the case is a perforated "grille" so that sound isn't muffled, and there's a lower opening that accommodates either a Lightning or 30-pin Dock connector. As you'd expect, there are openings for the camera and headphone port, as well as the a small one for the iPad microphone. The on/off/sleep/wake button and volume toggle have their own pass-through switches; there is not a pass through for the seldom-used mute/rotation lock switch.

The big difference with this case from all of the rest is the hinge mechanism that connects the bottom (keyboard and battery) section with the top (iPad) section. This hinge can actually rotate through a full 360 degrees, meaning that you can swivel the keyboard around to the back of the case when you want to just use your iPad as a tablet, or put it into a literally infinite number of angles for typing.

Gallery: ClamCase Pro for iPad

There's one button on the ClamCase Pro, a small power switch on the left side as you look at the keyboard. The battery, like those on most of the other cases we've tested, is recharged via a USB to micro-USB cable that is included. One charge should get you through about 100 hours of typing; that, of course, is longer than your iPad battery is going to last. The ClamCase folks say that the device will fully charge in about 2 hours, and that a case has a battery standby time of six months.

When you want to check the battery life, there's a small "battery" key on the keyboard located near the arrow keys. Push and hold that button, and the white power light located in the upper right corner of the keyboard flashes up to 4 times (meaning fully charged) or just once to indicate that you'd better plug it in.

The keyboard itself has a standard QWERTY layout, which is nice to see. Unlike the new Logitech cases with their EasyType keyboards, there's no need to type "Fn-Q" to hit the Tab key or "Fn-A" to go into Caps Lock. The keys are just there. There's also a separate top row of keys so that you don't need to use a function key to perform tasks like changing the volume on your iPad or cut/copy/paste.

Functionality

The ClamCase Pro had one interesting effect on me; I kept thinking that I was typing on an 11" MacBook Air and continually tried to use the non-existent trackpad. It has that solid feeling of one of Apple's diminutive laptops. I never once had the feeling that the screen was going to flop over, and although I'm not going to try it out, I think this case could protect your iPad from a drop quite well.

Previously, my favorite iPad keyboard was the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover. Well, move over Logitech. The keyboard on the ClamCase Pro actually feels better to me than my favorite Mac keyboard -- Apple's Wireless Keyboard. Since I spend my life sitting at a keyboard, I can tell almost immediately if I'm going to love or hate a keyboard, and my first impression of the ClamCase Pro was very positive. Writing this post on a third-generation iPad using Daedalus cemented that impression -- this keyboard has wonderful positive feedback, quiet keys, and a touch that encourages typing.

ClamCase's website cites an ABC News test that shows that the keyboard can result in a higher number of words per minute typed, and I can entirely believe that. My fingers didn't need to search for certain keys like they did on the latest crop of Logitech cases; everything was exactly where I expected it to be.

If there's one downside to the ClamCase Pro, it's the weight. This thing weighs 1.5 pounds, which means with the iPad added in you're looking at a total weight of just about 3 pounds. That's almost identical to the weight of a 13" MacBook Air and almost .6 pounds more than an 11" MBA. The ClamCase Pro, like any other keyboard folio case, is going to add thickness to your iPad as well. It's .85 inches thick, which is .17" thicker than a MacBook Air.

This brings up the old debate about whether one should buy a light MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, or just use an iPad with something like a ClamCase. There's certainly no lack of applications in the iPad world now, and with a top-notch keyboard like that in the ClamCase Pro you can definitely get your work done efficiently. Price-wise, someone could buy a 64 GB Wi-Fi iPad with Retina display and ClamCase Pro for $868, less than the $999 cost of a 64 GB 11" non-Retina MacBook Air.

The ClamCase Pro pairs with your iPad with the press of a Bluetooth button that's on the keyboard and a tap on the ClamCase Pro name in the Bluetooth settings on the iPad. It has magnets to shut off your iPad when closed, and turn it back on when you pop the top open again. However, this doesn't help you when you flip the keyboard over into "tablet mode," as you can end up knee-typing. So, when using your iPad as Steve Jobs intended, be sure to hit the power switch.

There's one little quirk I noticed with the case design. There are four little rubber feet on the bottom of the case that are probably designed to keep it from sliding on a desktop. That works fine, provided that the case is closed. When you open it, the hinge extends down onto the surface you have the case on and pushes two of the feet off of the surface, making it susceptible to sliding.

Conclusion

Pros

• Excellent keyboard, one of the best I've used on Mac, PC or iPad
• Completely unique 360-degree hinge holds the "screen" in place regardless of how you have the case configured
• Probably the sturdiest iPad keyboard case TUAW has ever tested
• Very fast pairing process, built-in battery level capability
• Good battery life; much longer than your iPad battery is going to last
• Power button is easy to find and shut off, making it easy to power down the keyboard when using the iPad as a tablet

Cons

• Fairly heavy; with the iPad installed, it's about the same weight of a 13" MacBook Air
• One of the most expensive iPad keyboard cases we've tested; however, it's worth every dime

Who is it for?

• Professionals who are thinking about using an iPad and keyboard case as a replacement for a traditional laptop or anyone who wants the best possible experience with a keyboard case.

ClamCase Pro for iPad: Solid protection, amazing keyboard originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSS

Daily Update for May 14, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Just when you think that Apple has decided to totally ignore iWork, along comes news that the company has added job postings for a number of positions on the iWork team.

The last official release of the iWork suite -- Pages, Numbers and Keynote -- is telling: the name of the suite is still iWork '09. About the only major changes to any of the apps over the past few years has been to make them available on the Mac App Store and to add compatibility with iCloud.

Apple Bitch covered the latest job listing for a software QA engineer to "work on the next generation of Desktop, Mobile and Web application/services," focusing on bug detection, isolation and reporting in the iWork suite. MacRumors notes that a number of other jobs are open on the team, including three positions for other QA engineers, a Production Specialist, a "Technical Production Ninja," a Verification Engineer, a Visual Motion Designer and a HiDPI Image Specialist to work on making the apps "the best they can be" on Retina displays.

Apple job postings suggest iWork team is growing originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Miracles do happen. BlackBerry today announced that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will be available on iOS and Android this summer as a free download.

On the BlackBerry blog, BlackBerry employee Donny Halliwell stated that availability is dependent on approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. BBM for iOS is huge, considering the number of people that use the system: over 51 million daily active users who use BBM an average of 1.5 hours per day, sending over 10 billion messages per day.

Rumors about an iOS version of BBM first started floating around in earnest in March 2011, but this is the first word from BlackBerry that the app will actually appear.

BBM for iOS should feature the ability to do multi-person chats, share of voice notes and create BlackBerry Groups for sharing calendars, photos, files and more with groups of up to 30 people.

BlackBerry bringing BBM to iOS and Android this summer originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Remember what Realmac Software did for to-do lists with its best-seller Clear? In one stroke, the company grabbed the attention of millions of iPhone users with a gesture-driven app that was easy, understandable and colorful. Today Realmac teased us with a glimpse of Analog for iPhone, a slimmed-down version of the popular OS X app for adding beautiful photo effects to images.

Realmac says the app will launch later this month, and no price was disclosed. It appears, though, that Realmac's thoughtful approach at user interface design brings one-handed effects and sharing to the iPhone. We'll have a full review when Analog for iPhone is launched in the App Store.

Realmac Software's sneak preview of Analog for iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The next entry in our seemingly endless parade of new iPad keyboard cases is the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad (US$129.99). This case, which works with the second- through fourth-generation iPads, has some new features that make it attractive as a full-time companion for your tablet.

Design

Like the the recently-reviewed iPad Keyboard Folios from Logitech, the Ultimate Keyboard Case is designed for full-time use on your iPad, protecting the back of the device while providing a flip-out keyboard for easy data entry.

The keyboard in this case is backed with a nicely-designed aluminum shell, and uses black keys with white lettering. The iPad cover is kind of an odd affair -- it's made of what feels like hard polyurethane around the sides, but the "hinge" that connects it to the keyboard and allows the iPad to be placed into three different positions is made of a much thinner flexible plastic with a faux leather look.

That thin plastic makes it possible for this keyboard to be only 6.4 mm thick. That's pretty incredible, beating the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover at 9.96 mm.

There are generous openings around the camera, switches and ports, and a nice touch for those who want to be able to hear sound from their iPad while typing -- a small channel for directing sound from the speaker to the ears of the typist.

Like the Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio, the Ultimate Keyboard Case automatically senses when the iPad is flipped into typing position and turns on the keyboard. When the iPad is moved to a "tablet" position or closed, the keyboard turns off. This helps the battery run for up to 160 hours between charges and stay viable for up to 1,900 hours (6 months) in standby mode. It uses a USB to microUSB cable for charging.

As mentioned earlier, the iPad can be magnetically "locked" into three different positions (all in landscape mode) for typing, so getting the screen adjusted to resolve a reflection is a piece of cake.

Functionality

Weight-wise, the Ultimate Keyboard Case tops the scales at 14.7 ounces. That means the iPad/case combo is almost exactly the same weight as an 11" MacBook Air -- 2.39 pounds versus 2.38 pounds. That's quite a bit lighter than the Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio (2.69 pounds) and the needs-to-go-on-a-diet Logitech Keyboard Folio for iPad (2.82 pounds). If the amount of weight you lug around is important to you, the Ultimate Keyboard Case might make your day.

When using the Ultimate Keyboard Case on a table or desktop, I found it to work just fine. The keys seem to be spaced almost identically to the ones on my Apple Wireless Keyboard, and unlike the keys on the Logitech keyboard folios they are much more standard. In other words, I don't need to type a fn-Q to hit the tab key, nor does going into Caps Lock require a fn-A.

Using the Ultimate Keyboard Case in my lap was a different matter. I found that even the slightest jar made the iPad flop down into my lap. The magnets that hold the iPad in place just don't seem to be as strong as those on the Logitech cases. That, coupled with the rather flimsy plastic "hinge", seems to be a strong warning to users to keep this thing on a table or desk.

One feature I did like a lot was the addition of three keys to the bottom row -- a microphone key for use with Siri dictation on the iPad, an @ key next to the space bar (perfect for typing internet URLs), and a key to change to an alternative virtual keyboard like the popular Emoji keyboard.

I was very impressed with the SoundFlow design of the iPad holder. At the same volume level, the perceived volume was noticeably louder with the case installed than when it was off. That's a real plus if you like listening to music while working on your iPad.

Conclusion

While the support of the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case seems a bit wobbly for laptop use, this is a strong competitor to Logitech's recent product launches. The slightly lower price tag, ability to prop the screen in three different positions, SoundFlow design and keyboard layout are all points in favor of Belkin's latest keyboard folio.

Pros

• Lighter than the Logitech Keyboard Folios recently reviewed by TUAW
• Ultrathin; it's hard to believe it's a keyboard case
• Excellent feel to the keyboard, with no function key required to use tab or caps lock functions
• Helpful keys for Siri dictation and changing keyboards
• Less expensive than the Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio
• Can be "locked" into any one of three positions while typing
• Auto on/off feature works very well

Cons

• Thin plastic prop on the back of the iPad case doesn't work well when using the case in a lap
• Does not offer as much protection as the Logitech folios we recently reviewed

Who is it for?

• Anyone who wants a fairly lightweight iPad keyboard folio case with good keyboard feel, automatic on/off features and a standard keyboard layout.

Giveaway

We're giving away our review Ultimate Keyboard Case to a lucky TUAW reader. Here are the rules for the giveaway:

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button.
• The entry must be made before May 17, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
• You may enter only once.
• One winner will be selected and will receive a Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad valued at $129.99.
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad: Review and giveaway originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 13 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.