test posts

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store, SDK

iSimulate brings iPhone apps to the big screen

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Aug 7th, 2009

Apple's iPhone simulator built into Xcode is nice, but it doesn't completely replicate the actual feel of playing with an iPhone (not to mention that things like multitouch and accelerometer info can't be tested on screen). Enter iSimulate, a new app from a company called vimov. In conjunction with a program on your Mac, it allows you to take the input (including multitouch and accelerometer) of an iPhone, and wirelessly connect it to an app running on your monitor. The effect, as you can see above, is basically an iPhone controlling a big-screen app.

Which has all sorts of possibilities. Developers can use it to both test and show off their apps, which is nice. But perhaps more importantly, (assuming it works smoothly -- we haven't tested it yet) it will let people use apps on their big screen monitors. Playing on the iPhone's screen is fun and all, but wouldn't it be nicer to play on two big screens at the same time?

The app might not quite be ready for that use quite yet -- not only is the app for your Mac called an "SDK" (which definitely means it's meant for developers, not gamers), but the price might be prohibitive as well. They launched it at $2, and the price is going up exponentially (it's now $8) until it arrives at its final price of $32. But this is definitely a great idea. And it if happens to be popular even at that price (for consumers and developers), we wouldn't be surprised to see Apple finally "get it" in terms of bringing some of the App Store's offerings to their own big screen.

Tags: app, app-store, big-screen, demo-video, demos, graphics, iphone, iphone-controller, isimulate, program, sdk, show-off, test, video, vimov

Filed under: iPhone

Speed test comparing iPhone 3G, 3GS, and Palm Pre has surprising results

by Casey Johnston (RSS feed) on Jun 25th, 2009

Gadget fans can fight endlessly about which device is faster than which, without resolution or relief. Fortunately for the weary, Medialets has found common ground between a few of the most popular smart phones to use as a racetrack.

According to Medialets, there is a common benchmarkable technology -- JavaScript execution in a WebKit-based browser -- that runs across four of the most popular phones: the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS, the T-Mobile G1 with Android, and the Palm Pre. By running a benchmark test called SunSpider it is possible to obtain a rough speed comparison between all four devices.

The test was run on six different configurations: Safari on the 3G with iPhone OS v2.2.1, the 3G with OS v3.0, and the 3G S with OS v3.0; "Browser" on the T-Mobile G1 with Android OS v1.5; and "Web" on the Palm Pre with Web OS v.10.2, with a run of Safari 4.0.1 on a MacBook used as a baseline. Read on for the graph of the results.

Continue reading “Speed test comparing iPhone 3G, 3GS, and Palm Pre has surprising results”

Tags: browser, iphone, iphone3g, iphone3gs, palm, palmpre, speed, test

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Developer

Sway releases a free version

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Mar 25th, 2009

If you haven't yet tried Sway, the game from Illusion Labs and ReadyFireAim, now's the perfect time to do so. They've released a free version of the game that limits you to three levels and just two characters, but it's enough to try out the really unique control scheme. Back when I first posted about the game, I hadn't tried it yet, but it's now been on my iPhone for about a month, and it's excellent. Each of your thumbs is a "hand" on your characters (i.e., to grab something with your left hand, in game, you just touch your thumb to the left side of the screen), and then once you've grabbed something, you can swipe that thumb back and forth to sway the character around. It gets pretty complex, but practice makes perfect, and a few stages in, you'll be swinging from grip to grip with the greatest of ease.

The full version still costs $4.99, and if you enjoy the free version, I highly recommend it: there are many more characters that you can pick up and choose from, and the stages actually get really tough, as there's a lot of precise swinging that you'll have to do to explore the whole area and find everything there is to find. Sway might be a sleeper hit for the iPhone -- it took me a little while to figure it all out, but once I did, I found a control scheme that's delightfully original. If you haven't tried it out yet, definitely take advantage of the free version.

Tags: control, delightful, demo, free-version, funny, games, illusion-labs, iphone, ipod-touch, physics, scheme, sway, test, thumbs

Filed under: Software, Beta Beat

Espresso testers selected, beta coming late November

by Robert Palmer (RSS feed) on Oct 7th, 2008

If you've been salivating for a shot of Espresso, the upcoming integrated web development environment for Mac OS X, you'll have to wait just a little bit longer.

An email sent this morning by the developer, MacRabbit's Jan Van Boghout, confirmed the status of those accepted into the beta program, but he also indicated that the top priority was to give plug-in developers working with the Sugar framework "a solid SDK to start with." Van Boghout expects that the company will release a beta in late November.

Espresso, which stares Coda straight in the eye and says, "Yeah, I'm lookin' at you," is from the same people who make CSSEdit, and was announced in mid-September.

Tags: beta, coda, cssedit, espresso, macrabbit, test, testing

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Freeware, Internet Tools, Developer

Stainless: Another attempt at Chrome for OS X

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Oct 2nd, 2008

At this rate, Google won't even have to release Chrome for Mac OS X -- our devs will have done it all already themselves. We've already reported about CrossOver putting their own port of Google's web browser together just to show they could do it, and now word has come in about Stainless, another attempt to bring Google's Chromium kit over to our favorite operating system.

Unfortunately, it's still just a tech demo and not really a full-fledged browser (and the guys behind it, Mesa Dynamics, say that they didn't even try doing the cool stuff that the real OS X Chromium team is working on). But they did create a multi-process browser (one per tab), and they used some of the tech from their other app, Hypercube (Edit: NOT HyperCard, sorry -- I would have been more excited about that, too) to do it. I haven't tried it (I haven't tried the real Chrome on Windows either, Firefox is good enough for me so far), but like the other OS X Chrome, this app really only exists just so it can.

And it shows just how desperate OS X users are to get their hands on Google's browser. Just how much longer do we have to wait?

Tags: browser, chrome, chromium, developers, google, kit, release, tech-demo, technology, test

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, Features

TUAW hands on with CrossOver Games

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Apr 17th, 2008

We posted about the release of CrossOver Games a little while ago -- it's a version of Codeweavers' Windows virtualization software that allows Windows games to be played on OS X and Linux. I grabbed a copy of the software for TUAW, and spent an afternoon running it through its paces.

You can check out the hands-on after the break -- after installing CrossOver Games, I first tried to load up Guild Wars using their installer's package interface, and was able to get it working pretty well. I then tried one of my favorite games, Civilization 4, and unfortunately, that one didn't turn out quite so well. And just for kicks, I also gave F.E.A.R. a shot -- it's not on CrossOver's compatibility list at all, but I've had a copy sitting around for a while that I haven't played yet, so I let the virtualization app take a crack at getting it working.

The hands-on is in this simple and easy-to-use (which is more than I can say about CrossOver Games) gallery format -- just click the picture furthest to the left down there and begin our journey into the exciting world of virtualization and game installation. I can tell you're excited already.

Gallery: TUAW's Hands on with CrossOver Games

Update: Arjun found the problem with Civ in the comments; apparently only the Steam version is compatible. Which vibes with the rest of what I found: if you want to play any of the Steam or built-in games with CrossOver, they'll likely work just fine. But if you want to install another game from a CD (especially unsupported games), you're out of luck.

Tags: civ-4, crossover-games, game, guild-wars, hands-on, handson, test, tuaw, tweet-this, virtualization

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, TUAW Business

TUAW and Gametap invite you to test their beta

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Oct 9th, 2007

Gametap, as you may already know, is working hard on a Mac client for their game subscription service, and when they told us they were looking for a few good beta testers, we told them to look no further than you, our beloved TUAW readers. So together with GameTap, we're offering you a chance to not only help them test their beta, but check out their service and their games (from Atari to Zork) for free.

~~Hit the link below to see the details~~, sent to us by GameTap. The short version: you'll have to apply as a beta tester (not everyone who applies will get a free version of the software-- odds are that they're looking for people who will legitimately help them with feedback), and the client they're testing only works on Intel processors, so if you've got a PowerPC Mac, you're out. We'll leave this information up for a week, or until GameTap tells us they have everyone they need. Good luck!

UPDATE: Gametap has all the beta testers they need, we've removed the Read link.

Continue reading “TUAW and Gametap invite you to test their beta”

Tags: beta, free, gametap, reader, service, test, tuaw

Filed under: Software, Productivity, iPhone

iPhoneTypingTest.com

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jul 13th, 2007

You probably know how fast you can blaze up a regular keyboard, and maybe you've even taken a typing test on a more traditional mobile keyboard found on Windows Mobile or BlackBerry handsets - but how fast are you on your iPhone's virtual keyboard? iPhoneTypingTest.com ought to help you answer that question, as it does just what its name suggests: the site (which recommends you use it in landscape mode for optimum visual layout) presents a text entry box that, once tapped on, will allow you to re-type the text that appears above the box in an effort to test your iPhone typing speed. It's a simple system that seems to work well; on my first try in portrait mode (I personally find the landscape keyboard too wide to work with) I scored 21 wpm with "some error(s)," and second try I nabbed 31.

How good of an iPhone typist are you? Be honest - your web honor is at stake.

Thanks Georgia

Tags: iphone, keyboard, speed, test, typing

Filed under: Hardware, Troubleshooting, MacBook

Test your MacBook for random shutdowns

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Aug 28th, 2006

Some MacBook owners around the web are reporting a 'random shutdown' issue, where the machine will - as you might guess - seemingly shutdown at random; either during work or patiently idling for your next command. If you haven't experienced this issue yourself yet but are still concerned about it, The Apple Files has devised an unofficial test to see if you might be a victim.

The test involves entering a few simple commands into the Terminal and testing a few things over roughly half an hour of your time. Just to be thorough, the author recommends running this test two or three times to be sure, but it's really up to how paranoid you're feeling. Again, this is an unofficial test, and we haven't seen any official reports or announcements from Apple on this issue, its cause or how widespread it might be, but it's simply nice to have options, hey?

[via digg]

Tags: macbook, random, shutdown, support, test, testing, tests, troubleshooting, unofficial

Filed under: Hardware, Software, Mac Pro

Mac Pro benchmark roundup

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Aug 11th, 2006

Other sites are already getting their hands on Mac Pros and putting them through the benchmark ringer, and since we aren't done checking the couch for change yet, I figured a benchmark roundup would be the best way to let you sink your teeth into some cold, hard numbers. If you've been waiting to see how well these things perform in real world tests, your wait just might be over:

Macworld pits a 2.66 Quad Core Ghz Mac Pro against 2.5 Quad and Dual 2.7 G5 Power Macs - G5s run crying to mama in everything but Adobe Photoshop tests (hint: that will be a benchmark theme across the board)
MacInTouch posts some initial impressions as well as a wide variety of benchmarks, including some real low-level geek stuff like "multi-threaded scalar." Until now, I thought a 'scalar' was just a monster in Unreal
Bare Feats posts their own set of tests, including the only After Effects test I've found so far (AE still isn't a UB either; I guess Adobe misunderstood the phrase 'fashionably late to the party')
Geek Patrol, as you might glean from the name, also posts some extensive low-level tests in categories such as memory performance, floating point, integer and more
Apple's product page also seem to think pretty highly of their own new Mac Pros

That's it for now. Just don't blame us for the credit card interest if this pushes you over the edge to buy one.

Tags: benchmark, mac, Mac pro, MacPro, performance, pro, speed, test, tests

Filed under: Software, Internet, Internet Tools

OS X browser test, fourth edition

by Dan Lurie (RSS feed) on Jul 11th, 2006

After reading this article, I'm simply giddy with self-righteous indignation for all the people who have ever told me I was silly for paying money for a browser. The guys over at macintalk have revived their popular Macintosh browser shootout and re-tested all of the competitors using the latest universal binaries of Firefox, Camino, Safari, WebKit, and the OmniWeb 5.5 beta.

As many of you might expect, Firefox, the PC favorite, lagged behind all other browsers tested in the speed tests, with its sleek sibling Camino not scoring much better. The two gecko browsers also failed to render the Acid2 test properly, while OmniWeb and Safari/WebKit passed with flying colors.

Now, I don't want anyone to get the idea that I'm bashing Firefox and Camino. Camino will always have a place in my dock to handle all of the sites that WebKit can't, but I much prefer OmniWeb for my day-to-day usage, and the test results seem to agree with me.

[Via Creativebits]

Tags: browser, camino, firefox, omniweb, osx, safari, test, web, webkit

Filed under: Software

MacTech benchmarks Office 2004 on Rosetta

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Apr 23rd, 2006

MacTech has published what I am fairly certain are the comprehensive Office 2004 on Rosetta test results for Intel Macs. Honestly, there is so much literature and testing in this article that I simply skimmed most of it and skipped ahead to the conclusion: "in general, Office 2004 under Rosetta works "well enough" to "very well," and in some cases, it's even faster than on the PowerPC baseline machine." Having recently acquired a MacBook Pro, I have to agree. However, I think Word has a slightly longer startup time than on my previous PowerBook, but I would attribute that to Rosetta having to work some magic in the background.

Don't take my word though: check out MacTech's article for more than you'd ever want to know about how well Office 2004 will perform on Intel Macs.

[via MacMinute]

Tags: 2004, benchmarks, Entourage, Excel, MacTech, Office, performance, PowerPoint, response, Rosetta, speed, test, Word

Filed under: Hardware, Podcasting, PowerMac G5

Video of a MacBook Pro stomping a PowerMac G5 compiling Java

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Apr 5th, 2006

What's a big news day without a little bit of a hardware smack down? Call me crazy, but I just found this Gear Live site through diggdot.us, and these guys posted a video podcast in a variety of formats of a MacBook Pro with a (comparatively) measly 1 GB RAM making mince meat out of a Dual 2.0 GHz PowerMac G5 with 4 GB RAM in a Java compile test.

While it isn't a comprehensive rundown of a variety of tasks and apps these two systems can run, it's still pretty impressive to see how well this next generation hardware can perform.

Tags: compile, Core Duo, CoreDuo, G5, Gear Live, GearLive, hardware, Intel, Java, MacBook Pro, MacbookPro, perform, PowerMac, speed, test

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