Developer of CloudSkipper releases hot new android app: HD Widgets, with discount

The cloud.tv guys are at it again. Their first Android app, Cloudskipper, had over 400,000 installs in the first 3 months.

They have announced their new app: HD Widgets – the first customizable widgets made exclusively for Honeycomb tablets.

These highly detailed widgets set the bar for the next generation of Android companies intent on providing high-quality, highly-detailed apps. HD Widgets are far and away more detailed and attractive than the first generation of Android widgets and are sure to make even iPad users a little envious.

HD Widgets includes a dozen different widget types including two large tablet headers and a tall, half-page widget. Most widgets include time and weather, but the large tablet widgets also include your choice of 5-day forecast or utility switches.

The best part of HD Widgets is how fun and easy it is to use. Everything in the app is swipeable: the menu, the pages, and the options. You just swipe left and right to change details on the fly. You can mix and match 30+ clocks (LED, flip clock, and Honeycomb) with backgrounds, layouts, and options.

“HD Widgets is how we’re bootstrapping” states Radley Marx, co-founder of Cloud TV. “We want to keep Cloudskipper free for everyone, so we made HD Widgets to help support us.”

They’ll be following up with a phone version in a few weeks as well as new themes, new options, and much more.

HD Widgets is available for the first week for only 0.99 (66% off).

Tools: Great Xcode 4 Themes And Xcode 3 Theme Converter

If you have ever wanted to make Xcode 4 easier on the eyes then it’s likely that you have played around with the Xcode 4 preferences and seen the built in themes. You may have also tweaked around with the settings – I’ve definitely found the default fonts could be easier to read.

Earlier I was doing just that, and after wasting time trying to get things right I decided to see if I could find any good pre-made themes.

I quickly came across the Ego v2 Theme from Enormego which I’m very happy with.

I also came across a Github project providing a number of themes in both light and dark variations from Jason Brennan so if you are looking for themes with good readable fonts and light backgrounds you may find one here (screenshots on Github page):
https://github.com/jbrennan/xcode4themes

I also saw a RailsCasts inspired theme sitting out in the wild from Simon Wallner which is very readable.

If you already have some Xcode 3 themes and would like to convert them to Xcode 4 then you can convert them with the very handy Ruby script found on this page.

To install a custom theme is very simple – just create a:
~/Library/Developer/Xcode/UserData/FontAndColorThemes
directory, place your theme within it and when you start up Xcode you should see your new theme in the preferences.

It’s such a small thing, but I think you’ll be much happier with a better Xcode 4 Theme.

Added to the Xcode 4 Tutorial and Guide page.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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News: Open Source iOS Project Featuring Integrated Cocos2D, Cocos3D, Lua Scripting And More

Cocos2D is clearly a phenomenal success when it comes to open source  iOS game engines.  If you use Cocos2D and spent the time trying to integrate it with other projects such as iPhone Wax, and Cocos3D then you’ve probably wished that there was a way to automatically install all of these projects and actually have them work right off the bat.

Well, now there is a project that can do just that.  Here’s a video demo of the project developed by Learn iPhone and iPad Cocos2D Game Development author Steffen Itterheim:

The project is Kobold2D.  This is a project that I have been watching for months, and for some of you may seem like old news.  The news is that tomorrow (August 30th, 2011) Kobold2D will finally be releasing their first preview version – no need to sign up for a forum hoping to be “chosen”.

Kobold2D integrates many open source projects – most notably Cocos2D, Cocos3D, iPhone Wax (for Lua scripting), and a number of extension to these libraries.  Kobold2D also includes many game templates for different types of games such as Tilemap based games, shooter, and pinball games along with tools to make tedious tasks like keeping all these libraries up to date – automatic.

Looks like this will be a great time saver, and will be very interesting to see what other goodies are provided.   In order to gain access to the preview version tomorrow  you will need to sign up to the newsletter – for those privacy nuts out there wondering the official releases will not require sign up (whenever it is released).. just the preview version.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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SegmentControl Application in iPhone

In this application we will see how to implement Segmented Controller in the application. So let let see how it will worked. My last post you can find out from here (Please attached the link of the previous post)

Step 1: Open the Xcode, Create a new project using View Base application. Give the application “SegmentControl”.

Step 2: Xcode automatically creates the directory structure and adds essential frameworks to it. You can explore the directory structure to check out the content of the directory.

Step 3: We need to add two resources in the Resource folder.

Step 4: Open the SegmentControlViewController.h file and make the following changes.

#import
@interface SegmentControlViewController : UIViewController {
IBOutlet UISegmentedControl *segment;
IBOutlet UIView *firstView;
IBOutlet UIView *secondView;
}
(IBAction)segmentControlAction:(id)sender;
@end

Step 5: Double click the SegmentControlViewController.xib file and open it to the Interface Builder. First drag the Segmented Control from the library and place it to the view window. Select the Segmented control and bring up Connection Inspector and connect Touch Up Inside to the File Owner icon and select segmentControlAction: , connect File’s Owner icon to the Segmented Control and select segment. Now drag the View two times from the library and place it to the Interface window. Drag the imageView from the library and place it to the View window and select the view and bring up Attribute Inspector , select the “bg.png” image. Do it once more time and select the “manu-screen.png”. Connect File’s owner icon to the View and select firstView. Select File’s Owner icon to the view and select secondView. Now save the .xib file, close it and go back to the Xcode.

Step 6: In the SegmentControlViewController.m file make the following changes:

#import "SegmentControlViewController.h"
@implementation SegmentControlViewController
(IBAction) segmentControlAction:(id)sender
{
UISegmentedControl* control = sender ;
if( [control selectedSegmentIndex] == 0 )
{
[ self.view addSubview:firstView] ;
}
if( [control selectedSegmentIndex] == 1 )
{
[ self.view addSubview:secondView] ;
}
}
(void)viewDidLoad
{
firstView.frame = CGRectMake(0, 45, 320, 420);
secondView.frame = CGRectMake(0, 45, 320, 420);
[super viewDidLoad];
[segment addTarget:self action:@selector(segmentControlAction:)
forControlEvents:UIControlEventValueChanged];
segment.selectedSegmentIndex = 0 ;
}
(void)dealloc
{
[super dealloc];
}
(void)didReceiveMemoryWarning
{
// Releases the view if it doesn’t have a superview.
[super didReceiveMemoryWarning];
// Release any cached data, images, etc that aren’t in use.
}
#pragma mark – View lifecycle
/*
// Implement viewDidLoad to do additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib.
– (void)viewDidLoad
{
[super viewDidLoad];
}
*/

(void)viewDidUnload
{
[super viewDidUnload];
// Release any retained subviews of the main view.
// e.g. self.myOutlet = nil;
}
(BOOL)shouldAutorotateToInterfaceOrientation:(UIInterfaceOrientation)interfaceOrientation
{
// Return YES for supported orientations
return (interfaceOrientation == UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait);
}
@end

Step 7: Now compile and run the application on the Simulator.

Is the End Near for iPhone Jailbreak?

In light of the news that Apple has hired top iPhone jailbreak hacker Nicholas Allegra (@Comex), some iPhone users are wondering whether the end is near for iPhone jailbreak.

iPhone Jailbreak End is Near Tweet

Allegra is not the first jailbreak developer to be hired by Apple. In June, Peter Hajas, the developer of the Cydia hack MobileNotifier, was hired by Apple. Shortly after that, GeoHot, the infamous iPhone unlocker, was hired by Facebook.

Do These Hires Mark the Beginning of the End for Jailbreak?

iPhone Jailbreak Given this pattern of top jailbreak developers being swallowed by the big Internet players, it is tempting to wonder whether the jailbreak movement is through. But I don’t believe that iPhone jailbreak is going anywhere anytime soon.

While Apple has already adopted a lot of the features that iPhone users want, thereby (theoretically) decreasing the need for jailbreak, the jailbreak culture remains alive and well, and growing, with an estimated 10 percent of iPhone users reportedly jailbreaking their iPhones. Plans are even underway for the world’s first jailbreak convention, which will take place in London this September.

Mark my words: innovation around the iPhone will never cease. There will always be new features that iPhone users want, and that Apple has yet to develop. iPhone jailbreak is the most immediate way for developers to bring imaginative new ideas and applications to iPhone.

As long as there is an iPhone, there will be iPhone jailbreak.

Is the End Near for iPhone Jailbreak? is a post from Apple iPhone Review.


Daily iPhone App: Star Legends

Star Legends is the release title of Blackstar, an MMO whose origin I’ve recounted on the site here before. Spacetime Studios was a company formed from the ashes of an unreleased PC MMO that went on to make Pocket Legends, a full mobile MMO that started on iOS and then moved on to Android. Earlier this year, we heard that the company planned to use the built-up Blackstar concepts and work to create a sci-fi themed MMO for iOS, and Star Legends, released last week and now available for free on the App Store, is the product of that work.

Like Pocket Legends, the game is a full World of Warcraft-style MMO, with persistent characters, environments, and lots of instances and dungeons to fight through. Of course, it’s all sci-fi based instead of fantasy, but Spacetime built up a really in-depth library for its planned title, and Star Legends presumably has made full use of it (with lots more content to come, no doubt). If you’ve never played a game like this, it can be a little confusing, but if you’ve ever jumped in to an MMO before, you’ll be amazed to see what Spacetime has done with the genre on a mobile platform.

The game is microtransaction-based, but there’s plenty to do for free right away. If you’re a fan of Pocket Legends, or just want to see what kind of magic Spacetime has been working, definitely check it out.

Daily iPhone App: Star Legends originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Papers 2 and Papers for the iPad: the ultimate journal reading combination

Papers 2 for Mac

It’s that time of year again: time to head back to college, grab those books and kickstart the academic term. This year, why not cut out paper from your scientific journal research workflow with the ultimate in journal management and reading for the Mac and iPad?

Management

Papers 2 takes journal management to the max on your Mac. Across academia and industry, Endnote is pretty much the gold standard as far as referencing goes. Yes, there are apps like Bookends, Refworks and BibTex, as well as a plethora of others including the new cross-platform offering from Mendeley, but none of them, including Thomson Reuters’ offering, come close to Papers 2 when it comes to actually managing those hundreds of PDF files, importing them, sorting them, reading them, and most importantly, searching them.

Papers 2 creates a database of references, grabbing their metadata from Pubmed, Google Scholar and directly from science repositories like Science Direct, and attaching the PDF files. If you have a PDF, but no citation to import, you can just import the PDF into Papers 2 by simple drag and drop. From there Papers 2 can scan your file for a match, but if it can’t find it automatically, it’s just a case of manually editing the reference and hitting “Match.” That’ll kick you into a search form where you can just drag to select text and search for the reference with it, whether it’s the title, author or journal, it’ll scan the science directories for the matching reference and bind all the metadata accordingly.

Continue reading Papers 2 and Papers for the iPad: the ultimate journal reading combination

Papers 2 and Papers for the iPad: the ultimate journal reading combination originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW looks back at Stevenotes past

As Apple watchers, TUAW staffers tend to congregate in San Francisco each January for Macworld Expo. Until recently, the central event of each Expo was the Stevenote. Since TUAW bloggers have covered our fair share, I’ve collected some memories of Macworld Expo’s Keynote Speeches. We’ll start with Victor and Mike.

VICTOR AGREDA JR:

The only one I attended was the Intel announcement in 2006. But it was huuuuge — lots of gasps from the audience, it seems like a long time ago!

Anyway, I remember Steve’s polish and how it seemed to effortless for him. Like a geek showing his friends all his cool new toys.

MIKE ROSE:

Among the Stevenotes I’ve attended (quite a few over the years), the one that stands out for me is Macworld Boston 1997. I was an enterprise customer at the time, and our Apple SE had arranged for me to get a pass to sit up front in the press section, quite near the stage.

Steve’s announcement of the alliance with Microsoft ($150m investment, IE to become default Mac browser, Office development locked in for at least 5 years) took a lot of people by surprise. The “IE to become the default Mac browser” announcement did not go over well at all. But it wasn’t until the gigantic projected noggin of Bill Gates appeared on the screen that the situation turned ugly. In the press section, even, there were boos and stern shakings of heads along with the gasps and scattered applause from the audience.

I don’t think Steve had ever had a Macworld crowd go rogue in this fashion (see for yourself), and it seemed to me that he was a little bit embarrassed by the reaction. I certainly would have been — you invite a guest into your keynote, representing a company that has just saved your company from possible doom and destruction, and the audience treats him like an unwanted interloper? Awkward.

Aside from the 1997 event, I’d have to say that my two favorite keynotes were the ones I had the privilege of liveblogging for TUAW: 2008 and (the Steveless “Philnote”) 2009. Unfortunately I missed the 2007 historic iPhone introduction, and had to get the play-by-play over the phone from Laurie Duncan (the roar of the crowd in the background as Steve asked “Are you getting it?” was spine-tingling).

Continue reading TUAW looks back at Stevenotes past

TUAW looks back at Stevenotes past originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Resources In iOS Development – August 29th 2011

Welcome to the site, and to another list featuring some of the best resources in iPad and iPhone development that were features on this site in the last week.  I know that many regular visitors have had quite a bit on their minds more important than development in the last few days, and I hope that all is well.

This list features some excellent open source frameworks, and controls – some answers to visitor questions, and some very useful tutorials and tools.

Here are the resources from the last week listed in order of popularity:

1. Open Source: Framework For In-App Purchases With Just A Few Lines Of Code – An absolutely brilliant, and consistently updated library that allows you to add in app purchases to your app with a plist file and a small amount of code.  Even supports auto-renewable subscriptions.

2. Open Source: Interactive 3D Globe Component That You Can Draw On – A beautiful control that allows you to add a 3D globe on your map providing a high level of interactivity allowing you to detect touches, draw text and vector graphics on specific areas.

3. Open Source: Sample Project With Precompiled OpenCV 2.3.1 – Alleviating problems that occur from a previously mentioned script for using OpenCV 2.2 this project provides the basis for working OpenCV 2.3.1 projects on the iOS platform.

4. Open Source: Multipurpose Utility Library With Dozens Of Cocoa Touch Helper Classes – A very useful library allowing making common tasks involving UIViews, Core Animation, multithreading, UITableView cells and more easier.  Was fun seeing this great project become most watched on Github quickly after mentioning it on this site.

5. Open Source: Plotting Libraries For Easy Charts Without The Cost – A look at creating graphs on the iPhone mentioning a couple of Obj-C alternatives and other potential alternatives.

6. Tutorial: How To Change Voice Pitch For Your Own Talking Tom Cat Like App – Article revealing a great open source library enabling advanced sound manipulation, and a tutorial on how to use those features in creating a voice changing app.

7. Open Source Libraries And Examples For Zip, Rar, and 7-Zip Compression – A look at how to support common desktop compression methods providing open source alternatives and tutorials for 3 of the most common compression methods.

8. Tool: Xcode 4 Project Template For Automatically Creating Universal Frameworks – An excellent set of templates allowing you to create frameworks automatically.

9. Tutorials: Building Games Quickly With LevelHelper And SpriteHelper – A great tutorial on using these excellent tools to create a simple from the ground up carefully explaining every step in detail.

Thanks for reading, please bookmark and share this post!

©2011 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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Best apps for tracking Hurricane Irene

If you’re in the path of Hurricane Irene and you haven’t gone through the App Store already looking for the best sources of info on the storm, there are others who have done it for you. Information Week, Appolicious, and MSNBC’s Technolog have all made lists of apps for various flavors of smartphones.

Virtually all the lists of apps include the free Weather Channel App for iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, and Blackberry*. The application description doesn’t clearly state if the free app (there’s a paid version) has push notification for weather alerts, but the $3.99 Weather Channel Max app does include them.

Aside from TWC’s contributions, there’s also the paid Hurricane for iPhone or Hurricane HD for iPad which shows up in multiple lists of suggested apps. You may want to try searching for an app for a TV station in your area; a lot of them have notifications for breaking news or weather alerts which you can set up.

CNN has a few apps listed alongside Twitter feeds to watch and things like a multipurpose radio which includes weather band information, a flashlight, a USB port for charging, and a hand crank to make the whole thing go.

Google has set up a crisis response map with a wide variety of layers including power outages, shelters, forecasts and loads more.

Here are some basic tips for maximizing battery life on your smartphone/tablet/laptop/e-reader in case of power outages: Turn the screen brightness down as low as you can, turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and if you can run multiple apps at once, quit anything extraneous. That way you’ll get the most out of your battery before you have to hook it to that Axis radio and work the hand crank till your arm gives out.

If you do need this list of apps because you’re in Irene’s path, all of us at TUAW (who aren’t battening down our own hatches) are thinking of you and wishing you well.

*Irene doesn’t care what smartphone you use.

Best apps for tracking Hurricane Irene originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How To Stay In Shape With RunKeeper

I hate going to the gym. I think it’s boring and expensive. I don’t really question its effectiveness, because it actually is, I just don’t like it.

Now, we all need to stay in shape one way or another, and being an iPhone user, I prefer the more technological approach. The App Store has lots of apps made for jogging, tracking calories and so on, but RunKeeper may just be the perfect solution. It used to be a paid application (and rather expensive I should add), but has recently gone free. After the jump, we’ll be learning how to use RunKeeper’s features to our advantage.

Introduction

RunKeeper let’s you track your fitness using the iPhone’s GPS. That means you can go out jogging, and RunKeeper will keep track of your pace, speed and distance. It’ll even store a map of your run.

Now, in order to keep track of your weight (if you’re planning to use RunKeeper to stay in shape), you need to use both the iPhone App and their website. Worry not, I’ll walk you through every step.

Setting Up

After downloading the app from the App Store, go to the Settings tab, and enter your email and a password to automatically sign up. Their service is completely free (although there are paid plans), and they don’t send any spam. After you’re signed up, tune the settings to your heart’s desire. Audio Cues are pretty useful, where the app tells you (literally, through the headphones) your timing, speed, distance and lots of other options, configurable through the settings. I only left Time, Distance and Average Pace on, since too many cues don’t let me listen to music.

Adjusting the app's settings

Adjusting the app's settings

You can also configure who can view your activities (and the maps) on the RunKeeper website, and automatic sharing of your activities on Twitter and Facebook.

One last thing to do is to enter your weight on the website (unfortunately, you can’t do this right on the app). Go to Runkeeper.com, login using the credentials you entered on your phone, and on the lower left column you’ll see a Body Measurements section, where you can update your body weight. Be sure to update this regularly! You can check your progress later by going to Fitness Reports on the site, and see a nice chart with your weight over time.

Put on Your Running Shoes

Once you have the app configured to your needs, tap on the Start tab, on the bottom left. Here, you can configure a new activity. By default, RunKeeper uses the phone’s GPS to track you, but you can also enter activities manually (which I’ll explain later). You should also enter the activity type, where you can choose from a large selection. Selecting this allows the app to better calculate the burned calories per activity, so be sure to select the correct one. Select a music playlist (or none if you prefer to run in silence or don’t have any headphones), and hit Start Activity.

Configuring a new activity

Configuring a new activity

If you’re ever in the situation where you can’t use the GPS functionality (eg. you left your phone elsewere or you’re in a gym), you can always enter activity information manually. You’ll have to select the activity type, the gym equipment (if any), duration, distance and calories burned.

You may be wondering what that Coaching option is for. Well, here you can have the app literally coach you during your workout through the headphones. You can select between a target pace (eg. 5 minutes per kilometer), or create workouts yourself. The app comes with three predefined workouts. Selecting any of these makes the app announce when you have to run a little faster, when you can slow down, etc. It’s a very practical option if you want to set goals for yourself.

Set up coaching for a new activity

Set up coaching for a new activity

There’s also a third tab, FitnessClasses. By default, there aren’t any, and you can’t create any either. This is because FitnessClasses are paid packages you can buy from the RunKeeper website. There are various categories, including one to lose weight. Each class contains its own schedule, and you can find more info on the site. They’re a good option if you really need some training.

Monitor Your Progress on-the-Go

Once you hit Start and begin running, you can check on the iPhone’s screen how far you’ve gone, how many calories you’ve burned, your average pace and check the map of your run. I don’t tend to look at the screen too often though, since almost all information is announced periodically through the headphones.

RunKeeper shows all necessary information on the go

RunKeeper shows all necessary information on the go

Once you’re done with your run, tap Stop, and you’ll be taken to a screen where you can add some comments about the run and share it on Twitter and Facebook (if you like). If you happen to have one of those watches that monitor your heart rate, you can enter it right there so you can keep track of that as well!

After completing a run, you can add some comments and post them on Twitter and Facebook

After completing a run, you can add some comments and post them on Twitter and Facebook

Update Your Body Weight Regularly!

This step doesn’t take place on the phone, but it’s very important if you want to check your progress and stay fit. On the RunKeeper website, be sure to update your weight regularly (I would recommend after every activity). As pointed out before, you can see Fitness Reports where you get some nice charts with your progress.

Conclusion

RunKeeper is a great app that is fun and easy to use, plus very practical. I really hope this How-To motivates you to start running and to stay in shape, and perhaps even avoid spending so much money on a gym.

One personal recommendation: download TuneIn Radio from the App Store, and search for a radio station named “NRJ Running.” It’s got great music for any running session! Another thing I recommend is that the you make sure the phone has good GPS signal. You can check this while starting a new activity on the top right corner. Don’t worry about this too much though, since RunKeeper will alert you if the signal is too poor.

Have any other good suggestions for a running app? Let us know in the comments!

Steve Jobs: A Thank You

It’s always hard when a member of your family moves on, and today, that’s how we here at AppStorm feel about Steve Jobs. No, we’ve never technically worked alongside the legend, but because we’ve written about him for the past few years, most of us feel this personal connection to the man that’s been the driving force behind Apple. And it’s hard not to, because he’s been in our lives for so long now.

And now, it’s time that we say goodbye to Steve, as he’s stepped down from the CEO position at Apple, to his new position as Chairman of the Board. But this isn’t Steve’s eulogy — no, he’s got too much life in him for that. This is a celebration of all things Steve, and our own way of saying thanks to the man who helped us do what we love to do.

History

In 1976, a 21-year-old Steve started Apple Computer with the slightly older Steve Wozniak, and the personal computer was born. It was named the Apple I, and as the years went on, Apple grew to see more and more success. The Apple II came next, and the company was off and running. Personal computers were still in their infancy, but the two Steves had a plan, and it was going to be big.

Steve Jobs, the early years.

Steve Jobs, the early years.

1984 saw the birth of the Macintosh, the computer that we would all eventually call the Mac, a nickname that’s still found in today’s products. But when sales dipped and tensions flared between Steve and then CEO John Sculley, Jobs was removed from the company that he helped to form.

Steve Jobs circa 1984

Steve Jobs circa 1984

Instead of returning, Steve would do a few things that seem absolutely genius in hindsight. First, he started NeXT Computer, a company that started by doing hardware and software, and eventually transitioned into a software only role. That company would develop an operating system that would eventually become OS X, the operating system found on all Macs today.

Jobs at NeXT

Jobs at NeXT

Steve also bought Pixar back in 1986, but back then it was known as The Graphics Group. Less than 10 years later, Toy Story would appear in theaters and change the way that people viewed computer animation. Eventually, Pixar would be bought by Disney for $7.4 billion.

Jobs at Pixar

Jobs at Pixar

In 1996, Apple purchased NeXT, which brought Steve back home to the company he started. Shortly thereafter, Steve became the CEO of Apple, and soon the company began to regain profitability. Steve brought Apple back from the brink of death, and years later, would help make it one of the richest companies in the world.

Introducing the iPhone

Introducing the iPhone

The products that Steve helped to innovate are far and wide, but in 2001, he introduced the concept of a digital hub, centered on the Mac. This would in turn lead to iTunes, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Today, Steve’s vision of the digital hub doesn’t center on the Mac anymore, but instead it’s all in the cloud. His legacy has evolved, just like the computer industry around it, and he was the guy leading the way.

Medical Issues

In 2004, Steve told his team at Apple that he had a treatable form of pancreatic cancer, a disease that usually kills people in short order. He had the tumor removed, but he was noticeably slimmer in 2006 when he gave the keynote address at WWDC. Now his weight seemed to be a constant topic of conversation, but he was very private about the issue. This was a family matter, and as such, it was going to stay with Steve and his family.

Introducing the iPad

Introducing the iPad

A few years later in 2009, Steve traveled to Tennessee to have a liver transplant, and while he was recovering, Tim Cook took the reins. A few months later, Steve was back and things were good. But something caused a downturn in January 2011, and that’s when he decided to take some time off from day-to-day operations at Apple.

Steve Jobs pictured recently

Steve Jobs pictured recently

Steve made an appearance at this year’s WWDC, and was a part of the big announcements for Lion and iOS 5. He’s still a part of the company, but we may never see him on stage again.

Past and Future Legacies

There can be no doubt here, Steve Jobs changed the game. Phrases like that are usually uttered as hyperbole, but this isn’t the case with him. Name a product that starts with a lowercase “i” and he had a hand in it. This prefix alone changed the way people view personal electronics, and now it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing some kind of “i-something” popping up along the way.

Steve Jobs and his wife. Photo by Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Steve Jobs and his wife. Photo by Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

He brought us the iPod, the digital music player that changed the way we all listen to music. The iPhone, which did the same and introduced us to iOS, followed by the iPad, a new tablet format that succeeded where others have failed. Steve built a company from scratch, was forced out, and then brought it back from extinction and up to huge heights. Not too many people can put anything even close on their resumes.

But more than the products that he helped to create, Steve designed a corporate culture at Apple that is ingrained in every single thing they do and object they produce. Walk into any Apple Store across the world and similar themes run throughout, yet they’re all different and unique in their own way. And that attitude, that way that every bit of his personality and drive is built into the culture and every person with an Apple ID badge, well it’s special. It’s unlike anything else out there, and it’s the reason why Apple is the way it is today.

Thank You

From all of us here at AppStorm and Envato, we just want to take a moment to say thank you, Steve. Because of the decisions you made, we have been able to create an entire business based on your products. We love what you’ve built, and we use Apple products every day because it makes our lives easier. Without you, we’d all be forced to live in a beige box world, and no one wants that, particularly not us.

Steve laughing

Steve laughing

Here’s to you, Steve. And here’s to many more years of seeing you on the Board.

iPhone Game Friday: New Releases

We’re waving goodbye to another month, and since school and other such commitments are beginning to loom, we’d like to take this opportunity to give you plenty of ways to keep yourself distracted — with games, of course.

Click through to see this week’s picks for best fresh App Store titles!

iBlast Moki 2

iBlast Moki 2

Although it’s been some time since its release, the original iBlast Moki remains one of the most popular games ever released for the iPhone, so it’s no surprise that its brand new sequel is getting people excited.

As with the first, iBlast Moki 2 is a fiendish puzzle game that follows the misadventures of little creatures called Mokis. After rescuing them in the first game, you’ll find yourself helping them find their way back home now. Each level requires you to plant bombs and various other contraptions near them in an effort to blast them into the portal that will take them to their village.

It’s a simple setup, polished to perfection, with much improved graphics and music. iBlast Moki’s strength has always been its incredible ability to keep you playing, and with 90+ levels you’ve got a lot to see in this excellent sequel.

Price: $0.99 (Introductory Price)
Developer: Godzilab
Download: App Store

Rogue Sky

Rogue Sky

If flying is your thing, you’ll want to have a close look at Rogue Sky. Who would have thought hot air balloons could be so exciting? In Rogue Sky you’ll be playing as one in an arcade-style challenge.

Each level will require you to navigate the skies with care and precision as you blast enemies, avoid danger and keep collecting coins. It’s worth highlighting how superbly responsive and fluid the controls are. Sometimes touch-based controls can feel contrived, but here they’ve been fine-tuned to interact perfectly with the animations and respond exactly as you want them to.

The animations themselves are silky smooth and beautiful to look at, with environments sporting an artistic combination of hand-drawn, high-contrast art and live 3D models. Rogue Sky is without a doubt one of the finest flying games on the App Store and should keep you busy with its variety of gameplay modes and unlockable content.

Price: $0.99
Developer: PebbleBug Studios
Download: App Store

Air Penguin

Air Penguin

If you’re not into flying, like everyone’s favourite flightless birds, then Air Penguin may be more up your alley with its bouncing, tilt-controlled madness. Produced by the experts at Gamevil (known for the Zenonia series, among others), Air Penguin is a deceptively simple action game with just the right balance of challenge and addictiveness.

As you hop and skate from platform to platform, you’ll have to be careful with the controls to avoid going for an unintentional swim. The controls are tilt-only and are not in any way frustrating or inconsistent. The game can be tough, but it’s a legitimate skill challenge rather than the product of bad design, which makes it a title that you’ll find yourself returning to for just one more level.

The inclusion of a survival mode also ensures endless replay value as you hone your skills on the ice. As you keep playing and collecting fish, you’ll be able to unlock all sorts of items and achievements, or, if you’re lazy, you can also purchase fish via in-app purchases and grab the upgrades immediately. Either way, Air Penguin is an entertaining and worthy time passer.

Price: $0.99
Developer: GAMEVIL Inc.
Download: App Store

Cave Mice

Cave Mice

It’s easy to see Cave Mice as a sort of Doodle Jump in reverse, but to its credit, it brings more than just a reversal of direction to the table, resulting in a solid, engaging, and well designed survival game.

As you descend down the hole to retrieve the fallen cheese, you’ll be confronted with a series of obstacles, from basic rocky outcroppings to moving boulders, falling rocks and vicious enemies. Though you’re able to defend yourself by throwing cheese pieces that you’ve collected at these fiends, the object of the game is not only to descend as deep as possible, but also to collect as much cheese as possible, so you’ll have to conserve ammo.

It ends up being a rewarding added layer of complexity and when taken with the charming presentation and solid gameplay mechanics, you may find yourself liking Cave Mice more than similar games that have you climbing instead!

Price: $0.99
Developer: Appicus
Download: App Store

Phoenix HD

Phoenix HD

It’s always nice to close with a freebie, and this week we’re ending with an HD update to one of the App Store’s favourite shoot ‘em up games: Phoenix HD.

Perhaps the best way to describe Phoenix HD is simply: it’s a beautiful and incredibly flexible entry into the genre that not only boasts procedurally generated environments and enemies, but also an adaptive AI system that tailors the difficulty to your ability to make sure that you’re always being perfectly challenged. It’s not only effective in theory, as the systems both work finely in practice too.

Somewhere in between realizing how cool it is to have an endless, personalized shoot ‘em up and marvelling at the silky smooth graphics, you’ll come to the conclusion that it’s quite a deal for a free game. You’ll be able to pay for other ships if you want, but with the variety of power-ups and the endless variations in enemies and difficulty, you’re unlikely to ever feel that you’re not getting a full experience without in Phoenix HD.

Price: Free
Developer: Firi Games
Download: App Store

What Have You Been Playing?

We hope you’ll have fun with these, but don’t hesitate to mention others in the comments. Your feedback and suggestions are always appreciated!

Exhibition of Apple design debuts in German museum

During the Steve Jobs II era at Apple, the company’s product priorities focused on ease of use, delighting and surprising the customer, and of course the incredible design aesthetic that we all know and love.

That design philosophy has been championed and executed by the industrial design team led by senior vice president Jonathan Ive, and it is Ive’s work with Apple that is the topic of a new exhibition in Hamburg, Germany at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Arts and Crafts). Stylectrical: On Electro-Design That Makes History aims to take a close look at “the complex process of industrial design in the context of cultural studies.”

The show, opening this weekend, contains 300 separate exhibits; over half of those are Apple products. All products released by Apple under Ive’s design oversight are supposed to be represented there (the first time that’s happened), alongside other leading electronic product design examples. There is particular attention paid to the ties between Apple design and the German industrial giant Braun’s products.

In addition to a print catalog, the exhibition merits pride of place in the museum’s own iPhone app (of course). You can see photos from the exhibit, check opening times and view museum information.

The exhibition runs from now until January 15, 2012. Admission is €8 (€5 for Thursday evenings), and the museum is open every day but Monday. I’m planning to check it out in person next week, and I’ll share some pictures and impressions from the visit.

Exhibition of Apple design debuts in German museum originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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