Category: Tutorials

When Apple recently announced the availability of $0.99 rentals of TV episodes, not every network was on board with it. The Walt Disney Co. and News Corp. (parents of ABC and FOX, respectively) were good with the deal, though one of the most notable opponents was Warner Bros. (CW, among others). The reason: $0.99 for an episode rental is too cheap.

Chief Exec Barry Meyer of Warner Bros. went on to say that having rentals set at such a low price would hurt sales of full seasons of their television shows, adding that the current $2.99 to own an episode, via iTunes, suited them just fine.

Ever since the idea of renting TV episodes came about, I couldn’t fathom why someone would choose to purchase — permanently — an entire season of a show until after they’d already seen it. I can see why one would want to watch their absolute favorites over and over again, but only once they know they’re good. Rentals can only help boost sales of permanent purchases, but the show has to be proven good first. Maybe that’s what’s really scaring Warner Bros. here.

[via 9 to 5 Mac]

TUAWWarner Bros. says Apple’s TV rentals are too cheap originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Participants in Delta’s SkyMiles or American Airlines’ AAdvantage frequent flyer programs, or anyone who would like a chance to win a million frequent flyer miles, should head over to the App Store now.

Both airlines are providing contest incentives to get people to use their apps. American, for example, is holding the “Mobile Million” contest. Just download and install their app by October 15th, play a few games of sudoku (among other things, the AA app has a built-in sudoku game…), and you could win one of many prizes, including the grand prize of one million AAdvantage miles.

Delta started the war of the contests with their “One App. One Million Miles” contest, which runs through September 29th. The big prize here is one million Delta Sky Miles. You have to be a Sky Miles participant to enter this contest with the app. If you’re not, it takes less than a minute to join the program.

Although your ability to use all those frequent flyer miles is subject to availability of reward seats, it’s still a heck of a prize, and it costs you nothing to enter either of the contests except a little bit of time.

[Tip to Gadling from @LuxeTiffany]

TUAWDelta, AA iPhone apps could be worth a million frequent flyer miles originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gameloft has announced that it has broken the 20 million download mark across all of its paid apps. That’s a huge number, and it shows that the company has really latched on to the iPhone as a huge market for its mobile games. Gameloft hasn’t been slow on development at all — the French company has released 47 games this year, and of those, 42 have hit the Top Grossing top five, and 25 have reached number one. Gameloft hits from the past include Hero of Sparta, the remade Oregon Trail, FPS title NOVA, and the mobile version of Assassin’s Creed.

They’re not done yet — Dungeon Hunter 2 is due out later on this year, as is the HD version of Assassin’s Creed, and an interesting title called Star Battalion. Gameloft’s titles are always very well made, and it’s good to see that its popularity has landed it a spot in the growing pantheon of successful App Store developers and publishers.

TUAWGameloft breaks 20 million paid apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Earth for iOS, which was already one of the biggest “wow” apps on the iPhone (It’s the Earth in your pants!), has received a huge update that adds support for the iPhone 4’s gorgeous retina display, as well as new ocean topographies that will allow users to explore the underwater depths.

You can see from the screenshot above that this adds an insane amount of detail to the textures and drawing space. Even this comically oversized screen grab can’t convey how good this looks on a real iPhone 4, though. I highly suggest that you check it out for yourself.

Google Earth is a universal application for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch; it is available in the App Store as a free download.

TUAWGoogle Earth updated for iPhone 4 retina display, includes ocean topography originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s something we’ve heard for years now. “If the Verizon offered the iPhone, there would be a mass exodus from AT&T.” According to one survey, the exodus might not be so massive.

BusinessInsider reports on a survey conducted by Credit Suisse that asked an unspecified number of iPhone users who they would select as a carrier if they could abandon AT&T. Just 23% — less than one quarter — said they’d jump ship to Verizon. Additionally, another 3% would move over to Sprint while a whopping 2% would choose T-Mobile.

Of course, this means that 63% of iPhone users surveyed would stay put with AT&T. Credit Suisse crunched the numbers and figured out that 23% of users represents about 1.4 million customers who are willing to switch to Verizon. Personally, I live in a moderate coverage area, so I’d have trouble no matter who I’m with.

How about you? Are you ready to switch?

[Via AppleInsider]

TUAWSurvey: 23% of iPhone users would switch to Verizon originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want a Bluetooth keyboard that you can use with your iDevice or Mac and slip into your pocket when it’s not in use? Cervantes Mobile LLC today introduced their Jorno folding Bluetooth keyboard, which folds down to a tiny 3.5″ x 3.5″ x .9″ box when not in use. When deployed, the keyboard is quite small — 8.5″ x 3.5″ by just 0.3″ — but apparently quite usable. It’s only 8.8 ounces in weight, too, so it won’t bog you down.

The Jorno keyboard uses a rechargeable lithium ion battery to provide about a month of use; it’s charged with a Mini USB charging cable. It works with a variety of devices, so even if you don’t have an Apple device, you can put one to good use. It also comes with a detachable cradle for holding a phone, iPad, or media player.

Jorno will cost US$99 when it begins to ship later this fall, but you can preorder the keyboard for a special price of $79 through October 31, 2010.

TUAWComing soon to a pocket near you: Jorno folding Bluetooth keyboard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW received a tip this morning about something that could be immensely useful to the over 17.9 million people in the U.S., as well as millions in other countries, who have diabetes.

Pharmaceutical company Sanofi Aventis has announced the iBGStar Blood Glucose Meter that connects directly to the iPhone or iPod touch. While the hardware and official app that will accompany the meter is not yet released, the app is based on the free Wavesense Diabetes Manager app now in the App Store.

Sanofi Aventis is currently preparing the meter for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and it is unlike the Johnson & Johnson concept displayed at the iPhone 3GS event in March of 2009. That device required a cable; the Sanofi Aventis glucose meter just plugs into the Dock Connector port on the iPhone, takes readings from a blood sample, and stores the information on the iPhone for analysis. The patient can email the data to a physician if he or she needs feedback on management of their condition.

The patient uses a glucose test strip with a sample drop of blood, and the strip is read by inserting it into the slot (lower right of meter pictured at the right side). The results are displayed on both a small display on the meter as well as in the iPhone app.

Since diabetes is responsible for 1 out of every 10 health care dollars spent in the U.S., better management of the disease could have a huge impact on health care spending.

TUAWiPhone-connected blood glucose meter now closer to reality originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With earlier iPhone models, external battery packs and battery cases like the Mophie Juice Pack Air became very popular, due to the original iPhone’s shorter battery life. With the iPhone 4, we’re not seeing quite the battery life issues that we did with the earlier models, but for those who need to be away from a recharging power source for a while, battery cases are still an excellent solution.

Exogear has recently released the Exolife rechargeable battery case for iPhone 4 ($89.95), with a built-in 1500 mAh Lithium-Ion Polymer battery that’s sure to keep your iPhone 4 running for a long time. Read on for a complete review of the Exolife case, and a chance to win one from TUAW.

TUAWTUAW review and giveaway: Exolife battery case for iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this week, it was reported that Apple and Rovi had signed a super-secret pact. The multi-year arrangement will reportedly let Apple make use of Rovi’s technology, which includes interactive television programming guides. Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster suggested that the deal could mean live TV and DVR functionality for the new Apple TV. “[This is] further evidence that Apple is developing live TV and DVR features for its Apple TV product,” Munster told CNET.

Additionally, Munster goes on to predict an Apple-branded, all-in-one television. I’m not convinced that an actual Apple television is on the drawing board, but it seems that an interactive guide could be added to the Apple TV without too much trouble. As we’ve seen, it’s running the iOS. Apple’s developers could probably write an app to make use of Rovi’s data.

And what a mountain of data they have. According to the Rovi website, they’ve got about 111 million subscribers and a unique catalog of more than 1.2 million TV series episodes (going back to 1954) and over than 1.8 million music albums. Add to that nearly 500,000 movies, and it’s an impressive collection.

Here’s to an update we’d love to see on the Apple TV. Hopefully it won’t be too hard for mom.

[Via Macsimum News]

TUAWRumor: Apple/Rovi deal suggests Apple television originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe has released Premiere Elements for the Mac. Premiere Elements is Adobe’s consumer-level image and video editing software, and this is the first time a Mac version has been released.

This release — version 9 — offers some pretty cool features, like optimized editing of HD video and those neat photo books (much like the ones you can create with iPhoto). They’re a big hit with Grandma.

Much more powerful technology is behind the Photomerge Style Match feature, which is smart enough to match the style of one photo with another. Let’s say you’ve got a beautiful landscape shot with ominous clouds, sparkling water and an impressive foreground, all perfectly exposed. Another picture is completely washed out and would be better if it looked like the former. Photomerge Style Match does its best to make that happen. You can watch a short demo video here.

There’s much more to this software, so go and read the details. Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, which is also available now, and Premier Elements 9 are priced at US$99 each. You can buy both for $149. Mac and Windows versions of the applications are included.

TUAWAdobe’s Premiere Elements now available for Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Modern meetings are a marvel. With strong competition in the remote presentation/conferencing product space, we now have plenty of capable and feature-rich platforms that offer affordable (sometimes free) remote meetings, most with a good Mac compatibility story to tell. The catch, of course, is that all these technologies depend on Java, Flash/AIR or a bespoke browser plugin to deliver the goods — meaning that the iPad and iPhone are largely left out of the fun.

Given the demand, it’s clear why the Adobe Connect iPhone client and WebEx player for iPad deliver meeting attendance options for iDevices; who wouldn’t want to attend a web meeting from the beach? Still, if you want to host a meeting from your iPad and show off the content stored there or in the cloud, there hasn’t been a solid option [Commenters noted Mighty Meeting, which includes straightforward PPT sharing from the iPad to remote or local displays]. Now, with the introduction of Fuze Meeting HD for the iPad, there is a new contender.

Callwave’s new & free iPad client for Fuze, released today, gives you access to your Fuze Meeting account on the go. Want to host a meeting? Three taps and you’re rolling, including any PPT or Keynote presentations on your device, photos, videos and more. You can include local content or tightly-synchronized media playback from files stored in your Fuze account, including HD media. Pinch to zoom in, point to show a ‘laser pointer’ indicator — just like being there.

Read on for the video demo & more features.

TUAWFirst look: Fuze Meeting extends remote presentation mojo to iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Phases is one of those apps that has a lot of information you wouldn’t really think of or need — until you actually have an app available to give it to you. Basically, Phases tells you everything you need to know about the moon, from when it wanes and waxes, rises and sets, and when and where it appears in the sky. Sure, it might not be the most pressing information to have, but it’s kind of fun to check and see if it really is a full moon out, or find out just when the moon will be up in the evening.

And you don’t even need an Internet connection — the app has a database of over 20,000 cities, so even if you can’t hook up to the ‘net, you can still get information from the app. It’s just 99 cents in the store right now, so if the clean design and surprising amount of data available in this one appeals to you, definitely give it a download.

TUAWTUAW’s Daily App: Phases originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon’s taken a leaf out of Apple’s advertising book (Mac vs PC, anyone?) by going head to head with the iPad maker in the most recent Kindle television ad. Most noticeably, the spot delivers a low blow to the iPad’s comparatively poor screen visibility in direct sunlight. As far as ads go it’s rather ingenious, taking some of the best tricks out of the old advertising, uh, book.

In short, a guy sunbathes in a gray t-shirt (geeky), but can’t quite read his “iPad” due to the sunlight. On the deck chair next to him lies a beautiful, bikini clad woman sunbathing while reading her Kindle with a pair of sunglasses on! The geeky guy asks the beautiful woman how she’s reading in the sunlight, she confidently responds by saying, “it’s a Kindle,” and points out that the Kindle cost less than her sunglasses did. The geeky guy is left the inadequate fool. Struggling to read further, he enviously looks over at the beautiful woman while she smirks and carries on reading her Kindle. As a guy, it’s pretty hard to watch that and not think, “I want that.” (I’m talking about the Kindle, aren’t you?)

Recently I had a conversation with a friend who has an iPhone and a MacBook Pro. He’s been in the market for an iPad for some time, but at the last minute he decided to go for the Kindle instead. A tad confused by his last minute change in direction, I asked him why. He noted to me that his iPhone does everything he needs it to do (web browsing, email, apps etc), so getting an iPad would only double up on what he’s already got. As for reading e-books, he continued, the Kindle is substantially cheaper and arguably easier to read.

I guess it’s horses for courses. I know I’d go for the iPad, but I have different needs / wants as to what my friend does.

Amazon’s new iteration of the Kindle was released earlier this month. Having seen the ad, and being that you’re likely a Mac fan since you’re reading this on TUAW, what would you go for? Let’s have our own little Kindle vs. iPad face-off poll.

View Poll

P.S. Check out the parody response to the ad in the continuation of this post. Worth a watch!

TUAWKindle ad goes on the offensive against the iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Covert is a new tweak available in Cydia that enables private browsing in iPhone and iPod Touch Safari. With Covert enabled, Mobile Safari won’t keep any history, cookies or any other private data. Covert is developed by Chpwn, the dev behind Proswitcher, Infiniboard and Infinidock.

How to enable Private Browsing in iPhone with Covert

• After installing the tweak, tap on the Tabs button at bottom-right in your Mobile Safari
• Then Tap the Private Browsing button
• This should activate the Private Browsing mode. UI of Safari will change to show that Covert is enabled.

Download Covert

You can download Covert for iPhone and iPod Touch from Cydia under BigBoss Repo for Free. It requires iOS 4.0.

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Also checkout:

• Safari Download Manager
• LockDown Pro – Password protect iOS apps
• FaceBreak – Enable FaceTime over 3G
• MyWi 4.0
• SwirlyMessage – Send MMS/SMS from iPad