Author: Blancer

The other day while I was attempting to clean up my office, I came across a bunch of old MiniDV tapes from various vacations that my wife and I had taken over the years. That got me thinking about the 8mm videotapes from the pre-MiniDV age, and the even older VHS vacation tapes from the Pleistocene Era. Since I have done a pretty good job of going to a paperless office, I figured it was about time to make my other media go digital as well.

I don’t necessarily want to edit the movies right now — at this point, all I want to do is get the raw video transferred to my iMac and then at some future date when I have the time (like 20 years from now), I’ll transform them into mini-documentaries. The big concern I had was getting the video into my Mac, and since I no longer shoot video with tapes, I needed something that would just get the job done with a minimum of fuss and cost.

A quick Amazon search brought up a device from MyGica (yeah, I’ve never heard of them, either) called the Geniatech iGrabber (US$34.99 at Amazon). It had surprisingly good reviews compared to more expensive devices like the Elgato Video Capture Device ($74.99 at Amazon). I found several other adapters that were even cheaper, but they either had poor reviews or weren’t listed as being Mac-compatible. Here’s a quick review of the iGrabber, a fairly inexpensive and easy way to digitize old videos.

TUAWTUAW Review: iGrabber, a cheap way to digitize old videos originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s iAd service is a relative newcomer to the mobile ads industry, which is probably why it’s completely falling apart. No, sorry Carol, we’re kidding — Apple’s service is doing extremely well, and is already threatening established mobile advertising services like Google and Yahoo!. IDC claims that Apple will end the year with 21 percent of the market, which means that in less than a year’s time, the company will have picked up almost a quarter of a rapidly growing and expanding industry. Google’s share is dropping, and that’s in addition to the AdMob purchase it made a while back as well. That is a phenomenal start for the iAd platform.

And in fact, IDC is convinced that Apple’s gigantic entry into the ads market has actually buoyed all ships — even smaller advertisers like JumpTap and Millenial Media are growing, and even they cite Apple’s entry into the industry as a marker for their popularity. Other cellphone and mobile platform creators are looking into their own advertising as well now, when before they would have just depended on a third-party service to run things for them.

And yet despite the incredible growth, Steve Jobs is probably disappointed — he said earlier this year that he wanted Apple to oversee half of all mobile advertising by the time 2011 started. That’s unlikely to happen, but still, a quarter of a market that Apple entered less than a year ago is nothing to sniff at at all.

TUAWApple taking mobile ad share from Google, Yahoo, should have 21% by year end originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Two highly-anticipated iPad app releases have finally hit the App Store, and they’re both magazines: The New Yorker and Gourmet Live.

The New Yorker (free for the app, US$4.99 per issue) joins Gourmet Live as the latest magazine apps from publisher Condé Nast. The navigation is simple: Tap anywhere on the screen to bring up the controls. You can quickly move between sections and articles with the scrubber or table of contents. For more leisurely reading, swipe between pages.

One unique feature is how the magazine’s famous cartoons are handled. Tap anyone to bring up a scrollable cartoon gallery. Plus, you can enter the regular caption contest right from within the app. It looks great and we’re eager to try it out.

Meanwhile, ill-fated Gourmet Magazine has been reborn as the iPad app Gourmet Live (the current issue is free; there’s no word of future pricing). As John Gruber points out, Gourmet is now in the unique position of existing as an iPad app only. Its content is organized by topic and theme, and features recipes, slideshows, video and a lot more.

For now, there’s no subscription option for either, but rumors suggest that could change soon. WIRED has come down in price since its introduction, but it remains to be seen if customers will embrace the per-issue pricing model. Other Condé Nast properties have transitioned to the iPad well, like WIRED, Epicurious and GQ.

Finally, Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola have produced a hilarious short film introducing The New Yorker’s app. Check it out on the next page (Flash, sorry).

TUAWNew Yorker, Gourmet iPad apps debut originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I saw the new iPad nano for the first time this weekend, and though I knew it was small, of course, I was surprised by just how small it was. Despite the tiny little touchscreen, it really is about the size of the old shuffle. Small enough, in fact, to fit inside one of the old Visual Memory Units from the Sega Dreamcast. Unfortunately, the original controls don’t work, and because the nano doesn’t actually run any apps, you can’t play anything even resembling the old VMU games that the extra controller units used to play in conjunction with the old console. But it is a nice little case for the new nano, and of course it’s just dripping with nostalgia.

You can find more information and pictures on the maker’s website, which is in Japanese. Don’t be fooled by the Sega or Sonic pictures, either — that’s the just the nano’s photos app showing off. Very cool, though — I look forward to seeing even more places to install the nano’s tiny little touchscreen.

TUAWiPod nano built into Dreamcast VMU originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s advertising for the FaceTime video chat feature on the iPhone 4 is emotional and effective, and now the ads are making it to the European market. All of the ads are backed with the universally-known voice of Louis Armstrong singing “When You’re Smiling,” and there is no audible dialog, so these ads can be used in just about any European market. So far, they’ve made it to the U.K., Italy, and Spain.

The ads are sponsored by carriers 3Italia, Vodafone, and Orange. Click the Read More link to view the videos.

[via Macstories.net]

TUAWFound Footage: A look at European FaceTime ads originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s a bit of news that’s no shock to us. According to the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, Apple receives more coverage from the press than any other tech company.

The research center recently concluded a year-long study which found that a full 15.1 percent of all tech articles were about Apple. Google commanded 11.4 percent of articles while 3 percent were primarily about Microsoft. The study used data from 52 newspapers, broadcast and Web sites from June 2009 through June 2010.

What’s powering Apple’s popularity? Its computers represent only a fraction of those in use. However, the iPhone and the iPod’s meteoric rise to stardom, and infiltration of popular culture, has caught the attention of journalists across the globe.

But there’s more to it than that. Amy S. Mitchell, the deputy director of the Project, notes the hype that precedes a new release, as well as Apple’s “very public way of releasing products,” is powerful. As I said on a recent podcast, even the local news station in my little Podunk town covered the recent iPod updates.

As I said, telling us that Apple gets a lot of press coverage is like telling bees that honey is popular. But anecdotal evidence is one thing; empirical research is another.

TUAWApple is the most-covered tech company originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the addition of the Safari Extensions Gallery to Apple’s website, TUAW will be highlighting extensions that we think are special, useful, or just plain fun.

gleeBox will certainly delight keyboard jockeys, as it replaces many browser-based tasks you’d typically complete by mousing around with super-easy hotkey commands. For example, you can call on URLs by hitting the proper command and typing the name of the URL in the resulting overlay. In fact, it’ll recognize what you’re typing so you needn’t type the whole thing.

gleeBox also executes bookmarklets in the same way, so you can add a long article to Instapaper, for example, without ever touching the mouse.

It’s not for everyone, but those who like keeping their hands on the keyboard at all times should find it useful.

TUAWSafari Extension highlight: gleeBox originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How many times have you thought, “It’s a beautiful day. If only I could capture it using my iPod and my head?” If you’re anything like us, the answer is hundreds of times. Now, our yearning has come to fruition thanks to Rampant View.

The Rampant View Headcam now accommodates the 5th generation iPod nano. Just pop the nano inside, adjust it for your head (or helmet if you’re safety conscious) and start shooting. It looks like a super way to enhance your skate videos. It doesn’t look waterproof, so forget the rad kayaking videos, but there are many other fun and hands-free applications we could think of.

The Rampant View costs US$34.95 and is shipping now. There’s another demo video on the next page; click Read More to view it.

[Via Engadget]

TUAWLook Ma! No hands! The Rampant View iPod nano headcam originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wow.

No sooner had we published the post about Apple TVs being queued for shipping than our TUAW mailboxes were filled with a steady stream of shipping notices.

The new Apple TVs are now being shipped from Shenzhen, China to a variety of destinations, and most people are seeing either Thursday, September 30 or Friday, October 1 as the delivery date.

I’m as giddy as a schoolgirl about the shipment – a middle-aged, slightly overweight schoolgirl with a beard, but you get the idea.

Thanks to the many tipsters who let us know about the packages that shipped while we were sleeping.

TUAWApple TVs are on the way from Shenzhen originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Business Insider is reporting that Apple and Google have extended the deal that brought Google search to the iOS. In a recent interview with Charlie Rose, Google CEO Eric Schmidt mentioned that his company’s arrangement with Apple has been “recently extended.”

TUAWApple, Google extend deal for iOS originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We received a lot of tips today from people who ordered the new $99 Apple TV on September 1st and have, like me, been anxiously checking the order status in the online Apple Store. As of today, many orders are showing the message you see above — that the device has been “prepared for shipment” sometime in September.

Well, today is September 27th, which doesn’t leave all that much time for Apple or the OEM to ship these devices. My guess is that the 747 freighters are lining up on the tarmac in Shanghai or Hong Kong, waiting to be loaded with the first half-million or so Apple TVs.

Fellow TUAW blogger Mike Rose and I both ordered our Apple TVs shortly after the announcement on September 1st, so whoever gets the first one will probably take dibs on doing a full review of the new iOS-powered streaming video box. Be sure to visit TUAW regularly this week for all of your Apple TV news.

Thanks to all of the TUAW readers who wrote in to tell us that you saw the “prepared for shipment” status.

TUAWNew Apple TVs prepared for shipment originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ll be honest — I heard that Aftermath was a zombie game and almost gave up on it. I wouldn’t be offended if you did the same, since lots of developers (especially iPhone developers) are depending a little too much on zombies for their gameplay. Yes, it’s fun to fight the walking undead, but they’re used over and over again because a) they’re easy to program, and b) they let you make a “shooting humans” game without getting involved in the whole morality thing.

But Aftermath is still worth a look. While a lot of zombie games on the store go abstract or silly, this one sticks pretty close to realistic, and it has some serious quality and interesting gameplay behind it. You’re fighting zombies and moving through levels, but instead of aiming and shooting a gun, you’re actually aiming a flashlight, and your gun automatically fires for you. The projected light makes the whole affair very atmospheric; the game’s just dark enough that it actually feels a little spooky trying to navigate the shuffling brain-eaters to your next objective.

Particularly if you’re a fan of Left 4 Dead or that ilk, Aftermath is probably worth a look — it’s US$1.99 on the App Store right now. And please, developers, unless they’re as inventive and well-done as this one, let’s keep the zombie games to a minimum. Maybe we could fight werewolves instead? Or angry robots?

TUAWTUAW’s Daily App: Aftermath originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dev-Team has published a video demo of iPod Touch 4G Jailbreak with Shatter Based PwnageTool, means iOS 4.1 jailbreak release is imminent. MuscleNerd used the Shattered exploit in PwnageTool beta and has successfully jailbreak iPod Touch 4G. Video demo after the jump…

For those who don’t know, PwnageTool creates custom firmware to jailbreak iPod Touch and iPhone. PwnageTool is the best option for iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G users who want to update firmware while preserving the baseband so that user may unlock iPhone using UltraSn0w unlock.

Cydia, customized preferences, root access, and all basic stuff is working fine on jailbroken iPod Touch 4G with SHAtter based PwnageTool. Dev-Team confirms that there’ll be faster tools for iPhone and iPod Touches (Greenpois0n?), however, PwnageTool will be beneficial for iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G users. All these jailbreak will be based on a low level SHAtter exploit, found by ipod2g. When we talk about low-level exploit, it means Apple cannot fix it via firmware update. A new hardware revision will be required to patch the exploit.

Although PwnageTool was a useful first test of a full iPod 4G jailbreak via SHAtter, it’s really overkill compared to the faster tools being developed. Its main use in PwnageTool will be for those with iPhone4’s, to allow updates while preserving the baseband and ultrasn0w carrier unlock.

SHAtter based PwnageTool for iPod Touch 4G is not available to general public. Just like you guys, we’re eagerly waiting for the iOS 4.1 jailbreak to come out but there’s no ETA for the jailbreak tool. Hackers are working day and night to bring us the iOS 4.1 jailbreak and hopefully Greenpois0n and PwnageTool to jailbreak iOS 4.1 on iPhone 4G, 3GS, 3G and iPod Touch 4G, 3G and 2G will be out in a couple of weeks.

We’ll keep you posted as soon as the Greenpois0n / PwnageTool / any other legit jailbreak tool is out. Stay Tuned!

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A question that has been asked on the forum was about multi-player games running over the internet. Now, apple has built Game Kit that allows you to develop networked games that operator over bluetooth or wifi. iOS being based on Mac OS X contains the Unix networking library so that means that there are many different networking libraries available.

Previously I mentioned turn based multiplayer with OpenFeint. What I’m talking about in this article is networking real-time games.

There are three libraries I know of that have been used for just this purpose:

1. Enet – Enet is a very basic networking library that provides ordering for UDP packets. It has been around for quite some time. If you’re just looking for a bare bones networking experience, and want to code the lobby, server, security… yourself. I’ve used Enet and it served it’s purpose well. There is no support beyond basic instructions so you will have to work your way through it. MIT licensed so you can use it for free in your apps.

2. Raknet – Raknet is a complete solution, and provides extensive support through their community. There are sample lobbies, and servers. Raknet has multiple secure protocols, and really is the complete solution for this stuff. I haven’t done much with this, but it is recommended all over the place. You’ve probably seen the Raknet logo fly by if you play commercial multiplayer titles. The catch is that there is a price if your gross revenue is less than 50k.

3. HawkNL – This is another solution like Enet that has been around for quite some time. I have zero experience with it, and have no idea as to what it takes to get running on the iPhone although I have seen developers say they used it within their iPhone games. It runs on Mac OS X systems although from the looks of it that could take some considerable tweaking to run on iPhone. It provides more options than Enet and looks somewhat higher level. LGPL licensed.

Conclusion

Overall I’d say if you want a complete solution go with Raknet and aren’t worried about the costs. Enet is the choice if you are just looking to implement basic multiplayer and want something completely free. I’d love to hear about other solutions for multiplayer games either here or on the forum thread.

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©2010 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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Another week has passed in the world of iOS development, and this week I decided to re-open the ManiacDev.Com iPhone and iPad development forum.  I have not officially launched the forums as of yet, but feel free to go there and post any iOS development related questions or resources.  I occasionally get e-mails about where the original forum went (which is kind of surprising since it was almost a year and a half since it’s they’ve been gone!) so I decided to bring it back..  I had to take it off due to server issues, but that is no longer a problem.

One of the big topics in the past week has been about iAd revenue.  While the revenues are still terrific some developers are starting to see smaller fill rates, and are looking for ways to supplement their revenue.  Not surprisingly the most popular article this week was about a great tutorial on how to implement in-app purchases.

Here’s the most popular resources from the last week:

Tutorial: In App Purchase Implementation And Testing – A nice and straightforward tutorial covering how to code in app purchases, and test them out with your iTunes connect account.

Code Snippet: Log Meaningful Information About (Nearly) Any Type In Objective-C – This is a quick article about a brilliant macro for anyone coding in Objective-C.

3 Interesting Little Known iOS Game Engines – An article covering 3 more iOS game engines, including one that uses the BASIC language, and a drag and drop open source engine.

Tutorial: Share App Data Through E-mail Attachments – Great tutorial about how to create date files and send them as e-mail attachments, and how to use the data in your apps.

Tutorials: Swipe Reading, Orientation Support, And Image Slideshows In iPad Web Apps – An interesting set of tutorials and tips for iPad developers and users.

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