Category: I-phone

I love my new iPad and it appears that I am not alone. A March 22-28 Changewave survey of 200 new iPad owners shows that 98 percent are satisfied with their device and zero percent is very dissatisfied. Most users (82 percent) are very happy with their tablet and only a small percentage (two percent) are somewhat unsatisfied. Not surprisingly, the feature most people (75 percent) like about the new iPad is the retina display.

[Via The Loop]

ChangeWave: 98% of iPad owners satisfied with device originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In an effort to entice developers to use its iAd service, Apple recently announced that developers will now get a 70 percent cut of iAd revenue, says a report in AppleInsider. This is a ten percent increase from the previous terms which offered 60 percent. These new terms were included in a recent statement on Apple’s developer center.

Apple to increase developer iAd revenue to 70% originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPhone has an iconic look, but not everyone is content with the standard black and white casing. A report in the New York Times details how a growing number of people are risking their warranty by modding their phones. It’s not just individuals working alone in their garage, but a new set of companies whose primary business is to help you tweak your phone’s appearance

There’s Zeetron which offers an iGlow modification that’ll light up the Apple logo when you are using your phone and Material6 which sells kits to replace the back of your iPhone with a rustic, wooden casing.

It’s the predictability of the iPhone that’s allowed these cottage companies to flourish. Unlike Android phones which come in a variety of sizes and shapes, the iPhone’s dimensions have remained relatively consistent. Of course, there was a big jump from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4, but among five models that was the biggest deviation from a consistent product design.

Dressing up the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With all the talk of battery life of iPhones and iPads it’s easy to forget that your laptop battery needs some attention every so often.

My laptop battery is pretty old, and it doesn’t last as long as it used to. No surprise there, but I’d like to easily quantify its condition. That’s where a free app in the Mac app store comes in called Battery Health. This little utility will reveal your current charge level, the capacity of your battery (it loses capacity as it ages), the number of times it has been charged and more.

You can get some of this information from a System Report when you select About this Mac from under the Apple Menu, but I like this utility better. There are some other free utilities that get you the same information, and some paid ones, but Battery Health does the trick for me.

If you are wondering about the state of your battery, and you should, give Battery Health a try. Some posters note that the app appears to be derived from another free open source app, CoconutBattery, and they do have some similar features. Download them both and put each to your personal tests.

If you check the gallery you can see the info the app gives you.

Daily Mac app: Battery Health monitors your Mac’s battery originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ListBook is yet another to-do app with an engaging interface that is easy to use. Of course it exists in a sea of GTD (Getting Things Done) apps, but I think it is staying above water. The app is US $1.99.

ListBook is universal, supports notifications, and allows you to send your lists via email, but the list is not converted to text. The receiver must have ListBook too. That’s a bit nasty.

Items can be tagged with colors, names, or descriptive icons. There is no limit to the number of lists, and you can easily swipe left and right to change lists, or even delete items. It’s all very intuitive. Any items that aren’t completed show up as a badge on the icon, alerting you that you have items yet to do.

The latest version claims the iPad and iPhone version can sync, but for the life of me I can’t figure out a way to do that and nothing on the developer website that I can find explains it. I’ve contacted the developers, but no answers yet. (Update- the developers have now added a page to describe how you can set up the sync function.)

I started using the app right away, so it really doesn’t require instructions. I like the app enough to use it for my various listing tasks, something I haven’t used an app for in the past. I fault it for the confusion about syncing and inability to mail your list to anyone but another ListBook user.

You can see some screen shots below.

Daily iPhone app: ListBook originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So far developers have earned 70% of the revenue from application downloads from the App Store and 60% from iAd revenue, however yesterday Apple revealed on its Developer Center that developers will now be earning an extra 10% from iAd revenue, boosting it to 70% in total.

The full changes in the updated developers agreement state

(a) Apple Campaigns. Developer shall receive seventy percent (70%) of the Net Advertising Revenue derived from the sale of advertising on the Developer’s Mobile Properties (“Developer Revenue Share”) net of any applicable taxes as provided in Section 6 of this Agreement. The Developer Revenue Share percentage may be adjusted from time to time at Apple’s sole discretion. Notice of material changes to the Revenue Share percentage will be posted on the Company Portal. “Net Advertising Revenue” is defined as gross advertising revenue recognized through the delivery of ads by Apple less: a) any allowances actually made or taken for returns, credits, cash discounts and promotional allowances; and, b) Agency and agent fees, discounts, commissions and referral fees.

Why Apple has decided to make these changes is unclear, however many bloggers are guessing it could be due to the fact that Apple isn’t pleased enough with the adoption of iAds, furthermore Apple lowered the buy-in for advertisers looking to get into the service a few months ago to $100k from $500k and $1,000,000. Recently Apple removed the per-click fees from ads, now relying on impressions alone, according to the original report.

Developers, are you using the iAd platform inside of your apps?

Welcome to another edition of the best resources in iOS development featuring the resources featured on this site in the past week in order of popularity.

This weeks top features include a terrific component you can drop into your iOS apps providing terrific photo editing features, a guide showing you can use a finite state machine compiler for creating AI controlled game characters, and a very useful plugin for Phonegap developers allowing you to utilize the native iOS user interface.

Here are the resources:

Free Library Providing A Beautiful Full Featured Drop In Photo Editor For Your iOS Apps – A very elegant library you can quickly add into your apps providing advanced photo editing features.

Tutorial: How To Easily Create A Cocos2D AI Controlled Actors With A Finite State Machine Compiler – A detailed guide on how you can use a finite state machine compiler to quickly create Cocos2D character AI.

Open Source: Cordova (Phonegap) Plugin Enabling True Native iOS User Interfaces – A great plugin for anyone wanting to utilize native iOS interfaces in Phonegap.

Tutorial:How To Use OpenGL ES 2.0 Shaders With Cocos2D v2 To Make Cool Effects – A tutorial demonstrating how to take advantage of OpenGL ES shaders in the new version of Cocos2D.

Open Source: Framework For Easily Building Adding A Web Based Backend To iOS Objective-C Apps – A framework allowing you to create a backend for your apps with object/data saving and querying functionality.

Open Source: Compiler Stubs Enabling Weak References With ARC On Pre-iOS 5 Devices – Compiler stubs allowing you to use weak references on older iOS versions.

Open Source: Library Providing An Easier Annotated, Interactive MKMapView Implementation – A custom map view you can drop into your apps quickly great for when you need  basic map with annotations.

Open Source:NSNotification And KVO Objective-C Categories For Automatic Observer Removal – Very useful categories that remove the need to remove observers in your dealloc method.

Open Source: Javascript Library For Easily Handing Multi-Touch Gestures (Taps, Drags, And Transforms) – A very useful javascript library that provides an easy way to add multi-touch interaction into your web pages.

If you’d like to suggest a resource to feature on the website please submit it here.

Thanks for reading, please bookmark and share this post.

©2012 iPhone, iOS 5, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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When it comes to discussing the next big thing, we turn to our secret weapon: the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let you have your go at it. Today’s topic is Siri.

Launched last Autumn, Siri has yet to offer any really major enhancements beyond a few extra quips here and there. What is Apple holding back on? What kinds of features do you want to see in the next big Siri iteration? Do you think we’ll be seeing better ties into sports scores? Or integration with top news feeds?

You tell us. Place your vote in this poll and then join in the comments with all your analysis.

View Poll

You’re the Pundit: Will a Siri update introduce frequent user reward points? originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We meet again, Sunday. At least this one has been mildly entertaining in some respects (for example, the trimumphant return of the Apple Store Playset to ThinkGeek’s front page and TUAW’s honoring of Betteridge’s Law for the day).

While fun, it is not a joke that we’ll be firing up the Talkcast starting at 7PM Pacific time, 10pm Eastern. We’ll discuss App Stores for Mac OS and iOS; specifically the high points and low points of each. We’ll also spend a bit of time on the Fair Labor Association report released this week.

As usual, Kelly’s hosting the show means there will be aftershow. Unlike the cake, the aftershow is NOT a lie. (Sometimes the aftershow has cake discussion as well, but that’s another story.)

Since it’s really all about you, the community, join me won’t you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 — during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8.

If you’ve got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free X-Lite or other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice), basic instructions are here. (If you prefer Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!

Will TUAW skip its Talkcast tonight? originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pad & Quill makes amazingly cool book-like cases for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and other devices like the Kindle and Nook. Today they announced their latest product — the Littlest Black Book for iPod nano.

The case uses Pad & Quill’s wonderful bookbinding and woodworking skills to their fullest extent, creating a leather-bound case that cradles the tiny iPod nano in the cutest case EVAH! Lest you think this is some sort of silly April Fools joke, you can actually back the project on Kickstarter to get this little guy into production.

Check out the video below and then show your support out on Kickstarter. And by the way, Mr. & Mrs. PQ are giving TUAW readers a 10 percent discount on the bonded leather Octavo (US$69.99) and Contega ($99.99) cases for the new iPad (third-generation) — just use the coupon code TUW31 when you’re checking out to get a heck of a deal on a beautiful iPad case.

Is Pad & Quill’s new case for the iPod nano cute or what? originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW readers — you saw it here first! We received a video from an anonymous reader who claims to work at Apple. This tipster told us that he was “tired of the deception, the secrecy and the despair in our labs.” He went on to say that “TUAW is my favorite Apple blog, and I decided that it was your team that needed to see this video of the iPhone 5 first. I apologize for the poor quality of the video — we are forced to leave our own iPhones outside the lab, so I built a small video camera from off-the-shelf parts and used it to shoot the video.”

The results of his undercover work are so incredible that it had all of us at TUAW in shock. Could this be the iPhone 5? Will it really have these amazing features? Are we asking too many questions? Note that this is all we could show you — to see the unedited version, click here or click the source link below the video.

Continue reading Exclusive video: Is this the iPhone 5?

Exclusive video: Is this the iPhone 5? originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Where do they get those wonderful toys? Yes, the mad geniuses at ThinkGeek once again are offering a slate of new products scheduled to go on sale today.

If you’re an iPad owner, there are some great choices here; the Hungry Hungry Hippos iPad game shown above looks fun, and the Barbie digital fashion styling iPad/head set is very innovative.

It’s not clear when some of these products will ship, so would-be buyers should be patient (although the Inflatable Captain’s Chair seems to be ready to go right now). Back in 2009, the Tauntaun Sleeping Bag was one of the site’s most popular 4/1 product introductions; it took months to actually start shipping to customers.

Can ThinkGeek’s April product introductions get any geekier? originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s bad enough that the new iPad causes people to burn their hands, threatens to destroy its own battery in a shower of hot lithium if you leave it plugged in overnight, makes images on the web look terrible, and consumes all of your data faster than you can say “not compatible with Australia’s 4G network.” Those are all serious issues that every potential iPad owner must face, but it gets worse. According to research from proctologist Dr. Rodrigo Fulano, announced today, using the iPad may cause you to develop hemorrhoids.

“We’ve known for a while that sitting on a Western-style ‘throne’ toilet for excessive lengths of time can lead to hemorrhoids,” Dr. Fulano says. “But iPad usage accelerates the process. People will sit there as if in a trance, sometimes for as long as half an hour, playing Angry Birds or reading news articles rather than [performing actions appropriate to the setting]. All the while they’re putting incredible strain on veins and arteries that, once inflamed, develop into hemorrhoids.”

Dr. Fulano hasn’t just pulled this supposition out of thin air. His research shows a correlation between the introduction of the original iPad and an explosion in the number of patients suffering from hemorrhoids. He predicts the problem will only get worse with the newest iPad. “Now that the iPad’s display renders text that looks like it’s printed on paper, it means people are going to spend a lot more time reading in the bathroom. Also, the fact that this new iPad is so much heavier than the old one means additional strain on [relevant anatomical areas]. Those two factors put together lead directly to a rise in the incidence of hemorrhoids.”

Inspired by his research, a class action lawsuit has formed demanding compensation for medical bills and “pain and suffering” incurred as a result of excessive iPad use while in the restroom. “Apple knowingly provided its customers with a product that can directly lead to health issues through excessive use,” the suit alleges. “Apple does not warn its users of the consequences of excessive iPad use under certain circumstances, and it should therefore provide compensation to those affected.”

Dr. Fulano has recommendations for how Apple can immediately address “Arsegate.” “Apple should give users the option to erect a ‘geo-fence’ around their bathrooms and issue regular warnings at five minute intervals to prevent excessive iPad usage in that area. It’s a bit ribald, but the old folk wisdom is quite true in this case: people really do need to either [go] or get off the pot.”

Until or unless Apple addresses the problem with a software update, you can easily avoid the consequences of Arsegate by simply leaving the iPad behind when you go to the loo. Although admittedly it can be quite relaxing to have a nice sit n’ read first thing in the morning, the consequences can be dire; over time, the iPad can quite literally become a pain in the arse.

Apple has yet to comment on the issue.

Arsegate: Does using the iPad cause hemorrhoids? originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 10:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking at mobile trends we’ve all heard about check-in services like Foursquare and Gowalla. These apps rose in popularity because they offered great features and were enticing to new users with badges and profiles. A new brand app Localmind follows in a similar pattern in building a global Q&A type social network.

With Localmind you can connect with people in your area and help to answer the question “What’s going on?” Residents have the ability to send out questions and others living in the same area can pick them up and offer solutions in real-time. It’s a new way of thinking about information sharing with an emphasis on local current events — not to mention the app looks beautiful and showcases a brilliant example of iPhone UI design.

Getting Started

Before you can use Localmind you’ll need to sign up for an account. The service requires that you connect through OAuth with another third-party service. This is the simplest solution for new social networks to gain traction quickly — users don’t want to keep creating new profiles and repetitively enter passwords for each new account.

From their web address signup page you can connect through Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook, Twitter or Google. Unfortunately, Gowalla has recently shut down so that option is no longer usable, but tapping any of the other solutions will redirect you to the connect screen for the app where you need to confirm your connection with Localmind.

If everything goes smoothly the app will send you off to their main screen where it should pinpoint your location on the map. Initially, Localmind will offer small guides along the way to introduce how each part of the application will work.

Asking Great Questions

The very first view you encounter is “Live Experts.” This will display any experts in the area who have successfully answered questions from many different users. This is the process by which you build up your account and slowly accrue karma points. These points are displayed openly on your profile along with the number of people you’ve helped and your total percentage of questions which have been answered.

Since the app is still so young, you may have trouble finding any experts in your area. Some larger cities will likely have more due to the population size, but suburbs and smaller towns will need to build up a userbase.

Tapping on the “List” button in the top right corner will switch from the default map view. The lists screen displays all the local properties and areas where you can check-in. Most of this data has been pulled from Foursquare and Gowalla, and also Facebook Places may be part of the mix. As you tap on an area this opens up a new screen where you can get more information and ask a question yourself.

Tapping on the “Ask Question” button brings up a new panel where you can select from a number of preset ideas. I added a few of the most popular ones below, but note that you can also write your own question which is much more viable.

• Is it busy?
• Can you take a photo?
• Is it fun?
• What’s good?
• Anything special going on?

Becoming an Expert

It takes quite a bit of points to earn yourself credibility in Localmind. You have to help out in many different areas of travel. Of course, it can be difficult if you live in a quiet part of the world.

Get some of your friends and family on board to start checking in and asking questions with Localmind. It’s got to be the best way to learn about what’s happening right now at any place in real time. And you can be part of this experience even just by asking related questions and preparing some helpful answers if needed.

In the bottom tab bar select “My Activity” which will open up a simple view with two switch buttons. The Sent and Received areas will keep an archive of all the questions you’ve sent out and personally received. Even questions asked weeks or months ago can still be answered if nobody else has gotten to them.

Including Extra Data

As you are questing to help others in Localmind you’ll frequently find yourself looking through the many different options. The question view is really simple to work with and includes extra functionality to help people in the future.

If you have a photo of the place in question you can upload this directly via Localmind. Additionally, you can “like” a question without actually answering it. This gives the original asker a much higher chance of receiving a quality answer. Plus, you can always connect more than one account to your profile for tighter networking.

In this scenario it’s very easy to share questions via Twitter or Facebook. You can kill two birds with one stone by helping to recruit other users and bringing attention to the question which will hopefully garner a useful response.

If you are getting the same questions repeatedly or blatantly finding spam don’t be afraid to report them. On the questions view simply tap the “Flag” button in the top-right corner to have the site admins take care of it.

Your Profile

The last tab in the series opens up your profile view. The Localmind team has done a brilliant job with the user interface elements. Your avatar photo is originally pulled from the network you connect with. To edit this, just tap on your photo and then use the “Change” button in the top corner to upload a new picture.

Additionally in your settings you can connect with more services and edit your account privacy notifications. The localmind profile page has icons for Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare profiles so that other users can easily find you around the web. You can also invite your friends directly from these networks to join Localmind and connect with their account (via web or mobile).

What I really like is Localmind’s adoption of user game mechanics. The app has a leaderboard where all your connections are listed based on karma rank. You can also find out your areas of expertise which appear as you answer more questions for specific locations and categories(Food, Nightlife, Parks).

Conclusion

I am always on top of new social networking trends and love to test out the latest app ideas. Mobile has blown up, and Localmind is just one example of very trendy product development. The idea is solid, but unfortunately, their network is still very small. Try it out for yourself and see if you can get any friends on board to help answer questions from all around your area!

One of the most difficult parts about learning a new foreign language is, I find, getting to grips with the tonne of new vocabulary you have to learn, especially if the language bears little or no resemblance to your mother tongue. This is certainly the case with Russian, where most words are completely different to those in English. Were I living on my own, I would attach stickers onto everything to help me remember, but seeing as my flatmate would probably take a dim view on this, I was on the hunt for another solution.

It was then that Language Coach on the App Store caught my eye. Made by the German software developer and publisher Jourist Verlag GmbH, it is an app for both the iPhone and iPad which features 29 different foreign languages and helps make those boring vocabulary drills a tad more interesting. The most convenient thing about it is that you can do it almost everywhere no matter where you are — on the bus, in bed or just sat back on the sofa, and the app supports multiple languages, so you can learn as many (or as few) as you want.

Let’s take a look at Language Coach in a bit more detail.

First Thoughts

As a student of German, Swedish and Russian, I know that getting to grips with a new foreign language is by no means an easy task. Mention learning languages to anyone and the first thing that flits through their mind is constant grammar drills, vocabulary lists and pronunciation exercises, whereby you have to repeat the same word a thousand times until your sanity is almost at breaking point.

Enter Language Coach. The app supports 29 world languages including French, German, Spanish and Chinese and the good thing about the iPhone app (in comparison to the Android version) is that you can learn as many languages as you want, unlike in the Android version where you have to purchase additional languages at extra cost. Each foreign language contains around 2,100 words, all of which are articulated by a native speaker.

Language Coach is great no matter what your language learning goal is. The app has a good variety of different exercises (there are nine in total) to help you learn whatever your needs — whether it’s simply brushing up on that forgotten schoolboy French or whether you’re learning a whole new language.

Principle

Language Coach works off the flashcard principle, whereby you are made to constantly repeat words until they engrain themselves into your memory (this technique is utilised in other language learning software, such as Rosetta Stone). Each word and phrase in the app is also accompanied by a clip art image, which helps you remember the word a lot easier if twinned with a visual aid.

You can decide exactly what you want to learn and Language Coach divides all the words in its library into convenient categories, making it easier to track down those key words. For languages in non-Roman script (such as Chinese, Japanese, Russian and so on), the app also features a pronunciation guide which corresponds roughly to standard English pronunciation which helps you pick up a new alphabet or script a lot easier.

Exercises

Language Coach gives you the choice between nine different kinds of exercises to help build on your vocabulary knowledge and it has to be said that all are fantastic (and dare I say it, fun). You can guess the word displayed on the screen both with and without a visual aid, type out the phrase spoken (you have to get at least 80% of it right, though!), and more.

The app also features a pronunciation training section as well, which records your pronunciation of the phrase or word and compares it with that of the native speaker. The app however merely records the pitch of your voice in order to help you mimic the accent, not whether you are saying the word correctly or not.

Problems

Language Coach is a great utility to help you learn a foreign language, but don’t think that it’s the be-and-end all of language learning. It’s fantastic for helping you improve your vocabulary knowledge but if you are really serious about getting to grips with the language in question then it’s best to use additional material (especially if you want to get into the technicalities of grammar, which the app doesn’t explain — however, it does give the grammar of nouns for languages such as German). However, in comparison to other language apps on the store, it does work out a lot cheaper (at 37 cents a language), but if you’re not bothered about learning vocabulary in 29 different languages then this may be slightly wasted on you.

Be aware as well that the app is quite a space hogger — it clocks in at 734 MB (mainly due to the fact the the audio files are built into the program, meaning no Internet connection is required) — so if you’re got limited space on your iPhone this may be worth considering.

Final Thoughts

Language Coach is a great little utility that everyone who is learning a foreign language really should have on their iPhone. Even if you are just brushing up on some elementary language skills, the app can help no matter what your situation. Although primarily meant as a language learning tool, Language Coach can also double up as a phrase book (and features all the expressions and words that you would require) and it is a great little reference tool.

The interface is nicely laid out and there’s absolutely no element of clutter whatsoever. Even if you are just wanting to brush up on one language, $9.99 is a small price to pay for such a great tuition program and although there are cheaper options out there on the App Store, none of these will go into the level of depth that Language Coach does. So whether it’s Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hungarian or Vietnamese, Language Coach has pretty much got you covered.