Category: I-phone

AppleInsider, who first reported last week that the wait time for build-to-order iMacs with 2 TB hard drives had leaped to 5 to 7 weeks, came back today with another report saying those times have dropped to 2 to 4 weeks. If you’re looking to gift someone with a 2 TB iMac, you probably want to place the order today to hit the low end of the 2-week estimate.

The recent delay has been placed on flooding in Thailand, which affected both hard drive manufacturers and the companies that supply the parts. The shortage is expected to last until the summer of 2012.

Wait times for build-to-order iMacs improves originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s taken a little while, but Apple’s flagship music production software and music performance software have arrived on the Mac App Store, joining Apple’s other Mac App Store offerings like iWork, iLife and Final Cut Pro.

Logic Pro 9 and MainStage are now available for download from the Mac App Store at US$199.99 and $29.99 respectively. Apple has discontinued the boxed retail versions of Logic Studio and Logic Express (and apparently Sountrack Pro 3, which came bundled with Logic Studio).

Similar to Apple’s Final Cut Pro transition to the Mac App Store, this is a dramatic price cut for Logic Pro 9, which was previously bundled with MainStage, Soundtrack Pro 3, WaveBurner 1.6 and Compressor 3.5 as the boxed Logic Studio for $499.

Logic Pro 9 is available from the Mac App Store now as a 413 MB download. An additional 19 GB of optional content is available via in-app download.

[Via MacRumors]

Logic Pro and Main Stage land on the Mac App Store originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week, Erica and Victor shared a hack for transferring the URL of an open webpage from your computer to your iPhone via the intermediary of a QR code. It’s easy and quick, but as is often the case our astute commenters pointed to a slew of alternative solutions to tackle the same problem.

The suggestions were wide-ranging and clever. There’s Ansible, Handoff and MyPhoneDesktop; there’s NotesForLater, SendTab and SiteToPhone. All are worth checking out, and depending on how you like your content shared (in an app, in email, with or without push notifications, using a browser extension or via a bookmarklet) you’ll find a solid fit. But the one that specifically caught our eye — and had the most commenter recommendations — was the AirLink bookmarklet.

AirLink is dead simple to set up and use. Just visit the site to install; you’ll get a pair of bookmarklets, one for your desktop browser and one for your device. These bookmarks are ‘twinned’ to each other permanently, so at any time thereafter all you need to do is activate the bookmarklet (on either side) to send the active URL to your device or to your computer. On your iPhone, you can bookmark the URL or add it to the home screen for instant access. It’s free, it’s easy and it works great.

The AirLink bidirectional bookmarklet is the work of the young German developer Phillip Schmitt. You can follow the ongoing development of AirLink on the tool’s Twitter feed.

Photo: Flickr CC via Cliff1066[TM]

Quickly share website addresses to your iPhone with AirLink originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the vast world of iPad accessories, there are few complete systems that provide a variety of ways to protect and mount your device. A new case system from Australia, The Wallee, comes with a set of sidekicks that make it one of the most versatile iPad accessories I’ve reviewed so far. Read on for a full look at this unique collection of items that work together to keep your iPad happily protected and mounted just about anywhere it goes.

Design

The system starts with the Wallee iPad Case (AUD$39.95 – about US$41 as of this writing), which is a white, black, or clear shell that snaps onto the back of your iPad or iPad 2. In the middle of this shell is a rounded X-shape that is the heart of the interchangeable accessories in the Wallee system. While it might seem like the price is a little high for the case, it does include free shipping to anywhere in the world.

The case is compatible with Apple’s Smart Cover, so between those two accessories your iPad 2 can be completely protected, back and front. Should you decide that you’d like more protection, there’s the Glove (AUD$29.95), a 100% wool felt (totally renewable) sleeve that keeps your lovely Apple product from scratches. It looks and feels nice, too.

If you prefer something that’s even more heavily padded, the Carry (AUD$39.95) is a memory foam-lined bag with a handle for carrying. It’s finished in a waterproof silk fiber for durability and good looks.

Now let’s start talking about the various stands and mounts. For those who would like to mount their iPad on a wall, the AUD$10 Wall Mount Disk is a minimalist ABS plastic and stainless steel solution. Use one screw to attach it to a wall, cabinet, or door, and then quickly mount the iPad in its Wallee case on that surface. Your device can be twisted between landscape and portrait orientation in moments, or removed for travel.

Have a VESA wall mount or arm that you’d like to attach the iPad to? There’s a Wallee accessory for that. The AUD$14.95 VESA adapter opens the iPad to use with any of the many VESA mounts on the market.

For propping up your iPad on a desk, Wallee offers two solutions. The first is a tiny brushed aluminum kickstand called (not surprisingly) the Kick (AUD$24.95). Using the standard Wallee X-mount, it snaps onto the back of the Wallee case to hold up the iPad in a variety of positions. The Kick is light and small enough to be portable.

A mount that offers a lot more capability is the iMac-styled Pivot (AUD$59.95). It truly looks like the arm that holds up the iMac, complete with a hole for power or USB cable. As with the other accessories, it’s adorned with the Wallee mount, and snapping your iPad onto the Pivot is a breeze.

The Wallee folks have three more accessories in the works that use the Wallee case: there’s the Headrest, a AUD$39.95 mount that uses aluminum fittings and that Wallee X-mount to secure the iPad to a headrest for back-row viewing of movies. The next is the Hand Strap (AUD$19.95), which brings the Wallee mount to a Velcro-adjustable strap for comfortable hand-carrying of your iPad.

The final accessory that is forthcoming is the Wallee Lock (AUS$89.95), which uses the Wall Mount Disk, Wallee Case, and a special enclosure to attach your iPad securely to a surface. This would be perfect for kiosk-type applications where you’d like to keep your iPad from walking off…

Functionality

For multiple uses of a single case design, there’s no equal to the Wallee products. The case took some real effort to install, but I finally got it to snap in on all four corners. That being said, the case didn’t stand up to repeated installations.

When I took off the case in order to take some photographs pre-and-post installation and tried to reinstall it, I had some issues getting it to snap on as it had the first time. While fiddling around with the white case, I managed to break the thin plastic piece between between the iPad 2 speaker opening and the front of the case. No problem, since Wallee had also sent a second case in black. I could never get that case to install onto the iPad, even when squeezing the corners with a death grip to try to get it to snap on.

This is a problem I’ve never had with the AViiQ Smart Case, which is a thin aluminum snap-on shell. I’ve removed and installed the AViiQ case literally hundreds of times, and it always stays put on the iPad 2.

What’s the difference? The AViiQ case is made to hold flush to the back of the iPad, while the Wallee case has a small spacer in the middle to accommodate the thickness of the X-mount. The AViiQ case is also made of a much more rigid material than plastic, so it seems to hold its dimensions a lot better.

As I could not get either Wallee Case to properly hold onto my iPad 2, all of the photographs accompanying this post are done without the iPad actually being attached. My advice? If you manage to get the Wallee Case installed on your iPad, don’t take it off…

The rest of the accessories are well-constructed. The Case is functional, yet attractive and thin. The Mount is a solid piece of hardware that I would have no problems installing on a kitchen wall. Both the Kick and the Pivot are solid brushed aluminum pieces that look as if they’ve come out of the design shop at Apple. I have no doubt that the Headrest, Hand Strap, and Wallee Lock are going to be equally well done.

Conclusion

The Wallee line of iPad accessories is a complete line of cases, mounts and stands for the iPad. My main concern is that the key component of the line — the Case — wasn’t easy to install, and that a thin piece near the iPad speaker actually broke under moderate pressure as I was attempting to install it.

I’m sure that if this is a concern for Wallee users other than myself, the company will work out the issues. I’m also happy to see that the company is working not only on future products, but also partnering with other companies like Tether Tools to make the Wallee X-mount work with photographic accessories.

The Wallee: A complete iPad stand, mount, and case solution originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The nominations are in, and the poll is ready to go! The TUAW Best of 2011 awards are all about you — the readers — and what you think is the cream of the crop of Apple or third-party products and software. To vote, select one entry from the top nominations made by readers. We’ll be announcing the winner in just a few days. Vote early and often!

Today TUAW is asking for your vote for the best Mac of 2011. The nominations included the 2011 version of the Mac mini, the 11″ and 13″ MacBook Air, the 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pro and the 27″ i7 iMac.

Only one of these Macs will win TUAW’s top honor for Mac hardware. Which device is the winner is all up to you.

View Poll

TUAW Best of 2011: Vote for the best Mac of the year originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Taiwan is ready to break sales records when it launches the iPhone 4S later this month. According to a Focus Taiwan report, iPhone 4S pre-orders have already reached an astounding 380,000 units. With eight more days left until the December 16 release date, this number will likely get larger.

A report at Want China Times claims the carriers were not prepared when pre-orders began earlier this month. Far Eastone’s website crashed under the load of customers trying to reserve their handsets, and even Chunghwa Telecom, which upped its capacity during the pre-order frenzy, couldn’t keep up with demand. Taiwan Mobile also went down, and its 2,500 free iPhone 4S cases sold out within hours.

The top 4S seller is wireless carrier Chunghwa Telecom, which accepted 210,000 pre-orders, well over the 150,000 orders the carrier expected. Coming in second and third are Far Eastone with 90,000 pre-orders and Taiwan Mobile with 80,000. All three carriers say they did not expect this high demand for Apple’s latest smartphone.

The iPhone 4S will launch in Taiwan on December 16. An unlocked iPhone 4S will start around NT$25,400 (US$842).

[via The Next Web]

Taiwan’s mobile operators see ‘unprecedented’ demand for iPhone 4S originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After iOS 5 availability, Pod2G, an ex-Chronic Dev-Team member had announced Untethered iOS 5 jailbreak. Now he’s back with a demo video which shows untetehred jailbreak for iOS 5 ans iOS 5.0.1…

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During the LeWeb conference in Paris Schmidt commented that he believes developers will abandon iOS for Android in less than 6 months, furthermore “he believes the high volume of Android shipments, which has given Google the largest share of worldwide smartphone sales, will win over developers.”

Since the introduction of the first smartphone and the App stores they brought with them, mobile users now have access to almost one million different applications, offering everything from social networking to addictive an hugely popular games such as Angry Birds.

When asked what he thought about the fact that most mobile applications are first released on Apple’s iOS App Store and then released on the Android platform, Schmidt stated that within 6 months Android 4.0 which, is known as Ice Cream Sandwich, will put Android on the map and gain the leading position for application developers.

While Schmidt might think that Android can overtake iOS, there is no denying the numbers, since the release of the App Store more than 600,000 apps have entered the store while a still respectable 320,000 applications have been released for the Android Market.

While Android does seem to be gaining in popularity, the fact that the App Store remains mostly free of malware, an issues which has been growing on the Android platform, added with the fact that developing apps for the iOS still seems to be more popular makes me believe that in 6 months developers will still be favoring Apple and iOS even if Android is gaining in popularity.

Check out some of the talks @ Le Web here.

Last week I posted about a library that enables you to easily create a menu similar to the pop out sharing menu within the Path 2 app.

Since that post I’ve received a number of submissions for different open source implementations of the Path 2.0 interface components, along with a number of postings analyzing the Path 2.0 interface.

Here is the best of them:

1. An analysis of when to use a menu like the Path 2 sharing menu – This article does a good job of stating when and when not to you would like to use that type of pop out menu — it definitely isn’t suitable everywhere.

2. A user experience critique of Path 2 – If you’re wondering what the fuss is about the Path 2 user interface, this article does a good explanation of differerent components within the app.

3. CSS 3 Implementation Of  Path 2 – For those looking to implement this in a web app or hybrid app rather than do it in Objective-C like the previously posted about library you can find the Github repository here.

4. How To Create An Info Panel Attached To A ScrollView – An iOS tutorial written in Objective-C showing how to attach an indicator when scrolling just like the progress indicator in the Path 2.0 app – you can test this web-based implementation in browser to see exactly what I’m talking about.

That’s it – there were quite a few more, but they all overlapped about what’s in the above articles and libraries.

It’s very interesting to see an application get this much coverage mainly because of it’s UI design.  You can check out the Path 2 app here.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 5, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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In the past I”ve mentioned some excellent tutorials on how to use Core Text to display great looking text such as this tutorial on formatting text magazine style using Core Text.

I’ve also mentioned some libraries in the past such like this library allowing you to split up your text into multiple columns easily using core text.

With this library you can customize the fonts and coloring, and then use html style tags to very quickly format your text.  Included is a demo project that you can follow to see exactly how this is done.

Here’s a screenshot showing a segment from the demo project:

The  library is FTCoreText from Fuerte International.  You can find the Github repository here.

A great library to spruce up a page of text quickly and easily.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 5, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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This library utilizes blocks, and provides Facebook SDK helper months.

The Facebook API and iOS SDK has evolved over time, and some of the projects and libraries that I’ve mentioned in the past no longer work without some tweaking.

This new up-to-date library allows you to easily perform key Facebook API functions such as logging in, getting a user’s friends, posting photos, post wall updates and more very easy.

The library makes use blocks for call backs which is key to making the syntax very clean and concise.

For example here’s the code required to set up a button for a Facebook login taken from the Github page:

As you can see the usage of blocks makes everything very clean.

The framework is from Lucas Correa and you can find it on Github here.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to implement basic Facebook functionality this is a great library to check out.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 5, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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In the past I have mentioned some great tutorials and libraries using Cocos2D classes to produce different  effects like this CCRenderTexture tutorial showing cool things you can do with sprite masking and this class for an easy Cocos2D lightning effect.

This latest effects example is really cool, showing you how to make an ultra-realistic water ripple effect just like in the different top-notch aquarium apps.

This example is from Birkenmose, a member of the Cocos2D forum.   They have posted a “RippleSprite” class which works very much like a CCSPrite and with just a few lines of code you can add this ripple effect to an image.

Birkenmose has also done an excellent job of explaining everything that is going on in the code with his comments which is of great help.

Here’s a video showing the code in action:

You can read the original thread on the Cocos2D forum here.

UPDATE: The original author has now added a demo project – you can find it here:
http://thebackfiregames-dk.temp14.domaindirect.dk/Media/rippleDemo.zip
You may have to copy/paste the link if it doesn’t work.

Another forum member, Clarus, has posted a working project using the code that you can find here.

Definitely a thread to watch and the effect is still being further optimized/enhanced and hopefully Birkemose is able to figure out Github soon

Thanks to Marin from Touch Code Magazine for pointing me to the thread.

If you’ve always wondered how this is done this is some great code to check out.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 5, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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I have written about some excellent tutorials and libraries in the past such as this tutorial on using NSCoding and NSFileManager, and a library for simple data saving/loading.

This new library takes a different approach, and it’s one that you may get a lot of mileage from.

This open source library acts as an NSCoding replacement, and when added to your project automatically adds methods to create an NSDictionary representation for easy saving/loading to a .PLIST file.

Also supported is saving of various Cocoa collection types and structures.

The library is Auto Magic Coding (AMC) from Stephan Generalov.

On the Github page here you’ll find full instructions along with further information on collections and structures that can be saved.

A very handy library for persisting object data.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 5, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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I’ve shown some great examples of core animation usage in the past such as this extensive Core Animation techniques demo, but nothing quite like this library which makes great practical use of the Core Animation API.

Inspired by the corner menu of popular Path 2 app this component allows you to create a rounded, and animated menu drawn along a curve and allows you to define exactly how the menu looks from the angle, position, and how specifics of the animation.

Here’s a video demonstrating this control in action:

You can find the Github repository for this control here and included is an example and instructions.   If you’d like to check out the Path 2 app you can find it here.

Everything can be customized making this an excellent control.  Thanks to Alex for the submission.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 5, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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Last week I mentioned an excellent guide with a very easy to use category that allows you to automatically add a custom photo album and add images in iOS 5.

The creator of that tutorial and category, Marin Todorov, has created a new library this time enabling you to work with an iCloud photo gallery.

With just a few lines of code you can add in iCloud buttons and capability for saving and loading images.

You can find the tutorial here along with the library of the source code, and a demo app that enables you to take a picture and save/load form iCloud.

A great library to check out if you are interested in working with iCloud, and Marin states that you can use the code any way that you like.

This tutorial was added to the iOS 5 sdk tutorial listing.

©2011 iPhone, iOS 5, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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