Category: I-phone

Around this time last year, Tascam introduced the Portastudio app, a 4-track recorder modeled after the legendary Portastudio 144 4-track recorder of some 30 years ago. Now, Tascam has debuted the iM2, a stereo recorder with two condenser mics and a built-in pre-amp that’s based on Tascam’s well known DR series of portable recorders.

The iM2 simply plugs directly into the dock connector of your iPhone or iPad, overriding your devices built-in mic to provide you with high quality recordings. The two mics are adjustable over 180 degrees for uni-directional recording, perfect for capturing a live recording as well as the ambience of the room you’re recording in.

The iM2’s built-in preamp can also handle 125 dbs of noise, so you could theoretically record a jet plane taking off without having to worry about any distortion to the recording, even if your own ears may suffer.

The iM2 is priced at around US$80 and is available for pre-order. For all the details, check out Tascam’s website.

[Via Engadget]

Tascam debuts iM2 stereo condesor mic for iPhone originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As is its custom, the Earth continues to spin on its axis while many of us in the States are working off our turkey and stuffing comas with a solid nap/some football on TV. That means that the expected Apple Store discount offers for Black Friday are already up and running in parts of the world where Friday coincides with now.

The Apple Store Australia’s discount page gives a solid preview of what US customers should expect tomorrow: about 10% off most-wanted products like the iPad, iPod touch and MacBook Air. While these discounts are certainly welcome, you might find as-good or better deals at Amazon, MacMall or big-box retailers; you can also check in with our pals at Dealmac for the latest savings.

Happy shopping, and happy Thanksgiving!

[hat tip to Macgasm]

Apple Store Black Friday discounts already live… in Australia originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re on the lookout for great deals this Thanksgiving weekend! Mike Schramm has already put up two posts on iOS apps which are on sale, and I’ve got a few Mac software deals to tell you about.

The first one is Soulver, which is an app I’ve had my eye on since Marco Arment mentioned it on Build & Analyze. Soulver lets you do all sorts of mathematical calculations using words as well as numbers. Speaking as someone who isn’t very good with numbers, I love Soulver because it lets me calculate things the way I think. It does conversions, currencies, file sizes (bytes to gigabytes), and yes, it can even calculate tips. To really get sense of how it works, watch the video. Soulver for Mac is on sale for $12 (50% off). The iPhone version is $1 (75% off) and the iPad version is $2 (66% off). This deal is only good the 24th and 25th.

Mariner Software is offering a deal through Saturday on Paperless for Mac for $30 (40% off the usual price of $50) through their online store. Check their site for details on what scanners it works with.

DEVONtechnologies is offering 25% off their apps DEVONthink, DEVONagent, and DEVONnote. Note that this deal doesn’t start until Friday and ends Monday. These are great apps for searching for and storing information.

Marked, from our own Brett Terpstra, is on sale starting Black Friday (and going through Sunday) as well, at 50% off. It’s a terrific Markdown tool for previewing your work from any text editor.

Speaking of Brett, if you look closely you can spot him in the team picture over at the AgileBits site (he worked there once upon a time). The company is offering a 50% off discount on all its products through 11/30, including the indispensable 1Password — if you get it through the Mac App Store, you’ll be upgraded for free to the forthcoming version 4.

And, just in time for Advent, the premium version of Glo Bible is available for $35. If you order through their website they are offering a free movie on DVD, as well as 3 DVDs worth of content which allows you to use most of the Glo Bible off-line. They won’t even charge you for shipping. You can download the “lite” version of the app for free and try it out first.

Have you spotted any great Mac deals? If so, let us know in the comments!

(Just a reminder, we have comment moderation turned on to stop the flood of spam comments we were getting, so your comments might not be visible right away, especially on Thursday!)

Mac software deals for this Thanksgiving weekend originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most of our editorial staff is based in the U.S., so expect light posting today. We’ll try to write up as many deals as we can over the next few days, however, so be sure to check our Deals page. Also, be sure to check out these 5 apps for Thanksgiving. Then there’s our ongoing Holiday Gift Guide.

For all of you spending time with family, traveling or just quietly reflecting and giving thanks today, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. We at TUAW are thankful you’re here!

Happy Thanksgiving from TUAW originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to TUAW’s 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! We’re here to help you choose the best gifts this holiday season, and once you’ve received your gifts we’ll tell you what apps and accessories we think are best for your new Apple gear. Stay tuned every weekday from now until the end of the year for our picks and helpful guides and check our Gift Guide hub to see our guides as they become available. For even more holiday fun, check out sister site Engadget’s gift guide.

If you’re planning to pick up an iPod for your loved one this holiday season, which one would you buy? Apple has a variety of models, and they are all very different. We will help you navigate the buying process and get you all the best accessories, so you can give your recipient the ideal iPod.

iPod 101

The iPod is Apple’s line of media players, and they come in different sizes and colors. The smallest and least expensive is the iPod shuffle. It’s tiny, so tiny it doesn’t even have a screen. It’s just a cube with a scroll wheel and a clip. The shuffle is perfect for folks who want music with a minimal weight and size.

Next up is the iPod nano. The nano is bigger than the shuffle and has a display, which makes it very easy to use, with on-screen controls. Its solid construction and weight and feel make it great for exercising. There’s a lot of accessories for this model, including wrist bands that’ll let you wear the nano as a watch. It’s a great all-purpose media player, with an integrated FM radio, accelerometer (with support for Nike + iPod and screen rotation) and a variety of fun watch faces.

Third in the line is the iPod classic. This model includes a hard drive and offers a relatively large 160 GB of storage. It also has the classic scroll wheel that defined Apple’s early iPod players. Unfortunately, the hard drive limits its usefulness and its battery. Running may be out of the question as the hard drive isn’t as resilient to movement as the rest of the iPod line. The iPod Classic is perfect for someone who wants to carry a large library of music, photos and videos around with them, but doesn’t need a player for exercising.

Finally there’s the iPod touch. This is one of Apple’s most popular iPods because it’s a phone-less, GPS-less version of the iPhone. It runs iOS and is a bit smaller than the iPhone. If you want the iPhone experience without the phone part, then the iPod touch is your best choice.

Headphones

If you want to get the most out of your iPod, then you need a good pair of headphones. The iPods ship with a pair of mediocre ear buds that’ll work in a pinch, but most people will want to upgrade to a better pair. Covering all the variety of styles of headphones is beyond the scope of this guide, but I will highlight a few that we have reviewed, and give you some tips on buying a new pair.

The first decision when you shop for headphones is whether you want a traditional over-the-ear model or ear buds that fit in your ear canal. You also need to decide whether you want wired or wireless. Wireless headphones are a popular option for folks that hate messing with cords. Many connect to your device via Bluetooth and are available as ear buds or over-the-ear cans. The iPod touch is the only player that can support Bluetooth headphones natively. The iPod nano, classic and shuffle can be retro-fitted with Bluetooth if you plug in a Bluetooth adapter like this one from Sony. A Bluetooth adapter is useful, but it will add bulk and weight to your player.

There’s a wide variety of Bluetooth headphones including the popular Sennheiser PX210BT ($150), the Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 bluetooth earbuds ($80), the Creative WP-300 ($80) and the Jaybird Sportsband ($89). Many manufacturers also offer stereo Bluetooth headsets, which can be used for audio on the iPod and later with your iPhone for holding a conversation. We recently looked at the NuForce BT-860 ($79) and found a lot to like about this headset. There’s also a thread at Engadget that discusses the best BT headset for music and calls.

Wired headphones and ear buds are also popular options, as they tend to be less expensive and can have exceptional sound quality. If you can deal with the wire, you can get more bang for your buck. You also don’t have to worry about interference with a wired headset. There are tons of wired models, but you can’t go wrong if you stick with Sennheiser, Grado, Klipsch, Etymotic or Shure.

Cases

People like the iPod because of its large selection of accessories. If you want a particular color or style of case, you will likely find it among the hundreds that are available. Most cases that you find will fit the iPod touch and the classic. The iPod nano is so small that the case selection is not as robust, and the iPod shuffle has its own clip which makes having a case not as important. There are some folio-style and silicone cases for the nano and shuffle, but you will mostly find zippered pouches or arm bands for these smaller players.

Some of our favorite cases for the iPod touch and classic include the premium Vaja cases. They are pricey ($75), but are beautifully designed and hand-crafted from fine leather. A little lower on the price scale is Speck. I’ve owned a few Speck cases for the iPod touch and found them to be durable and reasonably priced (under $30).

DLO makes a variety of inexpensive hard shell cases, folio cases and silicon cases. And, of course, there’s Griffin with a large selection of hard shell, folio and Crystal Clear cases. One of my favorite Griffin cases is the Wristlet ($10) for the iPod nano. It has a wrist strap that makes it easy to find the nano in your bag, and it lets you hang the player on the arm of a treadmill. These cases are just a small sampling of what’s available for the iPods. If you have a case you absolutely love, please mention it in the comments.

Armbands and Watch Bands

The nano and shuffle are small enough that you can slip them into an armband and wear them while you exercise. Similar to the iPod’s case selection, there are many different armbands from which to choose. When shopping for an arm band, look for one that’s easy to take on and off. It should also let you access the controls of the player without difficulty. There’s nothing worse than an arm band that requires you to remove the iPod in order to adjust the volume.

Many of the same manufacturers that make cases for the iPod, also make armbands. If you like your DLO or Griffin case, you may want to look at their armband selection, too. If your looking for a basic armband, Grantwood Technology makes a nice one called the TuneBand ($20). There’s a Tuneband for every iPod touch, 1G-5G nano and the classic. It has a nice fit and feel and is compatible with the Nike + exercise system. There’s also speciality armbands like the RunWallet ($13), also from Grantwood technology, and the Amphibx Fit from H20 Audio. The RunWallet lets you carry your keys, ID, credit/bank Cards, and money; while the Amphibx Fit ($50) is a waterproof armband and headphone combo for nano and shuffle owners.

If you have an iPod nano, you also have the option of using your media player as a watch. The nano ships with several clock faces, and manufacturers like Hex and iWatchz are selling fashionable watch bands that complement the styling of the nano. These watch bands turn your media player into a fashion accessory, and are a compelling reason to choose a nano over the other iPod models.

Docks

Docks are another must-have accessory for your home or office. They let you charge and sync your iPod while keeping it safely in one location. Most pull double duty and function as a speaker or an alarm clock. Docks are one area that the iPod touch excels because it piggybacks on the success of the iPhone. Most specialty iPhone docks, like iHealth’s Blood Pressure Dock, are compatible with the iPod touch because the iPhone and the touch share the same dock connector and the same operating system.

If all you need is an all-purpose dock to charge, sync and listen to music, then you’ll want to take a look at Apple’s Universal dock. It will charge, sync and let you connect the audio out to a speaker. It’ll also pipe video out to a monitor or TV if you have the appropriate cable. The dock ships with an Apple remote that’ll let you control media playback from across the room. The dock uses inserts that’ll fit the entire iPod lineup and all the iPhone models. It ships with five inserts for the iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 3G/3GS, iPod touch (2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations) and the 5th generation iPod nano. You will have to buy an insert separately if you have a model that’s not included in the list above.

There’s a variety of other docks like the JBL On Stage IV ($150) and the Altec Lansing Octiv Duo M202 ($100), both of which are speaker docks and perfect for a living room. The Octiv Duo adds a bit of a twist, as it has slots for two players and software that lets you mix songs from both devices. If you want a dock to use in your bedroom, you should consider the Sony CD Clock Radio ($100) which has an alarm clock and a radio. There’s also the reviveLITE II ($35), a basic dock from Scosche that’s both a LED nightlight and a charger.

Portable Speakers

We covered some speaker options for the iPod in the section about docks, now it’s time to look at speakers you can use outside the home. If you want to travel with your speakers, you’ll have to shed the dock and look for a small speaker setup that’s battery powered. Almost all portable speakers easily fit in a handbag or backpack and are usually inexpensively priced. You won’t get Bose quality sound out of them, but they’re perfect for watching a movie on your iPod touch or listening some tunes on your nano.

One of my favorites is the Altec Lansing Orbit ($30) which has been around for a while and is a solid performer both in durability and sound quality. If you hate dealing with single-use batteries, there’s the iHome IHM79 ($50), which has a rechargeable battery and a magnetic base that lets you stick the two speakers together when you travel.

Earlier this year, we reviewed the iMainGo X ($70) which is a case-style speaker system. The speaker splits open, and the iPod fits inside a zippered compartment. Once the speaker is closed, the iPod is safe from the elements. It’s designed so you can control and view your device without opening the speaker again. Lastly, I couldn’t resist mentioning the GOgroove Panda Pal ($20) and its companion the Koala Pal ($20). They are two portable speakers that GOgroove says “look cute, sound incredible.”

Other Accessories

If headphones, a dock, a case, an armband and a wristband are not enough for you, there are even more accessories you can add to your iPod. iPod touch owners may like Seagate’s GoFlex satellite ($200), a portable drive which lets you stream media stored on the drive to your iPod touch and other WiFi devices. A must-have for travelers is the Mophie juice pack ($35-80 depending on model), a portable battery that’ll charge any iPod you own. There’s also the Nike+ iPod fitness system ($30 for the Sport kit) which uses a sensor and your iPod touch or nano to keep track of your running stats. It’s also works with Nike + iPod compatible gym equipment that has a connector for your iPod.

We hope this list of accessories helps you find the perfect gift for the iPod fan in your life. If you have a favorite product that we missed, please share it in the comments.

Holiday Gift Guide: the ideal iPod originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen a few minor outages for Siri since its debut, but those were minor blips compared to what appears to have been a more widespread, longer lasting outage that took place earlier today in the US, Europe and South Korea (according to Electric Pig — we can attest to seeing an error message with the service in the US, and BGR noted it as well). We asked our Twitter followers and some reported brief outages last night, but others said it’s been unavailable for hours and is still down.

Of course, when Siri was announced, Apple noted it was “in beta” but I took this to mean (and Apple seemed to suggest) the “beta” meant they were adding more languages later (like Scottish?). Just like, for example, that “beta” at the top of the TUAW page, meaning “we’ll keep adding features.” The problem with a Siri outage, as opposed to an iCloud one, is that Siri is designed to be used at any time, hands-free, to perform multi-step tasks. When the service is offline, you can certainly do those tasks, but you can’t do them by speaking into your iPhone. You’re not going to see this illustrated in the Siri ads, that’s for sure.

I don’t intend to write up every Siri outage here on TUAW. Like MobileMe status posts (oh, did I mention iCloud IMAP also seems to be down as I write this? Apple still can’t seem to grok simple email, but I digress), it will become a futile task as we chase down the percentages and Apple improves the service. Still, I think it is notable that when a competitor like BlackBerry suffers a global messaging failure (one of their “core strengths,” remember?) we laugh, but when Siri goes missing we tend to shrug it off. Yes, the service is in beta, but here’s hoping Apple can beef it up once more of us become addicted to telling our phones what to do with our minds.

Did you experience a Siri outage? originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iOS 5.1 beta 1 SDK is now available for download by paid devs at the iOS developer site. Sign in with your developer credentials to gain access to the updated SDK. You will need to download and install firmware via iTunes and cannot use over-the-air updating for this initial release.

Because it cannot be said too often, make sure you read any release notes on-site. For everyone intoxicated by new technologies that might allow you to update using other means, I cannot strongly encourage you enough to go to the site and read the release notes. This hint goes out especially to those of you who are not primarily developers but have purchased dev accounts to stay current on the technology.

Installation alerts appear in a big yellow box on the main iOS dev page. The yellow box for 5.1 is larger than ever. Important update notices also appear on the developer forums. If you run into troubles installing updates, please check the dev site and forums first.

If you don’t have access to the dev site and forums, please don’t e-mail us for technical support about the iOS 5.1 beta. You install the beta, of course, at your own risk.

As a final note, don’t forget to register your device at the developer portal and prepare it for development before installing the new beta.

The beta is, as always, released under the terms of Apple’s NDA. For that reason, enhancements, APIs and features are not listed within this post.

Happy developing everyone! Thanks, everyone who tipped us.

iOS 5.1 beta ready for testing originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, this is awkward. Just over a month after I locked horns with Australia Post and called its restrictions on shipping electronic devices with integrated lithium batteries “arbitrary and idiotic,” because “Millions of travelers fly with iPhones every year. NONE of them explode,” guess what happened? No really, go on, guess.

Yes, an iPhone 4 had its battery spontaneously combust in mid-flight, and if that wasn’t ironic enough by itself, it also happened on a flight over Australia. The device started emitting smoke and a red glow, but quick reactions from flight attendants extinguished the burgeoning bonfire before it could cause any further harm to passengers or the flight itself.

The device has been handed over to Australian Transport Safety Bureau for analysis, but it’s pretty obvious what happened based on the picture alone: the battery got compromised somehow and went foom.

Something like this was bound to happen eventually, with millions of iPhones flying through the air every month, but did it really have to happen on an Australian flight just a month after I publicly chastised AU Post for shipping policies so restrictive it made it all but impossible for me to import an iPhone from there?

Curses! You win this round, Australia Post.

iPhone 4 battery combusts on Aussie flight originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re pretty late in the year, but this might be one of the craziest stories of 2011 — according to sources, Angry Birds developer Rovio turned down a deal with social game company Zynga, to the tune of $2.25 billion. That’s right, billion with a B, and they turned it down. I actually believe this going both ways — Zynga has been buying up iPhone developers, and there aren’t many bigger iPhone developers out there than Rovio, with the company’s huge Angry Birds empire still generating plenty of attention and revenue. Zynga, with its own social network game empire, has this kind of money to spend, and it makes sense that it would want to claim Rovio for itself.

And from the other side, I also believe that Rovio thinks it’s worth more than $2.25 billion (or at least doesn’t necessarily need to sell, even for a pile of money that size). Rovio’s Peter Vesterbacka is convinced that Angry Birds, despite its current popularity, still has a long way to go in terms of franchising, marketing, and even more games. Angry Birds is his moneymaker and his passion, and after having seen him earlier this year, I can completely understand why he’s not ready to make a sale.

But man — talk about a huge deal when it comes to the rapidly developing markets of social and mobile gaming. We’ll likely see Zynga spend that money elsewhere, and Rovio continue to do its best to exploit the already ubiquitous Angry Birds brand.

Rovio reportedly turns down $2.25 billion from Zynga originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim isn’t available on the Mac yet, but odds are that if you’re a big fan of gaming, you’re probably already playing it on consoles or the PC. Bethesda’s latest role-playing game is just a massive piece of world-building, with tons of dungeons to crawl through, a huge world full of cities and places to explore, and a collection of a couple hundred actual in-game books that you can pick up and read.

Turns out those books come straight from a plain text file in the game’s documents, so a blogger named Capaneus has kindly assembled them into an actual ebook that you can download and read on your iPad (or any other e-reader or app you happen to use). The book’s got its own cover and table of contents, and since its available in epub format, you can change the text to whatever size you want.

Good deal. Unfortunately, I’m not sure this is legal. Bethesda undoubtedly owns the copyright on these texts, and they likely didn’t authorize them being shared like this. Still, all of this text is just background lore on the game, not spoilery or anything, so maybe they’ll let it fly as a nice promotion for just how densely packed with fun content this game has.

[via Joystiq]

Read all of Skyrim’s literature on your iPad originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever wonder how Apple employees know you need help or are there to pick up an order? Apple employees now have a way to track you in the store. On Black Friday, New York Times reporter Brian X. Chen took a closer look at a customer tracking system Apple has been using “for a few weeks.” It’s an interesting look at how Apple is using its own technology to improve and expedite the retail shopping experience.

The system is powered by an internal application running on an employee’s iPod touch. A customer walking into the store can use the Apple Store app to alert employees they have arrived to pick up their order. The customer’s iOS device uses GPS to locate them and sends the alert when they enter the store. When an employee receives an alert, their iPod touch will display the location of the customer on a map of the store.

A similar system was already being used for customers with product questions. Employees would be alerted when you asked for assistance using the iPad demo machines. The iPod-based system is meant to improve the shopping experience for customers. Says Apple employee Diego Aguirre, “We don’t want to feel like we’re hassling our customers to shop. We want them to feel at home.” It also lets employees quickly help those customers who need assistance.

Apple’s retail tech can notice shoppers when they arrive originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Many new iPad accessories are making the rounds this Christmas, but none are as hot as the new iDrive and updated iArm (both US$8.00, although there’s a Cyber Monday deal today). The iDrive is a mobile device mount that can hold an iPad, Kindle, or other tech device on the steering wheel of your car, while the innovative iArm makes it simple to hold an iPad, a steaming mug of coffee, and your iPhone all at the same time.

I’m personally looking forward to getting an iDrive, not for my car, but for my bike. I’ll run the Navigon app on the iPad and no longer have to squint to see where I am on the map. I can also see where the iDrive is going to be useful on those long car drives from Denver to Santa Fe, NM on I-25, when I can put the car on cruise control and have my iPad right in front of me for entertainment purposes.

The iDrive comes with both a wheel mount and a surface mount. Bus drivers will appreciate how the iDrive clamps securely to a steering wheel, allowing full access to the iPad’s screen while they’re sitting in heavy traffic. The surface mount is more useful for mounting an iPad on snowmobiles, personal watercraft, or church pews, and has a patented tilting head for comfortable viewing at any angle.

The iArm is another product that is flying off of store shelves this holiday season. This innovative product first arrived last year, but has been updated to work with the iPad 2 and new Kindle Fire. It will be my constant companion during those Wednesday live streaming sessions for TUAW TV Live, when I’ll have the iPad strapped to one arm with show notes on it and still have a free hand for drinking beverages or clicking my Magic Trackpad.

In case you’re thinking that these two products are ludicrous … you’re right. They’re actually part of the Prank Pack gift box line from 30 Watt, designed for disguising a more practical gift.

iDrive, iArm among hot holiday gifts for 2011 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As noted by RedmondPie the Chronic Dev Team, the people behind the GreenPois0n jailbreaking tool, have released a beta of a new tool which aims to circumvent iOS crash reports being sent to Apple and instead funnels them to the Chronic Dev Team. The tool, called C-Dev Reporter, aims to notify the Chronic Dev Team instead of Apple, so they can better find exploits in iOS that could allow for easier and faster untethered jailbreaks. As the Chronic Dev blog explains it:

At this point, the program copies all the crash reports off your device (which, under normal circumstances, would be sent right back to Apple), and instead sends this data to a secure, private server hosted by your friendly Chronic Dev team. Next, our program proceeds to neuter your copy of iTunes, simply by changing your settings to prevent your computer from sending any further diagnostic information from your device to Apple.

iOS crash reports are a very important part of what allows Apple to keep making iOS more secure. It allows Apple to identify security and stability issues and fix them before shady developers can exploit your iPhone or iPad for nefarious purposes. C-Dev Reporter isn’t designed with that goal in mind. With possibly hundreds of thousands of iOS error reports being rerouted to the Chronic Dev Team and not Apple, and while Chronic Dev Team’s intentions are well-intended, their C-Dev Reporter tool could at the very least stop Apple from receiving critical error reports that help to make iOS better for people who don’t jailbreak and, at most, be hijacked to flag and use exploits for illicit purposes.

Chronic Dev team releases C-Dev Reporter tool originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Updated to reflect that the iPad version has been out for several months.

Google’s shopping-centric mobile app isn’t particularly new on the iPad — we checked in on it in August — but it’s finally made its way to the Android platform. It’s called Catalogs, and you can find it as a free download on the App Store or in the Android Market.

The big G has used its Google Books technology to scan and set up links on a number of different holiday shopping catalogs, so you can load up the app, flip through the virtual pages to find something you want, and then click away to buy it directly from your mobile tablet.

The links aren’t built in to the app — they more or less just open up an internal app browser that then lets you buy the product online. But the experience is pretty seamless otherwise; there are over 400 catalogs to browse through, and I quickly saw brands like ThinkGeek, Nike, Sonoma Williams, Sharper Image, and Pottery Barn on display.

It’s a pretty specific use of Google’s search and scanning software, but hey — it’s free, and it might help with the holiday shopping this year.

[via Engadget]

Google’s formerly-iPad-only Catalogs app now also on Android originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re keen on owning a piece of Apple history, and have a spare $100,000 lying around, check out the upcoming auction for the three-page founding contract signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne that created Apple Computer Co.

Bloomberg reports that the contract is a star attraction of a Sotheby’s book and manuscript auction on Dec. 13. The copy of the contract, signed April 1, 1976, was originally owned by Wayne. His subsequent withdrawal from Apple partnership on April 12, 1976, and the appropriate contract amendment also are part of the auction. The contract was sold to a manuscript dealer in the mid-90s.

Apple contract signed by Jobs in 1976 up for auction originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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