Category: I-phone

Update: It appears that Apple has removed the firmware download from their support site. As pointed out by David in the comments below, this update was likely not intended for public release just yet, as it was posted to the discussion thread by a customer who is apparently working with AppleCare to resolve the issue on her display. Remember, official updates from Apple will appear in Software Update.

Buyers of the 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display who connected the device to Thunderbolt-equipped Macs were dismayed to find that the screen exhibited a flickering problem. The issue first came to light in February after the first Thunderbolt Mac, the early 2011 MacBook Pro, was released. Now AppleInsider is reporting Apple has released a firmware update to resolve the flickering issue.

The update notes state that the fix will only install when the display is connected to a Mac with the Thunderbolt interconnect, and that the update may not resolve the flickering issue if a Mini DisplayPort extender cable is used. There’s also a warning to users to disconnect non-essential USB and FireWire devices while installing the firmware update, and to use only an Apple keyboard and mouse during the installation. The update is 926 KB in size, and works with Mac OS X 10.6.8 and later.

The 24-inch LED Cinema Display has been discontinued and replaced with the 27-inch Thunderbolt Display. The new display includes a built-in FaceTime HD camera, high-quality audio speakers, and support for Gigabit Ethernet and FireWire 800; it can also be daisy-chained to another identical display and other Thunderbolt-equipped devices.

Apple issues update to fix flickering with 24″ Cinema Display and Thunderbolt (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Artist Margarita Benitez really wanted a Nomad Brush for her iPad but didn’t have the cash for the actual thing, so she did the next best: she made one herself. Using an old brush handle and some conductive thread, she was able to assemble a working brush, and says it works better than expected. Her entry at Instructables has all of the instructions if you want to give one a shot yourself.

I would say that if I tried one myself, I’d probably go with a different brush handle — hers is a little thin for my tastes, though each artist probably has their own preference about what kind of brush you’d need (and it might just depend on the project as well). She also had to use a metal holder for the brush head and holds the brush with her fingers touching it, in order to send the capacitive charge down into the screen itself. I bet there’s a way to improve on that, though, either by using a metal brush handle completely, or by running a strip of metal up and down the side of the brush.

Either way, Benitez’ result looks great. If you do jump in and put one together, be sure to send pictures to us on the tipline so we can see yours in action!

[via Make]

Capacitive touch brush stylus made from conductive thread originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 10th anniversary of the iPod’s announcement isn’t until October 22, but the folks at Most Wanted (part of VoucherCodes.co.uk) came up with a celebratory infographic that was just too good to pass up. It depicts an illustrated history of the iPod since that happy day in 2001, and is reprinted with permission in its entirety here. Enjoy this trip down memory lane!

Source: VoucherCodes.co.uk

Infographic illustrates 10 years of the iPod originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch introduced the iPad newspaper The Daily (free) almost eight months ago with expectations that the paper would easily meet the half-million subscribers required for the publication to break even. Now Bloomberg is reporting that The Daily is well behind that goal, with an estimated weekly circulation of only 120,000 readers.

The Bloomberg post cites advertising exec John Nitti of Publicis Groupe SA as saying that the 120,000 reader figure is for unique weekly visitors, which also includes readers who are taking advantage of the paper’s two-week free trial. As a result, the actual number of paying subscribers is less than the total readership figure.

After the free trial, The Daily is available for US$0.99 per week or $39.99 a year. Nitti thinks that 120,000 readers is still a respectable number for The Daily, and expects that his client (Verizon) will continue to advertise on the paper. Bloomberg notes that The Daily is expanding beyond the iPad, adding a Facebook version this month and an Android edition within the next three weeks.

The Daily averaging just 120,000 readers per week originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese police have arrested five members of an organized gang that was making and selling fake iPhones. The members would buy components, some of them genuine, on the black market and assemble the phones in rented Shanghai apartments. The police seized about 200 iPhones in the raid. Each iPhone had an estimated build cost of 2,000 yuan (US$313 as of this writing) and sold for almost twice that on the black market. These dupes were so well done that many people had a hard time distinguishing the fake iPhones from the real ones.

It’s always been known that imitation iPhones were available in China, but the extent of this forgery was not known until an American blogger posted up images of a phony Apple store earlier this year. This report kicked off a series of subsequent reports detailing similar unauthorized stores that were selling bogus Apple products.

Police break up fake iPhone ring in China originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was only a matter of time before toy companies began to develop interactive toys that use the iPhone and iPad. Earlier this week, Disney unveiled Appmates, a series of physical toy cars that you can drive on the screen of the iPad.

And today, Lego unveiled its new Life of George game that includes an EyeCue-enabled iOS app. The iOS app contains George’s photos and it’s your job to recreate these photographs using the game’s 144 Legos and gaming mat. When you are done, you use the camera to take a photo of your model. Points will be awarded for the building speed and accuracy of the model.

The game includes 12 levels of various difficulty. Each level has ten photographs, letting you build up to 120 different models. There is also a two-player mode and a creation mode that lets you design models using your own photos.

The Life of George will hit retail shelves on October 1st with a price tag of US$30.

[Via Engadget]

Show full PR text
LEGO GROUP UNVEILS FIRST FULLY INTEGRATED DIGITAL-TO-PHYSICAL GAMING EXPERIENCE

– Combining physical building with a digital gaming application, LEGO(R) Life of George invites builders to test building skills in a race against time-

BILLUND, Denmark, September 29, 2011 – The LEGO Group today announced LEGO(R) Life of George, its first product to combine digital and physical play for a hands-on LEGO gaming experience. Featuring patent-pending brick recognition software, powered by EyeCue, the game challenges players to build models, and place them on a play mat that acts as a “green screen” to capture the image and receive a score based on accuracy and speed. Beginning October 1, 2011, players can purchase the LEGO Life of George set for $29.99 from LEGO Stores and shop.lego.com and download the free Apple iOS compatible gaming application.

LEGO Life of George is a 12-level game that can be played in novice or expert mode. Each level showcases an adventure from George, around whom the game revolves, and is comprised of models of varying difficulty based on the number of bricks needed and the building techniques required to replicate them. Builders are challenged to physically recreate the virtual models from George’s photo album using the LEGO bricks included with the game; once they have successfully completed all 10 models the next level will be unlocked.

In addition to Game Mode which can be played alone or against one competitor in a pass-and-play format, a Creation Mode called “My Life” enables users to design and capture their own models in the app’s virtual scrapbook.

“We understand consumers’ powerful connection to casual gaming, and we have seen how successfully the LEGO brand can translate to a virtual experience, so we pursued development of a fun way to combine both physical and virtual play into one product,” says Paal Smith-Meyer, head of new business at LEGO Group. “Life of George is a result of our desire to provide an innovative way for existing and new fans to play with LEGO bricks and interact with the brand.”

Who is George?
George is a software engineer by day and adventurer by night. His main hobbies are travel, photography and numbers, and has a fun storyline for players to follow and engage with via his Facebook page, I Am George. Fans can expect to see updates and photography from George on his travels as well as hints to new game levels and app updates through his posts.

LEGO Life of George game combines iPhone and real LEGOs originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We had a look at a TPU-based Smart Cover-compatible backplate in the last in this series of reviews. Today we’re going to be looking at one of the polycarbonate variety, the SwitchEasy CoverBuddy.

Coverage

The CoverBuddy has pretty good coverage for a polycarbonate case with all edges and corners covered. There are cut outs for all the important bits, the buttons, switch, ports, camera and mic, and of course a strip down the side for the Smart Cover to attach. The cut outs themselves are quite large, meaning you can get easy access to the bits and pieces, but it could also mean that they’re left exposed. It’s always a trade-off with a case and I think SwitchEasy have made the best of it here. Instead of a flat opening, the speaker on the back has a grill to let the sound out while still providing a modicum of protection. The case clips on with thin overlaps on the iPad 2’s bezel that hold it in place, meaning it doesn’t protrude onto the front of the screen at all. It’s a good fit and does the job admirably.

Thickness and material

Being polycarbonate the CoverBuddy is slightly thicker than some of the TPU offerings we’ve seen before, but it is by no means thick at 1.8mm thin. The polycarbonate itself can be covered in either a rubberised coating or a scratch-resistant UV coat, depending on color of which there are 11 to choose from including UltraClear as shown above (check the gallery below for the Tan version). The UV coating feels especially nice in the hand and is smooth yet not slippery. The CoverBuddy is certainly well made and feels a cut above some of the rest with nicely rounded corners and good finishing at every edge, but as with all these thin cases, don’t expect it to do much if you drop your iPad from any decent height.

Verdict

The SwitchEasy CoverBuddy doesn’t do much other than cover the back of your iPad 2 while letting your Smart Cover attach to the side, but in that respect it does it very well. It’s unobtrusive, form fitting and the UltraClear case is especially good with a great finish.

If you’re looking for a good quality simple polycarbonate backplate for your iPad 2, the SwitchEasy CoverBuddy deserves to be near the top of your list for about US$25 plus shipping.

SwitchEasy CoverBuddy iPad 2 Smart Cover-compatible backplate case originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple decided to remove the GUI for enabling and disabling FTP from Mac OS X Lion. Generally speaking, that’s not a bad move, because most times SFTP is available anywhere FTP is, and SFTP is far superior in terms of security. No one should be using FTP over the Internet.

However, there are some cases when using FTP is perfectly fine. For instance, transferring large files over your own LAN. I do this all the time when transferring DVD rips from one machine to another. Others have mentioned that they have some devices which only support FTP so SFTP isn’t an option.

Personally, I prefer FTP on my LAN because, since it is unencrypted, there’s no extra processing time needed to encrypt and decrypt the transfer. I’m also willing to admit that there may not be much practical difference in most cases — that is, I don’t know that SFTP is much slower than FTP, but when you’re talking about “8 GB at a time” transfers, every little bit matters.

Enabling FTP on Lion

The good news is that Apple did not remove the FTP server (/usr/libexec/ftpd) from Lion, they only removed the GUI to enable or disable it.

The even better news is that there are (at least) two GUI tools for re-enabling it:

1. Lion Tweaks (which also lets you toggle other Lion settings)
2. FTPD Enable App which is an AppleScript app to launch ftpd

For those of us who prefer the command line, there are even instructions on how to enable ftpd using launchd.

ftpd.zsh

I wrote a small shell script called ftpd.zsh which will let you turn ftpd on or off, or check its current status. Usage is very simple:

1. ftpd.zsh --on
2. ftpd.zsh --off
3. ftpd.zsh

#1 will turn it on, #2 will turn it off, #3 will show you whether it is currently on or off.

My script is based on Daniel Smith‘s launchd commands mentioned above. The script must be run as root, but if it isn’t, it will automatically re-launch itself using ‘sudo’ rather than failing ungracefully. It is also smart enough not to try to turn it on when it is already on, or off when it is already off.

To use the script, download ftpd.zsh and then put it somewhere in your $PATH such as /usr/local/bin and make sure it is executable chmod 755 /path/to/ftpd.zsh. (If any part of that previous sentence didn’t make sense to you, I recommend using one of the GUI programs listed above. Using the Terminal is one option, but it’s not the only option.)

Once again I repeat: if you are trying to connect to another machine over the Internet in an otherwise unencrypted manner, use SFTP. The only time FTP should be used is when there is no chance of the password being ‘sniffed’ by a nefarious third party.

You can enable SFTP and SSH in Lion (and previous versions of OS X) by going to System Preferences » Sharing and making sure that “Remote Login” is enabled. When in doubt, use SFTP. But if you need FTP and are aware of the risks, now you have the option of enabling it when needed.

ftpd just one time

If you want to enable ftpd immediately without downloading or installing any scripts or apps, simply enter:

sudo launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist

into Terminal.app. If you want to turn it off afterwards, enter the command

sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist

All ftpd all the time

If you use any of the above solutions, ftpd will be disabled again when you reboot the computer. If you want to enable ftpd automatically after every reboot, you will need to edit /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist by looking for the lines

Disabled

and changing them to

Enabled

which will tell Lion to enable ftpd on reboot. Use the launchctl load command shown above to enable it without rebooting.

Note: I recommend that you do not edit ftp.plist unless you absolutely cannot avoid it. I am firmly against tinkering with anything in /System/ but at the end of the day, it’s your computer, and if if your situation requires ftpd to be available at all times, editing the plist is the best way to make sure it is always on.

How to enable the FTP server (ftpd) in Lion originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Epson has an HD projector that was designed with Apple customers in mind. The MegaPlex MG-850-HD has all the bells and whistles you would normally see on a mid-range projector including HD 720P support, a brightness of 2800 lumens and built-in speakers, but it’s the projector’s connectivity options that make it interesting.

This particular model has a dedicated dock that’s compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. This dock makes it easy for you to take the contents of your iOS device and display it on a 40-inch screen. The projector will even charge your iOS device when you have it docked. If you have a Mac or a PC, you can use the on-board USB port to connect your device to the projector as well. These connectivity options are convenient but they will cost you. The Epson MG-850HD lists for a pricey $799.

Epson Megaplex MG-850HD Projector is ready for your iPhone, iPad originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dragon Go!, the all-purpose voice recognition search app from Nuance, is getting a significant upgrade today. In fact, it’s almost a preview of some of the functionality we suspect will be in iOS5.

The free app lets you speak conversationally with your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Say things like “What’s the best steakhouse in Kansas City”, or “Find me some pictures of Lady Gaga”, and the app will parse what you said and nearly always return useable results.

The update, which should hit the App Store today, adds many more options, including the ability to launch popular movie and TV streaming services; get direct access to more of the most popular names in mobile content, like Spotify; get answers to the toughest of questions from Wolfram|Alpha and Ask.com; and, find friends on Google+.

I tried some of the new functions, and was impressed. For instance, I said “Watch Mad Men on Netflix,” and Dragon Go initiated a Google search. When I clicked on the resulting link, my Netflix app launched and the show started. I also successfully searched TUAW for articles and had it define words using Dictionary.com. For apps that require a login, you’ll have to set up Dragon Go! to link with those apps, but that’s not a difficult task.

Vlad Sejnoha, chief technology officer at Nuance said “We’re deeply invested in continuing to evolve Dragon Go! with new features, more content providers and richer app integration, and ultimately opening new doors for the consumer mobile destination experience. This is another step towards the mobile semantic web, and we’ve just gotten started.”

These new services join Google, Bing, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Twitter, YouTube and many others that were already built into the app. I find Dragon Go! and Siri (now owned by Apple) to be two of the best demos for the iPhone around. If you already have Dragon Go! you should see the update today. If you don’t have it, download it and impress yourself and your friends.

Dragon Go for iPhone gets smarter originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Humble Indie Bundle guys are back with another pay-what-you-want bundle of games. Proceeds from your purchase may be directed to the developers or to charity, in any combination you like. This time around, they’re focusing on the turn-based strategy game Frozen Synapse, offering it up to anyone who wants to pay in at any price.

There is a reason to pay a little higher this time. If the price you choose is higher than the average (currently around US$4.50) will also get you the Frozenbyte bundle, featuring the great Trine, the Shadowgrounds games, a game prototype called Jack Claw, and the upcoming release Splot. That lot for less than five bucks is a great deal, even if the Humble Indie Bundle folks aren’t actually providing a bundle to everyone this time around.

And as you’ll probably remember from the past few offerings, these guys have a habit of adding even more extras into their deals, so odds are good that those six games aren’t all you’ll get if you buy in now. As usual, all of the games are available through Steam and are compatible with Mac, Linux and Windows. If you need something to play this coming weekend, you won’t find a better deal around.

Humble Indie Bundle team offers a Frozen Synapse Bundle originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I was a pretty big fan of Madfinger Games’ Samurai II: Vengeance — it had some solid gameplay, but the really amazing thing about the title was the way it looked. Samurai II offered great art and smart graphics programming. Now, Madfinger has turned their graphical expertise to the third-person shooter genre, and the impressive result is Shadowgun, now available on the App Store.

Like Samurai II: Vengeance, this game is quite an achievement: The graphics look just incredible. A lot of people are throwing around the term “console quality” in regards to mobile games, referring to the graphical level of Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, and while Madfinger’s developers didn’t hit that mark, they got very close. The cutscenes, the characters, and the environments all look terrific.

The gameplay itself is very much inspired by shooters like Gears of War, complete with a simple cover system. The animation is a little off at times, and the writing is not too great, but still, this is an excellent game. If Madfinger gets their due, it should be a showcase for the platform in terms of what it can do.

The campaign will last you around six hours. There’s no multiplayer mode, though Madfinger promises there is more Shadowgun coming in some form. The game is US$7.99 right now for a universal version, which is pricier than simpler. Still, that’s much less than you’d pay for a full console game, and this is a solid title for sure. Madfinger really put their best into this one in terms of graphics and performance, and it shows.

Daily iPhone App: Shadowgun originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continuing from Monday’s review of Portfolio for iPad, today we’re taking a look at Xtrafolio. Then, on Friday, we’ll do a head-to-head comparison of the apps and whether the built-in Photos app is the best choice after all. We’ll also summarize a few more options our readers gave us after Monday’s review.

Interface

Xtrafolio starts out with a flowchart indicating how a portfolio is made and provides the very important shortcut of making sure to tap the bottom left and right corners at the same time to bring up settings. In the settings view, all the options are anchored in a menu on the left.

After the first time setting up the app, a logo page will be visible when it’s launched. If you don’t have a logo, you get a blank screen. To access your portfolio, single-tap the initial screen. The options are layered in different sections and go into a good bit of detail about what you can do with the app. Since the options are all in one location, it makes it easier to jump back and forth between different sections of the portfolio.

Use

You can add media to Xtrafolio from the iPad, iTunes or via Dropbox. Xtrafolio will accept images, videos and PDFs. Instead of galleries with different portfolios, you can subdivide a single portfolio is subdivided into categories, then folders within that category. It’s useful for when you specialize in different things. In my case, I set up Xtrafolio for my newspaper design work and comics writing. Within the categories, you can drag around files to customize the order. However, there is no tagging and no ability to edit the file name.

While there are a lot of customizations, it’s fairy basic when it comes to presenting the portfolios. You can set up a sideshow with basic transition styles and enable high-resolution images. For some reason, song selection only works in portrait mode. Captions are available, but they’re hard to read. One really nice feature is that you can enable a watermark so no one tries to rip off your work if you email it out. You can also set stuff back to default with a single tap if you’re unhappy with your selections.

Xtrafolio has a single layer of passcode security, and this is to prevent people from accessing settings. You also can’t enter settings while browsing a portfolio. You can add a basic resume and set it as your info page, which is a good way of showing a client right off the bat what you can do. There’s a save stage option where Xtrafolio can return to the same position where you were if you close out of the app.

Xtrafolio is $16.99 in the App Store, which is a bit pricey for this category. With its feature set, I’d price it more around $14.99. Like Portfolio for iPad, it’s well-recommended for the amount of options it has, even though it doesn’t have quite as many importing options or tagging features.

Xtrafolio is a useful, yet a bit pricey, portfolio app originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Soulver, which has billed itself in the past as a “plain English” calculator, has been around for the past few years as a complex calculator with a simple interface.

To use Soulver, type in a math question as you would write it out on paper. Soulver provides the answer as you’re typing, ranging from simple math and currency conversions to complex problems. The awesome thing about Soulver is that you also can type in words and Soulver knows what you’re talking about. What to know how many miles are in 100 meters? Type “100 meters in miles” and you’ll find it’s roughly .06 of a mile.

Soulver can keep track of stocks as well, but you have to program the app first. Once your preferences are set, tell Soulver the stock symbol and it spits out the current stock price. Or, if you want to purchase ten shares of Apple stocks and you’re in the UK, type in 10 AAPL in Pounds and it tells you that it’s currently £2,539.02. It’s not a sophisticated scientific calculator, but can do basic algebraic equations, functions and other bases.

Soulver is $24.95 and is available via the Acqualia site or through the Mac App Store. iPad and iPhone versions of Soulver also are available.

Daily Mac App: Soulver originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We saw this image posted to Reddit after seeing it linked on Daring Fireball, and it was just too good not to share. Below you’ll see a very long image that shows how extensively Samsung has copied Apple in its products, packaging, presentation, marketing, and even app interfaces. Any one of these things by itself you might be able to pass off as coincidence or with the “there’s only so many ways to skin a tablet” argument, but when they’re put all together like this it’s pretty unmistakable how extensively and shamelessly Samsung is aping Apple.

Argue the merits of Apple’s “look and feel” lawsuit against Samsung all you like, but other than wagging our fingers at Samsung, this gets a well-deserved “No Comment.”

No Comment: Proof that Samsung shamelessly copies Apple originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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