Category: I-phone

Apple has gained another victory over Samsung, though this one has nothing to do with patents. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that the iPhone 4 is indeed the thinnest smartphone in the country. Apple refers to the iPhone 4 as the “thinnest” smartphone in UK ads. That’s something Samsung said was false advertising because their Galaxy S II smartphone is 8.71mm at its thinnest, while Apple’s iPhone 4 is 9.3mm at it’s thinnest.

However the ASA sided with Apple in the dispute, citing that though the Galaxy S II was indeed thinner than the iPhone at certain points of its body, the Galaxy S II has a hump near its base that measures 9.91mm thick. Both Apple and the ASA believe that a phone’s thinness can only be judged by the thickest part of the device.

“Apple pointed out that the Galaxy S II had prominent bulges at the top of the device,” the ASA said in its ruling on Wednesday. “Apple said consumers would not be interested in the thinnest part of the device, but in its overall measurements, as these would, for example, affect whether the device could fit into a pocket or purse.”

UK’s Advertising Standards Authority rules iPhone 4 is thinnest originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nisus has updated its Nisus Writer Pro and Nisus Writer Express software with full OS X 10.7 Lion-compatibility and full-screen features. Besides the Lion features, Nisus Writer Pro 2.0.1 adds a number of requested features like drawing tools, track changes, and watermarks. Nisus Writer Express 3.4 also adds a file importer that is compatible with both Intel and PowerPC Macs.

Nisus Writer has been around for the Mac since 1989 and was the first word processor to handle multiple type systems in its file format. Since then the program has begun to show its age. The UI is a little clunky, retaining a OS X Jaguar-style look that many who are used to Word or Pages might not appreciate. However, for you old timers, the Nisus Writer updates are a nice touch to ensure continued compatibility with the latest OS X.

Nisus Writer Express and Nisus Writer Pro are universal apps and require Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) or later. Nisus Writer Pro 2.0.1 is available online for US$79.00 or a $49.00 upgrade price for owners of 1.x. A three license Family Pack is also available for $99.00. Nisus Writer Express 3.4 is $45 or $30 for the upgrade version. A three license Family Pack is available for $79. These updates are free to current license holders of Express 3.x and Pro.

Nisus updates Writer Pro for Lion originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Creepy and fascinating are two words that come to mind when I think about 3D4Medical’s new iPad app, Mini-Monsters. The app is a photographic journey that reveals the creepy crawly side of common insects. You can get a close look at the proboscis of a mosquito, the stinger of a bee and more.

The app is a large gallery of over 500 insect images taken with a scanning electron microscope and then colorized. The detail and the colors are stunning. Each image also has information about the habitat and the behavior of the insect, a nice feature that makes Mini-Monsters both educational and enjoyable.

You can browse or search for images using the insect name or category like herbivore or carnivore. Other filters include the biological class (like arachnid, the one category I avoid) and insect characteristics like the number of legs, the ability to fly, etc. Once you’ve found an image that you like, you can zoom in to get a closer look or save it to a favorites list. All your favorites can then be displayed as a slideshow.

Mini-Monsters is the perfect app for the large display of the iPad. And it only costs $2.99 which is a reasonable price for 500 stunning images that’ll both delight and gross you out.

Daily iPad App: Mini-Monsters originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Back in January Apple created an official Twitter account for its App Store. @AppStore allows users who follow it to get the latest on App Store news and deals. 745 tweets later, Apple has decided to open up another Twitter account. @iBookstore offers followers “official updates from the U.S. iBookstore from Apple, including featured books, exclusive offers, and more.” The account went live this afternoon and currently has three tweets and a little over 2000 followers.

Besides the @AppStore and @iBookstore accounts, Apple owns six other Twitter accounts: @itunesfestival, @iTunesTrailers, @iTunesPodcasts, @iTunesTV, @iTunesMovies, and @iTunesMusic.

Apple tweets from the iBookstore originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Reading Rainbow, a TV show geared toward encouraging children to read books, aired for over 20 years on PBS before the network’s financial troubles forced the show to shut down in 2006. Reading Rainbow is coming back, but in a very next-gen fashion; rather than a TV show, Reading Rainbow will now be an iPad app.

According to Fast Company, former Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton has launched a for-profit venture, RRKidz, that will produce a multimedia twist on Reading Rainbow’s old TV format. The venture’s first project will be an iPad app. Featuring 300 books at launch, the app will include voiceovers, animation, games, and videos. According to Burton, RRKidz has technology at its disposal that will allow them to enhance a PDF children’s book with multimedia content “in a matter of hours.” When launched, the app will have a monthly subscription model, which Burton hopes will encourage children to explore more titles.

App developers and ebook writers have already discovered that the iPad is an ideal device for getting kids excited about reading, so Reading Rainbow’s move to the device is a welcome one.

Reading Rainbow to be rebooted for iPad originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

GeekTool was released as a free download on the Mac App Store a few weeks ago, and it’s remained at the top of the download chart since. It’s been around for years, and we’ve featured it a couple of times on TUAW, but the MAS release allows it to reach a new audience.

Unlike the GeekTool of yore, the MAS version is not a preference pane, but a separate app. It allows users to display various information on their desktops via three plug-ins: file, shell and image. These are referred to as geeklets and can be used as follows:

• File: It displays live content from any file. It’s mostly used to monitor system or application activity.
• Shell: This displays the output of any Unix shell command and is the root of a lot of the customizations in the program.
• Image: Originally developed to display monitoring graphs, it’s also used for image customization.

As the product description warns, this isn’t for general Mac users, but those who are comfortable with Unix and shell commands. Drag one of the plug-ins to the desktop, then customize it for your personal use. There’s a lot of scripts to choose from out there. This piece from Lifehacker will help get you started and Mac OS X Tips has a comprehensive list of geeklets. You can use GeekTool to monitor everything from time and date wherever you want to pulling your RSS feed and displaying the album cover of your current iTunes track.

While it’s not for the brand-new Mac user, or for the faint of heart, GeekTool is good to see if you’re interested in learning more about the underpinnings of your Mac.

Daily Mac App: GeekTool originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple has released MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.2 for 2011-model MacBook Pros. The update addresses the same Thunderbolt and OS X Lion Internet Recovery issues as the EFI Firmware Update issued two days ago for 2011-model MacBook Airs.

The 4.17 MB firmware update is available at Apple’s site and requires you to ensure that power is not interrupted to your MacBook Pro during the update; firmware updates are Serious Business which, if interrupted, can put your Mac in Very Bad Shape.

Other sites have noted that the recent spate of firmware updates for Thunderbolt-enabled Macs points to the imminent availability of Apple’s new Thunderbolt-enabled Cinema Display.

Update: The 2011-model Mac mini has been issued the same firmware update to address the same issues.

Apple releases MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.2 (Update: Mac mini updated too) originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

It’s the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You’ll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what’s happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today’s Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Daily Update for Sept. 14, 2011 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Our fearless host Steve Sande is still on the road, so the showtime shift is covered by Kelly G and Doc Rock again this week.

Our show will primarily be the “all request hour,” where the agenda is completely driven by our chat room live viewers; if you want to get heard, keep reading for instructions on how to join in for maximum entertainment.

Below, you’ll find a Ustream livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments.

If you’re driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you’re stuck in traffic, please don’t — keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone and join the chat by downloading the free Ustream App. It’s a universal app and is wonderful on an iPad, both for viewing and participating in the chat.

We’ll start at about 5 PM ET, so if you’re seeing a prerecorded show, be sure to refresh your browser until you see the live stream. For those of you who are not able to join us for the live edition, you’ll be able to view it later this evening on our TUAW Video YouTube channel and as part of the TUAW TV Live podcast viewable in iTunes or on any of your Apple devices.

No Flash? Check out the YouTube channel or podcast listed above or click here.

TUAW TV Live at 5pm ET: Kelly rules the roost originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple fan Marcos Antonio de Lima Filho has mocked up a concept video demonstrating alternate multitasking-behavior for iOS devices. Instead of the single row of recently-accessed apps, Marcos’ video shows two rows of app icons, top and bottom, with a pane of “workspaces” between them.

Users can swipe between app icons as they do now or between windows of running applications. Additionally, apps that aren’t running can be assigned to empty “workspaces” with a drag-and-drop.

The overview of each running app’s open window is nice. What do you think?

New Multitask Interface for iOS from Marcsheep on Vimeo.

New iOS multitasking concept video originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sony has announced its first speaker docking station for the iPad. The RDP-X500IP dock, which is also compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch, features Magnetic Fluid speakers that deliver, according to Sony, higher sound pressure with less distortion than traditional speakers. The RDP-X500IP also has an accompanying free app, D-Sappli, which enables the user to set a timer to their music, allowing them to turn it on or off at a predetermined time.

For those of you who want to get your hands on one, you’ll have to wait until the start shipping on October 2nd, but you can pre-order them today from Sony’s site for US$299.99.

Sony releases its first iPad dock originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sega recently introduced Samauri Bloodshow to the App Store. It’s a weird mix of strategy and action. It’s a samurai game, of course, so you’re controlling samurai warriors in feudal Japan. And the actual game mechanic is sort of Plants vs. Zombies or tower defense-inspired — you place troops out on a board, where they stand in place until enemies show up, at which point they cut them down as quickly as possible.

But the mechanic of how you lay the troops down is the weird thing — there’s a sort of collectible card game feel to it. As you level up through the game (and you can play multiple difficulties on each level), you earn cards that get added to your deck, and it’s those cards that actually summon the samurai. It’s an interesting mechanic, but it’s a little out of place, and unfortunately, the game’s translation issues make things a little confusing.

That said, there’s plenty of content to play with here, with over 100 levels to go through, lots of cards to find and collect, and full Game Center integration as well. Samurai Bloodshow is US$4.99 on the App Store right now.

Daily iPhone App: Samurai Bloodshow originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The South Korean Fair Trade Commission has said that customers who receive defective iPhones can exchange them for non-refurbished models, Bloomberg reports. This reflects a change to Apple’s iPhone warranty in that country.

Apple has given phones refurbished with new parts to customers in that situation. Owners complained that Apple’s policy states they may receive refunds, new phones or free repairs. Now a customer who meets the criteria may choose which option s/he would like to receive. If a new phone is the choice, that customer will receive a brand-new iPhone, not one containing refurbished parts.

Apple revised South Korea’s iPhone warranty originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Here’s another iPhone 5 rumor to brighten your day. According to HardMac, Stéphane Richard, CEO of wireless carrier France Telecom-Orange, confirmed during an interview that the iPhone 5 will launch in France on October 15th.

Richard said Orange has received information from Apple about the handset launch, but did not provide any details on the handset itself. Though very much a rumor, this date coincides with earlier rumors suggesting a mid-October launch for Apple’s next iPhone model.

Orange CEO suggests iPhone 5 to launch in France on Oct. 15 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Starbucks and Apple are expanding their “Pick of the Week” program to include books, music, apps and videos.

For several years, Starbucks and Apple have offered a “Song Pick of the Week” program. The program offered a free select iTunes music track that was downloadable by any Starbucks customer.

The pair recently expanded the “Pick of the Week” program to include applications such as Shazam Encore. And starting now, the Pick of the Week will include books. The first offering is an extended sample from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

You can snag a copy of this extended book sample by visiting a participating US Starbuck location and redeeming the free Pick of the Week card available at the register.

Starbucks and Apple launch Pick of the Week originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments