Category: I-phone

Mobile Safari continues its reign as the dominant mobile browser according to new data from web analytics firm Net Applications. Mobile Safari grabs a respectable 53% of mobile browser usage share, while its closest competitor, Opera Mini, grabs only 20.77%. Coming in third is the Android browser with 15.73% usage share.

Much of the success of mobile Safari can be attributed to the popularity of the iPad. Recent studies show that most people with an iPad use it primarily as a web browser. It’s so popular as a browser that the iPad grabs 25% of US mobile browser market and 2% of the overall browser market.

Android, however, has yet to produce a competitive tablet and most measurable web browsing activity is coming from smartphones. Yes, smartphones are convenient for occasional searching on the go, but the smaller screen is not designed for extended browsing sessions.

[Via GigaOm]

Mobile Safari still dominates mobile browsing originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U2’s Bono has expressed thanks for Steve Jobs’s “invaluable” support in fighting AIDS in a letter to the editor of The New York Times. Bono contacted the editor after The Time’s Andrew Ross Sorkin wrote a link-bait column titled “The Mystery of Steve Jobs’s Public Giving.” In the column Sorkin seemed somewhat obsessed over the “mystery” and lack of a public record about Steve Jobs’ charitable contributions.

Clearly Bono wanted to set the record straight, as his letter to the editor reads:

To the Editor:

Re “The Mystery of Jobs’s Public Giving,” by Andrew Ross Sorkin (DealBook, Aug. 30):

As a founder of (Product)RED, I’d like to point out that Apple’s contribution to our fight against AIDS in Africa has been invaluable. Through the sale of (RED) products, Apple has been (RED)’s largest contributor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – giving tens of millions of dollars that have transformed the lives of more than two million Africans through H.I.V. testing, treatment and counseling. This is serious and significant. And Apple’s involvement has encouraged other companies to step up.

Steve Jobs said when we first approached him about (RED), “There is nothing better than the chance to save lives.”

I’m proud to know him; he’s a poetic fellow, an artist and a businessman. Just because he’s been extremely busy, that doesn’t mean that he and his wife, Laurene, have not been thinking about these things. You don’t have to be a friend of his to know what a private person he is or that he doesn’t do things by halves.

BONO

Dublin, Sept. 1, 2011

In Sorkin’s defense, the columnist obviously (and rightfully) cares about the importance of philanthropy. I too am a big supporter of the “those that have more should give more” line of thought, but to jump on a man who’s notoriously private about his personal and business dealings when he’s just resigned over health issues was a bit much, but then again, link bait is a powerful motivator. As for Bono’s reply, at least he didn’t call for Sorkin to apologize to Steve Jobs like Forbes’s Eric Jackson did.

U2’s Bono has kind words for Steve Jobs originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As first noted by MacRumors, Apple has pushed OS X 10.7.2 Build 11C48 and iCloud Beta 10 to developers today. The new builds come just one week after the previous builds.

While no details of changes to the builds are known at this time, Apple asked developers to pay attention to AirPort, AppKit, GraphicsDrivers, iCal, iChat, Mac App Store, Mail, Spotlight, and Time Machine in the previous build.

New OS X 10.7.2 and iCloud beta builds seeded to developers originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want to tour the Solar System? Solar Walk is a just-updated universal iOS app that allows you to do just that. The new version has support for 3D, so you get some rather stunning renditions of planets and satellites that are more realistic than what’s available in a 2D presentation. I reviewed the app in 2010 and found it to be very educational.

Solar Walk would be very nice for teachers, who could plug it into external monitors in the classroom. As near as I can tell, the app doesn’t support the high end 3D method that uses shutter glasses or polarizing filters, but instead uses the tried and true red/blue anaglyphic glasses that became popular in the fifties. They are cheap, and easily available from suppliers like Amazon. I think the stated support for 3DTVs is a bit misleading.

You can also see the 3D images just fine on the iPad. Solar Walk includes very detailed graphics and information about our solar system, and this new version adds some movies (in 2D) on tides, circles of latitude, and the zodiacal constellations. My favorite 3D view was of Saturn and its moons.

With 3D glasses on, the planets and artificial satellites come alive. It was interesting to watch things like the Hubble Space Telescope in its proper real time position slowly gliding over the earth far below. You can navigate to any view that you like, using finger gestures, and you can zoom in and out as well. There is an option to listen to music while you use the app, but I found the music forgettable and distracting.

Screen captures are supported and background stars are rendered in their proper positions. Solar Walk is very educational, but as before, the textual information is still a bit thin. I always found myself wanting to read more. Perhaps some links to NASA or Wikipedia would be in order. Still, the new features are worthwhile and the app is a reasonable US$2.99.

This app was created by the team that made the much praised Star Walk app. This app is of equal quality and the graphics are sharp and very attractive. There are some (2D) screen shots in the gallery below.

Daily iPad App: Solar Walk originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that two people involved in last year’s “iPhone 4 prototype found in a bar” fiasco are being charged in San Mateo County Superior Court for their respective roles in the incident, which led to numerous photos of the upcoming iPhone model being posted online months ahead of its official release.

Brian Hogan, the individual who is credited with finding the iPhone, is being charged with one count of misappropriation of lost property, a misdemeanor in the state of California. Sage Wallower, Hogan’s friend who assisted him by contacting a number of tech blogs and offering to sell the device to them, is also being charged with possession of stolen property.

Neither of the two individuals appeared at the hearing regarding the charges, and the attorneys for both men entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. A second hearing on the case is expected on October 11th, and a trial date has been set for November 28th, although Hogan’s attorney has indicated that his client has taken responsibility for his actions, and he plans to work with prosecutors to strike a plea bargain.

It was reported earlier this month that the blog responsible for purchasing the iPhone and releasing the pictures, Gizmodo, will not be charged in the incident. Jason Chen, the blogger who facilitated the exchange and wrote the post, will also not be charged. Chen’s house was searched early in the investigation, and several items were seized, but later returned.

[via KSL News]

iPhone 4 prototype sellers charged in California, plead not guilty originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the U.S. Department of Justice now fighting the proposed AT&T takeover of T-Mobile USA, many T-Mobile customers are beginning to wonder about the viability of the mobile carrier in the long run. In an InfoWorld post today, blogger Galen Gruman wrote a fascinating treatise on how the iPhone is largely responsible for the sad shape that T-Mobile finds itself in.

According to Gruman, the iPhone has created very loyal customers, many of whom have stayed with AT&T despite its reputation for poor service. Since Verizon started selling the iPhone in March, it has also seen a jump in the number of customers who have embraced Apple’s smartphone. It’s expected that Sprint is also going to join the ranks of American mobile carriers that offer the iPhone. Gruman notes that “without the iPhone, T-Mobile will look like a loser to both potential and existing customers.”

He goes on to say that the loyalty that iPhone owners have for their shiny metal and glass boxes is what is helping the other carriers — they commit to two-year service plans unfailingly, and they’re exactly the type of customers that T-Mobile USA is losing.

Gruman wonders how T-Mobile can succeed without AT&T. Despite T-Mobile’s advertising about its “4G network” (actually a “3G-plus” HSPA+ network), parent company Deutsche Telekom chose not to invest in spectrum licenses, so the company has very little spectrum that can be used for future LTE 4G networks. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and even PAYG vendor Metro PCS have LTE 4G networks and are planning on expanding those rapidly in the future.

One thing that could help out T-Mobile if the AT&T takeover doesn’t happen — a T-Mobile specific model of the iPhone, since it wouldn’t be difficult for Apple to build a version that supports T-Mobile’s network.

How the iPhone crushed T-Mobile originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has revamped their Student Jobs page, which allows students or recent graduates to find work opportunities with Apple. The newly revamped page offers a simplified layout with job opportunities sorted into two sections:

• “I’m currently in school” lists all Apple Campus Rep, internship, and Retail store positions.
• “I have my degree” lists all Apple Retail store, Apple Store Leadership Program, and Corporate openings.

Each category in those two sections are further broken down into subcategories. For example, “Internships” allows you to search for internships based on your degree level. If you’re working on an MA or PhD Apple has different internships available than if you’re working on your undergraduate.

One program which not too many people may be familiar with is the Apple Leadership Program. This has been internally referred to as the “Apple MBA.” From the Student Jobs site description:

The Apple Store Leader Program is a 24-month immersion into every aspect of managing and operating an Apple Retail Store. In this international program, you’ll spend time in key store positions – gaining sales skills working as a Specialist, teaching others as a Creative, and resolving problems at the Genius Bar.

As you progress, you’ll be mentored by a Market Leader, participate in training experiences, and help guide and direct store teams. When you finish the program, you’ll have distinctive skills and knowledge, as well as the opportunity to apply for a leadership position at one of our stores anywhere in the world.

The requirements for all Apple student jobs opportunities are listed the the Student Jobs page.

Apple revamps Student Jobs page originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Daily Update for Sept. 2, 2011 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The idea behind this is so brilliant that it’s a wonder it wasn’t developed sooner: Jing Yang of eico Motion Lab in China has created the Smart Keyboard, what he bills as the world’s thinnest keyboard for the iPhone.

It’s based on the concept behind the iPad 2 Smart Covers. Roll the keyboard onto the screen when you want to use it, then roll it back off when you’re done. Like the Smart Cover, it attaches to the bottom of an iPhone with magnets and can be used as a stand.

This hasn’t been developed beyond a concept video yet, but check it out below to see the potential. This would be a fantastic Kickstarter project. You can follow any project updates via SmartKeyboard on Twitter.

[via Dvice]

This iPad Smart Cover-inspired iPhone keyboard looks like a winner originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Update: The original story had a misquote and was subsequently updated to correct this. We’ve updated our story as well.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt spoke with Salesforce Chairman CEO Mark Benioff in a Q&A session earlier this week. The former CEO had kind words to say about Steve Jobs and called Jobs’ reign over Apple as “the best performance of a CEO in 50 years.” Though he had glowing words about Jobs, Schmidt was less enthusiastic about his time on Apple’s Board of Directors.

Speaking about his time on the board, Schmidt says, “I was on the board until I couldn’t stay on the board anymore.” The quote came from a Bloomberg report which did not provide the context or additional details about this somewhat scathing comment. But looking back at Schmidt’s time on the board, this attitude is not that surprising.

When Schmidt was on the board, Apple had launched the iPhone and Schmidt, as the head of Google, had just launched Android, a competing platform to the iPhone. It must have been an awkward and tense time to be on the board of a company that is now your chief rival.

[Via AppleInsider]

Eric Schmidt “couldn’t stay on” Apple’s board (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Creative Applications has got an interesting post on the development of Björks new app album, Biophillia, as well as the in-app purchased track, “Virus.”

As mentioned on TUAW a few weeks back, Björk released what she refers to as the first “app album” on the iOS App Store. The Icelandic artist is renowned for being different, particularly when it comes to her music, and the app album, Biophillia, is certainly different from most other traditional album releases.

Creative Applications got in touch with Scott Snibbe — co-creator of the app — to get some insight into how Biophillia came about. The post includes details on the journey of the app’s development, including some concept sketches by Björk and Scott, the tools used to code the app and some of the inspirational imagery behind it.

While Biophillia is a free app download, users are required to purchase the songs of the album via in-app purchase as they are released, though the song “Cosmogony” comes free with the app. Each song brings with it an additional component to the world of Biophillia — lyrics, the score, animation, credits and a blurb about the song. It’s all very interactive and certainly a unique way to listen to an album.

If you’re a fan of Björk’s Biophillia app, the post is certainly worth a read. And from an app developers point of view, it’s an unique eye opener into the work that’s gone on behind the scenes.

Building Björk’s “Biophillia” iPad app originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A battle is brewing over a future development that could house London’s newest Apple Store. The City of London owns a plot of land at 100 Cheapside and is looking to sell the property to US developer Hines. Hines has plans to build a 10-story development with both office space (87,000 square feet) and retail space (13,000 square feet).

Apple has been singled out as a possible tenant, but the company’s plans to add another London store could be thwarted by a sunlight law. Under this law, neighbors have a right to block the construction of a building that blocks out sunlight.

The City of London is asking the transport and policy committees to override this sunlight law and let the building plans continue. If it does receive approval, this would put an Apple store in one of the wealthiest neighborhood of London.

Apple’s London store faces stumbling block over sunlight restriction originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pogoplug, maker of a popular line of remote storage solutions, has introduced Pogoplug Mobile, a remote storage device that lets you access your media using your iOS and Android device.

The device connects to a USB hard drive or an SD card and uses your home network to serve up the content of that drive. The mobile device can access these files through a web interface (my.pogoplug.com) or a native application available in the App Store or Android market. You can stream videos, listen to your music collection or view your photos while on the go.

Pogoplug Mobile is available for pre-order on Pogoplug’s website. It’s expected to arrive on October 1 for $80.

[Via Electronista]

Pogoplug Mobile shares media with iOS originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Address Book.app on your Mac offers two options for getting information out of your address book: “Export vCard…” or “Address Book Archive…” but you may not have ever known which you should use and which you should avoid as if it were a swarm of bees.

Here’s a simple mnemonic: “vCards good, Address Book Archives VERY VERY BAD.” Sorry for yelling, but it’s true. Address Book Archives can only do one thing: replace your entire address book.

Why is that bad? Let’s assume you backup every Monday, and then some Friday you realize that you accidentally deleted some contacts. If your only backup is an Address Book Archive, you have to hope that you won’t lose any important information that you’ve added or changed since Monday.

If you had an export of your vCards, you could merge it with your existing information:

The only real “trick” to exporting vCards is that you have to be sure to select all contacts before choosing File » Export » Export vCard...

Also, if you want to see what Address Book is going to do, click the “Review Duplicates…” button (above) and then click “Keep Both” to see the Old vs New information:

vCards are also a good choice because they can be used by a variety of different programs, whereas Address Book Archives are only useful for Mac OS X’s Address Book app

Managing your Mac’s Address Book originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stem Innovation just announced the stylish new iZON Remote Room Monitor on Monday, so it was a big surprise to find one in a package at my office on Tuesday. The new US$129.95 iZON (pronounced “eyes-on”) is a Wi-Fi webcam that is definitely designed with Apple users in mind, as it is simple to set up and comes ready to send video to your iOS devices. In this review I’ll provide a geek’s-eye view of the specs, setup, and use of the iZON Remote Room Monitor.

Design

As you’d expect for a product that is targeted for Apple users, the iZON has a very eye-catching and unique design. The camera is going to be sold through the Apple Store, which means that it had to pass muster with the retail powers-that-be at Apple.

The camera itself is a slim white cylinder measuring about 1.2 inches in diameter and 3.25 inches tall. One end of the cylinder has a spherical dish in it — this sits atop a magnetic hemispherical base. The base comes with mounting screws, helpful if you decide to attach the camera to a wall or ceiling. The strong magnets in the base firmly hold the camera in place in any position you leave it in. Since the weight of the camera is less than an ounce (.74 oz. to be precise), you could even stick it to the side of a refrigerator!

Power is provided by a small cylindrical AC adapter or by a powered USB 2.0 port. A cable runs to the camera and plugs into a mini-USB port on the back. Unlike many webcams, the AC adapter barely covers one plug and is so lightweight that it wouldn’t be out of place while traveling. When plugged in, the camera starts by flashing an amber LED, which then turns to a flashing green and orange.

The camera uses the same free Stem:Connect app that is also used with the TimeCommand clock / dock. Stem’s idea is that you’ll use the same app with any of the app-enabled accessories that they’ll produce now or in in the future.

The resolution of the camera appears to be fairly low — my guess (I can’t find any specs that show the resolution) is that it is 320 x 240. While this may seem really inadequate considering that many of us own HD webcams, think about what this is being used for. When you’re streaming video constantly to a 3G-connected iPhone or iPad, the lower bandwidth requirements are perfect.

Functionality

Setup of the iZON is incredibly easy; when you load the Stem:Connect app on your iOS device and request to set up a new device, the app leads you step by step through the process (check out the gallery for screenshots). To use the iZON, you need to set up a free Stem account, which creates a secure connection for access your video and audio. The setup requires just an email address and a password. Next, you plug the device in and position it somewhere. The device sets up its own “iZON” network that you connect to for identification of the unit. Once it appears on your iPhone or iPad, you tap the device button on the iOS device, and then it has you select your home network and enter its password.

Seconds later, you’re seeing video on the screen. The image that you view in the Stem:Connect app is time and date stamped, and there’s a volume slider at the bottom. That’s right – a volume slider, since the device also sends sound in real time. If you want to start a recording of what you’re seeing and hearing, there’s a tiny record button next to the volume slider that you can tap.

The app is customizable so that you can set up various alarms. There are motion alarms, which “watch” for changes in a particular area. The motion alarms can be set to watch a door, stairs, or any other location, and you can set the sensitivity for the alarm. I found this to be rather tricky, since if I set the device to be insensitive, it wouldn’t set off an alarm unless I was doing something obvious right in front of it, but if I sent it to be really sensitive it started sending alarms whenever a cloud passed by and blocked the sun.

The next type of alarm is a sound alarm, which “listens” for sounds in the area of the camera. Once again, setting the sensitivity can take a bit of time, but it’s fascinating to see how this works.

Both the motion and audio alarms can be set to send video to a private YouTube account. This is very interesting — the Stem server apparently captures a real time stream of video all the time, and when an alarm occurs, it “backs up” a bit so you can see a few seconds of video leading up to the alarm event. For example, I set up the iZON to watch a set of stairs in my house. When I go up or down the stairs, I get an alert message a few seconds later. Watching the YouTube video that is captured, it starts before the event and shows me walking by the camera to head down stairs. Alarms can also be set up as push notifications on your iOS device.

There’s some latency in the video, which makes sense since the stream is going out to a server and then sent back to your device for viewing. I found that the latency ranged anywhere from a 10-second low to about 18 seconds on the high side.

The iZON is meant to be used in well-lit areas and does not include infrared lighting for nighttime viewing. If you want a camera that can watch a baby in a darkened room or check for raccoons walking around your garden at night, you’re going to need something else — or you’ll need to leave a light on.

My only complaint with the iZON is that I can’t check the video stream from my Mac unless I’m looking at an alarm video on the private YouTube account. Being able to link to the camera from a Mac would be nice.

Conclusion

Sure, you can find less expensive room monitor webcams. You can find higher resolution webcams. There are webcams with motorized bases that you can control remotely. But I don’t think you’re ever going to find a webcam that’s as easy to set up or as iOS-friendly as the iZON Remote Room Monitor. All I have to do is think back on my nightmare weekend of setting up two cheap IP webcams to realize that the 10-minute-maximum process for setting up the iZON makes the product worth the extra cost.

As a way of keeping an eye (and ear) on a child, an elderly parent, a pet, or just your home, the iZON Remote Room Monitor is perfect for anyone who uses an iOS device. The design and ease of use makes the iZON like something that Apple would create, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the highest praise I can give any third-party product.

iZON Remote Room Monitor sleek, easy to set up, iOS-friendly originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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