Category: I-phone

Elements is one of many text editors available in the App Store. It supports Dropbox, Markdown and TextExpander which makes it popular among iOS users. It’s available for the iPhone, iPod touch and the iPad, but the iPad version really shines as a text editor. Version 2 was just released and adds several notable features for editing and exporting documents.

The iPad version uses the entire screen and the large onscreen keyboard, which makes it easy to create a text document or markdown file from scratch or edit an existing one on the fly. I don’t have a Bluetooth keyboard and was unable to test this functionality in the latest version of the app.

All documents can be uploaded to your Dropbox account and synced across devices. Even when you are offline, the file changes will be saved and uploaded when you connect. Elements uploads files to a default /Dropbox/Elements/ folder and you still can’t change that location.

Variety is the spice of life and Elements has a bunch of export options that let you save your file as an HTML or PDF document. You can export the document to Tumblr, Facebook, Dropbox, Evernote, iTunes, and email.

The editor UI has also been tweaked with a new dealt font of Museo Sans, a new Markdown preview view and appearance settings that are now available from the within the app. Elements 2 also removed the ability to change the background color setting, a change that users of the earlier version may find annoying.

Elements is a very capable text editor for the writer or coder that uses their iPad regularly. It’s a universal app available for US$4.99 from the App Store.

Daily iPad App: Elements 2 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re one of the early adopters of Google+ and have been wishing for a native Mac app that you could use to check out your circles and swim the stream, you’re in luck. A rudimentary Google+ app is now available for Mac, which bodes well for the future of standalone apps for the social media tool.

The app appears to be a pared-down version of Google’s Chrome Browser, since the menu bar shows “Chrome” as the name of the running app instead of “Google+.” However, the app is much smaller — about 16.5 MB in size compared to 239 MB for the full-fledged version of Chrome.

Launching the app takes you directly into the same web version of Google+ that you’re used to. Clicking any links will open a new browser window, so your Google+ session remains foremost on your screen and unsullied by tabs.

It’s not really a native app, but according to the developer it’s something to tide over Mac users until something faster and more Mac-like can be prepared. For the time being, the Google+ app should work fine for those who want to keep their social networking separate from their other browsing.

The app is hosted on Cloud App and is a quick download.

Update: We’d like to warn readers that this appears to be an unofficial app that is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Google. If you’ve already downloaded the app, you may wish to log into Google+ through your normal browser and change your password just in case this is a “social engineering” attack disguised as a harmless way to access your Google+ account.

Google+ Mac “app” now available (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TechBuffalo has posted a photo of what appears to be a genuine ad, announcing that the iPhone 3GS will be free with a two year contract at Best Buy Mobile stores on Monday, August 22.

This is the second time Best Buy has offered the iPhone 3GS for free with a two-year contract. The first was back on December 10, 2010. However, while the December sale was good in all Best Buy stores, the flyer for the August 22nd sale only shows the Best Buy Mobile logo, so we’ll have to wait and see if the sale extends to the regular stores as well.

If you want an iPhone, this is a great deal. The iPhone 3GS runs iOS 4 just fine. However it will run iOS 5 without some of its marquee features. For example, the iPhone 3GS will not have the ability to edit images using the red eye removal, crop, and enhance tools in the iOS 5 Photos app.

Also keep in mind that the iPhone 3GS will probably not be upgradable after iOS 5. If that stuff doesn’t matter to you and you just want a free iPhone, head to Best Buy Mobile stores on August 22nd!

Ad suggests free iPhone 3GS at Best Buy Mobile on Aug 22 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:00:00 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 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 August 19, 2011 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unless you have super-sekrit magic powers, haunt the Dropbox forums or are Steve Sande, you might not have noticed that Dropbox finally upgraded to a Lion-compatible build.

Dropbox normally uses a silent-but-deadly approach to handle its updates. Basically it installs it automatically for you sometime within a week or so of the new release. But would it kill Dropbox just to give you an alert and let you know that it’s ready? Especially for a big change like restoring the Dropbox submenu in Lion?

Here’s how you can manually upgrade without waiting for Dropbox to catch up. First confirm that you are running an earlier version. Dropbox > Preferences > Account reports the current version.

Next, head on over to the install page and download the 1.1.40 installer. Open the dmg. Quit your earlier Dropbox install and drag the new version into Applications. Then launch the updated app and Bob’s your uncle.

If you’re one of the few dozen people who have been using my GrabUpper utility to generate URLs while waiting for Dropbox to catch up to Lion, you’ll be pleased to know that the utility continues to work with the 1.1.40 release. It will monitor your Dropbox folder and create URLs whenever you drop something in.

For everyone else, you can revert to using the contextual pop-up menu (Right-Click > Dropbox > Copy Public Link) now that it finally works on Lion.

Silent Dropbox update adds Lion support originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to BGR, an AT&T Vice President is telling employees to be prepared for an early October launch of the iPhone 5. Jim Dalyrymple of The Loop adds credibility to this rumor by replying with a simple “yep”. This October date has been thrown around recently and fits in nicely with Apple’s usual fall iTunes launch event. So until we hear anything more, we’ll assume the iPhone 5 could be announced during a September event and possibly made available in early October.

iPhone 5 reportedly slated for early October launch originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are we up to beta 6? Already? Is it nearly September yet? Man, I can’t wait for this iOS update to go live for everybody. For now, however, it’s available to paid devs only at the iOS developer site.

There, you’ll also find all the other items that continue to be synchronously updated to support the beta. Sign in with your developer credentials to gain access to this beta.

Make sure you read any release notes on-site. They usually appear in a big yellow box. I can’t tell you how many people e-mailed me after the last beta because they couldn’t figure out how to update. Important update notices also appear on the developer forums.

Don’t forget to register your device at the developer portal and prepare it for development before installing the new beta onto pre-beta equipment.

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.

TUAW’s iOS 5 coverage — researched and written by our non-NDA staffers — is available here.

Happy developing everyone! Thanks, everyone who tipped us.

Apple releases iOS 5 beta 6 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NYC may not have as many fake Apple stores as China, but it has a few and they’ve caught the eye of Apple. Apple has executed several seizure warrants and removed fake goods that carry the Apple logo or name from these stores. A trademark infringement lawsuit has halted sales of the alleged knockoffs while a District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto considers the case. Apple has asked that one store, known as Apple Story, change its name to avoid confusion with Apple’s retail chain. The Cupertino company is also asking for monetary damages and a vendor list so it can trace back the origin of these counterfeit goods.

[Via Engadget; image from f-paper]

Apple cracks down on counterfeit products being sold in NYC originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple is prepping its Asian suppliers to begin production of the next generation iPad in October, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Cupertino company has placed orders for about 1.5 million iPad 3 tablets. Apple is targeting a launch in early 2012 which fits in perfectly with the company’s current yearly upgrade schedule. Apple is reportedly ordering 9.7-inch displays with a resolution of 2048 x 1536, increasing the 1024 x 768 resolution of the current iPad and iPad 2 display. Foxconn is the assembler of the iPad and has not commented on its future plans. Apple’s Beijing spokeswoman Carolyn Wu also declined to comment.

Wall Street Journal suggests higher-resolution iPad next year originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dear Aunt TUAW,

Should I buy a Wi-Fi iPad or a 3G model? I need to know! Please help me choose!

Your loving niece,

Meg

Dear Meg,

Auntie’s helped other nieces and nephews with this same dilemma and it always seems to boil down to this: do you own an iPhone?

If not, spring for the 3G. Ubiquitous computing is what really makes iOS sparkle. You won’t be sorry you sprung for the 3G experience. Auntie’s dad swears by it.

At the same time, the Wi-Fi is usually enough for most iPhone owners. Wi-Fi units are lighter and cheaper. If you need to get work done, there’s the iPhone hotspot service if you can’t get access near a Coffee House.

The 3G isn’t just about getting online. Location-based services make so many apps compelling. So if you can’t get those on your phone, be sure to grab them for an iPad.

Yes, there are a few edge cases here — mostly surrounding grandfathered unlimited plans that can’t be used with hotspot service. (Just wait until September/October. Auntie’s betting that those unlimited plans are about to drop like flies.) But Auntie’s advice holds. If you have connectivity and GPS on your phone, you probably can live without it on your iPad.

Hugs,

Auntie T.

Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me choose between a Wi-Fi and 3G iPad originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to iPhone 101, the series that explains the basics of iPhone operation. This time, its enabling caps lock.

It always astounds me how many iPhone users don’t know how to enable caps lock while typing, not just newcomers. Just the other day I was chatting with a friend who’s had an iPhone for almost a year. I suddenly had to send a quick text message and my friend was bewildered to see me type some of that message in all-capital letters without having to repeatedly hit the shift key for every letter in capital I typed.

Well, to relieve your curiosity and sheer frustration, here’s how to type in caps lock on the iPhone keyboard. Simply double tap the shift key. That’s it! The shift key will turn blue, and everything you type will be in capital letters. To exit this mode, simply tap the shift key again.

Actually, his confusion is understandable. A QWERTY keyboard has a shift key and a caps lock key, but the iPhone’s keyboard merges the two keys into one. Holding a typical shift key will produce a series of capital letters. Yet, holding many of the iOS keys produces a pop-up menu of special characters, symbols and accents. Except for the iOS shift key; holding that down simply registers a single tap. A long, long, tap.

Well, regardless of why, now you know how. And if you already knew how, you might know someone who doesn’t. Make their day and share this simple, effective iPhone 101 tip. Bonus: it works the same way on the iPad and the iPod touch.

iPhone 101: How to turn caps lock on originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When TUAW last talked with the folks behind iTriage, it was shortly before World Health Day in 2010, and the app had just updated to version 2.0 with a version for Android.

A little more than 16 months later, iTriage has hit version 3.0 with a plethora of changes and new features such as:

• Expanded disease treatment support where people can select a symptom and find the right doctor based on the symptom, care facility or prescription.
• Mapped medications where you can select a problem, such as a cough or cold, find the cause, then peruse medications and possible treatments. More than 1,000 common prescriptions and over-the-counter medications are listed to date.
• Search for urgent care facilities and see live wait times for acute care.
• Pre-registration and appointments rolled out.
• Updated interface adding improved provider search and access to key nationwide emergency hotlines and 911.

Dr. Peter Hudson, one of the app’s creators, told me that more than 700 hospitals, 400 urgent care clinics and 14,000 doctors are providing data for iTriage, and the number is growing.

While I was hard-pressed to find participating physicans and hospitals in the Harrisburg area, I got a good glimpse of the new features by switching the location to Denver. Several of the hospitals listed live wait times for both pediatric and regular emergency care. One had the appointment/pre-registration list deployed.

Check out these new features in the gallery below.

The app is extremely well-regarded, and it’s easy to see why. I’m still feeling my way around central Pennsylvania, and it’s nice to see where a hospital or pharmacy is close to me should I need it. “We’re trying to make it really simple for people,” Hudson said.

The app is closing in on 3 million downloads spanning both iOS and Android, Hudson said. What’e more, 60 percent of those who have downloaded the app keep it on their mobile device, which Hudson said is 18 times higher than the average app retention.

Future plans include additional functionality for consumers to connect with health care providers and with people in the same area who have suffered like injuries.

iTriage 3.0 is a free download in the App Store.

iTriage 3.0 adds live wait times for acute care facilities, medicine information and more originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has released iOS 5 beta 6 for iPhone 4, 3GS, iPod Touch 4G, 3G and iPad 2, iPad. iOS 5 beta 6 has a build number 9A5302b. You can download iOS 5 beta 6 from the iOS Dev Centre (requires a…

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In the past I’ve mentioned the Cocos2D-X open source project.  For those unfamiliar with Cocos2D-X, Cocos2D-X is a cross-platfrom C++ implementation of the Cocos2D engine for creation of games that can run on iOS, Android, Windows, and others from a single code base.

One developer has been nice enough to convert several Cocos2D tutorials to Cocos2D-X so that you can take a look at the C++ code on yourself.   They’ve included all the Android build files and Xcode project files so you should be able to get things running quickly on iOS and Android devices.

Here’s a list of the tutorials and the related Cocos2D-X source code on Github:
Simple iPhone Game – SimpleGameCocos2D-x
Simple iPhone Game 2 – SimpleGamePart2Cocos2D-x
Simple iPhone Game 3 – SimpleGamePart3Cocos2D-x
Tile Based Game – TileBasedGameCocos2D-x

On the Cocos2D-X project website they’ve also just posted a couple of videos detailing the process of  setting up Cocos2D-X on the Mac for Android and iOS.

Should make for a good starting point for those looking to create cross-platform games or who would just prefer to use C++ over Objective-C.

 

©2011 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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Roboto is a solid platformer for iOS that features you controlling a little robot around a series of levels, 30 in all. Gameplay is pretty strictly action/exploration based, very much in the vein of Super Mario Bros., though the robot has a few extra movies that Mario didn’t have. Specifically, he can glide for a short amount of time, as well as switch gravity as certain points, which adds a little more complexity to your search for golden gears throughout the game.

Other than that, this one plays as you’d expect, and the general polish and quality makes it stand out among the many various platformers available on iOS. The one issue I had was with the on-screen thumbstick — it’s almost too close to the left edge of the iPhone’s screen, so whenever I headed left, it would drop off and stop my movement, sometimes right over a gap. Other than that, though, controls are precise and intuitive, which is what you want in a platformer like this.

Roboto is available in an HD version that’s universal across iPhone and iPad, complete with OpenFeint and Game Center integration, and a whole bunch of minigames and unlockable powerups and weapons. It’s a solid buy, even at the current price of $3.99.

Daily iPhone App: Roboto originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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