Category: I-phone

I talked with yap.TV’s Shawn Cunningham in March about the continued improvements to the app that combines a TV-viewing guide with social media. The software made its initial rise to fame in the fall of 2010 when Steve Wozniak appeared on The Big Bang Theory, then used the app to chat with viewers during the broadcast.

Cunningham discussed some of the planned features with me at that time, and I’m glad that they’ve made an appearance in version 3.0 of the free app. The updated yap.TV has a visual guide that is based entirely on pictures from the show. It’s also added complete programming from local listings nationwide.

Other new features include:

• Customizable lineups
• Category filters
• Live chatting for every show
• Picture-based movie guides
• The ability to view listings in a traditional format (think old-style TV Guide)
• Improved Twitter interface and more

yap.TV update adds local programming originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rovio, the development company behind the insanely popular iOS game property Angry Birds, is working on getting more funding. A deal is reportedly underway that would put the value of the studio at $1.2 billion. That’s billion with a freakin’ B, which is an astronomical number for a mobile game developer with really only one brand people are interested in. That’s not to say that Rovio isn’t worth that much — certainly the Angry Birds property has long, long legs, and not just in mobile games, but in all of the other licensing deals available, from movies to merchandise and lots of other products and deals.

But seriously, $1.2 billion? A deal like that would have to come from a huge company, which means you’re talking about someone like Disney or Zynga, according to analyst Michael Pachter, buying out Rovio and trying to exploit the property on a worldwide level. That seems like an awfully big gamble, but whoever’s investing that money would have to believe that there’s at least that much left in the Angry Birds property.

I don’t mean to make the birds angry or anything, but Popcap just went for $750 million. I’ll be surprised to say the least if Rovio can pick up this much. But then again, the birds have come this far already, right?

Angry Birds’ Rovio aiming for $1.2 billion valuation originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another seed of OS X Lion 10.7.2 has been released to developers, this time with a build number of 11C37. The first 10.7.2 build was released just a few days after OS X Lion’s public launch, and Apple still has not provided any developer seeds of 10.7.1.

Apple has also pushed out the seventh version of the iCloud developer beta. iCloud is due for public release in the fall, alongside iOS 5 and, likely, the 10.7.2 release of OS X Lion.

Meanwhile, based on historical Mac OS X releases, a 10.7.1 bugfix update for Lion should be released any day now. Between Mac OS X Jaguar and Snow Leopard the average time between the 10.x release and a 10.x.1 update has been just over 18 days; as of this writing it’s been 23 days since Lion’s launch. The longest gap between a 10.x release and the 10.x.1 update was 25 days, back in 2002 (though 10.1’s gap was much longer, 10.2 was really the first version of Mac OS X that was in widespread use, so I haven’t included it in this analysis).

Both 10.7.2 and the iCloud beta are available to download now from Apple’s developer center.

New OS X 10.7.2 build and iCloud beta 7 released to developers originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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German enthusiast and iPhone fan Benjamin Bachmeier has constructed a table-sized computer called the iTableous. This behemoth was entirely hand-built and runs a hackintosh version of Mac OS X 10.6.7 as well as Windows 7 Professional. Dual boot, baby!

As you can see below, the craftsmanship is fantastic. Many of the buttons on the “iPhone’s” edge work as well as the Home Button. The base is hinged so that the whole thing can be flipped up so that it’s at a 90 degree angle with floor. Perfect for watching movies. On a gigantic iPhone.

The tech specs are as follows: iTableous features 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 500GB of internal storage, a 5.7 megapixel camera and 720p video recording, as well USB, HDMI and a 30-pin connector, just in case Benjamin wants to attach a real iPhone.

We think it looks great. Nice work, Benjamin!

[Via InsanelyMac]

A giant white iPhone table with no multitouch originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s an interesting stat I think tells a bigger tale: Onavo is a service for iPhone which claims to shrink your data as it goes in and out, and that service has been monitoring data coming back and forth from its users’ iPhones. Spotify, as you probably know, is a music cloud service that recently launched in the US, and Onavo says that iPhone usage for Spotify has spiked since the US launch. In other words, Spotify’s iPhone audience has jumped since the service was introduced to the States.

This doesn’t mean that iPhone is the only way people use Spotify, as there’s no information included about what Spotify’s web traffic might be like, or the Mac app. But I think it does show that there’s a growing trend of people listening to streaming music on their iPhones (something we’ve already seen from Pandora and other apps). Traditionally, streaming music has always been a web phenomenon, but obviously it’s easier and more convenient to listen to music while out and about, and better mobile Internet connections have made that possible.

As usual, Apple’s already at that party, with big plans for iCloud. That’s not actually a streaming service, it should be noted: iTunes Match only allows for syncing, not full streaming. But this idea of music to and from anywhere is definitely a trend that’s growing.

[via TechCrunch]

Spotify iPhone users jump after US launch originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We looked at FIPLAB’s MailTab for Gmail back in June. The app ports Gmail’s mobile interface to the Mac and anchors it to the menu bar. Since then, the company has come out with similar programs for Facebook and Google+. The latter appealed to me since I’ve grown to become a fan of the service.

It does well with most basic G+ functions. I could easily read my stream, manage my circles and view my profile. However, posting to it was a hassle as it never fully loaded my circle list. This is a huge drawback. There’s also no way to launch a hangout from within the app because of the mobile interface. You need to go through the browser for that.

If you want a basic app for checking your G+ stream without opening your web browser and don’t mind putting up with an ad, give this free app a try.

Daily Mac App: Tab for Google+ originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marco Arment posted this graph today, which shows some relative sales numbers of what he calls “obscure game consoles” (which presumably just means those outside the Microsoft/Sony/Sega/Nintendo dominion) right up against tablets which aren’t the iPad.

It’s true — the numbers do kind of put things in perspective about just how well non-iPad tablets are selling. We will also say that the TurboGrafx 16 launched at a price of US$249.99 way back in 1989, and you can compare for yourself just how inflation has matched that up against these other tablets. But sure, other than that: no comment.

[via Touch Arcade]

No Comment: Video game systems vs. non-iPad tablets originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s updated an entry in the anti-malware files of OS X to lock down a trojan that pretends to be a Flash player installer, but actually hijacks users’ search results. The trojan is known as “OSX.QHost.WB.A,” and claims to install Flash, but instead redirects Google results to an IP in the Netherlands, which then loads unwanted ads and offsite content along with the fake search results. When the malware was officially discovered, none of the ad servers actually worked, so the malware threat at this time is more of an inconvenience than anything.

Still, Apple apparently doesn’t want to take chances — it’s updated the “XProtect.plist” file in OS X with the definition of the trojan. Since an update earlier this year, you don’t even need to run Software Update to get this upgrade, as you likely get File Quarantine definitions upgraded daily already. But it’s good to know that steps have been taken already to protect your Mac from this malware.

Apple updates malware definitions to address fake Flash player trojan originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 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, 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 12, 2011 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When it comes to Chinese propaganda, you can already get the “Little Red Book” (Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung) in app form for your iPhone and iPad. Now the People’s Liberation Army is getting into the fun with a new official app for iPhones and iPads that lets you stay on top of all the latest things happening in the happy world of the PLA.

The app is a newsreader providing video, pictures, and press releases from official Chinese military outlets. State-run China Daily gushed about the app, saying that “The app was praised by many netizens. They said it is one of the great achievements by the Chinese military in promoting transparency.” Retired PLA general and military strategist Peng Guangqian said that “cooperation with Apple is helping the ministry to form a new public image, one that is more open and modernized.”

Well, the PLA isn’t exactly “cooperating” with Apple. The app can’t be found on the App Store, and is only available on jailbroken devices. Couple that with the fact that China is a suspect in many hacking incidents against the American military and defense contractors, and it’s not likely that many of the target market users are going to load the app on their iPhones.

Chinese army creates nifty iOS propaganda app originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Extra Innings Mobile Instructor is a training app to help you analyze a baseball swing or pitch. It records or imports video and provides you with a set of tools to mock-up the video as you critique the player’s movement. You can also use the app to submit the video clip to an expert who’ll professionally analyze your swing or pitch.

To use the app you’ll need a baseball swing recorded using an iOS device (iPhone, iPad 2) or imported from your video library. If you’re a coach, you’ll have ample opportunity to take video of your team. The video recording feature has a nice focus box that helps you line up the player to get the perfect shot for the analysis.

Once the video clip has been added to the Extra Innings, it only takes a few clicks to send the video to EI for analysis by a baseball professional. Each analysis is available as an in-app purchase that costs $15.

If you want to analyze the video yourself, you can launch the editing feature and mark up the video using a built-in set of tools. You can add shapes, draw freehand with a pencil tool, add text notes and even record audio. You can add these overlays to the entire video or apply them to specific sections. When you are done with your analysis, you can export the video and email it off to the recipient. The app supports folders so you organize your videos by player, team, and more.

The Extra Innings app is a must have for any parent whose children play baseball or a coach of a team. It’s great for little league all the way through high school. Colleges can also use it, but if you’re playing at that level, you likely have high-speed cameras and other advanced tools for analysis.

Extra Innings Mobile Instructor is available for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 4.2 or later. It’s priced at a very reasonable $4.99.

Daily iPad App: Extra Innings Mobile Instructor originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When it comes to thinking different, Icelandic musician Björk leads the pack. She’s just come out with what she refers to as the world’s first “app album” consisting of an iPad and iPhone app featuring ten songs, each of which has an accompanying interactive app of its own.

The app, titled “Biophilia,” is free to download. The song apps are in-app purchases at $1.99 each, although the first song on the album, “Cosmogony”, is free. Two more songs — “Crystalline” and “Virus” — have been released so far.

Richard McManus, writing for ReadWriteWeb, commented that “what impresses me about this album is her inventiveness in coming up with a brand new album format – the ‘app album.’ Plus she finds a new way to make money from her music.” Biophilia opens with an introduction narrated by none other than David Attenborough (see video below) in which he explains the theme of fusing nature, music, and technology to “listen, learn, and create.”

As an example of the individual song apps, Crystalline has you navigating through space collecting crystals with the song as accompaniment. Collect the crystals in the requested order (by bumping into them as you fly through tunnels) to unlock new tunnels, increasing replay value. You can also view a gallery of your crystals and share them with friends.

Virus includes an instrument mode, where tapping on images creates sounds from different instruments, so you’re creating your own song from the same instruments Björk used — and many of the sounds were created on the iPad. You unlock “instrument mode” by first playing the game: allowing microscopic invaders to effect neighboring cells, turing them into the instruments you eventually get to play.

Will other musicians follow Björk’s lead and create their own app albums? It depends on both the success of Biophilia and the creative chops of those other musicians. Are you ready for app albums? Which artist would you like to see create an app album? Let us know in the comments.

Björk releases first “app album” originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A report from the Taiwan Economic News claims Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has started trial production of Apple’s next generation A6 processor. The A6 is an ARM-based processor that includes a 28-nanometer process and 3D stacking technologies. It’s expected to land in Apple’s 2012 iOS devices.

The rumored iPhone 5 will keep the current generation A5 manufactured by Samsung, while the iPad 3 could ship with either processor depending on its launch date.

TSMC has not commented on its relationship with Apple, but Apple’s switch from Samsung to TSMC could help boost the bottom line for the semiconductor company which already manufactures chips for Nvidia and Qualcomm.

[Via BGR]

Report: Apple A6 production has begun originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung will have the opportunity to defend itself against Apple in a German court on August 25th. The Korean manufacturer will argue against the recent injunction that halted the sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in all EU countries except the Netherlands.

Until this date, the Apple-requested injunction will remain in effect. This timing will likely keep the Galaxy Tab off the shelves of European stores until September and may have an impact on Samsung’s next quarterly earnings.

Samsung will formally address Apple-led Galaxy Tab ban on Aug 25 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Millennial Media is a mobile ad network that has tracked mobile ad impressions for the last few years. The company released its Q2 2010 statistics which is its 50th overall report. To commemorate this achievement, Millennial compared quarterly statistics with a look back at the mobile industry since 2009.

Similar to other metrics, Millennial’s ad impressions in June 2011 show that Android is the top platform with 54% of total ad impressions. iOS is in second place with 26% of ad impressions and RIM slides into third place with 15%. This is a reversal from March 2010 when iOS was leader with 70% of ad impressions and Android had a mere 6%. Regardless of whether you like Android or not, that is a huge swing in Android’s favor in little over a year.

On a manufacturer basis, Apple is the leader with 30% of ad impressions. Samsung is in second place with a 14.9% share, and RIM is in third with 11.7%. These numbers are much different from 2009 when Samsung held a commanding lead with 21.6% of ads. LG was second with 12.5% and Apple was third with 11.3%.

For individual devices, the iPhone was the leading device in 2009 with 5.8% of ad impressions and it retains its title in 2011 with 16.1%. Surprisingly, the BlackBerry Curve is #2 in 2011 (it was #3 in 2009). The remaining 2011 handsets are dominated by Android with the Motorola DROID (2.95%) and the Nexus S (2.71%) as the reigning Android champs.

Another little snippet shows that the iPod touch and the iPad are the top two connected devices on the mobile ad network. The Galaxy Tab is #3. Touchscreen devices are also growing in popularity, rising from 33% of all devices on the ad network in 2009 to 60% in 2011.

[Via TechCrunch]

Millennial: Android beats iOS in ad impressions, Apple top manufacturer originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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