Category: I-phone

Many years ago I built a music synthesizer kit. It was a mass of circuit boards and wires. When I got done, any note I played warbled and quickly went off key.

Times have changed, and now, rather amazingly, an iPhone or iPad can be home to a massive orchestra that will do your bidding as you compose or transcribe music wherever you are.

That brings us to WI Orchestra, a new app from Wallander Instruments that allows you to create and record orchestral music, layer by layer. The app is free, but it only gives you a handful of instruments. In-app purchases let you select an entire family of instruments for US$2.99. To get them all will cost you $15. Wallander technology has been in use for years, and you’ll hear its electronically created instruments in TV shows and movies. Lots of composers use the desktop versions of the software every day.

The app allows you to work on up to 98 compositions at a time, and you can export the songs as WAV files. It works on any iDevice running iOS 4.0 or greater, and iPad and iPhones with more than 256 MB of RAM can have projects that run up to 5 minutes.

I tried the app on my iPad and thought it was pretty intuitive. A brief help menu is supplied. The keyboard picked up how hard I was playing, and roughly adjusted volume accordingly. I realized how nice a Bluetooth or USB music keyboard would be with this app. The on-screen version worked OK, but it’s certainly not tactile the way a physical keyboard would be.

Continue reading Compose with a full orchestra on your iPad or iPhone

Compose with a full orchestra on your iPad or iPhone originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We met Dolly Drive when it was barely a week old. This week, version 1.2 became available with increased storage capacity, increased upload speed and incremental cloning.

Dolly Drive is a cloud-based backup solution that works with Apple’s Time Machine. Once configured, Time Machine treats it as it would any backup volume. Additionally, Dolly Drive creates a local bootable backup, giving you both a local and an off-site backup of your stuff.

Version 1.2 increases the offline storage cap to a generous 2 terabytes. Also, incremental cloning improves the speed of that process, and a new multi-site grid infrastructure on DD’s end decreases users’ upload time.

I’ve been happily using Dolly Drive for half a year now. Prices start at US$5/mo. for 50 GB of storage and max out at $55/mo for 2 TB. As a bonus, users receive an additional 5 GB storage per month at no extra cost for every month that they remain a customer.

Dolly Drive 1.2 expands to 2 terabytes, adds seeding program originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Calendaring on the Mac has come a long way since I was using Palm Desktop on a 333 MHz iMac. iCal is the Mac OS default today, and it works well. There is room for improvement, however, and Fantastical takes a huge step in the right direction.

This handy app lives in your menu bar, providing quick access to your many appointments across calendars (including iCal or Outlook 2011). Fantastical supports incredibly rapid and natural full-text entry for appointments, making it easier than ever to get your events where you need them. It looks great, works well and is definitely worth your time. Read on for the full review.

Note: tomorrow I’ll post a review of a competing product, Today by Second Gear Software. Then, on Thursday, we’ll do a head-to-head shootout between Fantastical and Today.

Continue reading Fantastical improves the Mac desktop calendar experience

Fantastical improves the Mac desktop calendar experience originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Later today, BBC 3 will be airing Secrets of the Superbrands, a documentary about the relationship between consumers and the brands that shape our behavior, our desires and our lives. Series creator Alex Riley let slip an interesting tidbit in a preview post about the series:

“The Bishop of Buckingham — who reads his Bible on an iPad — explained to me the similarities between Apple and a religion. And when a team of neuroscientists with an MRI scanner took a look inside the brain of an Apple fanatic it seemed the bishop was on to something. The results suggested that Apple was actually stimulating the same parts of the brain as religious imagery does in people of faith.”

Implying that Apple fandom equals zealotry may be attention-grabbing (and does indeed make me want to watch the program; too bad I can’t use the BBC’s iPlayer app here in the States), but the neurological similarity isn’t surprising or particularly novel. You could almost certainly make the same observations about Red Sox fans, Twilight groupies, Van Halen lovers, Ducati collectors … the list goes on, and whatever object of desire makes your heart pitter-patter will resonate in the neural patterns of your gray matter. Paraphrasing my colleague Chris Rawson, “This just in: the human brain is extremely susceptible to liking the things it likes to like. More details as we get them.”

As to whether there’s something particularly intense, sustained or worshipful about the relationship between the Apple brand and Apple owners… well, seriously now, this question is appearing on The Unofficial Apple Weblog, one of thousands of sites, magazines, conferences and less-public obsessions dedicated to all things ‘i’ and the company that makes them real. Do you even have to ask?

UPDATE: TUAW pal Alex Brooks from World of Apple let us know that it’s his brain that’s scanned on the program. Now I really want to see it!

Thanks to Jörg for the tip.

BBC: Loving Apple looks like a religion to an MRI scan originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple systems administrators can now use non-Apple hardware to host an internal Apple Software Update Service, thanks to Reposado, an open-source project developed by IT admins at Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Running your own Software Update Server allows you to test updates for hardware and software conflicts before deploying them across all your machines. It also allows you to economize on bandwidth, downloading each update just once instead of having everyone in the company download it separately.

Until now, you’ve needed to run such a server exclusively on Apple hardware running Mac OS X Server. Now, Disney Animation Studios’ Reposado lets you run your Update Server on any hardware and software server you like.

Reposado downloads Apple’s Software Update catalogs and even the update packages from Apple’s servers. Written in Python, the software hosts the updates using the ‘curl’ binary tool and a web server like Apache 2. You can setup custom branches to organize updates and keep track of those that passed testing. If you work in a mixed environment with some machines running 10.6.7 and others on an older version of OS x, you can also use Reposado to serve different updates to different machines.

[via Managing OS X]

Run your own Software Update Server with Reposado originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As we reported on May 14, Lion Developer Preview 3 includes a number of voices from Nuance’s RealSpeak Solo software that can be used for text-to-speech (TTS) operations in the OS. These voices are a good improvement on the existing voices used by Mac OS X, and could point to a greater use of speech recognition and TTS as a user interface feature in Lion and iOS 5.

If you have a hankering to hear just how good these voices are, OS X Daily has linked to a number of samples that are available on the NextUp Nuance Sample page, some of which are listed below:

o. Samantha – American English Female
o. Serena – British English Female
o. Sangeeta – Indian English Female
o. Felix – Canadian French Male
o. Karen – Australian English Female
o. Lee – Australian English Male
o. Yannick – German Male
o. Monica – Spanish Female
o. Paolo – Italian Male

My current favorite on the list is Karen, the Australian English female voice. What voice do you want to hear coming out of your Mac or iOS device speakers in the future? Let us know in the comments.

Nuance voice samples provide a taste of Lion text-to-speech originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PC World is reporting that the world’s largest computer manufacturer has chosen USB 3.0 over Intel’s Thunderbolt port in its new desktop PCs. HP’s worldwide desktop marketing manager told PC World that “We did look at [Thunderbolt]. We’re still looking into it. Haven’t found a value proposition yet.”

Haven’t found a value proposition yet? To put it in fantasy geek terms, Thunderbolt is the one port to rule them all. You can connect anything from hard drives to displays on one connection and even daisy-chain multiple Thunderbolt devices together. To top it off, a Thunderbolt port is smaller than a USB 3.0 port, at least twice as fast as USB 3.0 and, theoretically, has the potential for four times the throughput of USB 3.0.

I understand that HP is considering that there are already 6 billion USB devices on the market, but is it really that hard to add a Thunderbolt port to new desktops in order to help speed adoption of a superior technology? HP’s decision to use older technology is an example of why no one will ever mistake it for a hardware company that moves the industry forward. Excluding Thunderbolt isn’t just a failure of envisioning where computers are headed; it slows overall adoption of a superior technology, which means we’ll see fewer Thunderbolt accessories hit the market. That’s unfortunate, because consumers deserve the best technology available.

HP chooses USB 3.0 over Thunderbolt originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may be a case of putting the cart before the horse, but Boy Genius Report suggests that some of the retail rumblings coincident with the Apple Stores’ 10th anniversary (coming this week) may have to do with the stores being equipped to take payments via Near Field Communications (NFC) setups. Presumably the existing EasyPay system could be swapped out for NFC-enabled iPod touch handhelds with a handy-dandy sled, giving Apple a solid test platform for future NFC hardware in other devices.

The rumor mill has been grinding at both ends on the likelihood of NFC in future iPhones, with arguments pro and con registering points. While major players like Visa have already committed to testing NFC hardware in specialized cases for the iPhone and other devices, it’s not clear that Apple is ready to put its payment eggs in the iOS device basket. If, however, BGR is right and the stores are getting an NFC facelift to support payments, that would be a major tell about the future of the technology in Apple’s product line.

Update: Jim Dalrymple throws cold water on the notion of any product launch aligned with the retail anniversary: too close to WWDC, for one thing, and not in Apple’s style to commemorate the past.

Rumor: NFC payments coming to Apple Stores soon? originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs is often regarded as a visionary who rejoined a failing Apple in 1996 and propelled it to the top of the electronics industry. As a result, people are combing through Jobs’ history to find the secret to his success. Carmine Gallo of Forbes stumbled on an interesting conversation Jobs had with Nike CEO Mark Parker.

After taking over the helm at Nike, Parker reportedly talked to Steve Jobs on the phone and asked him for advice. Jobs bluntly replied, “Nike makes some of the best products in the world. Products that you lust after. But you also make a lot of crap. Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff.” Parker responded with a chuckle, but Jobs remained silent. He was being serious.

This laser-like focus separates Jobs from other CEOs. Many companies throw a bunch of products into the market to see which one sticks. Apple is much more selective, picking and choosing those items that have the best chance for success when they are introduced. Yes, there have been a few klunkers in Jobs’ portfolio, but you can’t argue with the market domination of the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

[hat tip AppleInsider]

Jobs reportedly told Nike “Get rid of the crappy stuff” originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big pharmaceutical companies spend a lot of time, money and effort trying to attract the attention of doctors in order to get them to use their expensive new products. Doctors, it turns out, are busy people who give the sales reps about 30 seconds of their valuable time — most of which is taken up signing receipts for the samples they’re being given.

So now big pharma is turning to the iPad as a way to grab doctors’ attention — even though they apparently don’t, yet, have anything to actually show the doctors on those iPads. “During recent conversations with large pharmas, I have heard leadership at several companies make comments similar in nature to ‘we have not yet purchased an iPad-based SFA (Sales Force Automation) software product, but we know we will eventually, so we’re buying the devices now’,” says Eric Newmark, an analyst at IDC Health Insights community.

He says “more than one” big pharmaceutical company has told him that they’re stockpiling iPads “in significant volume” for later use. The companies aren’t even considering looking at alternative devices, believing that Apple’s product gives them a better chance of keeping up with the latest technological developments.

Apple products are already popular with medical staff, and it can’t hurt to present new pharmaceutical products to them using iPads. “With big pharma already stocking up on the hardware, it seems likely that the apps they want will follow,” says Newmark. Apple’s absence in the pharma market is likely to rapidly change with Apple “likely to quickly become a dominant hardware vendor in the space.”

[Via The Mac Observer/MacOS Ken]

Big pharmaceutical companies stockpiling iPads for future sales apps originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you missed Malcolm Gladwell’s article, Creation Myth: Xerox PARC, Apple, and the Truth about Innovation, in the May 16 issue of The New Yorker, then you should tune into a recent episode of NPR’s All Things Considered. In this seven-minute interview, Gladwell talks about Steve Jobs and his now legendary visit to Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center in the late 70s.

As the story goes, Jobs visited the research center and saw a demonstration of Xerox’s $300 three-button computer mouse. Inspired by what he saw, Jobs brought the concept to industrial designer Dean Hovey. Hovey improved upon the concept and developed a single-button mouse that cost a mere $15 to build. This mouse became the center point of a new graphical user interface similar to one demoed at Xerox. This hardware and software eventually evolved into the now iconic Macintosh.

Unlike many who accuse Jobs of stealing the idea from Xerox, Gladwell distinguishes between invention and innovation. Xerox may have been the inventor, but Apple was the innovator and ran with the concept.

Malcom Gladwell discusses Steve Jobs with NPR originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The picture at right isn’t something you see every day, and it’s something there’ll only be one more chance to capture: a Space Shuttle launch photographed from an in-flight passenger jet. Stefanie Gordon shot this image of the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s launch with her iPhone as her plane descended for a landing.

The shot itself is a rare enough event, but what happened next was an eye-opener for the photographer. According to Mashable, within a few hours of uploading the launch pics to Twitter from her iPhone, Stephanie was getting phone calls from ABC, CNBC and the BBC. Her follower count on Twitter went up by over 1000, and she was getting so many @mentions as a result of the pic that she had to shut them off so her iPhone’s battery didn’t get drained.

Other people on the plane took pics, but apparently none of them uploaded them to Twitter. The real draw of this story isn’t that the photo was taken with an iPhone — people use the device to take extraordinary pics all the time — but the colossal and immediate response the photographer got after sharing it. This scenario shows just how interconnected everything has become today thanks to devices like the iPhone, and it’s a trend that’s only going to become more powerful as more people start sharing information this way.

In-flight iPhone snaps Space Shuttle launch originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You may remember Pinch, a drag-and-drop platformer that we featured a while back. The idea was that you dragged colored orbs around a map, navigating them through obstacles of various kinds and even combining or tearing them apart in order to line them up correctly. That game was well received, and a few weeks back, its sequel appeared on the App Store as an iPad-only title.

Pinch 2 HD is an overhaul of the concept, featuring the same sort of drag-and-drop puzzle platforming gameplay, but with a few new colors in the mix and a few new elements to play with. The look has been given a complete update, and gameplay is superior on the iPad. The original iPhone version had you dragging the screen around a lot to see what you were doing, and while you can still do that on the iPad, the bigger screen lets you see the overall picture more easily.

Game Center integration brings leaderboards and achievements, and the graphics and music work great. The game is a free download, with 20 levels unlocked to play and 80 more available to buy with a US$4.99 in-app purchase (and more on the way via updates). Both Pinch fans and newcomers will enjoy Pinch 2 HD.

TUAW’s Daily iOS App: Pinch 2 HD originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new free iPhone app wants to take the ease of editing and sharing photos that Instagram has perfected and bring it to video.

Viddy is a fun way to take short videos (15 seconds or less), trim them, add pre-set effects and then share the fun with your friends via Twitter, Facebook and/or YouTube. The app shows Foursquare and Tumblr as “coming soon,” so don’t feel left out if you are a fan of either of those services. Viddy also has its own service, so if you don’t feel like sharing with anyone but other Viddy users, you’re in luck.

It occurred to me what a clever name this app has — “vidi” in Latin is pronounced the same way and translates as “I have seen.” That’s a very apt description of what Viddy does, telling your friends and followers what you’ve seen with your eyes and your iPhone.

To find out more about this clever and well-executed social sharing app, read on. Be sure to check out the gallery below for screenshots of the app in operation, as well as a short Viddy that was shared with YouTube for demonstration purposes.

Continue reading Viddy for iPhone is like a mashup of Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

Viddy for iPhone is like a mashup of Twitter, YouTube and Instagram originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This video, called Trapped in an Phone (watchable after the break), is pretty ingenious. Artists Ronen Verbit and Vanya Polunin apparently took three different videos and assembled them to play on three different iPhones, both standing on their own and moved around as they play to fit different setups.

Make sure you stick around to the end as well, where there’s a little fourth wall breaking, some also-ingenious credits made possible by an iPhone, and the revelation that the whole thing was apparently filmed by an iPhone, too (you can see the reflection in the last shot). Pretty wild stuff.

[via RazorianFly and Cult of Mac]

Continue reading Found Footage: Three iPhones, one video

Found Footage: Three iPhones, one video originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 17 May 2011 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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