Category: I-phone

In the past we’ve discussed at length the new fad of vintage photography via apps such as Instagram. There are plenty of outspoken haters of this trend but the rest of us are happy to enjoy the fun of bringing a little old school goodness to our high tech phones.

Some forward thinking developers have already begun looking past still photographs and bringing the same vintage trend into video. The result is a quickly growing selection of apps that make it incredibly easy to create video clips with enough retro flare to make Hipstamatic users green with envy.

8mm Vintage Camera

This beautiful piece of software is currently being featured on the iTunes store as the App of the Week. The app comes with 25 built-in “looks” that offer different variations of dust & scratches, retro colors, flickering, light leaks, and frame jitters.

Much like with Hipstamatic, you can choose from and combine five different lenses and five different films to create a completely customized experience. These effects update live so you can see exactly what they will look like before hitting the record button.

The end product is actually quite believable as a piece of old footage. Check out the sample video here as proof.

Price: $1.99

8mm Vintage Camera

Vintage Video Maker

Vintage Video Maker contains five different effects to add to either a new or existing video: 20′s Movie , 60′s Home Video, Black & White Video, Sepia Video and Sepia Vintage Video. You can also slow down and speed up the video for added effect.

After you’ve recorded your video and chosen an effect, choose a sound effect to add. Options include old piano music or a running movie projector.

Price: $1.99 (limited time)

Vintage Video Maker

iRetroscope

The developers of Vintage Video Maker also created this app. If tons of options and buttons aren’t really your thing and you’d rather have something simple, check out iRetroscope.

All you do is move the slider to a specific decade and the video effect will automatically be updated to reflect a home movie from that time period. It’s that easy!

Price: $1.99

iRetroscope

CinemaFX for Video

If you’re the exact opposite of the simple, easy going customer described in the previous app, this one might be for you. CinemaFX for Video includes a whopping 55 effects to make your videos look awesome.

You can stack up to three different effects from four different categories together and make side-by-side comparisons with the original video. Once you’re done, you can export your videos straight to YouTube in full HD.

For $2.99, this amazing app is quite a steal!

Price: $2.99

CinemaFX for Video

iSupr8

This app is all about one thing: reproducing the look of old 8mm film. The interface is a little complex for such a basic app, but once you get the hang of it you’ll love the results.

This is another app for those not too concerned with a myriad of effects but opt instead for letting the software take over while you simply shoot. One nice feature is Facebook integration so you can instantly share your videos with your friends.

If you like this one, be sure to check out Super 8, another app with a nearly identical concept but slightly different execution.

Price: $1.99

iSupr8

VintageScene-Video

VintageScene-Video features a number of heavy aging effects including sepia tone, grain, darkened edges, and distressed paper. Each effect can be fine-tuned by the user for just the right touch.

The app is based on an earlier photography version, VintageScene

Price: $1.99

VintageScene-Video

Conclusion

The apps above each take a unique spin on the idea of applying vintage effects to modern video. It may not be what you want for all of your video projects, but it’s certainly a fun way to add more interest to some boring cell phone footage.

Leave a comment below and tell us about the vintage video apps that you’ve used. Which apps did you love and which did you hate? Are there any that we missed? Let us know!

An update to Viber has hit the app store today. I was impressed with the original release of this free VOIP client when it came out early last month. I especially liked the voice quality, and the notifications. Since the review, Skype with video finally made it to the iPhone and attracted a lot of attention, but I still prefer the audio quality of Viber, and unlike Skype, it doesn’t have to be running to get a call notification. Of course everyone you want to call must be running Viber, but that is the only requirement.

Most of the update to Viber is for bug fixes, and there is also an update to the privacy policy, which some users found confusing or objectionable. Viber servers get a copy of your address book names and phone numbers so the app knows which of your contacts uses Viber without seeing your contact notes or email addresses. You can now read the privacy policy from within the app. New or improved features include a call quality monitor, better Bluetooth support, and fixes to international dialing.

Viber is also coming to Blackberry phones and Android. I don’t think Viber is ever going to threaten Skype, but in some ways I like it better. If you are a frequent caller, especially if you call internationally, it’s worth a look. Viber is voice only, so no video calling.

Viber VIOP app for iPhone updated and improved originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

South Korean wireless carrier KT confirmed that it has sold over two million iPhones since the handset launched in the country a little over a year ago. After regulatory wrangling, the iPhone finally made its debut in late 2009 and various versions of the handset have been sold exclusively by KT. The iPhone 4 made its debut in September 2010 and KT broke the one million iPhones sold mark in October. According to the latest figures, over one in every 25 South Koreans own an iPhone and over 50% of these are iPhone 4s.

The explosion of the iPhone in South Korea has shaken up the wireless industry in the Korean country by putting pressure on competing wireless carriers and handset manufacturers. KT, formerly Korea Telecom, is the number two wireless carrier behind leader SK Telecom. The #2 carrier has an exclusive on the iPhone and is grabbing customers from its bigger rival which offers a variety of Android handsets. The situation mirrors the U.S. where #2 AT&T has been creeping closer to #1 Verizon Wireless due to the success of the iPhone. Until 2011 when Verizon announced the CDMA iPhone 4, AT&T had enjoyed over three years of exclusivity with the iPhone.

South Korea is also the home to handset manufacturers Samsung and LG, both of which are highly regarded in their home countries. Samsung is the manufacturer of the popular Android-powered Galaxy S handset which has sold over ten million units worldwide and the Galaxy Tab which has sold over 1.5 million units. LG is also on the forefront of the Android world with the Optimus 2X, a 1080P-recording, Tegra 2-powered handset that debuted this weekend on SK Telecom.

In the upcoming year, the South Korean market is expected to grow from 6.1 million handsets to 16.2 million. It will be interesting to revisit these numbers next year and see how many iPhones make their way into the hands of the South Korean people.

South Korean iPhone sales reach 2 million originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The developers behind the up and coming Sparrow email client confirmed that version 1.0 is almost completed. A successful private beta trial is almost over and the last reported bugs are being fixed. Sparrow is on track to be submitted to the Mac App Store by the end of the week. Along with a new version of the application, the developers also unveiled the new logo for Sparrow which is shown above.

Released in October as a beta, the recent beta 7 version of Sparrow included support for advertisements that could be switched off in the preferences. When this version debuted, the developers confirmed that future versions of the email client would be available as a free or paid version. Now that Sparrow’s appearance in the Mac App Store is imminent, pricing for this premium version has been announced. According to Sparow’s blog post, the pricing will be as follows:

Paid: Sparrow will cost $24,99 but early birds will benefit from the $19,99 introductory price.

The premium version of Sparrow will not include ads and will let you add multiple accounts, while Sparrow Lite, the free version, will include Carbon Ads and will be limited to one account only.

[Via Macstories]

Sparrow for Mac coming to Mac App Store originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

A new Apple patent uncovered by Macrumors showcases the work of FingerWorks, which Apple purchased in 2005. FingerWorks, best known now for being the base of today’s gesture-recognition technology, produced the TouchStream multi-touch keyboard early last decade. However, as demonstrated in certain products such as the Magic Cube, lack of tactile feedback along with the need to look at the keys while typing lest your fingers begin drifting are among the problems with getting such technology going mainstream.

According to the patent filing, FingerWorks co-founder John Elias is working to create a hybrid physical keyboard that doubles as a motion-sensitive device. There would be a typing mode and a mouse mode, toggled via a special key or key combination.

While using trackpads is normal for laptops, if Apple implements this sort of keyboard, it wouldn’t completely drive a physical mouse or stylus — like a Wacom tablet with pen — obsolete. As MacRumors points out, multi-touch keyboards aren’t quite ready to be sprung on average consumer yet. We’ll probably see other inventions such as a Magic Mouse with a display panel first.

Apple patent suggests multi-touch keyboards might be in the future originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Welcome to the week of Macworld Conference and Expo 2011! Several of your TUAW writers and editors will be in San Francisco this week checking out the sights, sounds and personalities at this annual uber-event for Apple fans, customers, users and buyers from around the world.

In fact, we’ll be live streaming from the Expo floor at booth #1012 starting Thursday and continuing until the closing hour on Saturday, January 29. Tomorrow we’ll post our official schedule so you’ll know exactly when to tune in to see your favorite TUAW franchises “come to life” with the authors on camera reviewing apps, hardware and rounding up the news or giving advice. Bookmark our Macworld hub page this week to stay up-to-date on everything happening on the ground (it’s a little bare now because the event hasn’t started).

Don’t forget, we have a special discount available for the conference and expo. We want to thank IDG and Macworld for again putting together a wonderful event and we look forward to meeting some of you in beautiful downtown San Francisco. Stay tuned for more exciting details as we unveil some awesome new stuff this week!

TUAW at Macworld 2011 — Join us! originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Like the sightings of Bigfoot, Elvis, and leprechauns, the white iPhone 4 has a life of its own. Mentions of it keep popping up, yet nobody really ever seems to get a picture that’s more than a blur or a fantastic PhotoShopped fake.

The latest sighting emerged on BGR, where it was reported that two entries appeared in AT&T’s Online Account Management system. One was for the little unicorn, the 16 GB White model, and the other was for the full-sized 32 GB unicorn.

The online account tool doesn’t supply any information about when the bleached iPhone 4 will actually be found on store shelves. BGR conjectured that it might be just in time for iPhone users to jump to the white model, get locked into a new two-year contract, and then bash their heads repeatedly against a wall when the iPhone 5 appears in June or July.

If I were an Apple executive, I’d announce it this week to rain on the Macworld Expo parade. What about you, TUAW readers? Do you even care about the white iPhone 4 anymore? If you do, when do you think it will appear?

[via MacStories]

Mythical white iPhone 4 appears on AT&T’s account management system originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

According to IDC research manager Tom Mainelli, the iPad 3 and not the iPad 2 will be the lucky recipient of a high-resolution display. Previous rumors have repeatedly suggested the iPad 2 will sport a high-resolution “retina” display. Most of these rumors came from Asian sources and was cautiously repeated with skepticism that Apple could pack a retina display into the iPad 2 and keep the price competitive.

Mainelli bucks this trend by asserting that it is production and not cost that is the limiting factor for a 10-inch high-resolution display. The technology exists and is reasonably priced, but there are no production facilities capable of producing a retina display at the volume Apple will need for the iPad 2. Apple sold over seven million iPads in its last quarter and these numbers are expected to skyrocket in the upcoming year.

Rather than experience lagging sales due to component shortages. Apple may have opted to push off the high-resolution display and manufacture the iPad 2 with a standard resolution display. Apple is reportedly prepping manufacturers for the iPad 3, giving them time to ramp up their display production capabilities for the third generation tablet. If this analysis by Mainelli pans out and the iPad 2 does ship with a standard display, will you be disappointed? Disappointed to the point that you bypass the iPad 2 and wait for the iPad 3? Let us know in the comments.

iPad high resolution display rumored for 3rd generation originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

You may have heard that iPad or iPhone/iPod touch devices don’t do Flash. It’s been mentioned a few times, and it’s clearly the feature Android device makers are targetting when trying to answer the question “Why should I buy your device instead of an iPad or iPhone/iPod touch?”

Toshiba has a tablet which they claim is “coming this spring” (aka “it isn’t shipping yet”) which is tentatively called (are you ready for this?) “The Toshiba Tablet.” A teaser website is up at http://thetoshibatablet.com. If you visit the site on an iOS device, you will be redirected to a mobile site that ends with /mobile/apple.html, describing itself as one of the “interesting places on the internet you can’t see on your device. Of course, if you had a Toshiba Tablet you would enjoy the entire internet. Yep, Flash sites too.” At the bottom is the name “Toshiba” followed by “Leading Innovation >>>” but if you’re expecting that “>>>” to lead anywhere you’ll be disappointed.

First of all, instead of sending the message as HTML (after all, it’s only text on a colored background), the whole page is one large image file. That wasn’t innovative when people were doing it in 1998.

Continue reading Toshiba tablet teaser site teases iPad, iPhone

Toshiba tablet teaser site teases iPad, iPhone originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK was the winner of Apple’s 10 billion App Store download contest. The UK mother won the contest with the Paper Glider application that was downloaded by one of her daughters using an iPod touch. In a comical turn of events, Davis feared she had lost the US$10,000 prize when she inadvertently hung up on Apple.

According to Cult of Mac, Davis received a congratulatory phone call from Apple’s Eddy Cue, the Vice President of iTunes. Davis initially believed the phone call was a prank. She replied with a curt “Thank you very much, I’m not interested” and hung up on the Apple executive.

Panic ensued when her daughters informed their mother that the call may have been real. The teen-agers were downloading apps on their iPod touches when the contest ended at 9:30AM in the UK (1:30AM PST/4:30AM EST).

Fearing she had botched her chance at a $10,000 iTunes gift card, Davis called Apple’s support line to connect with the appropriate person and explain her mistake. Unfortunately, the customer service representative was not able to assist her with this unique request. Her daughters were reportedly getting “quite tense” at this point in time.

Thankfully, another Apple employee called Davis back a few hours later and she was able to tell her side of this story. After what must have been a good chuckle, Davis will receive the $10K gift card. This award will be put to good use by her daughters who are already marking off applications they want to download. Davis also mentioned that she and her husband may upgrade their aging iPod nanos so they can enjoy this unexpected bounty, too.

“10 billionth app” Mom hung up on Apple originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

I remember the good old days of software distribution for mobile phones, when having an “app” on your phone meant you had to scour the depths of the internet to find and download the app that you wanted — most of which were written in Java and built for specific groups of devices. For a developer, distributing your software meant hosting downloads and instruction guides on your own website, or partnering up with a distributor like Handango in hopes of better exposure. Fast forward to today, where the App Store has opened the doors for independent developers and installing apps on your device is as simple as tapping a button. Well, at least installing regular apps from the App Store is simple; installing beta versions of an app that is not quite ready for prime-time is usually more complex and reminiscent of the antiquated installs of yore. That is, until now.

Enter TestFlight, a very interesting project with a simple goal: to make distributing and installing beta versions of apps as simple as tapping a button. In short, and to coin a phrase that is often synonymous with Apple products in general, “it just works.” TestFlight is one of those rare utilities that is able to evoke a feeling of magic when you first use it. This feeling is not just because it does exactly what it advertises, or because the process is so simple, but because it does all of this just by loading a simple web page from your device.

Sound interesting? Read on to find out how TestFlight is making the testing process better for everyone.

Continue reading TestFlight helps developers to prepare their apps for takeoff

TestFlight helps developers to prepare their apps for takeoff originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has countersued S3 Graphics after the company, a maker of graphics-visualization technologies for the notebook and desktop markets, originally sued Apple last June for patent infringement related to a number of Apple’s devices, including the iPhone, iPod touch and MacBook computers. The original complaint stated that Apple has violated four S3 patents relating to image processing systems and “fixed-rate block-based image compression with inferred pixel values.”

AppleInsider notes that at this time it is not clear why Apple is countersuing S3 Graphics. The details of their complaint, filed this month, remain unknown. Apple’s complaint in a US District Court in the Northern District of California is currently classified as an “oversized document,” which means that no one can download it (yet) to find out what it contains. The countersuit does appear to be related to patents. However, it is not currently clear whether Apple is accusing S3 Graphics of patent violations itself, or if Apple is seeking to invalidate the patents S3 is suing it for violating.

Apple countersues S3 Graphics in patent dispute originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple unveiled its first Macintosh-branded computer 27 years ago today. Steve Jobs introduced the Apple Macintosh on January 24, 1984 and received wild applause from the crowd of 3,000 people. The original Apple Macintosh was the first personal computer to be powered by the Mac operating system, then lovingly called System 1.0. The all-in-one beige case included a 9-inch greyscale monitor, a convenient handle and an accompanying keyboard and mouse. It also featured a 8 MHz processor with 128 KB DRAM, 16-bit data bus and non-upgradeable internal components.

It was originally introduced simply as the Apple Macintosh and was re-branded as the Macintosh 128K when its big brother, the Macintosh 512K, was introduced in September 1984. The history-making computer debuted with a price tag of $2495. For those that want to relive a piece of history, Steve Job’s unveiling of the Apple Macintosh is above and the famous “1984” Ridley Scott TV commercial which aired during Super Bowl XVIII is after the break. Enjoy!

Continue reading Happy 27th Birthday, Macintosh

Happy 27th Birthday, Macintosh originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments