Category: I-phone

Sparrow, a minimalist email program for Mac OS X, has been updated to beta version 7. This latest version includes several bug fixes including one that addresses the crashing problem plaguing Leopard users. Sparrow has also added several new features such as a progress bar, quick labels, Gmail shortcuts and support for plain text emails. The UI has been refreshed and now features an updated mail composition window and a new conversation view for your threaded messages.

Also included is a download-on-demand feature that lets users with a large volume of email limit synchronization between a Gmail account and the Sparrow client. When toggled on, this feature lets you clean out your mailbox online and then download only the most important messages on demand. As we reported earlier, Sparrow supports multiple Gmail accounts and support for other IMAP-based email accounts is expected in a future version.

The developers behind Sparrow intend to bring the app to the Mac App Store when it opens on January 6 and are working on two versions of this email client — a free, ad-supported version and a paid version without ads. The current beta 7 version already includes advertisements but these ads can be switched off in the Advanced panel of the preferences.

Performance of the app is solid and the design in simple, yet pleasing. It is so refreshing to use a client that is dedicated solely to email and does not try to be the hub for all your online personas. The beta is available for free from Sparrow’s website, so you can check it out for yourself.

Sparrow for Mac beta 7 adds Gmail shortcuts, quick labeling, more originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Huffington Post has just released version 2.0 of its popular iPad app. The release is a complete overhaul and revamp of the previous app. Gone is the huge drop-down menu that you used to navigate through the Post’s various sections. It has now been replaced by an always-there Huff Post NewsGlide menu that allows you to quickly switch between sections with the tap of your finger.

Each NewsGlide section is divided into ordered news, blogs, slideshows and popular sub-sections. The slideshow sub-sections are particularly well laid out to take advantage of the iPad’s “flick through your photos” navigation. Tap on an article and a window slides onto the screen containing the exact page you would view if you were browsing the Huffington Post through Safari or Chrome. That means the articles window contains all the comments — and the ability to comment — directly in the app.

Overall, the new app is an improvement upon the old one. However, I think the new menu navigation takes some getting used to. The old app had a very newspaper-like feel to it as far as navigation goes. The new app seems to be the love child that would result if the BBC for iPad and Twitter apps hooked up. Personally, I like my newspaper apps to have the layout of newspapers. If you feel the same way, you’ll be consoled to know that the Huffington Post team has placed a “feedback” button on the top of the new menu. The Huffington Post for iPad is a free download.

Huffington Post overhauls iPad app with 2.0 release originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

In a brief press release this morning, Apple announced that it expects the iOS-based Apple TV to pass the one million mark in units sold sometime later this week. The release also notes that iTunes users are renting/purchasing TV episodes and movies by the truckload (400,000 and 150,000 per day, respectively), although it’s a bit ambiguous as to whether all those cited transactions involve an Apple TV or not — our guess is ‘not.’

At a run rate of one million units sold in just one quarter — aligning nicely with JMP Research’s estimates from October — the new version of Apple’s ‘hobby’ seems to have more momentum than the original Apple TV did in the marketplace. With the lower price point of $99, the tight integration with AirPlay-enabled iPads and iPhones, and the inclusion of Netflix streaming, the Apple TV matches up pretty well with other video devices at its price point.

It’s not all sunshine and smiles in the TV-gadget market right now, however. The more ambitious and technically challenging Google TV project is hitting some major bumps; meanwhile, vendors of other set-top devices seem to be gaining momentum from the attention the Apple TV has brought to the sector. Roku in particular has seen dramatic increases in sales, which the company’s CEO attributes in part to the impact and media buzz around the Apple TV.

[h/t Business Insider]

Continue reading New Apple TV sales to hit million-unit mark this week

New Apple TV sales to hit million-unit mark this week originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple has posted a new holiday-themed iPhone ad titled “Under the Covers.” In the ad, a mom nestles with her young son in bed while he uses FaceTime on the iPhone 4 to video chat with Santa. The mom leaves the room and the son hides under the covers, still talking to Santa.

Cut to the mom entering a room where her husband is dressed up as the big red guy. The parents have apparently recreated Santa’s workshop in the garage in order to fool the boy by using every bit of technology available to them. The ad features “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole.

It’s a heart warming spot, but personally I was hoping Apple would release a holiday iPhone ad featuring Krampus, Santa’s Alpine-European demonic sidekick. Oh well, there’s always next year.

Apple releases new Santa-themed iPhone 4 ad originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hook Worlds is the latest from Rocketcat Games, makers of Super Quick Hook and Hook Champ. If you’ve played either one of those games, you’ll know what to find here: running gameplay that uses a one-button hookshot to keep your character moving as quickly as possible across various levels. Hook Worlds, as I understand it, is more of an arcade version than the other two games (though you can try Hook Champ Lite to see what the gameplay is like), featuring four heroes hookshotting along four different worlds, each racing to get as far as they can. This is an app almost meant for those familiar with the “Quickhook” genre, but if you want to just give the game a shot without a lot of story or obstacles in your way, Hook Worlds will serve you pretty well anyway.

The game is just US$0.99 cents right now, and for a limited time, Rocketcat is giving away the fourth world for free. There’s no Game Center, unfortunately, but Hook Worlds wraps up the quickhook gameplay in a nice tidy package, ready for anyone to try out and see what they think. It’s an interesting title that’s worth a try even in these busy App Store days.

TUAW’s Daily App: Hook Worlds originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple has quickly pulled a WikiLeaks app (Google cache) it approved for sale on the App Store earlier this week. The unofficial app went live on the App Store on December 17. The WikiLeaks app gave “instant access to the world’s most documented leakage of top secret memos and other confidential government documents,” according to The iPhone Download Blog. The blog noted less than two days before the app was pulled that it was “actually surprising that Apple approved such an app, with all of the legal problems that Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks organization have been facing worldwide.”

TechCrunch has reached out to Apple and the developer for comment, but only the developer has responded so far, saying that Apple changed the official status of his app to “Removed From Sale.” It’s not too much of a shock that Apple pulled the app, as being seen as associating with or even facilitating funding to WikiLeaks is as about as controversial as you can get right now. The WikiLeaks app sold for US$1.99, but the developer, Igor Barinov, was donating half of his proceeds to WikiLeaks, which could be the ultimate reason why the app was pulled.

There are sure to be many questions about why Apple approved then pulled the app in the days to come, but I would love to know what’s more worrisome for Apple: the potential pressure/sanctions from various governments if they didn’t pull the app, or the fact that the Cupertino company has now probably really, really irritated Anonymous.

Apple pulls WikiLeaks app from the App Store originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline for iPhone and iPad is now available in the App Store. , a new installment of their racing game for iPhone and iPad. Gameloft introduces 42 licensed cars, 12 tracks and a career mode in Asphalt 6 Adrenaline.

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline Features

Build your dream collection
Discover 42 cars and bikes from ferrari, lamborghini, aston martin, ducati and other world-class manufacturers.

Race your friends
You can even take on friends in online and local multiplayer mode for up to 6 racers. Climb the online leaderboard to be the best in the world!

Leave the world in your dust
These street races will have you tearing up city streets in l.a., tokyo, the bahamas and more. Each location is rendered in beautiful hd graphics that take full advantage of the retina display.

Challenge the best
Don’t take your eyes off the road for a second, because you’ll be driving against tough opponents in 11 different leagues and 55 events.

Tuned to perfection
Take advantage of numerous tuning options to help your vehicles reach peak performance on any track. You can even customize your vehicles with decals to give them your own style.

Download Asphalt 6: Adrenaline

You can purchase and download Asphalt 6: Adrenaline for iPhone and iPad from the App Store for $6.99. iTunes like: [iPhone][iPad]

You can follow us on Twitter, Join us at Facebook, and also Subscribed to RSS Feed to receive latest updates.

Also checkout:

• Tap Tap Revenge 4
• N.O.V.A. 2 for iPhone and iPod Touch
• Real Racing 2 for iPhone and iPod Touch
• Download iTunes 10.1.1

According to MuscleNerd, Untethered Jailbreak for iOS 4.2.1 with RedSn0w is about ready. The New RedSn0w will not only jailbreak iOS 4.2.1, already jailbroken (tethered) users can use this new RedSn0w to re-jailbreak to get untethered support without any restore (all installed jailbreak tweaks will stay).

Note: This is a backup Unterthered iOS 4.2.1 jailbreak plan for those w/legit access to 4.2b3 IPSW. Comex will bring the original untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.2.1.

MuscleNerd: the backup plan for those w/legit access to 4.2b3 IPSW is about ready…again though, better to wait for comex

MuscleNerd: Thanks to comex, redsn0w can now handle much bigger files than ramdisk 25MB limit. Useful for “backup plan” 4.2 untether

MuscleNerd: it shouldn’t require a restore…just another redsn0w run. (That’s the goal!)

Comex is working on bringing an untethered jailbreak 4.2.1. This backup jailbreak requires 4.2b3 IPSW. A new code written by Comex also allows users to retrieve Photos and Files stuck behind an unfixable filesystem problem.

MuscleNerd: This latest @comex code also allows retrieval of photos+files stuck behind an unfixable filesystem problem…good stuff!

The iOS 4.2.1 jailbreak (untethered), if everything goes as planned, is expected to hit masses this Christmas eve. unlock for iPhone 4 baseband 02.10.04 / 03.10.01 is also expected in less than a month. We’ll keep you posted as soon as a jailbreak or unlock tool is out. Stay Tuned!

You can follow us on Twitter, Join us at Facebook, and also Subscribed to RSS Feed to receive latest updates.

Developer Square Enix, who recently released Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light on the App Store, came up with a pretty cool way to market their new app. They build a giant iPhone out of 56 iPads and have it on display at Pancras International Train Station in London. It is set to play a video loop of their new game.

Here is a photo of the beast:

Here’s the top list of iPhone and iPad Apps for 2010. Winners are listed at the end of the post. Take note that Apple has created the top 3 iPad apps themselves.

=============================
Overall Top 10 PAID iPhone Apps
=============================

Angry Birds
Doodle Jump – BE WARNED: Insanely Addictive!
Skee-Ball
Bejeweled 2 + Blitz
Fruit Ninja
Cut the Rope
ALL-IN-1 GAMEBOX
The Moron Test
Plants vs. Zombies
Pocket God

==============================
Overall Top 10 FREE iPhone Apps
==============================

Facebook
Angry Birds Lite
Words With Friends Free
Skype
Tap Tap Revenge 3
The Weather Channel®
Paper Toss
Bing
ROCK BAND FREE
Talking Tom Cat

==================================
Overall Top 10 GROSSING iPhone Apps
==================================

MLB.com At Bat 2010
Angry Birds
Call of Duty: Zombies
Bejeweled 2 + Blitz
FriendCaller 3 Pro
Zombie Farm
TomTom U.S.A.
TETRIS®
Plants vs. Zombies
Doodle Jump – BE WARNED: Insanely Addictive!

===========================
Overall Top 10 PAID iPad Apps
===========================

Pages
GoodReader for iPad
Numbers
Angry Birds HD
Keynote
Glee Karaoke
WolframAlpha
Pinball HD
Friendly for Facebook
Star Walk for iPad

===========================
Overall Top 10 FREE iPad Apps
===========================

iBooks
Pandora Radio
Netflix
Google Mobile App
Solitaire
Movies by Flixster – with Rotten Tomatoes
IMDb Movies & TV
Kindle
Google Earth
Virtuoso Piano Free 2 HD

================================
Overall Top 10 GROSSING iPad Apps
================================

Pages
Numbers
Keynote
LogMeIn Ignition
SCRABBLE for iPad
Documents To Go® Premium – Office Suite
Angry Birds HD
Real Racing HD
Plants vs. Zombies HD
Proloquo2Go

================================

And the Winners are…

Hipstamtic [iTunes Link]

Plants Vs. Zombies [iTunes Link]

Flipboard [iTunes Link]

Osmos [iTunes Link]

First, it was the Pandora Radio app, which added annoying audio advertisements in an App Store update. Then, after updating the Shazam app this past summer, I recently learned that the app now becomes obsolete after five uses (per month) and forces you to pay $5 and upgrade in order to restore its functionality. That’s what you get for being an early adopter, I guess.

Typically, when you think of an update, you expect features to be added to your apps. Occasionally, though, companies are updating apps to remove — rather than add — functionality from apps.

I expect some people will say the company has the right to do whatever they want, especially because it’s a free app. I agree. However, is this sound business practice? It’s certainly a great way to piss off — or at least annoy — your most loyal users.

It is the classic bait and switch — they advertise the product as free and unlimited, then swipe your privileges away and force you to pay in order to maintain the features you once enjoyed for free. As one user in a forum thread discussing the issue asked, “How do I know that I won’t be required to pay more to keep using their product in the future?”

In a TechCrunch post yesterday, digital business strategist David Dalka criticized this same kind of behavior among social networks:

It is time for the web community to stand up and shout that they are sick and tired of constant terms of service changes, privacy changes, steps backward in usability that degrade our mutual experience, comfort level with the sites we use and our enjoyment of the web.

Just as social networks are increasingly taking advantage of users with constant terms of service changes, App Store app makers are doing the same. Sure, no one is going to take away these businesses’ operating licenses, but it’s a good way to hurt the brand image.

What do you think? Is this unethical behavior? Should app makers show more respect to their early adopters or are they perfectly entitled to pull the proverbial rug out from under their users’ feet with App Store updates that remove functionality?

App Store Updates That Remove Functionality: Unethical Business Practice? is a post from Apple iPhone Review.

You Might Also Like…

1. iPhone May Add Business Billing & Support Features
2. Facebook App Developer Quits, Denounces App Store Approval Process
3. Will Steve Jobs Lift App Store Restrictions with iPhone 4.0?

Long for the good old days of classic Mac icons like Clarus the Dogcow or Pan Hand? Lucky for you — Susan Kare, the 1983 designer of the original Mac OS icons, is offering prints of the famed icons for Apple fanboys (and girls) everywhere. As reported by The Mac Observer, signed and numbered prints of the Bomb, Spotted Dog, Smiling Computer, Trash, and several other icons are available in several sizes ranging from 8.5″ x 11″ up to 30″ x 40″ and are priced between US $89 and $499. The limited-edition prints are up for sale over at Susan Kare Prints.

Since Ms. Kare was the designer of these icons, she has personal stories to share about each of them. About the Spotted Dog she says, “This icon was designed to be a spotted dog character in the Cairo ‘hieroglyphic’ font that shipped with the original Macintosh. Perhaps because the spots looked a little bovine, some people referred to the image as a dogcow, and imagined that the sound it made would be ‘Moof.'”

We’ve seen some interesting items created in the image of Apple products: an iPhone quilt made by a Grandmother, an iPad cutting board, and even a giant iPhone wedding cake. Up until 1998, Apple’s corporate headquarters had an “icon garden” full of planted OS icon sculptures. Here, courtesy of Ms. Kare, we have the real thing for sale by the designer of the original OS icons. One has to wonder, though, will Apple Legal send out any cease and desist letters to such an important former employee?

[via The Mac Observer]

Original Mac OS icons available as limited-edition prints originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Talk about jailhouse rock. Last week, 19-year-old Lamar Johnson pleaded guilty in a UK court to one count of conspiracy to defraud, according to the BBC. He was using stolen credit card numbers to buy his own band’s music on iTunes and Amazon, thus collecting the royalties.

Johnson was part of a 12-member “band” that recorded their own music and uploaded it to iTunes and Amazon.com. The group then used the credit cards to buy their own songs from the iTunes and Amazon music stores.

In total, the group purchased US $750,000 worth of their songs from iTunes and Amazon between January 2008 and June 2009. No word on how much Johnson would have earned had he and his group successfully collected the royalties. The name of the band remains a mystery as well, though you can bet their music has been pulled from the iTunes Store.

Johnson is currently serving a five-year jail sentence for grievous bodily harm, separate and apart from the musical fraud case. The remaining eleven members of Johnson’s group have yet to be tried, but are scheduled to appear in court in January.

Scammers upload music to iTunes, then buy it using stolen credit cards originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Although I knew that the AirFlick video tool I posted about earlier today could theoretically pass transcoded video streams to Apple TV for playback, my initial attempts with VideoLan Client transcoding more or less went nowhere. Then TUAW reader BC reposted a comment earlier this evening that he originally left on the MacRumors forums.

In that comment, he discussed how to add live conversion to my AirFlick app by using the server component of AirVideo, a video streaming solution that allows your Mac to serve video to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Although I had previously attempted to play back AirVideo m3u8 playlists on the Mac without success, BC suggested that the Apple TV supported them.

He was right. Video proof follows after the break.

Continue reading Apple TV plays live-converted AVI files using Air Video Server, AirPlayer, and AirFlick

Apple TV plays live-converted AVI files using Air Video Server, AirPlayer, and AirFlick originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple has just sent out an email to Apple developers announcing that they will soon be shutting down the Mac OS X Downloads section on Apple.com. The page will be shuttered on the day the Mac App Store launches – January 6. From that day on visitors to http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/ will be redirected to a page that tells visitors about the Mac App Store.

The full email reads:

Apple Developer

———————————–

Dear [name],

Thank you for making the Mac OS X Download site a great destination with apps that offer users new ways to work, play, learn, and create on their Mac.

We recently announced that on January 6, 2011, the Mac App Store will open to users around the world, presenting you with an exciting, new opportunity to reach millions of customers. Since the introduction of the App Store in 2008, we’ve been thrilled with the incredible support from developers and the enthusiastic response from users. Now we’re bringing the revolutionary experience of the App Store to Mac OS X.

Because we believe the Mac App Store will be the best destination for users to discover, purchase, and download your apps, we will no longer offer apps on the Mac OS X Downloads site. Instead, beginning January 6, we will be directing users to explore the range of apps available on the Mac App Store.

We appreciate your support of the Mac platform and hope you’ll take advantage of this new opportunity to showcase your apps to even more users. To learn how you can offer your apps on the Mac App Store, visit the Apple Developer website at <http://developer.apple.com/programs/mac/>.

Best regards,

Ron Okamoto
Vice President, Worldwide Developer Relations
Apple Inc.

The shut down of the Mac OS X Download site may come as a surprise to some, yet it signifies how important Apple believes one central, easy to navigate location for users to browse Mac apps is for the future of the Mac app platform.

[h/t MacStories.net]

Apple shutting down Mac OS X Downloads section of Apple.com on Jan. 6, 2011 originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments