Category: I-phone

Apple introduced the Safari browser in January of 2003. Since then, it’s matured to include extensions, an RSS reader and even a Windows counterpart. Still, many users prefer another browser. Since Safari is set as the default on every new Mac, you’ll have to make the switch manually. Otherwise, Safari will launch whenever a browser is called for (clicking a link in an email message, for example), instead of your preferred browser. Here’s how to change that.

First, launch Safari. From the Preferences menu, select General. At the top of the screen you’ll see a drop-down labeled “Default Web Browser.” Click it, hit Select and then navigate to your choice. That’s it. From that point on, your Mac will use your selection as the default.

If you’re in the habit of switching back and forth between default browsers (for example, to test your website for different users), the $12 Choosy utility may give you the flexibility you need.

Mac 101: Changing the default web browser in OS X originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your iPhone or iPod touch can handle a lot of tasks in your car. We use them as GPS navigators, MP3 players, and as a way to keep the kids from killing each other in the back seat. Now Cobra, that long-time creator of automobile radar detectors, has come up with a very useful device and app that might keep you from getting your driver’s license revoked.

Cobra iRadar (US$169.95) uses Bluetooth to link an iOS app running on an iPhone or iPod touch and an iRadar detector unit. The app alerts drivers to speed and red light cameras, speed traps, and intersections with a history of accidents. Visual alerts show up on the iPhone, noting the type of radar or laser being used to track your speed. From the app, drivers can also control the settings on the radar detector.

Cobra touts the iRadar as the “most user-friendly detector device ever created,” and the iOS interface seems intuitive to use. The iRadar could be the perfect Christmas gift for the iPhone-toting leadfoot in your family.

Please note that radar detector use may not be legal in some jurisdictions. TUAW reminds all our readers to always avoid distractions, focus on the road and drive prudently and safely.

[via iLounge, Engadget]

Cobra iPhone radar detector useful for dodging tickets, driving recklessly originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A recent job posting on Apple’s corporate job board loosely suggests Apple may be testing a CDMA iPhone. The posting for a Cellular Systems Performance Engineer went live December 9th and requires an individual knowledgeable in cellular technology, including standard GSM protocols (GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, HSDPA, HSUPA) and CDMA.

Normally, such a job listing would be overlooked as the requirement for experience with CDMA may be included by default. If you are a Cellular Systems Performance engineer, you most likely have experience with all the cellular technologies, not just one and this job listing reflects that diversity of skills.

Given all the rumors surrounding the CDMA iPhone, though, this is not exactly a normal time. In this particular case, the inclusion of CDMA and the job duties that focus on analyzing final stage test results may point to the CDMA iPhone.

Admittedly, hiring a Performance Engineer now is a bit late, but it is not that much of a stretch. Rumors suggest the CDMA iPhone may be prepping for an early 2011 launch which is a relatively wide launch window. This would put the handset in the final stages of testing and a quick hire could be done to help iron out all those final details.

[Via Ubergizmo]

Apple looking to hire CDMA-knowledgeable staff originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a fan of FaceTime on your iPhone / iPod touch, but are frustrated with the Wi-Fi only restrictions, then Fring (the voice, video and instant chat app) is most likely your go-to app for video calling over 3G.

Since there’s no sign of Skype implementing video calling on the iPhone over Wi-Fi (let alone 3G), and no one’s yet to turn up to Apple’s “open” FaceTime standard party, Fring is left holding the video calling over 3G fort for the likes of us. But they’re not sitting back while the others catch up.

Fring has recently updated its app to include, amongst other improvements and enhancements, dynamic video quality, or DVQ, to its video calling. Basically, while always prioritizing audio, the quality of video will be automatically adjusted to the amount of bandwidth you have available at any given time.

If you’re outdoors with a strong 3G signal, your video quality will be good. But if you’re indoors with a poorer 3G signal, your video quality will be reduced to compensate for the lack of bandwidth. This will all happen behind the scenes, allowing you to have a cohesive video chat. Audio will remain unaffected.

We’ve tried it out for ourselves; it seems to work pretty well, though even on Wi-Fi we couldn’t get anything near the quality of the video depicted in the Fring promo pictured above.

Fring is available free on the App Store, or go to updates on your iDevice for the latest version. Check out DVQ in action after the break.

[via Engadget]

Continue reading Fring adds “dynamic video quality”

Fring adds “dynamic video quality” originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first Apple retail store has become a cult destination originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Download Squad tipped us off that the Ubuntu One Music app has been updated to support Apple’s new AirPlay streaming system. As such, it can now play music from your iOS device via any Apple TV or Airport Express unit on your network.

Ubuntu One is a cloud storage service from the vendor of the popular Linux distribution of the same name. Much like MobileMe and Dropbox, it allows the user to upload files to cloud servers and to synchronize personal information such as calendars, contact lists, and bookmarks — with support for Linux, Windows, and mobile devices.

Unlike the other services, however, Ubuntu One has a strong emphasis on music streaming. It has an integrated music store and allows users to supplant music purchases with uploads of their own music to their cloud space. Store-bought and uploaded files are both available for streaming back out.

The iOS app that was updated today is a client for receiving that streaming audio on your iOS devices, over WiFi or 3G connections. This differs from stream-music-from-home services like Simplify Media because it doesn’t rely on you having a computer at home powered up to stream the music from — the files come from the cloud.

There is a cost associated with using Ubuntu’s system. The service offers 2GB of basic storage for free, but mobile support is $4 a month / $40 per year (the app itself is free) and extra storage, in blocks of 20GB, is $3 per month / $30 per year. As such, Ubuntu One is probably only really interesting to people with lots of Ubuntu computers in their life.

Ubuntu One music streaming app updated with AirPlay support originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More daily deals from our friends at dealnews.com. Note the incredible MacUpdate Winter Bundle — we’ll be giving away one of these soon.

• iTunes Music Store: iPhone App Store Freebies: Ace Sniper, Rogue Runner, Heights, Yeah DJ, more
• MacUpdate Promo: MacUpdate Promo Winter Bundle: 12 Mac apps for $50
• iTunes Music Store: iPad App Price Drops: HTML Edit, Agents!, Braveheart HD, LogMeIn, more
• Apple Store: Refurbished Unibody Apple MacBook Pro Laptops from $929 + free shipping
• Seagate: Seagate Outlet Sale + 10% off coupon: 320GB HDD for $43 + $8 s&h, more
• Apple Store: Eight refurb Apple iMac Desktops: Core i3 22″ for $1,019 + free shipping, more
• iTunes Music Store: iPhone App Price Drops: Who Wants to be a Millionaire, WorldMate, more
• Purplus: MacSpeech Dictate 1.5 for Mac for $55 + free shipping
• TigerDirect: Sony 1080p LCD HDTV Roundup: 40″ 120Hz for $600 + free shipping, more
• MegaMacs: Used Apple iMac systems from $640 + $30 s&h
• HandHeldItems: Professional Photo Studio Shooting Table w/ $3 credit for $17 + $17 s&h
• JR: Dane-Elec 500GB Portable USB Hard Drive for $35 after rebate + free shipping

Daily Deals for December 10, 2010 originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My friend Mike wrote to ask:

“A year or so ago you posted updates about your location during a trip from New England to home. Do you remember which tracking tool or website you used? A friend of mine is planning to bike across the country next summer and something like that would make his wife feel a lot better.”

First I’m going to answer the question that he asked, and then I’m going to give some “better” answers.

Each year on Christmas Eve, I drive overnight for about 12 hours to my mother’s house. I wanted to give people some way to track my progress so that they’d know where I was without me having to call (which would either wake up my family and/or require me to talk on the phone while driving) or text (even worse while driving).

Last year I used GPS Tracker by InstaMapper, which is completely free; you can setup a website that will show people your progress. It’s a great solution, and the app worked really well, but there were just a few shortcomings. First, due to limitations of iOS at the time, the app had to be running in the foreground for it to work. Also, the process of setting it up was a little convoluted. If you look at the reviews on iTunes, you’ll also see a whole lot of iPod touch users who don’t seem to understand that location detection works much better on iPhones and 3G iPads than it does on the iPod touch.

Sadly, the app has not been updated since November 2008, meaning that there is no iOS 4 compatibility to use the background API for GPS updates, and there’s also no iPad app.

The good news is that there are at least two other options, and both are free. Click “Read More” to check them out.

Continue reading Three iOS apps to automatically track your location

Three iOS apps to automatically track your location originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another rumor from Asian sources suggests the iPad 2 will ship with front- and rear-facing cameras, a thinner design, and possibly a retina display.* According to the report from supply chain sources, Asian component suppliers are ramping up for an early 2011 production run. This date jives with a rumor out of Digitimes that suggested the iPad 2 would ship within the next 100 days. Component suppliers involved in this upcoming manufacturing effort are thought to include Chinese touchscreen supplier Wintex, battery manufacturer Simplo Technology, digital camera chassis maker AVY Precision, and an unlisted manufacturer that supplies covers for electronic devices.

The details leaked from these manufacturers match anaylsts’ expectations and previous rumors. One manufacturer that claimed to be working on the iPad 2 suggests it would have dual cameras, while the other hinted at a higher resolution display (retina?) and thinner design. The sources also claim that two camera module suppliers, Genius Electronic Optical and Largan Precision, have recently received new supply orders from Apple. Thought to be for the rumored iPad 2, the source could not confirm the iPad was the intended device. These rumors come hot on the heels of leaked iPad cases from two seperate sources, both of which include cut-outs for a rear-facing camera.

*We’ll be interested to see what is meant by “retina display” here. Matching the iPhone 4’s 326 PPI would require a screen resolution at or around 2560 x 1920 – nearly 5,000,000 pixels. Just powering such a thing would be difficult to say the least.

[Via Engadget and AppleInsider]

Additional sources suggest cameras on iPad 2 originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was about 30 years ago that Tascam introduced the first 4-track cassette recorder — the Portastudio 144. In 1984, Tascam introduced the Porta One, a revolutionary product that many would argue kick-started the home recording studio as we know it today. Many artists demoed their music on the Portastudio, and some even released records recorded entirely on a Portastudio.

Now, Tascam has released Portastudio for the iPad. Faithfully modeled after the Tascam Porta One, the Portastudio app has four tracks to record onto (one at a time), VU metering, high and low EQ, panning and a vintage vibe cassette transport and counter to track your position. It does look remarkably like the original Porta One.

Once you’ve finished your production, you can mix down your recordings to a CD quality WAV file that will land in your iTunes library.

The Portastudio will use the iPad’s built-in mic or a mic plugged into the tablet’s headphone jack. Tascam says that Portastudio for iPad doesn’t officially support class-compliant audio interfaces, but they do acknowledge that some have worked in testing when plugged in through Apple’s Camera Connection Kit. It’s also been reported that some USB microphones will work with the iPad through Apple’s Camera Connection Kit, too. Naturally, It goes with out saying that the better the mic, the better the quality of your recording.

Portastudio is available on the App Store for US$9.99.

[via Engadget]

Tascam introduces Portastudio, 4-track recording on your iPad originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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But, like the screencap above warns, not all features are available through the iPad and the clunky interface is disappointing. Viewing the desktop version of Google Docs is slow and a bit cumbersome as the screen reloads each time you tap on a different area. You are able to navigate menus and do things you can’t do on the mobile version such as edit spreadsheets and add comments to documents, but the ability to use these features are overshadowed by the lack of basic tasks.

You’re unable to select text, which means no copy or pasting. If you double-tap at the end of a sentence to get a period, you won’t be rewarded with that particular mobile shortcut. There is no shift key; if you capitalize a word, all the text will be capitalized until you toggle the button off. Backspacing is equally slow, especially if you need to edit a large area of text.

For editing, I’d head for specific apps that can link to your Google Docs such as Documents 2 Go or Quickoffice. Otherwise, unless you’re doing basic notating or spreadsheet editing, viewing the desktop version of Google Docs on the iPad is more trouble than the feature is worth.

Desktop version of Google Docs now on iPad, but still disappoints originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want to donate to a non-profit? There’s no app for that. You’ll have to go to a website and fill out the information there. This has led to some wailing and gnashing of teeth from non-profits who know that if they could reduce the “friction,” more people would donate. It’s the same reason that Amazon has an iPhone and iPad app plus another app especially designed just for the iPad, rather than requiring you to use their website: the easier it is for you to spend your money, the more are to do so.

So far the only app that was able to do this, for a time, was PayPal, but Apple eventually required that they remove that feature according to a recent New York Times article. Some have speculated that Apple may want to take their usual 30 percent cut, but realize that would be a bad PR move. That doesn’t make much sense to me. After all, Apple is happy to let you shop at Amazon through Amazon’s various apps without getting a 30 percent cut. An Apple spokesperson declined to explain the reasons for the ban, saying that “We are proud to have many applications on our App Store which accept charitable donations via their Web sites,” which is only a little better than if they had said, “Hey! It’s a phone, you could just call up and make a donation!”

I realize that Apple is a business, and they aren’t under compulsion to support anybody, non-profit or otherwise. I think signing a petition to get Apple to change their minds will have all the effect of spitting into the ocean: it probably won’t hurt, but I doubt it will help. Go ahead and sign it if you agree. Truthfully, I suspect this is one of those details of the App Store that just hasn’t been solved yet (much like demos for apps – yes I’m mentioning that again). Given time, I expect Apple will find a way to make donations work, and yes, I wish that would be sooner rather than later. In the meantime, those who are threatening to switch to Android (which makes it easier for these kinds of donations to be made) have my admiration. Wait, what’s the word for when you roll your eyes at something?

I’m not anti-non-profit (heck, I work for one). I just think that such threats (or mocked up images casting Steve Jobs as the Grinch) carry little weight and probably end up making people who use them seem a little more desperate for attention and a little less sympathetic. That’s just my opinion; your opinion may differ. I’m reminded of an old Saturday Night Live skit where someone overturned the dinner table and stormed out of the room … again, and again, and again. There are only so many times you can use that much drama. Make your voices heard, but be reasonable about it.

Not-for-profits decry App Store block on tap-to-donate apps originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chillingo has joined the holiday fun with Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift edition. The holiday version of Cut the Rope is a universal app, separate from the regular app, and offered free of charge.

If you have somehow missed Cut the Rope, do yourself a favor and check it out. In addition to the holiday edition, there are both free “lite” versions and regular versions ($1 for the iPhone version, $2 for the HD iPad version). It’s a lot of fun and offers plenty of challenges. “Om Nom” might be the cutest cartoon character since Little Cindy Lou Who (who was no more than two).

I keep hoping for a holiday version of Plants vs Zombies, but I guess I’ll have to hope for “maybe next year.”

[via Touch Arcade]

Cut the Rope holiday version now available originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s fitting that an Apple software engineer would re-create what’s possibly the world’s oldest-known computer … by using LEGOs.

Andrew Carol used around 1,500 LEGOs to re-create the Antikythera mechanism, a machine that ancient Greeks used to foretell celestial events. He made four gearboxes with 110 gears total, and when fed data, the machine will tell you when the next solar eclipse will occur. It’s a beautiful and ingenious machine, and worth checking out the YouTube video. Maybe Carol’s next project will be taking on the Mayans. You can watch a video of the device in action after the break.

[Via Engadget]

Continue reading Apple engineer re-creates Greek computer with LEGOs

Apple engineer re-creates Greek computer with LEGOs originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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