Category: I-phone

The iTunes Store is a great place to find episodes of TV shows that you might have missed, or even catch up on past seasons, but it’s only one of several options available.

Netflix offers a free iPad app to watch movies and TV shows for those who have signed up for their $8/month streaming service (or higher). An iPhone/iPod touch app is also available. Netflix still has more shows available via DVD than instant streaming, but there’s still plenty there.

Hulu has a free Hulu Plus app for iPad or iPhone/iPod touch for those who use their $8/month service. Unfortunately some shows which are available at Hulu.com are not available to Hulu Plus users, but there is still a lot of content available. My biggest complaint with Hulu is that their content contains ads and their catalog changes, so something that is available today might not be viewable tomorrow.

Continue reading TV on your iPad: A roundup of useful apps

TV on your iPad: A roundup of useful apps originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“Whenever there’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Whenever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there… I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad an’-I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry an’ they know supper’s ready. An’ when our folks eat the stuff they raise an’ live in the houses they build-why, I’ll be there.” — John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath

The iPad is an overlooked hero. When you need it, the iPad will be there. It will be there to access data or connect back home. It will be there to let others reach out to you, or to let you reach out to others. With the right software, and the right ingenuity, the iPad can metaphorically leap tall buildings and save the day.

These are everyday rescues, not life-or-death scenarios. This post isn’t about how the iPhone saved one guy’s life after the Haiti Earthquakes. Here’s how iPad applications can fix your workday with simple, helpful solutions that will free you from the laptop and live “la vida tablet.” We’ve got five real world scenarios, including the iPad apps that will be there for you.

Continue reading iPad apps to the rescue

iPad apps to the rescue originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More daily deals for this crazy holiday season. No lines, no crowds, limited quantities. Everything you could want from a holiday shopping trip! Check back each day until the new year for more daily deals from our friends at DealNews.

• iTunes Music Store: iPhone App Store Freebies: Etch A Sketch, Cops & Robbers, iQuarium, more
• MacUpdate Promo: Decompose for Mac for $15
• Apple Store: Refurbished Unibody Apple MacBook Pro Laptops from $1,019 + free shipping
• iTunes Music Store: App Price Drops: Live Slots, Fruit Ninja, Farting Frenzy, more
• Buy.com: Timberland Dogwood 15″ Laptop Messenger Bag for $30 + free shipping
• iMate: Keydex iPad Stand w/ sleeve, screen protector for $11 + free shipping
• Big Fish Games: Big Fish Games coupon: 50% off all game downloads for PC and Mac
• Dell Home: Dell Professional 24″ 1080p LED-Backlit LCD Display for $229 + free shipping
• Yugster: Philips 6-Outlet Surge Protector 2-Pack for $8 + $5 s&h
• Meritline: Meritline Laptop Desk for $20 + $15 s&h
• TigerDirect: LG 32″ 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV w/ WiFi Adapter for $450 + $14 s&h
• MidnightBox: Incipio Feather Slim Case for Apple iPad for $7 + $4 s&h

Daily Deals for December 2, 2010 originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The perennial TUAW favorite ‘bucket app’ Evernote has added two intriguing new features in the beta version of the Mac client: in-app notebook sharing controls and Stacks for notebook organization. Both are available immediately to free and paid Evernote users who choose to update to the beta (just check “include beta versions” in the application’s update preferences to see the new build).

The sharing controls in-app look much the same as they do on the Evernote website, and they provide the same level of custom access. You can decide whether to share a notebook with the public at large, or with specific individuals. Premium subscribers can also allow sharing partners to edit, create or delete notes if desired; they also get a history view of shared notes, so they can see exactly when things went off the rails.

The organizational power of Stacks means that you’re no longer limited to a flat list of notebooks; you can sort and group your notebooks into whatever piles you need, and collapse/expand them as needed in the app sidebar. Right now the only place you’ll see your Stacks is in the Mac client, but as the new features roll out to the other Evernote flavors they will show up in those spots as well.

I’d love to tell you how these new features are working for me, but unfortunately my notes database is hanging up during the upgrade process. You might want to backup (or redownload) the stable version, just in case.

[Hat tip to DLS/Switched]

Beta Mac client for Evernote adds sharing controls, notebook stacks originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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1Password is having a big week. The Windows version has arrived at version 1.0, and Google Chrome support has been added. In addition, there are a lot of new 1Password users this week, thanks to Agile’s promotion that let users give away free licenses to friends. Not using 1Password yet? New customers can save 20% right now. You can also get a free copy of “Take Control of Passwords on Mac OS X” just by logging into Agile’s Customer Center.

It seemed like a good time to share some of my favorite 1Password tips and hints.

First: Track your weak passwords. If you are like most people, you have a handful (hopefully more than one!) of passwords that you reuse at several different sites. 1Password can help by generating secure passwords for you, but at first, you might just want to tell 1Password to save your logins at all of the sites that you log into because you don’t think you have time to change them all.

If so, create a Smart Folder to track weak passwords. A “Smart Folder” will act much like saved Spotlight searches in Finder, Smart Mailboxes in Mail or Smart Playlists in iTunes: define some criteria, and 1Password will show you all the entries that match.

For example, let’s say that you use “billy1” as your password for a bunch of sites. Go to File » New Smart Folder, and tell 1Password to look for Passwords that contain “billy1,” click the “Save” button and name the Smart Folder. When you are ready to start making secure passwords, use that folder to keep track of all of the websites where you used that same weak password.

More tips after the break…

Continue reading Our favorite tips and hints for 1Password, now out on Windows and Chrome

Our favorite tips and hints for 1Password, now out on Windows and Chrome originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Above is a street view shot of the site where Apple will be breaking ground on an all new Apple Store. It’s right smack dab in the middle of Bologna, Italy, a place where I’d imagine you probably shouldn’t believe anything you hear. According to the Italian La Repubblica, the store will take up two levels making up 5300 square feet, with one more level on top for Apple offices and meeting rooms. The store may open as soon as spring of 2011.

There’s another interesting twist here — Apple tends to get most of its “pietra serena sandstone” floors from one specific quarry in Italy, which just happens to be about 38 miles from this location. Apple apparently makes up 20 percent of the revenue of the Il Casone stone quarry, located in the small Italian town of Firenzuola. No word on if the family that owns the quarry is doing anything different for this Apple Store, but it’s nice that they’ll have a place nearby to, you know, go buy an iPad and give some of that money back.

[via ifoapplestore]

Construction to begin on Apple Store in Bologna, Italy originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After receiving thousands of complaints, Apple removed the “Manhattan Declaration” app from the App Store this week. The app, which espoused anti-gay and anti-abortion views, was originally released by a religious group founded by Chuck Colson.

The app’s ejection from the store has raised the ire of some who now decry Apple for not supporting free speech and/or being anti-Christian. Let’s see if we can separate the light from the heat on this issue.

First of all, stories about App Store rejections have been a staple since the dawn of the App Store. Then came stories of apps that were accepted and subsequently removed. The most infamous instances of yo-yoing in and out of the store were the Google Voice apps, which have since been restored after over a year’s absence, but that is a rare case. Most times, when an app is removed, it is gone forever. Some great apps have been yanked, including MiTube, Camera+, iDOS and many more.

On the inappropriate content front, Apple also removed a “Baby Shaker” application and a huge number of apps that were deemed “too sexy” for the App Store. Of course, porn apps have been banned since the App Store was announced.

Continue reading On the Manhattan Declaration and Apple’s curation of the App Store

On the Manhattan Declaration and Apple’s curation of the App Store originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In addition to the functional changes like AirPlay and AirPrint that we already know about in iOS 4.2, there are also under-the-skin changes that impact the way iPhones interact with cellular networks. The results of tests run at Nokia Siemens’ Smart Lab in Espoo, Finland indicate that Apple has implemented a new control strategy that complies with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project’s (3GPP) Release 8 specifications. The new fast dormancy feature in iOS 4.2 is said to significantly reduce signaling traffic between phones and the networks they operate on.

The way previous iPhones communicated with networks has been a topic of discussion for some time. Specifically, it was claimed that the way Apple’s phone is controlled causes a lot more network traffic than other phones. Smartphone designers used an earlier version of fast dormancy that frequently shut down and restarted data connections to the network in order to preserve battery life. However, each time the connection changed state, signals were exchanged between the phone and network. The new protocol is controlled by the network rather than the phone, allowing operators to manage network traffic by slowing down the switching rate when things get busy. It’s not known what impact this will have on phone battery life, but given that the phones were designed to optimize it with the old approach, it will probably be a bit worse when operating on busy networks. The change only applies to the iPhone 4, but any relief will probably be welcome on our increasingly crowded cell networks.

iOS 4.2 lightens the load on cellular networks originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You may remember Jonathan Mann as “that guy who wrote that song Steve played at the Apple event,” but of course Mr. Mann is a talented and extremely experienced musician and songwriter who’s been churning out a song every single day over on his Songatron website. He’s released an app with the same name, and of course, he’s written a song and made a video, which you can hear and see above, about the app. The app (surprise) also makes songs — the idea is that it works like Mad Libs, where you put a word in, and then each song in the app plays, inserting your word where it’s meant to go.

It’s kind of kooky, but just like all of Mann’s work, there’s enough joy and fun put into it that it works — even if your words don’t line up exactly, hearing it all put together is bound to elicit a laugh or two. You can Facebook, Twitter or email songs that get made, and while there are ten songs to choose from right now, the app’s description promises five new songs every month (some of those may end up being in-app purchases). Songatron is available as a universal app for US$1.99.

And if you’re a Mann fan, stay tuned — we’re told that Mr. Mann will be at Macworld, and we’re planning to chat with him there. Should be fun.

TUAW’s Daily App: Songatron originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still find yourself reaching for the non-existent number keypad on your Apple Wireless Keyboard? Well, it looks like you may be in luck: Wireless Goodness has uncovered some information about LMP’s new 28-key Bluetooth keypad. Running off two AA batteries and made from the same anodized aluminum finish that Apple is known for, this number pad can be attached to the right-hand side of your wireless keyboard mimicking a standard-sized keyboard layout. For those of you who want a little space between your keyboard and keypad, it can also be kept separate off to either side.

We’ve seen some interesting accessories for Apple’s keyboards before like this carved wood keyboard tray, but this looks like this one could be a worthy investment for many people. No word yet on availability or price, but I imagine the LMP Keypad will be available soon as it has already gone through the FCC.

I have used the Apple Wireless Keyboard for quite some time now and have never had a need for the numerical keypad — but maybe that’s because I am bad with numbers. My brother the accountant, though? He could definitely use one of these.

[via Engadget]

Add a number keypad to your Apple Wireless Keyboard originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s latest iPad commercial, “iPad Is Amazing”, is touting iOS 4.2’s new features including AirPrint, AirPlay, multitasking, and folders. Aimed at corralling holiday technology shoppers, this new ad definitely offers up something for everyone in the family.

Just for the record, I will admit that bought an iPad when they were first announced. I will also admit that I returned it one week later, as I didn’t feel that it did anything that my MacBook and iPhone couldn’t already do at the time. Thinking back to that week I understand why I felt that way then, but with the new OS and all the apps available now I think I could find a use for an iPad in my house today.

Click Read More to check out the new ad.

Continue reading New ‘iPad Is Amazing’ ad touts iOS 4.2 features

New ‘iPad Is Amazing’ ad touts iOS 4.2 features originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A report released by The Nielsen Company shows 29.7 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers own smartphones that run full operating systems.

The stats indicate that iPhone and Blackberry are neck in neck at 27% and Android comes in second at 22%.

Doodle Buddy Premium from Pinger, Inc is an app that does what the name says, it lets you doodle on your iOS device.

I grabbed this app for something to play around with on a sleepy Sunday afternoon. The price point is fantastic being that it is free. There is an optional in-app purchase of $.99 to remove advertisements but I opted to stick with the free version since the ads are not obnoxious in my opinion.

When you launch the application you are given a blank canvas and a set of controls to work your creative magic. The first icon is an arrow which is your “undo” command, shaking the device also acts as undo. The next icon is a brush, the menu houses the color palette and all of the options for the paint brush, chalk, extras, smudge, and an eraser tools. After that is the stamp section which has a ton of pre-drawn stamp icons you can use on your masterpiece. The text box and stencil list is also there. The next icon is for the background, you may choose a background other than a white canvas to work off of. There are options to import and take pictures to use and a list of pre-made backgrounds to choose from. The final icon is your settings panel and gives you options for sharing your art, hiding the ads, turning sound off, and visiting the store to see theme packages of backgrounds and stamps you can purchase with “Doodle Bucks”. You can get more of these “Doodle Bucks” by installing other apps that Pinger has suggested you install.

Playing around with the app was interesting but is not something that can hold my interest for long periods of time. However, if you are creative and enjoy doodling and don’t want to keep pen and paper with you, this app may be for you. It does have a potentially cool feature that my girlfriend and I tried which is “Draw With Another User”. While a cool thought, it was quite buggy when we tried to do so. Once you do get connected it’s kind of fun to share a canvas with someone for a few moments. The “Draw With Another User” feature was the most fun part of the application all together. I did notice some accuracy problems when working with the app, not sure if it is the iPhone 4 screen or me being too twitchy, but close detail tended to move slightly. Also performance on the iPhone 3g was quite slow.

Overall this is a pretty cool application for the price but not for everyone. I would rate this app 3/5 doodles.