Category: I-phone

Apple has inked a deal with the Dentsu Group that will bring iAd to Japan. Dentsu subsidiary cyber communications, inc. (cci) will take over the selling and “creative execution” of iAds in Japan, with a premiere date set for “early 2011.” Under this arrangement, Apple will be limited to hosting and delivery. That’s a huge change, as Apple has maintained tight control on U.S. iAd spots, occasionally to the peril of some huge deals.

It was only recently that iAds began to roll out globally. Meahwhile, Apple has begun building a new office space for iAd team members in New York City.

Congratulations and good luck to both Apple and Dentsu Group.

Dentsu Group and Apple bring iAd to Japan originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve been using the Washington Post for iPad app since it was released earlier this week. It’s nice to see the Post jump into the dedicated iPad app competition, but while there are some things to like about the app, there is also a lot I find extremely disappointing.

The good first. Most, but not all of the Post is here. The reporters, bloggers, and columnists are in full force. The app content updates frequently, and there is an excellent multimedia section with both images and video. The Post has embraced social media, and you can see what people on Twitter and Facebook are saying about the big stories. When you bring up a story, you can also see stories from other media, like NPR and the Christian Science Monitor. That’s a good idea, and lets you see a range of coverage on a subject. The Post calls this Live Topic and it’s a clever innovation.

Now, ahem, on to the bad. This app has the ugliest, most confusing layout I have ever seen. The screens are very busy. Nothing is intuitive, and there is no help or video explaining how to navigate. The designers of this app appear to have decided to invent their own GUI, throwing away just about every convention ever invented to make navigation easy. It’s impossible to read a story full screen without other elements intruding, either ads or Twitter feeds or who knows what. Comments about this design on the app store are overwhelmingly negative.

Continue reading Washington Post for iPad is a bit hard on the eyes

Washington Post for iPad is a bit hard on the eyes originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has published a new page that outlines the main features of iOS 4.2 for the iPad. The page goes on to tout some of the “100+ new features” that iOS 4.2 will offer iPad users, including multitasking, folders, AirPlay, Game Center and enterprise support and yes, AirPrint.

The page also lists “November” as the release date, though we’ve heard that it could drop as early as this Friday. The update recently hit gold master status which means that it’s all but ready to go. This is the first we’ve seen a list of what to expect since Apple reached that milestone.

To say that we’re looking forward to this update would be an understatement.

Update: Yes, this page has been around. However, the “Coming Soon” dogear is new (although we all knew the update was landing in November) and it is notable that AirPrint has not been removed — something Steve Jobs could have told us.

[Via GigOM]

iOS 4.2 page on Apple’s website promotes “100+ new features” originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today on TUAW TV Live, I’ll be talking about one topic that should be very timely — iOS 4.2. Many of us in the Apple blogging biz are hearing that 4.2 might be released on Friday morning, bringing such features as multitasking, GameCenter, AirPrint wireless printing (see post about the crippling of that feature), and AirPlay to the iPad, and a ton of changes to the iPhone and iPod touch.

You can join in on the discussion of the newest update to iOS (and the first major software update for iPad since its introduction) today on TUAW TV Live. Just come back to TUAW.com at about 5 PM ET (2 PM PT) for complete instructions on how to join the chat and livestream.

TUAW TV Live at 5 PM ET: The iOS 4.2 preview show originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Have you deployed the Xserve in your enterprise over the past several years? With the upcoming demise of Apple’s rack mounted computer system, the Enterprise Desktop Alliance (EDA) is conducting a survey to gauge what Xserve users will do going forward. The EDA normally helps IT departments incorporate Macs into their computing environments, and the survey asks a series a questions about current deployments of personal and server devices, including how many machines are running on various operating systems, such as OS X server, Windows, and Linux.

Without the Xserve, Apple will offer its server operating system on the Mac mini and the Mac Pro towers, but these may be less than ideal replacements for the rack mounted machine. The mini can be installed in a rack mount adapter, but it’s less powerful than the Xserve. The tower, on the other hand, is a less convenient installation in many environments. The survey goes on to ask whether users will continue to use Macs after the Xserve is no longer available, and if not, what systems will they migrate too. One out of every 100 respondents to the survey will win a $50 Amazon gift card. Have your say in the comments, do you use Xserve now, and what will you do when the time comes to replace it?

Enterprise Desktop Alliance conducts survey on the Xserve’s end originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back to My Mac is a feature of MobileMe that allows you to connect remotely to your Macs. Usually this is for screen-sharing or file-sharing through the Finder, but you can also connect via SSH.

In the Terminal app (found in /Applications/Utilities/), you can connect via Shell » New Remote Connection, then click the “Secure Shell (SSH)” item, then the computer you want to connect to under the “Server” column.

But what if that doesn’t work? In that case, I have two suggestions for you: first, use SSH v2 and IPv6. Perhaps it’s best to show you the command and then explain it:

ssh -2 -6 imac.luomat.members.mac.com -v

The “members.mac.com” is consistent for all users. “luomat” is my MobileMe username. “imac” is the hostname of my Mac. See System Preferences » Sharing if you don’t know what your computer’s name is, or to change it.

The “-2” tells SSH to only try SSH protocol version 2, and the “-6” tells SSH to only use IPv6 addresses. The “-v” tells SSH to be “a little” verbose in its output. That part is optional. You could also use -vv or -vvv if you want more verbosity.

So far, this method has given me even more success than my DynDNS hostname, which I described before. Before you worry about the security implications of giving people my MobileMe hostname, I should mention that it seems to be impossible to connect to BTMM hostnames unless you are connecting from another computer that is logged into that same MobileMe account.

If you have spaces in the computer’s name, they are usually replaced with “-” and punctuation is ignored. So, “John’s iMac” becomes “Johns-iMac” in the SSH command. Marco Arment also figured out that if you have a period in the hostname or MobileMe username, you should escape it with a \ so that “john.doe” becomes “john\.doe” when you are connecting via SSH.

Of course, to be able to connect to your remote Mac via SSH, you must have enabled “Remote Login” under System Preferences » Sharing.

Terminal Tips: More reliable SSH connections to your Back to My Mac hosts originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not perfect, but this video of the St. Lawrence String Quartet performing Pachelbel’s Canon in D major is yet another example of how the iPad is revolutionizing music.

Created by the innovative Ge Wang of Smule, the folks who have given us Ocarina, I Am T-Pain, Glee Karaoke, and Magic Piano, the US$2.99 Magic Fiddle turns your iPad into a lovely string instrument. No skill is required, and you can play songs that are included in the SongBook by following streams of colored light.

If you really want to learn how to play, the StoryBook takes you through eight chapters of different techniques and instructions — of course, you’ll have to practice to master the Magic Fiddle.

Enjoy watching the video, and if you and your friends happen to get good enough to do Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor on iPads, TUAW wants your video first — just sayin’.

Smule introduces Magic Fiddle for iPad: Video originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some things, as the saying goes, are not meant to last. Apparently, that is the case with the new AirPrint feature in the upcoming iOS 4.2 for the iPad that was set to allow users to print wirelessly to any printer connected to their Mac or PC.

I say “was” because it is becoming increasingly apparent that Apple has pulled some of the AirPrint functionality off the table, at least for now. Developers are reporting that references to printing via a Mac or PC have been removed from online documentation, and the downloads that Apple had provided for beta versions of OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 10.1 — specifically so that developers could test AirPrint from their apps — are no longer available. Support for printing directly to a limited set of new HP network-connected printers that support AirPrint natively are unaffected, but this is of little comfort, as most end users do not have these printers yet, and the ability to print via a desktop would have allowed printing to any brand or model of printer that was connected.

Many developers have raised questions concerning the change on Apple’s developer forums, and while an official response or announcement has not been publicly made by Apple as of yet, one developer reports that they contacted support via e-mail and received the following reply:

“Support for AirPrint on Windows and Mac has been canceled. We will be in contact with you if another opportunity arises in the future.”

While this would not be the first time that Apple has pulled or changed a significant feature prior to release, it is frustrating for developers who have spent time, money, and other resources developing an app that relies on that feature to have it suddenly removed. Further, the lack of notice or official communication from Apple on the matter adds to the uncertainty, as developers are left not knowing whether the functionality will ever be released, leaving some very promising apps in limbo until an announcement is made.

Rumor: AirPrint support for Mac and PCs canceled originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Computerworld reports that security researchers from CoreLabs have publicly released details on a critical security flaw in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, an older version of the Mac’s operating system. Curiously, the security flaw in Leopard is quite similar to a flaw we reported on back in August, which allowed easy-as-pie browser-based jailbreaking of iOS devices.

CoreLabs became aware of the flaw in Leopard and informed Apple only a couple weeks after Apple patched a similar hole in iOS 4; according to those same researchers, Apple has had more than enough time since then to patch the flaw in Leopard. That the flaw remains unpatched was the researchers’ motivation for sounding the alarm publicly.

The current version of Mac OS X, 10.6 Snow Leopard, is not vulnerable to this exploit. Those using Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard will remain vulnerable until Apple offers a security update for the older OS, which theoretically should be coming soon (reportedly, Apple has developed a patch and is simply waiting to release it). As it stands now, Mac OS X Leopard’s vulnerability could potentially leave the OS vulnerable to malware or remote attacks. More specific information is available on CoreLabs’ website.

Critical security warning issued for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Silverfish is an arcade shooter with an interesting twist: you don’t actually shoot at all. You control a little bug-like ship (kind of gross, actually, if you’ve ever been plagued by the real thing) that you can move around the screen by swiping up, down, left, or right. You’re chased by enemies just like more traditional shooters, such as Geometry Wars, but instead of shooting them yourself, you need to hunt down little proton pellets. Touching those explodes them and kills enemies, so you’ve got to time it just right — trigger an explosion too far away from the bad guys, and you won’t hit them, or if you get too close, you’ll get hurt. Of course, various enemies show up over time, and the game is an interesting experiment in a new arcade variant.

It’s pretty tough, actually. I had to play around with it for a bit before I really started picking it up, and even then I didn’t come anywhere near the Game Center leaderboards. There are also achievements, and three modes as well. Reaper mode lets you build up a POW meter to destroy enemies with your ship, Onslaught mode pits you against waves of enemies on your own, and Scavenger is a sort of survival mode that tasks you with collecting protons in order to keep your life up. They all play pretty much the same (move away from enemies and towards protons), but the twists are good enough to put a new spin on gameplay.

Silverfish is a great twist on arcade action, and it’s a steal at US$1.99 if you’re into non-traditional shooters. That’s an introductory price, so if you’re going to pick it up, do so soon.

TUAW’s Daily App: Silverfish originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re still pre-Thanksgiving, so we have a whole three months of holidays to get through, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the next iteration of Macworld. Macworld 2011 is taking place next January 26-29 in San Francisco, and just like last year, TUAW will be there all week long with live streaming video, interviews aplenty, and your inside track on everything going down at the Expo.

This week, we prepared by talking to IDG General Manager Paul Kent, who’s currently embroiled in a radio station battle of the bands poll with his band The Houserockers, and of course, getting things ready for the big show in January. He let us in on what to expect at the show next year — hit the break to find out how much bigger he expects things to be, who else is coming, and what he expects attendees to be talking about this time around.

Continue reading Macworld 2011 to be 30-35 percent larger, host Featured Artists sessions

Macworld 2011 to be 30-35 percent larger, host Featured Artists sessions originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has released an update to Office for Mac 2011 today. The 14.0.1 update weighs in at 110 MB and includes critical fixes for issues that might cause Office 2011 applications to stop responding or quit unexpectedly. Other issues the update addresses include:

Excel: Excel-calculated cells are updated when revisions are made to related data. Reliability is improved when the FORMAT macro command is used.

Word: Stability is improved when you build equations.

PowerPoint: Stability is improved during slide shows. Compatibility with PowerPoint 2007 and PowerPoint 2010 is improved.

Outlook: Reliability is improved when you delete messages from multiple IMAP accounts. Email passwords are retained in the keychain after new accounts are imported into Outlook.

The update is recommended for all users of Office 2011 and can be downloaded here.

Microsoft updates Office for Mac 2011 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Granted, I probably could have told you this news without hiring a think tank, but now we know for sure; there is still plenty of room for Apple to continue to grow. With Apple’s market cap now larger than Walmart’s and market research firm IDC reporting that growth continued to expand in 2009, this latest report from The Toffler Associates says that Apple is poised to grab 10% more of the computer market than they already have, which currently stands at around 10% in the U.S. and 5% worldwide. With a projected one billion more computer sales over the next 4 years or so, Macs could see their market share grow quite nicely, thank you very much.

The study determines that companies will “increasingly follow the Apple/iPhone model of creating value, not by creating products, but by hosting the marketplace and charging to connect consumers to producers,” so the growth of apps, streaming video, and cloud computing should continue to expand to more and more users around the world. Onward and upward!

Analyst: The Mac isn’t done growing yet originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in December of 2009, I reported on the public beta of Snagit on Mac, a screenshot tool for Mac from TechSmith, the folks who bring you the Camtasia screen recorder. Well, the beta is over, and after 100,000+ testers gave the app a good scrubbing, it’s now available for sale for US$49.95.

Snagit isn’t a new product — it’s been around on the Windows platform since 1991 — but Snagit on Mac is new. One purchase of the application on either platform gives you a non-concurrent use license for both Windows and Mac. I had tried out Snagit on Mac during early beta and frankly wasn’t impressed, but I’m pleased to say that the release version is replacing my current screenshot solution. Tech bloggers and authors do a tremendous number of screenshots, so switching to a new tool isn’t something that is done lightly.

Follow along with me as I give you a first look at Snagit on Mac.

Continue reading Snagit on Mac: First look at this powerful screen capture tool

Snagit on Mac: First look at this powerful screen capture tool originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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