The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule comes to iOS for kids

Oceanhouse Media has done it again with The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule by Stan and Jan Berenstain with Mike Berenstain (US$2.99). It’s another in their line of popular storybooks for children, and it tells the tale of Sister Bear being given a locket containing the Golden Rule. The story goes on to explain the Golden Rule through Sister Bear’s meeting with a new kid at school, Lizzie McGrizzie. I used to read the Berenstain Bears books to my (now-grown) children countless times, so I look at them quite nostalgically now. As in all the Berenstain books, The Golden Rule teaches a moral and explains it through the narrative in a way that even the smallest of children can understand and take to heart.

Oceanhouse Media has done something brilliant and can capitalize on it forever. In April, they released The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, which I reviewed quite highly. It introduced an e-book engine that any picture-oriented book can be plugged into. Currently they sell 12 Dr. Seuss books, with two soon to be released, and three Berenstain Bear books, with three more upcoming.

Continue reading The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule comes to iOS for kids

The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule comes to iOS for kids originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Updated Skype for Mac "coming soon"

On Thursday, Skype unveiled Skype 5.0 for Windows. Among some pretty cool new features are group video calling and Facebook integration. The Facebook integration lets you view your Facebook news feed, sync your Skype mood messages and Facebook status, and call friends from your Facebook phone book. They’re all cool features, and they’re all for Windows, … but not for long.

The official Skype for Mac blog says that the next version of Skype for Mac is “coming soon” and will deliver group video calling to the Mac. While they don’t specifically mention Facebook integration, the Skype blog does note that the next iteration of Skype for Mac will be a “complete overhaul, both in terms of the way it looks, and in terms of functionality.” That sounds pretty cool — now, how about a Skype iPad app?

Updated Skype for Mac “coming soon” originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW’s Daily App: Game Dev Story

Man, I love everything about Game Dev Story — from the excellent premise to the cute, pixelated aesthetic to the great simulation gameplay. The idea is that you run your own game studio, and that idea is executed flawlessly. You hire your staff, choose a game genre (or do some contract work if you need extra cash), and then build up your game in terms of fun, graphics, sound, and gameplay, all while trying to keep your staff paid and avoid bugs when possible. Finally, you ship out your game and hope the reviews come back well, even while you’re planning out your next title.

It’s incredible fun, and the great chiptunes and graphics bring a lot to the table. There’s a wild sense of humor in the mix here, too. New consoles are released into the market, a video game magazine comes every month, and you slowly build up your own studio’s fanbase.

Game Dev Story is a ton of fun! It’s somewhat pricey at US$3.99, but honestly, if you’re a fan of the game industry at all (there’s even a fake E3 where you can promote your games!), you’ll find a lot of joy in this one. It’s a very, very cool title.

TUAW’s Daily App: Game Dev Story originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jailbreak iOS 4.1 [All Guides]

You can jailbreak iOS 4.1 with Limera1n and Greenpois0n. Sn0wBreeze ad PwnageTool to jailbreak iOS 4.1 will also be out with in a few days. All iOS 4.1 jailbreak guides for iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G and iPod Touch 4G, 3G and 2G can be found below. We’ll update this post as soon as a new jailbreak for iOS 4.1 firmware is out. So, bookmark this page for future reference.

jailbreak iOS 4.1

Jailbreak iOS 4.0.1 Firmware

Follow the Guides linked under your concerned device to jailbreak iOS 4.1 firmware.

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

Also checkout:

PwnageTool, the iOS 4.1 and iOS 3.2.2 Jailbreak [Video Demo]

MuscleNerd of iPhone Dev-Team has shared a video previewing upcoming PwnageTool 4.1, the iOS 4.1 jailbreak for iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad, iPod Touch 4G, 3G and Apple TV.

PwnageTool creates a custom firmware for your devices to jailbreak them. It also preserves iPhone baseband from upgrading thus enables you to unlock iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G with UltraSn0w.

The upcoming PwnageTool is loaded with the same exploit developed and used by GeoHot in Limera1n and then later Chronic Dev-team also features the same exploit in Greepois0n.

Watch the video below posted by MuscleNerd showing off custom iOS 3.2.2 restore on iPad created with pwnageTool.

Also checkout:

How to Jailbreak iPhone 4 / 3GS, iPodTouch 4G / 3G and iPad iOS 3.2.2 with Limera1n
How to Jailbreak iPhone 4 / 3GS iOS 4.1, iPod Touch 4G / 3G iOS 4.1 and iPad iOS 3.2.2 with Greenpois0n
How to jailbreak iPhone 3GS iOS 4.0.1 with PwnageTool
How to Unlock iPhone iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G Baseband 05.13.04, 05.12.01, 01.59.00
iOS 4.2 unlock on its way

Another multi-million dollar acquisition, Cut the Rope’s inspiration and more in this week’s development news.

Japanese company DeNA acquired mobile developer Ngcomo in a deal valued at 400 million. Ngcomo has over 60 million downloads with games like Rolando and Eliminate.

Nintendo DS developer says cheap iPhone games have disrupted the game industry. The cause could never be with crappy games on the DS.

Interview with Instapaper founder and developer Marco Arment. You can also read more about Instapaper’s product development philosophy.

Interview with Efim Voinov, CTO of ZeptoLab, discusses the inspiration for their hit game ‘Cut the Rope’.

Good news for mobile developers, the demand for mobile development skills are on the rise. This really shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Win a copy of iPhone App Entrepreneur from Mobile Orchard!

On Monday we interviewed David Appleyard, author of ‘iPhone App Entrepreneur’. We are please to announce that Mobile Orchard has three copies of the PDF version to give away.

To participate and enter to win a copy of ‘iPhone App Entrepreneur’ simply do this:

tweet this Win a copy of iPhone App Entrepreneur from @MobileOrchard & @RockablePress http://su.pr/5JwSJB
leave a comment on this post and let us know how you would benefit from the book

We will select three winners on 10/22/2010. Please make sure you use a valid email when leaving a comment so that we can contact you.

If you can’t wait for the giveaway and want to buy the book now, you can use the promo code ‘MOiPAE’ to get $4.00 off the regular price. This code is good through next Friday.

Remote Pallette lets you paint on your iPad with colors from your iPhone

The story a while back about connecting an iPhone to an iPad for a game of darts was pretty interesting, and here’s another one in that vein: a new app called Remote Palette is universal for both devices, and will let you “paint” on the iPad, while controlling the colors used with the iPhone. “Dip” your finger into a certain color of paint on your iPhone, and then when you go to touch the iPad, that color will show up as you draw. Very cool idea, and while the reviews on the app say it’s not quite as great an art app as Brushes or Sketches, the wireless palette idea seems like a lot of fun.

Remote Palette also has a Finger Paint mode you can use to put some outlines on the screen for kids, or you can just open up a blank canvas and paint away. The universal app is only US 99 cents, and is available right now.

Remote Pallette lets you paint on your iPad with colors from your iPhone originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Use Quix to make advanced searches easier

Google may be the best search engine available today, but it has several frustrations to me. One of the biggest is that it routinely forgets my preferred search settings. At best, Google only remembers your preferences when you are logged in, but personally i find that Google forgets my preferences all of the time, even when logged in.

I finally figured out a way to avoid that frustration plus limit my Google searches to recent pages, regardless of whether I am logged in. The key was to use Quix.

I’ve written about Quix before but as a quick recap: Quix is a bookmarklet that lets you easily add/change shortcuts by editing a plain text file. I host my plain text file in my public Dropbox folder, so I can edit the file on any of my computers and know that it will be instantly updated on all my computers (including my iPhone and iPad) in minutes.

Read on for the specifics…

Continue reading Use Quix to make advanced searches easier

Use Quix to make advanced searches easier originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW review: Billings Pro

Billings Pro builds upon the award-winning (2009 Apple Design Award) client-tracking and invoicing software, Billings, by Marketcircle. This major release introduces support for multiple users, server software, and new client side applications for both the desktop and iPhone. While many independent workers have enjoyed Billings and Billings Touch for years (myself included), small business owners with several employees have been left out. Billings Pro fixes that.

We were able to spend some time with Billings Pro, and we’re happy to offer our review. Click the link below to read the full report and see additional galleries of screenshots from Billings Pro Touch and Billings Pro for the Mac.

Gallery: Billings Pro Server

Continue reading TUAW review: Billings Pro

TUAW review: Billings Pro originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No Comment: A diamond-encrusted iPhone 4

So, Apple’s free bumper case wasn’t enough for you? Do you want to encase your iPhone in something a little more … erm, maybe “classy” isn’t necessarily the word for this one. At any rate, as you can see above, customizer Stuart Hughes has enwrapped this iPhone 4 in over 500 diamonds (totaling over 100 karats), which are placed around the outside (that antenna gap has never looked so sparkly), on the Apple logo, and on the Home button. The back of the phone is plated in gold, and the unit comes in its own custom-made granite box. Total price: US$8 million.

Apparently, two were made, and both were for an Australian businessman who wanted a little more bling on his iOS device. Was it worth it? No comment.

[via Engadget]

No Comment: A diamond-encrusted iPhone 4 originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SwirlySMS brings free SMS app to iPad 3G

Released today, “SwirlySMS free for iPad 3G” offers a free SMS solution that allows you to send and receive messages from your iPad 3G. This is a jailbreak-only solution. Available from the Cydia store, the new app uses your iPad’s SIM to introduce native texting without having to hack your way into command-line solutions.

The application should work with any supported SIM that offers SMS features. You will be charged for SMS text messages according to the plan associated with your SIM card. I do not believe it’s possible to add SMS packages to the native plan, so if the app works at all, you’ll likely be charged $0.25/text at the standard US AT&T a la carte rate.

The app has been tested primarily in Sweden on the Telia network, but its developers have been doing SMS apps for three years now — so it’s a good bet that things should work out of the box with standard AT&T SIMs for United States users. Given that the app is free, if you have any problems, I’m sure the devs will offer a full money-back guarantee.

After thoroughly testing the software with your equipment, you can upgrade to a no-ad version for five bucks, or a full-featured MMS/SMS app (SwirlyMMS) for twelve.

Gallery: Swirly SMS

SwirlySMS brings free SMS app to iPad 3G originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MobileMe Calendar web app out of beta

Apple has announced that the MobileMe Calendar web app is now officially out, leaving beta and becoming available to all MobileMe customers. The service allows you to check or update your MobileMe calendar from any computer or iOS device, share or publish calendars out to friends, family, or coworkers, and even send invitations straight from the calendar for upcoming events.

If you’re already using the beta, of course, you don’t have to do anything at all, but other MobileMe members can sign in to me.com/calendar, and click “Upgrade Now” in the lower left. There’s nothing super new here (there are certainly lots of other ways to do these kinds of things using MobileMe and other free services), but having what was previously in beta open to all customers is a nice benefit.

[via MacRumors]

MobileMe Calendar web app out of beta originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Sculley on Steve Jobs’ guiding principles

In an unprecedented interview, former Apple CEO John Sculley discusses his relationship, past and present, with Steve Jobs. Initially pulled from Pepsi Co. by Steve Jobs in 1983, Sculley ran Apple with Jobs until Jobs was ousted in 1985. Sculley then ran Apple as the sole CEO until 1993.

In the interview with Cult of Mac, Sculley notes that he isn’t in contact with Jobs anymore, and he considers his time at Apple “ancient history.” Still, Sculley went on to describe what he called Steve’s methodology for building great products, which includes:

Beautiful design (no surprises there)
Customer experience
Perfectionism
Minimalism

Again, there’s not a surprise among the bunch, and John elaborates on these and other aspects of Steve’s drive in the full interview. Sculley also goes on to note that it was “…a mistake” to make him CEO: “Looking back, it was a big mistake that I was ever hired as CEO. I was not the first choice that Steve wanted to be the CEO. He was the first choice, but the board wasn’t prepared to make him CEO when he was 25, 26 years old.”

The whole interview is broken into several parts, starting here. It’s candid and, as we said, unprecedented. Go and read it for a unique look at a significant figure in Apple history.

John Sculley on Steve Jobs’ guiding principles originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A helmsman’s chair that would make James T. Kirk green with envy

NorSap is a Norwegian firm that manufactures those impressive chairs for the helmsmen and pilots on sea-going vessels. These chairs are extremely rugged, as they need to be able to stand up to rough conditions, but they also need to be adjustable to fit a variety of body sizes and comfortable enough to sit in during a long watch.

The company recently developed a concept chair, which they refer to as the iChair, that includes not one, but two iPads mounted for easy visibility. The custom docks that hold the iPads have ergonomic padding installed to cushion the forearms of the lucky soul who gets to command the ~~Enterprise~~ ship from the iChair.

The iChair was built specially by NorSap for the ONS 2010 and SMM 2010 exhibitions, and although our tipster, Kenneth, isn’t sure they’ll sell any of these, I have to agree with his assertion that “it looks cool.” One of the closeup shots in the gallery below shows a navigational chart on the iPad, so the iPads may have some practical use other than distracting the crew.

A few more shots of the iChair are in the gallery below.

Gallery: NorSap iChair Concept Helmsman’s Chair