Category: I-phone

When we think about computer ergonomics, we usually look at how our monitor is positioned (is it an appropriate distance from our eyes?), where our keyboard is laid out (in a keyboard tray or on our desktop?), and if our chair height lets us keep our knees at a 90 degree angle. In other words, computer ergonomics has always been about hardware (ours and our machine’s). It’s never been about the software. That’s got to change.

I find myself using my iPad primarily in landscape mode. I do so because in landscape mode you can see most apps’ menu items all the time (like a complete list of emails in my inbox laid out next to the message I’m currently viewing in the iPad’s Mail app). Seeing everything at once is handy, but the thing is, I find holding my iPad in portrait mode to be much more comfortable and convenient because I can see more text on the screen. Of course portrait mode has the drawback that many apps’ menus are hidden from view and only accessible by an inconvenient drop down menu button that’s almost always in the top left or right corner.

Why inconvenient? What’s the problem? The problem is ergonomics. The drop down menu button is in a very awkward place to reach when your hands and thumbs are holding the iPad near the middle of the device. Its location means that unless you have an incredibly long thumb (and if you do, send us a picture), you’ll need to move your entire hand just to tap the portrait view drop down menu button. Wouldn’t it be terrific if developers started utilizing a few pixels on the sides of the screen in portrait mode to let users access menus in an easier fashion? I think so, and one major app developer does as well.

TUAWLandscape or portrait? It’s all about software ergonomics originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iPhone and iPod accessory manufacturers seem to be coming to the realization that most households have not just one, but two or more Apple devices. We’ve been seeing a number of products that allow charging of more than one iPhone or iPod at a time, and now venerable speaker manufacturer Altec Lansing is getting into the game in a big way with the Octiv Duo speaker dock (US$99).

The Octiv Duo has a wedge design that works both on open spaces like tables and in corners on desks or kitchen counters. As you would surmise from the name, the Octiv Duo is designed to charge two devices at a time. Those devices can be any generation of iPhone, iPod touch, or iPod nano, as well as the iPod video, color, and Classic models. There’s a third USB port on the side of the Octiv Duo for charging another device, so if you feel like charging your iPhone, iPod nano, and iPad all at the same time, you’re set.

A unique, round, full-function remote can be hidden away in a matching niche on the back of the Octiv Duo when not in use, and it serves as a way to control either of the docked devices. But the real power of the Octiv Duo is apparent only when you install two special apps on your iPhone or iPod touch that provide extra functionality.

TUAWTUAW Review and Giveaway: Altec Lansing Octiv Duo speaker dock originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Last we heard, Facebook and the new iTunes-based social network Ping were at odds with each other, with Facebook providing “onerous terms” and Apple trying to hook into the bigger network anyway. But maybe they can still heal the rift. Facebook CTO Bret Taylor told Silicon Alley Insider that he’s “very confident” that the two networks can find some common ground.

Unfortunately, he didn’t say anything other than that, so as for what kind of common ground they’ll find, that’s still up in the air. But Apple would do well to enlist Facebook’s help in their fledgling network, “onerous” as the terms may be. Ping is an interesting network, as we’ve said, but given the lack of action that I’ve seen in my own little slice of Ping lately, bringing in some links and eyeballs from a more active and veteran social network seems like it would be worth the compromise.

[via Cult of Mac]

TUAWFacebook ‘very confident’ it can work with Ping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

If you’re a subscriber to the free AT&T Navigator app and the associated service , then you’ll want to load the latest update ASAP.

AT&T Navigator v1.7i is the newest version of the TeleNav-powered app, and it’s now the first iPhone GPS navigation app that incorporates direct speech recognition. As you can see in the video above, all you need to do is tap an icon, speak your destination, and the app will display appropriate destination addresses. Tap one of the addresses, and navigation begins.

The new version also provides alerts for traffic cameras, works in landscape mode, and has a lane-assist function that shows you which lane you need to be in before you get to an intersection. When you need directions back to your home location, there’s a new “shake to go home” function — just shake the iPhone, and the app knows you want directions back home.

The free app works with a US$9.99 monthly service that appears on your AT&T iPhone bill. You can choose a monthly or annual subscription, and you can cancel at any time. Note that navigation is only possible in areas where you have cellular data coverage, as the maps are downloaded on demand.

TUAWAT&T Navigator for iPhone updated, features direct speech recognition originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The other day I was browsing at a friends site and I saw this fantastic post where he teaches you how to make a Tetris like clone game in HTML5 that will work on iPhone and other popular phones with HTML5 compliant browsers. I thought the post and code he provided was a fantastic resource for anyone looking to create a browser game from start to finish.

The Apple Web Apps page will show you many browser based games listed. If you look at the right column on the page, Apple shows you how to get started and gives you info on how to create your own Web based Apps.

HTML5 provides the canvas element which is a great tool for drawing graphics. If you want to learn how to make an offline HTML5 iPhone Tetris clone game, read on. By offline, I mean you need to connect once to the site in your phone browser and then you can play thegame without any data transfer or connection to the Internet.

This is a tutorial specifically for iPhones but most of these techniques apply to all phones that have HTML5-capable browsers.

You are going to need access to a server where you can change the HTTP Headers on your files. This is because we need to take advantage of HTML5’s offline caching (more on this later down the page).

The other thing you need to do is to enable the debug bar in Safari’s web browser on your iPhone unit.

Some tips before you start…  Stay small, sparse and simple.

Small: This is mobile app development so even though you are caching your stuff, it’s still a smart idea to keep your file sizes lean.

Sparse: You should try to keep the amount of files you deal with as low as possible.

Simple: Start with a few simple ideas and execute it. By keeping your scope small, you can get things done faster.

If you want to read more click here – How to make Tetris clone game as a mobile browser based game in HTML5 from start to finish.

Today we present roundup of interesting Photoshop tutorials for September 2010.

read more

The folks at iControlPad can’t seem to catch a break — the design for the plug-in iPhone controller was finally finished, but the creators are now backing off of that design. Specifically, they’re worried about Apple’s lawsuit against Sanho, in which the battery manufacturer was sued for creating products that unofficially connected to dock connectors on iPhones and iPod touches. Because the iControlPad was originally designed to plug right into the dock connector on the iPhone (and presumably, its creators don’t want to have to pay the “Made for iPhone” fee to officially license that hardware), it’s got to be tweaked for Bluetooth support instead.

Fortunately, Bluetooth support was always an option, as there is a chip already inside the device. But the software will apparently have to be worked on, leading to even longer delays in production. At this point, it’s hard to believe the product will ever actually get out the door in a mass market state.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still call for buttons — maybe some enterprising accessory maker will pick up the gauntlet and run with it. Since the iPhone was introduced, gamers everywhere have been asking for some type of external controls for iPhone games, and maybe the iControlPad’s setback will provide some drive for someone else.

[via Cult of Mac]

TUAWiControlPad using unlicensed dock connection, forced to go Bluetooth originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Did you miss out on Apple’s free case program for your iPhone 4? If so, you’re out of luck. If you have reception issues with your iPhone 4, you can return it as usual, but at this point, Apple believes that everyone should know about the Antennagate issue, so there are no more free cases.

This also means that bumpers are back on sale. While you could easily get a free one, they disappeared from Apple Store shelves, but as of today, bumpers are reportedly available again. Unfortunately, they’re still not for sale online, but presumably that will be fixed soon. Word has it that they’re heading back to the US$29 price point, too.

If you’re buying an iPhone today or in the future, what are your plans for a case?

TUAWRumor: Bumpers coming back to Apple Stores originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nerds squealed with delight last night as the geekiest comedy on American television, The Big Bang Theory, featured a cameo by Steve Wozniak. The Apple co-founder played himself in a brief scene with the gang from the show (Is that his daughter next to him at the table?). He was pretty funny and seemed comfortable on camera. In fact, Steve is an old hand at TV by now, having appeared on Dancing With The Stars and My Life on the D-List.

In case you missed it, you can watch it above (sorry about the audio quality — we’ll keep an eye out for the official version). Good job, Woz!

TUAWFound Footage: Woz on Big Bang Theory originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Following quickly on the heels of the long awaited iPad Sonos app, there is now a new version of the free music controller for the iPhone. The Sonos system provides a wireless music experience in as many rooms of a house as you want to put Zone Players and speakers or you can connect to an existing music system.

The new app, which appeared today, supports the popular Spotify service in Europe, and adds an additional 1000 radio stations that use the AAC format for streaming.

One thing missing is support for the iPhone 4 Retina display. A Sonos spokesman says that is coming early next year. The updated iPhone app has no GUI changes from the previous version. If you’re a Sonos fan with an iPhone, it’s time to download this free app.

TUAWSonos updates iPhone app with more radio for everyone and Spotify for Europe originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple’s free MobileMe Gallery app was just updated, and the new version finally supports the iPad.

Other changes have been made to finally bring the app up to speed with iOS 4 and the iPhone 4 — there’s now support for fast app switching, and the app is now optimized for the Retina Display on the iPhone 4.

Previously, users needed a MobileMe subscription to view friends’ galleries; now that restriction has been taken away for iPhone and iPad users. The app looks great on an iPad, and if you have any photos stored in MobileMe galleries, you’ll want to get this update as soon as possible.

Thanks to Michael K. for the tip!

TUAWMobileMe Gallery app goes universal in version 1.2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

I decided to limit myself to just a couple of hours of Apple TV hacking this morning as I have books that need writing, children who need feeding, a house that needs cleaning and, lord almighty, you wouldn’t believe the laundry. So again, this is going to be a quick update rather than an in-depth exploration of all things Apple TV.

As you know, the 2nd gen iOS Apple TV has already been jailbroken. While tools have not yet been released, you can watch a video posted earlier today showing command line access to the unit.

I do not have jb access so have limited my explorations to the tools I have available. I used Kevin Ballard’s superb Bonjour Browser to scan for Apple TV services. At this time, there appear to be two. First, there is the standard AirTunes “raop” service. RAOP stands for the remote audio output protocol, which has been used for some time with Airport audio streaming. There’s a nice discussion of the protocol over at CocoaDev.

TUAWApple TV hacking update: AirTunes Bonjour services, DFU mode originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The iPad is a wonderful device to consider integrating into one’s car. Many have already gone the DIY route, mounting the device into a center console, for example. However, not everyone’s handy enough or brave enough to hack their cars to pieces for these things, so it’s comforting when something more “official” comes around.

BMW recently displayed their answer to an official integration of the iPad in their cars, at the Paris Auto Show. As Engaget puts it, the implementation is heinous. But, to be fair, if the goal of this integration is to allow backseat passengers to use an iPad hands-free, then what more can be done to fix it?

Integration of an iPad into a dashboard is one thing, but that’s not going to solve the problem of passengers wanting to watch a video. A dashboard-mounted iPad is good for controlling music and following maps, but if you’re using it to watch video, you’ve seriously got a screw loose.

TUAWBMW’s official iPad integration: “heinous” originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Austin City Limits Music Festival is going on next week in Austin, TX (as is GDC Online, which I’ll be covering for TUAW). The festival has teamed up with Slacker Internet Radio and Seed Labs to spread the word and share some of the music from the artists performing there. They’ve produced a free app to check out the lineup of artists at the show, as well as make your own schedule, see a map of the event, post your own pictures and stories directly from the show, and even use a virtual lighter if a performance moves you to do so. You’re on your own trying to get them to play “Freebird,” though.

Slacker Radio is also tied in to the app — you can listen to an Internet radio station called Austin City Limits Radio, playing tunes and providing insight exclusively from the artists at the festival. To celebrate, Slacker has offered TUAW readers some free subscriptions to the Slacker Radio Plus service, which is used in conjunction with the original Slacker Radio app. That app is also free, but a Slacker Radio Plus subscription allows you to get song lyrics, get rid of the ads, skip songs whenever you want, and listen to your favorite stations offline.

We’ve got four one-year subscriptions (usually US$47.99 each) and three three-month subscriptions (usually $14.99) to give away to seven lucky TUAW readers. Hit the “Read More” link below to find out how to win your own, and if you’re interested in the Austin City Limits festival, be sure to check out the free app on the App Store now.

TUAWTUAW Giveaway: Win a subscription to Slacker Radio Plus for Austin City Limits Music Festival originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments