Category: Tutorials

Isn’t it nice when siblings get along? Here’s an idea for using a dead, hollowed-out Newton Message Pad as an Phone case. Case hacker Charles Mangin has had success with other projects, like the Mac Plus G4, the Mac mini stuffed into an Apple Disk II floppy drive and the iNewt. So far he’s only completed a “sketch” of the project, but given his past work, we’re sure he can pull it off.

This mod will obviously add a lot of bulk to the iPhone (and destroy a Newt), but who cares? The whole point is the fun and marriage of the old and the new. Plus, there’s something oddly “right” about that image, no? Though it is funny to think Apple once released a stylus-based handheld, given Jobs’ current feeling about that mechanic.

We wish Charles good luck and hope he’ll ping us when the project is complete.

[Via RickMacMerc]

TUAWApple Newton to be reborn as iPhone case originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For most iPhone owners, it seems like AT&T is deaf to our complaints about signal quality. It appears, however, that griping loudly and repeatedly to the company does have an effect.

I live in the suburbs south of Denver and my signal quality is pretty good. However, whenever my wife and I have gone to Colorado Rockies baseball games in the last few years (we’re season ticket holders), we’ve had awful service at the ballpark. Although the signal strength indicator would show five bars, it was impossible to do much of anything with our iPhones or iPads. Even trying to send out text messages would fail, and attempts to use the MLB At-Bat app in the ballpark were laughable to the point that I didn’t purchase the app for the 2010 season. What was even more frustrating is that AT&T is a ballpark advertiser at Coors Field, so you think they’d want their service to be excellent.

TUAWCase study: Griping about signal quality can produce results originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This video has been around for quite a long time, but my guess is that you haven’t seen it. It posits how future computers will used for education and literacy. Watching it you’ll be taken by how much they got right and how other concepts got short shrift. One surprising thing is that it focuses almost totally on voice input and doesn’t mention the concept of a touch screen interface. Instead it displays a trackball-type device with four buttons that doesn’t presage multi-touch devices. A good deal of the footage was taken from 1987’s Knowledge Navigator video which got a lot more play at the time.

Project 2000 includes interviews with:

• Steve Wozniak on the start of computing in education and personal agents
• Diane Ravitch, the past director of the Encyclopedia Britannica, on using computers to motivate students and the challenges of adult literacy
• Alan Kay on computer simulation and visualization
• Alvin Toffler, most known as the author of Future Shock, on text translations
• Ray Bradbury on a variety of subjects

The most talked about topic is hypermedia, the most integrated concept in modern computing and a major building block of the World Wide Web which was six years old at the time, however the WWW isn’t mentioned. Oops my mistake. The World Wide Web starting with the Mosaic browser didn’t happen until 1993.

This is illuminative viewing and if you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend you do so. The differences between what the speakers saw as the future and how things turned out is quite enlightening.

Thanks Eric for sending this in.

TUAWFound Footage: Project 2000 from 1988 on the direction of computing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget reports that Apple has opened its AirPlay technology to a third party, BridgeCo. BridgeCo is the maker of JukeBlox, a network streaming technology that’s embedded into its partners’ audio products and equipment to allow wireless audio streaming. And, it just so happens, according to BridgeCo’s website, that the JukeBlox platform will play nicely with Apple’s AirPlay technology.

What does this mean in layman’s terms? It means that any audio equipment manufacturer that integrates BridgeCo’s JukeBlox technology will be able to stream music from iTunes or iOS devices running iOS 4.2. This is the first time Apple’s has opened up its iTunes software to a third party. In fact, CNBC reports that “BridgeCo worked with Apple on its AirPlay.”

According to a blog at BridgeCo’s website, it is currently partnered with audio equipment manufacturers DENON, iHome, JBL, and B&W, to name a few, with “many more coming.” Not so coincidently, these brands are also mentioned on Apple’s official AirPlay website as featured partners.

However, there’s one piece that’s left to fit into the puzzle. Marantz is listed as a featured partner on Apple’s official AirPlay website, but there is no mention of Marantz on BridgeCo’s partner list. Maybe it’s just a question of time. Regardless, all this wireless audio streaming talk certainly bodes well for getting your music around the house.

Update: Reader Leo notes in comments, and Dion via Twitter, that Marantz is a sister company of Denon; both are owned by D&M Holdings, along with other premium audio brands like McIntosh and Boston Acoustics.

TUAWWith AirPlay, Apple opens iTunes software to a 3rd party originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This little video shows off what most of the augmented reality features we’ve seen so far look like; they’re cool, but not all that practical or useful. The idea is supposed to be an ad campaign for Panasonic’s 3D televisions, so they gave away special AR shirts and a free iPhone app. If you find one of the shirts in the real world, you can point the iPhone app at it, and instead of just the AR code, you’ll see an actual animated animal sticking its head out, framed in a Panasonic television.

It’s a cool effect, but of course, it’s totally cosmetic. You can’t actually interact with the animals at all (other than simply taking pictures through the viewfinder and sending them off on Twitter). And it’s an ad for a separate piece of tech, so it’s nothing to actually do with the iPhone or even Apple. But still, every experiment with AR gets us closer to using the technology for something really interesting.

[via Dvice]

TUAWPanasonic’s iPhone-powered augmented reality T-shirt originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the addition of the Safari Extensions Gallery to Apple’s website over the last few days, TUAW will be highlighting extensions that we think are special, useful, or just plain fun.

Minimal Gmail is my new favorite Safari extension. It allows you to “clean up” a lot of the GMail interface, including turning off several items that you can’t disable any other way.

Yes, that means that you can disable ads, although to be honest I really haven’t noticed the ads in Gmail for a long time. However, now that they are gone, it is nice to have that space for reading the message, especially if you are on a smaller screen. What’s more exciting is the ability to hide things that I never use such as the “Invite” box. I mean, come on, when is the last time anyone invited someone else to Gmail? I’m guessing it was 2005. Also, I never use Gmail chat through the webpage, and never have it enabled, but Minimal Gmail allows me to hide that box completely.

Minimal Gmail will also hide the footer and header information. The footer alerts you to other IP addresses accessing your Gmail account, so some may want to keep an eye on that, but for me it was just clutter. Hiding the header means the links to Google Calendar, Documents, Reader, etc which I never accessed using those links anyway. That said, it also hides the links to the Settings and Labs on the right side of the header. I used the Google Lab “Quick Links” feature (which I was already using anyway) to make quick links to Settings and Labs, and then disabled the header as well.

There are a lot of other options as well, but that should give you a feel for it. If you use Gmail in Safari as often as I do, it’s definitely worth checking out. (Yes, it also supports Google Apps too.)

Important note to uses of Minimal Gmail v.1.0: you will have to manually update to version 2, but from now on Safari should be able to automatically update it, if desired.

Thanks to the SafariExtensions Tumblr (which is where I learned about Minimal Gmail) for continuing to point out useful new extensions. I use that site more than Apple’s official page.

TUAWSafari extension highlight: Minimal Gmail originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Parallels, Inc. has taken the wrappings off of its new desktop virtualization software (yes, the same app which was already spotted on some store shelves — looks like a few retailers jumped the gun), and provided TUAW with a look. The update adds over 80 new and enhanced features, with better support for 3D apps and games, an enhanced Transporter program that will connect Windows and Mac files to both implementations. Also, integration between the two OSes has been improved to include the ability to use Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts, Spotlight, and Parental Controls across both Mac and Windows on the same computer.

We got a quick demo of the new app, and it looks great — Parallels has expertly integrated Windows and OS X in whatever form you want, from a full screen switchable setup, to a windows mode, all the way to Coherence mode, which leaves the virtual machine metaphor out of the equation and just lets you run Windows apps straight from the dock as if they were Mac apps.

There’s one caveat: Parallels has discontinued support for Tiger, so you’ll need to have OS X 10.5 or better installed to run Parallels 6. The app comes in two flavors: Parallels Desktop 6 is the standard app and can be purchased (officially starting on September 14th, we’re told, regardless of what’s on the shelves at your local Best Buy) for US$79.99, or you can get a Switch to Mac edition (which includes easy file migration and special tutorials for Mac newbies) for $99.99. Previous users of the software can get an upgrade for $49.99. Stay tuned, too — Parallels tells us it has more even more big news about the new version coming up soon.

TUAWParallels Desktop 6 coming September 13, with better 3D support and Windows/Mac integration originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first one (above) is actually a bug with iMovie 1.1, although the app was updated yesterday and requires iOS 4.1. As you can see, reader Sean P. is still seeing a glitch in iMovie for iPhone that makes clip trimming a haphazard affair.

Eric B. reports that the headphones he received with his “iphone 2g” (we’re thinking he meant the 3G) now work, whereas before 4.1 but after 4.0 they did not.

John T. tells us “the iOS4.1 upgrade somehow ‘recovered’ clued 2+ weeks of lost voicemails that I really wish I had received, well, 2 weeks ago.” He reports others have seen this as well — have you?

Joseph T. says there’s good news for Bluetooth headset users who jam out on their headsets: “…the new AVRCP profile allows Bluetooth headsets to FINALLY skip forward and rewind.”

A few of us noticed it, but Jonathan L. wrote in to point out the icon for “deleting” an email in Gmail accounts has changed to indicate that you’re not deleting, you’re archiving the email. Instead of a trash can, you now have an arrow pointing to a file cabinet. If you want to go back to trashing email, however, you can set this in Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > choose the account (Gmail only) > Turn OFF “Archive Messages.”

Jeff V. reports a welcome enhancement regarding app updates on the phone: “Guys, I haven’t seen anyone cover this yet, nor do I know if it is a really big deal, but now in iOS 4.1 you can download and install more than one app at a time. Up to three at a time from what I see. I noticed this while updating some apps on my iPhone after updating to 4.1. I had twelve updates, told it to download all, and then it started downloading 3 of the apps at the same time (I have a screenshot showing the three blue install bars at the same time). Again, I thought this was nice, and I wasn’t expecting it, so I figured I would pass it along in case you hadn’t noticed.”

Reports from our commenters on the next page.

TUAWTUAW Mailbag: your iOS 4.1 tips and tribulations originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been busily going through the App Store Review Guidelines that Apple released to developers this morning, and we’re surprised (and happy) to find direct, blunt language which makes Apple’s requirements crystal clear. Here are a few gems.

Line 8 is a standout: “We have over 250,000 apps in the App Store. We don’t need any more Fart apps. If your app doesn’t do something useful or provide some form of lasting entertainment, it may not be accepted.”

From line 9: “If your App looks like it was cobbled together in a few days, or you’re trying to get your first practice App into the store to impress your friends, please brace yourself for rejection. We have lots of serious developers who don’t want their quality Apps to be surrounded by amateur hour.” You’ll remember Steve also said “amateur hour” during last week’s press event.

Here’s line 10: “We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, ‘I’ll know it when I see it’. And we think that you will also know it when you cross it.”

Line 12 ends with a punch: “This is a living document, and new apps presenting new questions may result in new rules at any time. Perhaps your app will trigger this.”

Finally, the introduction concludes with a subtle barb: “If it sounds like we’re control freaks, well, maybe it’s because we’re so committed to our users and making sure they have a quality experience with our products. Just like almost all of you are too.” Almost all of you.

The introduction sounds like it was copied verbatim from Steve Jobs’ own mouth. We’re looking at the rules themselves now, but here’s the gist: Go ahead and use 3rd party apps, keeping the following in mind:

1. Don’t submit 3rd-party apps that download code
2. Don’t make crap
3. Help us make a kick-ass experience for everyone

Good work, Apple.

[Via Engadget]

TUAWApple’s App Store Review Guidelines: Some juicy bits originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No matter what size iPad or other portable device you get, many times it seems that you’re going to hit that storage limit and find yourself aching for more space. The HyperDrive may not fix that problem for you, but it may be handy in certain circumstances.

Using the portable HyperDrive and the iPad Camera Connection Kit, one can transfer movies and photos onto the iPad from either the HyperDrive’s internal storage or via memory cards attached to it. Since the iPad only allows attached storage of 32GB or less, the HyperDrive sections off its on-board storage into 32GB “folders,” each of which is viewable using the iPad Photos application.

It’s definitely a hacky way to go about transferring data to your iPad while on the go, but at least it doesn’t require jailbreaking to use (if that’s a concern of yours). The usefulness of the HyperDrive seems rather limited, though, as it’s not able to transfer data off of your iPad, only onto it.

The HyperDrive comes in 120GB up to 750GB models, starting at US$299.

[via Macworld UK]

TUAWCarry more iPad data with you, using HyperDrive originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s a surprise we didn’t expect this morning — or ever, for that matter — Apple has changed its stance on iOS app development, now allowing all tools “…as long as the resulting apps do not download any code.” Theoretically, this would include Adobe Flash CS5 but certainly includes tools like Unity. [Note that while the Flash CS5 authoring environment may be kosher, this rule still excludes the Flash browser plugin due to the no-downloaded-code clause. -Ed.]

In addition, Apple has published the App Store Review Guidelines for the very first time. We’ll be anxious to hear what developers have to say after giving those guidelines a good read.

You’ll remember a recent change in Apple’s SDK language that prohibited iOS apps to be written with anything other than Apple-approved tools, including Flash. This led to a viciously bitter spat between Adobe and Apple (though it really seemed to be between Jobs and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen) with both sides setting up their tents and firing barbs. To say that this morning’s change is dramatic is an understatement.

Great, now I have to be on the lookout for 3 other horsemen for the rest of the day.

[Via Engadget]

TUAWApple loosens reins, allows 3rd party iOS dev tools with caveat originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today with the official release of iOS 4.1 Apple made a some extra major announcements for developers.  Those being a change in policy on developer tools, and a statement demanding higher quality apps – directly noting that “Fart Apps” would no longer be allowed.

First off, it looks like the announcement that Apple is lessening restrictions placed on developer tools will pave the way for third parties like Adobe with Flash CS5 to continue working on their development tools.  From what I understand none of these apps were ever blocked simply because one of these tools were used, but for developers using these tools that is one less thing to worry about.

Apple has also added new rhetoric to the developer agreement regarding app quality (perhaps in anticipation of a flood of crappy Flash made apps coming in).  In the new policy apple has gone into greater detail specifically as to what types of apps will be rejected outright (many had been rejected for sometime – often leaving developers wondering why)  – even mentioning Fart Apps directly.  If you’re a member of the developer program you can read the new policy in detail here.  In the new policy Apple has specifically used words such as “fart apps” and “amateur hour”.

What does this really mean?

In the end this will be a boon to anyone who was using or wanted to use development tools such as Flash CS5 to create apps.  For the consumer it will probably mean many great looking, but simple apps hitting the app store (unless Apple really gets restrictive).  Ultimately, if you were using a third-party tool and worried about your app being banned because of it (I know some Unity developers who were) this should alleviate most of your worries. Marketers who had been flooding the app store en masse with silly, simple novelty apps could have something to worry about.  We will see if things really tighten up or if it is just talk.

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©2010 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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Some time ago i created an iOS Objective-C cheat sheet for developers looking to transition to Objective-C who already understood languages such as Java, C++ and C# to get started with Objective-C.  As it was just a quick guide I did not get into memory management which was so different from those languages.

Since then I also posted about a great video tutorials on Objective-C memory management which covered things in great detail.

Today I found a good guide on some specific situations that could lead to a memory leak if dealt with improperly.  This includes dealing with autorelease objects, autorelease pools, returning pointers, and how memory management is handled with collections.

You can find the guide here:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/iPhone/avoidiphoneleaks.aspx

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©2010 iPhone, iOS 4, iPad SDK Development Tutorial and Programming Tips. All Rights Reserved.

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Today sees the official release of Learning iOS Game Programming. I hope those who have bought it or who do buy it enjoy it and I’m looking forward to see all the games the come from the readers. Remember to let me know of any games you create that use code from the book and […]