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This is great — the iNecklace is Adafruit’s latest open-sourced, electronic jewelry. It’s a pendant shaped like a power button, complete with a pulsing LED inside. It’s beautiful, stylish, and a nicely subtle way to proclaim your loyalty to tech in a sleek and cool way. It’s all open source, too, so you can go to GitHub and download all of the files and tech setup if you want to try and make your own.

For those of us not so DIY inclined, the iNecklace sells for $75 and will begin shipping in September.

Adafruit Industries now selling the iNecklace originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Makayama Movie Mount is a tripod-mountable case for the iPad 2, designed to set up your Apple tablet for an extended amount of movie shooting. The mount clips right around the iPad, and it also has two hotshoes for things like lights or microphones, a screw fitting for a place to mount a lens converter, and a kickstand on the back to hold the iPad up as usual. Makayama has also made a free app for the iPad that allows you to control the finer aspects of shooting, with both video and photography.

I’m not sure why, if you want to go to these lengths, you’d use the iPad specifically for shooting video. Why not just invest in a real camera? Still, if you already own the iPad 2 and wouldn’t mind doing your shooting, editing, and uploading of video all on the same device, this might be just the thing. The Movie Mount is going on sale in October, and it will be available for $69.95 in the US.

Makayama making a movie mount for iPad 2 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spotify has launched an API service that could have some really interesting results for both iOS developers and users of the music-sharing program. The API allows access by iOS developers to all of Spotify’s 15 million music tracks, which can be played or used as they see fit.

There are some interesting ideas to play with here. Developers could make a game that uses Spotify tracks, do things like match up music tracks for recommendation, or hook them into any number of various app types out there. There are a few catches, however. First, anyone who uses the service must also be a Spotify member (though there are quite a few of those around at this point). Second, the current API only allows for “noncommercial” use, so free apps only. Spotify is working on a way to set up deals on for-profit apps, but it’s only for free apps so far.

If you’re a developer who wants to play around with the interface, you can find libspotify right over here. It’ll be fascinating to see what comes out of this, especially if Spotify works out a way for commercial developers to dive in and use their content as well.

Spotify offers API to iOS developers originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Parallels 7 has just been announced. The latest iteration of Parallels, the virtualization environment that currently has about 75% of the total market share for VM software, ships with more than 90 new and enhanced features.

As you’d expect, one of the enhancements is the speed of the app. Based on benchmarks run Parallels, the app is 60 percent faster than Parallels Desktop 6 when resuming Windows and up to 45 percent faster for 3D graphics. Lion compatibility is also improved in the new release — the app allows use of Full Screen mode, Launch Pad, and Mission Control while running Windows apps. Want to run apps that take advantage of the Mac’s iSight / FaceTime camera in both Windows and Mac OS at the same time? With Parallels 7, that’s now possible.

Developers will love the fact that they can now run OS X Lion in a virtual machine (see screenshot at top of page) — it’s no problem at all to run multiple sessions of Windows and Lion on your Mac. If you don’t currently own a Windows license, Parallels now includes “Windows on Demand,” a service that lets you purchase and automatically install Windows 7 in a virtual machine on your Mac.

There’s also an upgraded capability to connect to virtual machines remotely from iOS devices using the Parallels Mobile App. The app is currently free, but will sell for US$4.99 after 9/1 and eventually jump to $19.99.

Pricing for the new version is $79.99, or $49.99 for an upgrade from Parallels 5 or 6. The Student Edition is available for $39.99. A Switch to Mac edition is available for $99.99 and includes a number of video tutorials on how to use a Mac, and Enterprise volume licenses are available as well.

A full review of Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac and the Parallels Mobile App is coming soon to TUAW, so stay tuned.

Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac: Faster, new features, better mobility originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Other sites have rumors. We have the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let you have your go at it. Today’s topic is the iPhone 5 and its carriers.

As Autumn rolls around and the iPhone 5 gets ready to launch, what carriers do you expect to see joining Verizon and AT&T with official Apple support? By “official”, we’re not talking about putting a T-Mobile SIM into an unlocked Apple GSM iPhone. We’re talking about announcement and roll-out in integration with the company.

Place your vote and then join in the comments with all your predictions.

View Poll

You’re the Pundit: iPhone 5 US Carriers originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This story is getting familiar enough that you could generate Mad Libs out of it. Company you’ve never heard of is accusing successful, household name corporations of infringing its patents on drop-dead obvious features that devices have had for years and is seeking an injunction on device imports unless the “infringing” companies agree to surrender their lunch money pay licensing fees.

In this case the company you’ve never heard of is Openwave, and according to GigaOM it’s accusing Apple and RIM of infringing patents on these features:

• Allows a user to use e-mail applications on a mobile device when the network is unavailable – such as when a user is on an airplane.
• Allows the mobile device to operate seamlessly, and securely, with a server over a wireless network.
• Allows access to updated versions of applications on mobile devices.
• Allows consumers to experience an improved user experience in navigating through various pages of information without delay.
• Enables data in the cloud to be accessed or shared by different devices such as mobile handsets or computers.

No word on why only Apple and RIM have been singled out, as these are features included in virtually every single smartphone manufacturer’s devices today. Openwave’s release basically claims that it invented both mobile internet browsing and photo messaging in 1997 and 2001 respectively, so it’s also unclear why the company has waited this long to recoup the “losses” it’s incurred due to “infringement” on its intellectual property. So it goes.

Openwave accuses Apple and RIM of patent infringement originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iOS 5 beta 7 SDK is now available for download by paid devs at the iOS developer site. As with previous betas, you’ll also find all the other items that continue to be synchronously updated to support the beta. Sign in with your developer credentials to gain access to the updated SDK.

Because it cannot be said too often, make sure you read any release notes on-site. For everyone intoxicated by new technologies that might allow you to update using other means, I cannot strongly encourage you enough to go to the site and read the release notes. This hint goes out especially to those of you who are not primarily developers but how have purchased dev accounts to stay current on the technology.

Installation alerts usually appear in a big yellow box on the main iOS dev page. Important update notices also appear on the developer forums. If you run into troubles installing updates, please check the dev site and forums first.

Seriously.

If you don’t have access to the dev site and forums, please don’t e-mail us for technical support about the iOS 5 beta. You do so at your own risk; we have been known to point and laugh.

As a final note, don’t forget to register your device at the developer portal and prepare it for development before installing the new beta onto pre-beta equipment.

The beta is, as always, released under the terms of Apple’s NDA. For that reason, enhancements, APIs and features are not listed within this post.

TUAW’s iOS 5 coverage — researched and written by our non-NDA staffers — is available here.

Happy developing everyone! Thanks, everyone who tipped us.

iOS 5 Beta 7 now available originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I really loved iBlast Moki 2, and I feel like since it hit the App Store, the app hasn’t quite gotten the recognition it’s deserved. If you enjoy a good puzzle game, this one has you covered — it’s a really complex and interesting title that’s wrapped up in a cute and easy-to-understand skin. On the latest company blog, Godzilab walks through the level creation process for the game, showing how they arrived at the best way of putting together levels for these cute little Moki creatures to wander through.

The first three months of the game’s development were apparently all spent on just the level editor. There was one included with the first title, but it was only used for user-created content, not to build the standard game. But for the sequel, the editor was of paramount importance, and the hard work that went into putting it together paid off big time.

Godzilab also talks about some of the user-created content they’ve seen for the second game, which I agree has been very impressive — some of the levels people have made, all accessible in the title, are pretty mind-blowing. iBlast Moki 2 is a really amazing title — if you haven’t checked it out yet, don’t miss it.

How Godzilab created levels for iBlast Moki 2 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you want a time-wasting game for the Mac, consider Rail Maze. It’s a free download from the Mac App Store that offers more than 100 puzzles. In fact, Rail Maze is a combination puzzle/action game, and the various levels highlight either a puzzle to solve or action to navigate. The puzzle game has you solving progressively harder obstacles as you navigate your train from one station to the next. The action levels are a railroad version of Pac Man, in that you must catch stars before a pirate train catches you.

The game is pretty fun, and it’s currently one of the top downloads in the Mac App Store. It’s also a great game for kids with catchy graphics and puzzles that are difficult, but not impossible. There’s a few ads to deal with, but they don’t intrude on game play. You also can share your scores to an online scoreboard, Twitter or Facebook.

Daily Mac App: Rail Maze originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CNET reports that an Apple employee lost a prototype of an unreleased iPhone in a San Francisco-area bar. No, you haven’t fallen through a wormhole and woken up in 2010 — it happened again. The prototype was reportedly lost in July, and Apple’s efforts to recover the device have not succeeded thus far.

Rather than immediately remote-wiping the phone as it did with the iPhone 4 prototype last year, Apple used the Find My iPhone feature and co-ordinated with San Francisco police to trace the phone to a home in San Fran’s Bernal Heights area. The homeowner gave police permission to search his house, but the device was not recovered.

Supposedly the prototype has already been sold on Craigslist for US$200, a paltry sum compared to the $5000 a certain “gadget blog” (CNET’s words) paid for the iPhone 4 prototype last year. No other details on the device are available, but considering the firestorm that erupted in 2010, it’s unlikely that any “gadget blog” would have the stones to buy the device even if it was offered to them.

We’re not judging here, but doesn’t it seem like bars, pubs, watering holes, and all other forms of alcohol-serving establishments ought to be off-limits to prototype testers from now on?

Apple loses another prototype iPhone originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today on TUAW TV Live, I’ll be running a bit of a trivia contest — or at least testing your abilities at performing internet searches. It’s sure to be a fun and educational episode for anyone who loves Apple.

Below, you’ll find a Ustream livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments.

If you’re driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you’re stuck in traffic, please don’t — keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone and join the chat by downloading the free Ustream App. It’s a universal app and is wonderful on an iPad, both for viewing and participating in the chat.

We’ll start at about 5 PM ET, so if you’re seeing a prerecorded show, be sure to refresh your browser until you see the live stream. For those of you who are not able to join us for the live edition, you’ll be able to view it later this evening on our TUAW Video YouTube channel and as part of the TUAW TV Live podcast viewable in iTunes or on any of your Apple devices.

Update: The winners of today’s Unofficial Apple Trivia contest were — everybody who enjoyed the game! In terms of points accumulated during the trivia fest, here were the final rankings:

BRANTWALSH 10 points
FIOSUSER001 5 points
KENYONJ 5 points
FATSUSHI 5 points
URIKELMAN 3 points
JONNYCOUSINS 2 points
BXC164 1 point
HOMEPUP 1 point
DRALLGOOD 1 point

TUAW TV Live: The Unofficial Apple Trivia episode (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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