Blancer.com Tutorials and projects

After just 20 days in the Mac App Store, the Pixelmator team announced that it has grossed more than $1 million through sales. When the Mac App Store launched Jan. 6, they made the software available exclusively through it.

Pixelmator is currently the third top-grossing app in the Mac App Store. Only Pages, iPhoto and Aperture come in higher. Pixelmator is still on sale for $29.99

Pixelmator grosses $1 million in Mac App Store after 20 days originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The International Trade Commission has ruled against Kodak in its patent infringement complaint against Research in Motion and Apple, Bloomberg reports. In an initial determination recommendation, ITC Judge Paul Luckern ruled that Kodak’s patents are invalid and not infringed by Apple’s iPhone or RIM’s BlackBerry handsets.

This ruling is subject to review by the full six-member ITC commission, which can decided to overrule the judge or let his decision stand. If the commission overturns this decision, they could block the import of camera-enabled handsets from Apple and RIM. This final determination will be made by May 23.

The patents in this case involve an image preview feature used by devices with a digital camera, including smartphones (which are the target of this complaint). Kodak has already settled similar patent infringement lawsuits with Samsung and LG. Samsung settled with Kodak in 2010 and paid the imaging company a lump sum of US$500 million. LG settled in 2009 for $400 million. In a press release, Kodak remains optimistic that the Apple and RIM case will conclude in Kodak’s favor, but this initial negative ruling casts doubt on a positive outcome for Kodak. Kodak has a lot on the line as a loss in this Apple and RIM case may hurt future patent infringement cases.

[Via 9to5Mac]

Kodak loses critical part of ITC case against Apple and RIM originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Last week, Starbucks updated its Starbucks Card app to handle payments through your iPhone and iPod touch at most Starbucks locations throughout the country. It was originally part of a pilot program when the app debuted in 2009, then expanded to Starbucks locations inside Target stores, and now it’s nationwide.

There is still an exception, and that is Starbucks located inside Barnes & Noble. These locations are owned by Barnes & Noble themselves and will not accept Starbucks cards. Likewise, when checking for places that will accept mobile payments via the Starbucks Card app, Barnes & Noble locations are not listed.

I tested out the app on a visit to the Starbucks at Avenue at White Marsh, just outside Baltimore. While using the app is simple, it takes some work to get it ready to go.

Continue reading Paying with your iPhone at Starbucks: hands-on

Paying with your iPhone at Starbucks: hands-on originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hey everyone, it’s week two of Ask TUAW’s video edition. This week we help Nolan play a WMV file and discuss the options that are out there to play all sorts of video files. Remember, you can leave us questions in the comments! The video is on the next page.

Mentioned in this video:

• QuickTime – Apple’s Video Player
• Flip4Mac – a WMV component for QuickTime
• Perian – The “Swiss Army Knife” for QuickTime
• Video Lan Client – A great video player for Mac OS X
• Silverlight – Microsoft’s video plug-in for web browsers

Continue reading Ask TUAW video edition: Playing video formats

Ask TUAW video edition: Playing video formats originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

A report from Bloomberg suggests Apple will integrate Near Field Communication technology into the iPhone 5 for AT&T and the iPad 2. The technology would let you make purchases wirelessly by waving your iOS device over an NFC-enabled register. The payment-processing system would tie into your iTunes account which stores your personal and credit card information.

Earlier rumors pointed to NFC-enabled iPhones that would function as an electronic wallet or a security passkey. This previous rumor also hinted that Apple’s lineup of Mac computers would incorporate NFC technology in a two-way system that would let your iPhone communicate with your Mac.

NFC technology is expected to grow in the upcoming years here in the U.S. Recently, Samsung and Google introduced the Nexus S, the first NFC-enabled handset powered by Android. Google is also piloting a Hotpot program in Portland, Oregon that lets businesses place an NFC-enabled display in their windows. This specialized signage will send store and promotional information to NFC-capable handsets.

Though Apple has not detailed its plans for near field communication a recent patent application suggests Apple is exploring the idea of an electronic ticketing system using NFC.

[Via 9to5Mac]

iPad 2, iPhone 5 could use NFC for mobile payments originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

9to5 Mac reports that the next version of Mac OS X 10.6.7 was seeded to developers on Monday. Build 10J846 comes just days after the first build was released. At the time, developers were encouraged to test AirPort, Bonjour, SMB file sharing and graphics drivers.

Build 10J846 clocks in at 372MB for the delta update and 1011MB for the combo update.

New version of Mac OS X 10.6.7 beta to developers originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Verizon will offer a $30 unlimited data plan, the Wall Street Journal confirmed this morning, similar to the original plan that AT&T offered when the iPhone was originally introduced. This comes after a couple weeks of speculation.

“I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot,” said Lowell McAdam, the carrier’s chief operating officer.

Engadget, however, is showing that Verizon is doing away with its tiered data plan option entirely.

This offers another incentive not only for new iPhone customers, but luring over current AT&T users who are on the fence about whether or not to switch. AT&T has had capped-tier data plans since June, but those iPhone customers with older contracts had their unlimited data plans grandfathered in.

Update: The WSJ updated its blog to say that the unlimited data is a limited-time option, and that Verizon will be moving to tiered pricing in the near future.

[via MacRumors]

WSJ: Verizon confirms $30 unlimited data plan – for now originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

I am a sucker for both puzzle games and RPGs, so Dungeon Raid is right up my alley. It’s a puzzle game where you have to match up various icons on a grid, as you can see above, but the real draw here is that all of those icons map to various RPG abilities that then let you level and grind out a sword-and-sorcery style character. Matching up swords and skulls, for example, lets you attack monsters, while matching coins piles up gold to spend on items later on. Leveling up grants various abilities and spells that affect combat, and as you play the puzzle game, you’re also building up a character and casting spells at the same time.

It’s a great mix of the two genres, done in a pretty original way, and the game moves quickly enough that it’s easy to summon up that “just one more turn” feeling as you play along. The game’s polished and runs great, full Game Center and OpenFeint integration provides leaderboards, and there are four difficulty levels to play with and lots of random items to pick up as you play. Dungeon Raid is currently US$2.99 on the App Store.

TUAW’s Daily App: Dungeon Raid originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jean-Louis Gassée, former Apple executive and founder of the company that created BeOS, took a detailed look at Apple’s latest financial report, SEC filings and its earnings conference call. In an analysis that mixes financial figures with excellent insight, Gassée outlines three areas of Apple’s financials that are worthy of a closer look.

First, Gassée points out the explosive growth and influence of the iPad. Sales of the iPad grew from 3.3 million units in its first quarter of sales, 4.3 million in the next three months and 7.3 million for the latest quarter that Apple reported. In the upcoming year, Apple is expected to grab 87.5 percent of this media tablet market, a new category of devices created by the success of the iPad.

Gassée also notices that the iPad revenue for Q1 2011 reached $4.6 billion and is close to the $5.4 billion generated by the Mac, which is now 27 years old. This is an impressive figure for a device that’s less than one year old. Part of the tablet’s success, according to Gassée, can be attributed to its low price tag. The base model of the Wi-Fi iPad starts at US$500, which is $300 less than what was predicted before the tablet was launched.

Though it is far from a discount retailer, Apple has bucked the trend of high-priced devices with the iPad, the $99 Apple TV, and finally the $999 MacBook Air in 2010. Though its gross margin has dropped slightly to 38.5 percent in the last quarter, revenue and profit continued to grow, which attests to the success of these competitive prices.

Continue reading The significance of Apple’s earnings call numbers

The significance of Apple’s earnings call numbers originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The facial expression experts over at MotionPortrait (makers of PhotoAvatar and ZombieBooth) have just dropped another fun photo effect application on us. SumoBooth takes your photo and transforms your head shot into a pudgy and powerful sumo wrestler.

Once the animated sumo face is generated, you can then have a little fun by slapping him (or her) around a little bit with your finger. Watch the face react to the abuse with various winces and frowns. If you speak, the application will play back what you said in a typically deep sumo voice.

SumoBooth comes with some social functions as well, like the ability to take snapshots and video of your new sumo face and then share them via Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

The app will be featured at MotionPortrait’s booth at Macworld 2011 for those who want to check it out. If you can’t make it, have a look at the following video posted over on Appbank (Japanese).

Continue reading Become a sumo wrestler by stepping into SumoBooth

Become a sumo wrestler by stepping into SumoBooth originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Incident, a retro-style game for iOS devices that makes players avoid and jump on mountains of debris falling from the sky in order to reach the top, has been recreated in real life by some enterprising young gamers. Brought to our attention by MacStories, the video of the “sweding” (remaking something from scratch using whatever you can get your hands on) of The Incident is quite amusing to watch as these guys remake everything, from the opening credits to the music and the large items “falling” from the sky that the real-life player must avoid and climb up on.

Our own Mike Schramm reviewed The Incident back in August of last year and called it “worth every cent of the US$1.99” it sells for on the App Store, so you gamers into retro action may want to check it out. We’ve seen some creative sweding of games before, like this live-action version of Angry Birds, but the video of The Incident is a must-see for gaming fans of any ilk.

Click Read More to watch the real-life video of The Incident in action.

[via Kotaku and MacStories]

Continue reading iOS game The Incident recreated in real life

iOS game The Incident recreated in real life originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Calling all Final Cut Pro users who want to bring their new iPad into the editing room with them — this news is for you. According to The Mac Observer, Factorial Ltd.’s ClipTouch 1.0 for iPad Final Cut Server client app was recently released and allows content creators to browse, archive, restore and display video assets on their iPads via Wi-Fi, 3G and VPN, with no server configuration required.

Apple’s Final Cut Server was released in 2008 as a “scaleable server application … (which) allows searching across multiple disks and SAN volumes and enables viewing, annotation and approval of content from anywhere using a PC or Mac,” and it continues to be at the forefront of video content creation and delivery. This new iPad client app should help it stay that way.

ClipTouch 1.0 for iPad is compatible with iOS 4.2 or later and Final Cut Server 1.5.1 and up. It’s available for US$14.99 on the App Store.

[via The Mac Observer]

Final Cut Server app ClipTouch 1.0 for iPad released originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple has an official Twitter account for the App Store, appropriately named @appstore, which promises “official App Store tweets including our featured apps, exclusive offers, and more.”

The first post from the account came only a few hours ago, but there are already 50,000 followers signed up.

One of the questions that people have had with the Mac App Store was the question of “discoverability” of apps on the store that aren’t “featured” or on the “top” lists; hopefully this account will be one more way for Apple to get the word out about new apps that you might not otherwise hear about. If you aren’t a Twitter user, you can always follow the RSS feed for the account. If you’re on Facebook, App Store is there, too.

Official App Store account on Twitter originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

As the first iOS feature to go back to the Mac, the Mac App Store presents unique challenges and benefits to developers. I spoke with Marketcircle CEO Alykhan “AJ” Jetha about his team’s experience with moving Billings (our previous coverage of this app) to the Mac App Store, as well as the restrictions that keep their other applications out.

TUAW: How soon after learning about the Mac App Store did you decide to use it to sell Billings?

AJ: It was a no-brainer; an easy decision. We knew right away that we’d want Billings in the Mac App Store.

What was the process like, and how did the vetting process compare to that of the iOS App Store?

We submitted the first version on November 3rd. It got initially rejected because we were using the Sparkle update tool. Of course, Apple wants us to use their own. So, we removed that, but left a checkbox in the preferences that offered to check for updates automatically, and got rejected again because of it. We removed that and re-submitted, then ran into a private API call. We worked that out, resubmitted, fixed one more minor issue and were approved a couple of days before the store went live.

Continue reading Discussing the Mac App Store and Billings with Marketcircle

Discussing the Mac App Store and Billings with Marketcircle originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments