TUAW Review and Giveaway: Altec Lansing Octiv Duo speaker dock

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.

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Landscape or portrait? It’s all about software ergonomics

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.

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Apple’s segmentation strategy and why it works

Here’s a little interesting weekend reading from Mark Sigal on O’Reilly about “Apple’s segmentation strategy.” Sigal does a huge overview of Apple’s direction over the last ten years, and in the end, argues that Apple has shirked the conventional wisdom of marketing products horizontally (making a special type of peanut butter for every customer, for example), and has instead segmented its products vertically (creating one product for a particular use case — an iPad for reading, an iPod for listening, and an iPhone for apps). Apple is successful — extremely successful, says Sigal — not because it has become the biggest company in its various industries, but because it has thought carefully about how to sell products, and then sold them at exactly the right prices. And even when it’s not right, says Sigal, Apple never makes a move that isn’t strong and confident anyway. Even when the Apple TV is just a hobby, it’s always just a hobby.

Sigal’s point with all of this is that when Apple is doing what it does best — targeting a specific market and overtaking it with quality — the old rules of horizontal marketing and sales just don’t apply. Apple is fine with not having the market share on smartphones, because it’s not chasing those old goals. Apple doesn’t add features or change products in a panic — it added a camera to the iPod touch only when it was ready, and even then, it was careful not to make it better than the iPhone 4‘s camera and all of its selling points.

At any rate, Sigal’s piece is a very interesting read. It’s a little heavy for the weekend, maybe, but well worth going through to provide some insight on just why Apple remains so popular and profitable, even when other factors seem to rise against it.

[via MacStories]

TUAWApple’s segmentation strategy and why it works originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Look: Time Travel eXplorer brings old London to life

When you’re visiting a city, don’t you sometimes wonder what it looked like in past centuries? That’s the premise behind Time Travel eXplorer – London, a new iPhone travel guide app from Visick Solutions, Ltd. currently on the What’s Hot page of the UK App Store. There’s a good reason for that popularity, since Time Travel eXplorer is a fascinating way to take a tour of London both in the present day and in the past.

No, the developers didn’t figure out a way to integrate the iPhone with a DeLorean or power it with a Mr. Fusion. What the app does provide is maps with 750 points of interest, as well as 1,500 photos and 150 audio guides that are bundled into the app so that you don’t have to rely on a cell phone signal to take advantage of them. The tour information is provided by qualified Blue Badge guides, so you’re getting accurate and interesting information.

The time travel bit comes in with maps of London from 1862, 1830, 1799, and 1746. The base Time Travel eXplorer – London app (US$2.99) includes a demo map from 1862, and you can do in-app purchases of the old maps in their entirety for a few bucks per map. Alternatively, you can buy a Pro version of TTX ($8.99) that includes all of the maps.

TUAWFirst Look: Time Travel eXplorer brings old London to life originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pulse News Reader for iPad 2.0: More sources, better organization

Alphonso Labs reported today that their Pulse News Reader for iPad (currently US $1.99) has been updated to version 2.0. The new version of the app addresses one of the major complaints about the original by allowing up to 60 news feeds to be added, with up to 12 feeds on each of five pages.

Organization of sources is much easier in the new version. Each one of the five pages has a tab that can be renamed, so users can define each page by type — for example, “Apple,” “Food,” “News,” and more. The feeds are listed under each tab and can be dragged around to be placed in the order you would like to see them. It’s also easier to find sources; when you go to add a source, there are tabs for “featured” and “categories,” both featuring sources that look good in Pulse. Alphonso Labs calls this the “Pulse Bazaar.”

The app seems snappier than the previous version also, both at startup and while loading or refreshing pages. I’m not sure if it’s new, but it’s possible to add both your Facebook and Twitter feeds to Pulse, with any post with a photo or link in it showing up in your Pulse list. There’s also support for Bump, so you can share feeds with friends who have both Bump and Pulse installed. Sounds like a great update — if you’ve had issues with the app previously, it’s worth giving it another look.

TUAWPulse News Reader for iPad 2.0: More sources, better organization originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T Navigator for iPhone updated, features direct speech recognition

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.

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Facebook ‘very confident’ it can work with Ping

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.

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Data Entry From Web Docs-2 2

This project involves looking up web docs and recording the continuance of individuals across multiple years.

I want 340 individuals tracked across 6 years. I will provide the links for all the webdocs along with detailed instructions.

Usual applies:
1. Bid only if you have a good record here on scriptlance.
2. Bid only if you can deliver the project within the agreed time.
3. Willing to submit a sample for me to evaluate.
4. Willing to accept payment via scriptlance escrow.

I will provide instructions and sample files to qualified bidders. I look forward to your bids. Thanks.

Cheers!

Cre Loaded Website Infected & Script Updation Required

We have a website called – www.the it wares .com

Around 10-15 Days back the website got infected with a Trojan Virus and whenever someone used to open it they used to get Reported Attack Page Error – While opening our website.

We spoke to our Hosting Company and they restored our A/c after which i used the Google Webmaster Tools and requested a Crawling of our Website and the next day our Site was back up.

Now after that, still some customers are coming in saying they are getting Trojan Warning’s when they visit our website.

Using Chrome/IE Browser Kaspersky stills says Threat detected:

object is infected by HEUR:Trojan.Script.Iframer

Secondly when we look at the Page Source of our Home Page it has this code at the end which is suspicious and should not be there.

We need an expert to

Clean the Website of all Virus Infection and Fix the current issue.

Update the Script to the latest Version of CRE without the loss of any Products/Data

The features on the site should work as they work normally.

Install all Security addons required to secure the website from any future attacks

Socialengine Help Needed

Hi,

I run a site based on SocialEngine 3. There is a newsletter subscription mod which has been added to the site. However, the “unsubscribe” function is not working.

If you are a whiz at SocialEngine, then please make a bid. If you do not normally work with SE, DO NOT BID! Please show in your PM your direct experience with SE. Please do not waste both our time.

I look forward to your bid.

Regards,

Download Counter For .deb File In Repository For Cydia

I have a repository for Cydia (iPhone) with a collection of .deb files. I need a counter that will allow me to display the number of downloads (hits) to the .deb file. I don’t have access to the “Install” button in Cydia, so coding something into that button is not an option. It must be server-side.