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  • Ed

    By Ed, in OSx86,

    The bright sparks over at Dramfield (Swedish post-production powerhouse) have figured out how to get the iPhone/iPod OS running on a Mac Pro with a touch screen monitor. Check out the brief vid below!
     

  • Takuro

    WWDC 09 Overview

    By Takuro, in OSx86,

    WWDC09 is fully abuzz after the opening keynote today. Although some hoped for major announcements and possibly a surprise appearance by Steve Jobs himself, this year's Apple event marked more of a transitional checkpoint than anything else. It slated a milestone in the maturation of Snow Leopard, the iPhone, and the company's long road to eco-friendliness. Oh, and there was some minor bashing of the newly announced Palm Pre too.

    Here's an overview of some of the major highlights, in the order they were announced:

    Apple Notebooks: Higher Specs, Dropped Prices
    - MacBook Air: Slashed to $1499, $1799 for SSD ($700 price cut!)
    - 13" MacBook: Now part of the "Pro" family. 7-hour battery, SD card slot, 8 GB ram, backlit keyboard, slashed to $1199
    - 15" MacBook Pro: 7-hour battery, SD card slot, now supports up to 3.06 GHz CPU & 8 GB ram, slashed to $1699
    - 17" MacBook Pro: price cut to $2499

    (Note: The plastic 13" Macbook is still available for purchase. Its specs were silently bumped a few days prior to WWDC.)

    Snow Leopard
    - Uses a whopping 6 GB less disk space than Leopard, installing 45% faster
    - Minor signs of interface tweaks to designate it apart from Leopard. New, yet similar Aurora wallpaper.
    - MS Exchange support built into Mail, Calendar, and Address Book.
    - Expose is redesigned to conform to a more grid-like form factor. Clicking a dock icon now displays all active windows.
    - Stacks: Ability to scroll through its contents and browse its folders from directly within a stack.
    - Asian character recognition for trackpads.
    - Quicktime X: Redesigned, simpler interface. Pop-up controls. Easier video editing. (As seen in previous dev builds.)
    - Selective thread control based on an application's level of activity. (Basically, this boosts responsiveness.)
    - All above features will be available for test driving in the latest dev build, out today.
    - $29 upgrade for Leopard users, $129 for everybody else, hits stores in September.

    Safari 4
    - Officially out of beta. Grab it now for Tiger, Leopard, and Windows.
    - Minor interface tweaks and improved history searching.
    - Crash Resistance: Plugin crashes no longer interrupt web browsing. (Exclusive to the Snow Leopard version?)

    iPhone OS 3.0
    - All new features showcased in the iPhone 3.0 media event were re-iterated, including push notifications.
    - Tethering capabilities with multiple carriers. (AT&T doesn't plan on supporting this any time soon, however.)
    - MMS support. (AT&T will be late in supporting this, only making this feature available after by Fall. Great job, again!)
    - Language support for 30 new countries added.
    - "Find my iPhone." Locate lost or stolen iPhones via MobileMe. Ability to remotely sound audio alert or wipe disk.
    - TomTom is releasing an official GPS-based app, complete with an optional car kit.
    - Free for iPhone users, $9.99 for iTouch owners. Available June 17th.

    iPhone 3GS
    - Same general design, dimensions, and form-factor of 3G. No matte finish.
    - The added "S" stands for "speed." Faster CPU and more RAM than previous model, running apps 2x faster.
    - 3 Megapixel camera with auto-white-balance and tap-to-focus. Video recording support. (No front-facing camera.)
    - 7.2Mbps HSDPA data transfer and built-in hardware encryption.
    - Share video via MMS. (Again, AT&T will not be supporting this.)
    - Voice Control: Hold down the "home" button to give your iPhone audio commands for calls, music, and more.
    - Built-in digital compass. Integrated into Maps to orient it based on your relative position to magnetic or true north.
    - Comes in white and black variants.
    - $199 for 16GB version, $299 32GB. Available June 19th.
    - The 8GB 3G will be kept available in Apple stores, slashed to $99 starting today.
  • Ed
    As expected, Apple's Phil Schiller announced the new iPhone 3G S at the WWDC keynote.
     
     
     
    Here's a quick summary of the key new features of the iPhone 3G S:
     

    2x faster than the previous iPhone. 

    Supports up to 7.2 Mbps HSDPA. 

    3 megapixel camera, up from 2 megapixels. 

    Video recording. 

    Hands free voice control. 

    32GB capacity, with 16GB and 8GB versions still available. 

    Improved battery life.  
    So, are you going to upgrade? Is the updated feature set enough to get you dialling your mobile network provider for an upgrade?
  • Ed

    New iPhone rumor round-up

    By Ed, in OSx86,

    With Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) taking place next week, the rumor mill has been rife with speculation of a new iPhone being announced by Apple to coincide with the launch of iPhone OS 3.0. Below we look at what we know so far based on rumors from the web and some calculated/educated guesses based on previous trends:
     
    Release date
    Apple's WWDC is widely acknowledged as the likely event that the new iPhone will be announced, one year after the current iPhone 3G was announced. The keynote will be held on Monday, June 8 by Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller. More info about WWDC can be found here.
     
    Design
    The third generation iPhone is said to sport a matte black finish on the rear shell, marking yet another change in the design and feel when Apple changed from matte aluminium on the first generation iPhone to a gloss plastic finish on the current second generation.
     
    The new iPhone is said to have the earpiece embedded in the actual bezel, thus appearing higher than it currently is on the existing model, according to this Chinese online wholesaler. See the embedded picture to the right for an artist's (very good) rendition of what the new iPhone may look like.
     
    It is also rumored that the Apple logo on the back will illuminate, just like on Apple's range of portable computers ever since the PowerBook Lombard.
     
    Capacity
    It's looking likely that the capacity of the iPhone will double again, with a 32GB version being available.
     
    Data speed
    Inline with AT&T's recent announcement of supporting HSPA 7.2 technology, the new iPhone is widely expected to be capable of mobile data transfer speeds of up to 7.2Mbps. 
     
    Other
    It's understood that Apple is now taking delivery of PCBs for the new iPhone as it gears up for mass production.
     
    We'll keep this article updated as and when more news pops up in the build up to the announcement of the new iPhone. Stay tuned!
  • Ed
    Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Desktops, Gaming, Hardware, iTS, Rumors, Software, iTunes, App Store
     
    I think the whole "Apple buying Twitter" rumor floating around is about as much of a crock as the "Apple buying EA" one. But I give slightly more credence to this conclusion: that, despite the painful experience of Pippin, Apple is once again putting together a game console. Why? Let the evidence from BNET convince you.
     
    First, Apple is picking up game execs and console chip makers left and right. Second is a whole slew of recent patents, for everything from mixing up media and game environments to management of games acquired from a media server. And third, though BNET doesn't actually connect the dots and say it, we will: Apple is sitting on what might be the best library of independent games anywhere, and it's sitting right in front of us in iTunes' App Store.
     
    For years, console makers have depended on the mercy of publishers to keep their hardware going -- they sell the hardware at a loss, and then rely on the software sales and licensing to make it all back up again. But think of what Apple could do here: improve the AppleTV or Mac Mini, throw in some kind of Wii-like interface, and then break the whole thing open in the same way they did with the App Store: let developers in with a really low cost of entry, give them the tools they need to create solid games, and just take a nice cut from all of the tiny transactions flowing back and forth.
     
    BNET claims that the iPhone's interface wouldn't work on a larger console, but why not? All Apple has to do is figure out a way to translate the iPhone's gestures and taps into a console system, and then they can practically run the games natively. Sure, the resolution would be a little low with a straight port, but that's a small problem to fix. Apple already has the makings of a game console with the iPod touch, and while the rumors may still just be rumors, there's never been a better time for them to leverage what they've already got.
     
    TUAWThe evidence for an Apple game console originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 08 May 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
     

  • Ed
    Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, iPhone, iPod touch
    The Iconfactory's Twitterrific was one of the first Twitter applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Since its introduction, The Twitter App Wars have begun in earnest. If Twitter is the Belle of the Ball, there's a long line of suitors who want to be her beau.

    The new Twitterrific makes a serious play for her affection. Long-absent features like multiple account support, search and "tweet actions" like re-tweeting are all included, plus new goodies like a gorgeous, color-coded tabbed UI and the Filter Bar. Quickly find your mentions via "@ replies," direct messages, starred favorites or tweets you've "marked," which are like private favorites.

    There's so much more to this app and we'll have a full review for you soon. Until then, you can get familiar with Twitterrific 2 on the new "Tweetorials" page. Twitterrific 2 Premium is available now from the App Store [link] for $3.99US. An ad-supported free version is also available [link].TUAWTwitterrific 2 for iPhone and iPod touch available originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 08 May 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.


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  • Ed
    iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5 has been seeded to registered iPhone developers. The latest beta has just a few changes, but the frequency of releases suggest that Apple plans to have a feature-complete version ready for its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
     

    According to the developers we spoke to, the latest beta of the iPhone SDK adds several methods to StoreKit, the API for implementing in-app purchasing—no other APIs received any changes. There appear to be no changes for the new beta build of iTunes 8.2 that is included with the update, though the version was revved to 8.2b10. And, no new features have been revealed thus far in the iPhone OS itself, either. However, Apple noted that there is a known issue with the latest beta that can cause data services with AT&T to stop working with some devices.
     

    This beta comes just one week after the fourth beta was released to developers, and just over three weeks after the third beta. The quick iterations are typically a sign that bugs are being addressed, and are likely to get developers testing the in-app purchasing mechanism. The full details of iPhone OS 3.0, as well as new iPhone hardware, are expected to be revealed at WWDC which kicks off one month from tomorrow.


     



  • Ed
    Filed under: iPhone
    It doesn't sell them. It doesn't promote them. Apparently, however, T-Mobile will support them. The Consumerist is reporting today that a recent change left iPhone users on the T-Mobile network without voicemail. Worse, when someone tried to call an iPhone on the T-Mobile network, the system sent a blank text message. Unless the iPhone user had an unlimited text account, those little messages were costing money.

    Several customers contacted Executive Customer Support and got a phone call that acknowledged the problem, and gave the customers a 1 month service credit.

    T-Mobile, through a representative, said "T-Mobile, though they do not offer the iPhone, (but) they are committed to supporting users on their network who have them."

    True to their word, within a day or two the problem was fixed.

    Wow. Just wow.

    Via The ConsumeristTUAWT-Mobile supporting iPhone? Yep originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 07 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.


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  • Ed
    Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look
    iPhone owners who are searching for an easy-to-use database management app for their iPhones can stop looking. Today, FileMaker Inc. announced the immediate availability of Bento for iPhone and iPod touch (click opens iTunes), a US$4.99 portable edition of Bento for Mac.

    The app comes with 25 built-in templates for business or personal use, plus a blank template that can be used to create your own customized templates. Some of the included business templates can be used for issue tracking, time billing, and expenses, while personal templates include a diet log, recipes, vehicle maintenance, and home inventory.

    Like the Mac app, Bento for iPhone and iPod touch is integrated with Contacts, Safari, Mail, and Google Maps. Additionally, Bento can be used to dial an iPhone. Databases can be synchronized wirelessly (via WiFi) with Bento 2.0v4 for Mac. This new version of Bento 2.0 for Mac is a free update that is available for download to all existing users today.

    The video below features Ryan Rosenberg, VP of Marketing and Services for FileMaker, describing and demonstrating many of the features of Bento for iPhone and iPod touch. TUAW will have a full review of Bento for iPhone and iPod touch in the near future.


    TUAWFirst Look: Bento for iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 05 May 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.


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