The Apple Store went down around midnight ET. What will the refresh bring? We'll let you know as soon as the store is back up. Thanks to all the tipsters that let us know!Apple Store is down originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 22 May 2013 00:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Burstly acquired the beta testing service TestFlight just a few months ago, and TestFlight released a mobile analytics service called FlightPath soon after that. Now, Burstly has announced that it is restructuring its offerings, to set up a full set of services to take developers from developing and testing their app with TestFlight, to preforming analytics with FlightPath, and then monetizing with Burstly's tools, now rebranded as SkyRocket. This is a smart bit of revamping -- TestFlight is very popular, but FlightPath has just started out and SkyRocket's name is brand new to most developers, so combining these tools under the same umbrella should make them all more accessible to developers. All of these services are still available separately, but not only do they share a parent company now, but they also can combine functionality, such as having high profile users from FlightPath get offered different monetization options or deals via SkyRocket. Burstly's wasting no time making its TestFlight acquisition useful. We'll stay tuned to see, going forward, how this trio of services plays with mobile developers. Burstly restructures, now offers three services for code-to-ship functionality originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Unity has announced that it's making its mobile game development tools free to use for most independent and small studios. Unity has always been a popular engine both for mobile game development and for cross-platform game creation, but up until now, you had to pay about $800 to actually publish Unity-created apps on the iOS or Android stores. Those basic add-ons have now been made free, so anyone can now download Unity, and then use it to publish an app for iOS or Android without paying a fee for the engine. Unity still has pro versions available for sale to both iOS and Android developers, and anyone making over $100,000 per year with their releases is required by Unity to go ahead and purchase a pro license. So there are still some limits on exactly how this all works, and if your iPhone app does hit it big, Unity still would like its due. But starting off for free should open the door for even more indie devs to get in and try Unity, and make for even more and better games on the App Store.Unity makes mobile tools free for small devs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The team at Olloclip has taken the wraps off of their newest product, a case for the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5 called the Quick-Flip Case (US$49.99) that works with the Olloclip 3-in-one lenses to produce a lightweight solution for all-purpose iPhoneography. Let's take a look! Design At first glance, this doesn't look like much of a case. It's made out of a smoked translucent black or opaque white polyurethane material and looks like any of a thousand other slip-on hard cases for iPhone. But then the little features start to appear and you realize how the Quick-Flip case can be used to assist in taking photos with your iPhone. Gallery: Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter By itself, the case has a pivoting corner that rotates 180° out of the way so that you can install your Olloclip lenses. That pivoting piece also has a second function -- it presses up against the volume up button on the side of your iPhone so that you can just squeeze the button slowly to take a photo. No more need to tap that virtual shutter button on the screen. The real fun comes when you attach the included Pro-Photo Adapter. It slides onto the bottom of the iPhone and includes a pair of threaded tripod mount points as well as a cold shoe mount for other accessories like video lights or microphones. In case you happen to own a 5th-generation iPod touch, there's a special adapter that's included with the iPhone 5 case to make it compatible with the "non-phone iPhone." Functionality For Olloclip-toting iPhone owners, the Quick-Flip Case should be a no-brainer if you take a ton of photos. Your iPhone remains fairly well protected in the case, and with a quick flick of the top the bare shoulder of the phone is exposed so you can slide on the Olloclip. Using the rotated corner piece as a trigger button for taking photos is pure genius. Rather than holding onto the iPhone with one hand and swatting at the display to take a photo, you can use both hands to keep the iPhone steady while gently squeezing the button. It's sure to reduce blur in your photos, especially under low-light conditions. I was happy to see that Olloclip uses metal inserts for the tripod mounts as that will add to the usable life of the Quick-Flip case -- provided Apple keeps a similar size for the next-generation iPhone. The cold shoe is also a nice touch for adding goodies that can make the difference between dull, underlit video and properly illuminated personal movies. Conclusion While it's a bit pricey for an iPhone case, the Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter -- along with the Olloclip lenses (purchases separately) -- make for an incredibly useful set of accessories for anyone who takes a lot of photos with their iPhone. Pros Quick-Flip Case makes it easy to protect your iPhone while also facilitating the installation of the Olloclip 3-in-one lens The design of the case makes it possible to hold the iPhone with both hands while shooting pictures, helping to steady your photographs Mounting the case on a tripod in either landscape or portrait mode is a piece of cake with the two threaded tripod mounts Cold-shoe mount works well for adding small LED light bars or microphones Cons The case itself is nothing spectacular in terms of looks or protection Who is it for? Dedicated iPhoneographers who want use their devices to get the best possible photographs and need the steadiness of a tripod mount at a moment's notice Olloclip Quick-Flip Case and Pro-Photo Adapter add protection, tripod mount originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Wal-Mart-owned video-on-demand service Vudu has updated its iOS apps to allow movie downloads for offline viewing. The Android phone version of the app has had this feature for awhile, but Android tablets are still unable to download and view their Vudu/Ultraviolet collection on their tablets. Other additions to the update include a reworked player to make the app easier to use, as well as support for closed captions on the iPhone. It's worth noting that the Flixter iOS app already allowed for Ultraviolet downloads. Ultraviolet is a digital rights authentication service that allows DVD and Blu-ray buyers to redeem unique download codes for digital viewing later. You can find the updated app for free in the iTunes store now.Vudu adds ability to download movies for offline viewing to iOS apps originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Those of us who use Google's Chrome browser for OS X are familiar with how Chrome web apps can be installed and launched from within the browser. Now it appears that Google is working on a way to bring those Chrome apps even closer to the heart of your Mac by creating a Chrome apps launcher for OS X. Google engineer François Beaufort detailed the plans in a Google+ post, noting that OS X users can actually try out a beta of the Chrome OS app launcher right now. To do so, you need to install the most recent build of Chromium, then set the --show-app-list switch through the CLI. After performing that magic, launch Chromium and click its Dock icon to display a grid of your Chrome apps, ready to launch (see image above). Put this on your MacBook Air and it's almost like having a Chromebook! Note that this software is not quite ready for prime time, but for Chrome fans it may be worth the effort to give it a try.Google to bring Chrome app launcher to OS X originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Microsoft has announced a brand new game console today, though the company would probably disappointed to hear that I called it that. The Xbox One is really more of an entertainment center all-in-one -- it's designed to connect your games, your streaming media, and cable television all together in one set-top box. In some ways, it's a competitor to Apple TV. The Xbox One will also include a new Kinect camera, which will boast Siri-like voice control over all of its functions, and allow users to switch back and forth between live games, live TV, or any of the console's various apps. Obviously, that release is only tangentially related to Apple and its products, but there are a few closer ties that might become more important in the future. First up, Microsoft has already confirmed that the Xbox One will work with its Smart Glass system, for which there is already an app on the iPhone and the iPad. It's unclear just what Smart Glass will do for the Xbox One, but we'll stay tuned for more functionality on that end. And second, Microsoft is apparently learning from Apple. The Cupertino company has famously been making its own "system-on-a-chip" hardware lately to go into new iPhones and iPads, and Microsoft has now done exactly the same. The Xbox One's CPU is a chip based on AMD designs, but customized by Microsoft's own R&D labs. There are a few reasons for that, including the power requirements, and the fact that the Xbox One actually runs a few different operating systems at a time (to easily switch back and forth between the games and the TV content). But Microsoft clearly borrowed the model for the hardware from Apple, and presumably later versions of the Xbox One will have even more customized chips in them. The Xbox One is due out sometime this year, but there's no official release date announced yet.Microsoft announces Xbox One, with more Smart Glass and TV integration originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Every year, Millward Brown Optimor produces the BrandZ list, a listing of the 100 most valuable brands. As with last year, Apple is at the top of the list with a 2013 brand value of just over US$185 billion. Apple's brand value rose only 1 percent this year, but that number is still well over #2 Google at $113.7 billion. How much of a gap lies in the brand value between Apple and Google? How about almost the value of the venerable Coca-Cola brand at $78.4 billion (the soft drink company is at #5 on the list). Another tech brand rounded out the top three, with IBM coming in just behind Google at $112.5 billion. The value of the top 100 brands is a staggering $2.6 trillion globally, up 7 percent from 2012. Although Apple's share price and investor sentiment have lagged in the last year, BrandZ director Peter Walshe notes that brand is more sustainable than financials: "What we see with the most popular or powerful brands is that brand lasts a lot longer, is more robust and doesn't tend to slip as much, whereas the finances go up and down." A PDF of the BrandZ Top 100 2013 is available for download here.Apple still most valuable global brand originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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During Apple's April 2012 earnings conference call, Tim Cook emphatically stated that he hates litigation. "I've always hated litigation," Cook explained. "I continue to hate it. I just want people to invent their own stuff." That notwithstanding, Apple today finds itself embroiled in a myriad of patent infringement lawsuits. With Samsung in particular, Apple has ongoing legal battles with its Korean-based competitor in 11 countries across 4 continents. Oddly enough, Apple's legal battles were tangentially brought up during Tuesday's congressional hearing which was held to take a closer look at Apple's tax practices. At one point during the hearing, the narrative veered a bit of course when Tim Cook was asked to answer a question about Apple's challenges with respect to protecting its intellectual property in the U.S. Cook took a moment to gather his thoughts and answered thusly. I think the U.S Court system is currently structured in such a way that tech companies aren't getting the intellectual property protection they need. Our cycles are fast, the court system is very long, and the foreign competitors in the U.S. can quickly take IP and use it and ship products with it and they're to the next product as well. I would love to see conversations between countries and see protections between IP globally. For us, our intellectual property is so important, I would love the system to be strengthened in order to protect it. Cook's remarks regarding product cycles being much faster than the court system certainly resonates given that Apple recently filed a motion to have Samsung's Galaxy S4 added to its second court case against Samsung in California. Inevitably, by the time that case is adjudicated, Samsung will already have out a new product that Apple will likely take issue with. Apple has, in fact, referenced this very dynamic in court filings, alleging that Samsung has at times purposefully tried to slow down judicial proceedings as to make the products at issue irrelevant and outdated by the time trial finally gets underway.Tim Cook on the state of IP protection: Our product cycles move much quicker than the court system originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Beethoven's 9th Symphony (free plus in-app purchases) is an epic iPad app that lets you explore one of the greatest symphonies ever written in a unique, compelling way. Classical music lovers will definitely want to check it out. Beethoven's 9th Symphony uses every trick in the multimedia tool box. For starters, you can listen to 4 different performances of the work, taken from the well-known DGG catalog. As you listen, follow along with the the score in real time. The original manuscript displays each page as the music plays but with modern notation. An interesting feature called the "BeatMap" offers an overhead view of the orchestra, complete with symbols of the various instruments that glow as they are played. The app also features several interviews, both contemporary and historic, with notable people like Leonard Bernstein and Gustavo Dudamel. The four included performances date from 1962, with the most recent from 1992 played with period instruments. The Leonard Bernstein 1979 recording contains video of the performance, that you can watch full screen. It's interesting to compare the 4 concerts, and you can instantly switch between them, hearing how recording technology has advanced, and how performances differ. Having the four concerts in sync for comparison is unique and valuable. This app is a great experience for adults and young musicians. I can't think of a better way to share this musical treasure in such depth. Gallery: Beethoven's 9th Symphony On to some negatives. The app does not directly support AirPlay, which is a mistake. You can certainly listen on headphones, but one should be able to hear this on a nice sound system. You can force AirPlay output with video mirroring by double-clicking the Home button and using the icon bar AirPlay tool, but the sound output stutters at times, and the video struggles to remain in sync. Beethoven's 9th Symphony is not cheap. While you can download the app for free, you only get 2 minutes of each movement. A $13.99 in-app purchase unlocks the complete works. While the app is relatively expensive, it's less than the price of the 4 performances on separate CDs, and you wouldn't get the videos, the interviews, or the full scores. Even if you opt for the free version, you download everything, and this is a large app at 1.53 GB. I had to do some housecleaning before I could run it. I previously took a look at the first offering in this series, called The Orchestra. It was also excellent, but the Beethoven is superior because it goes into great depth on a single work. If you're interested in classical music, I think this is an app you will return to again and again. There's a lot of information, as well as the visual and sonic joys. I'd also suggest you take a look at some parallel and less expensive apps if Beethoven appeals to you. Beethoven Symphonies ($1.99) has some nice selctions and performances. I also liked the free, ad-supported Beethoven Symphony Collection which also includes the scores to view. Beethoven's 9th Symphony requires an iPad and iOS 6.Just about everything you'll want to know about Beethoven's 9th on your iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Ireland has responded to criticism from Senater Carl Levin (D-Mich.) that Irish tax laws allowed Apple to avoid playing taxes on tens of billions of dollars in profits using Irish subsidiaries. So what did Ireland have to say for itself? In a statement to RTE, Ireland's national broadcast network, deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore said: These are not issues that arise from the Irish taxation system. They are issues that arise from the taxation systems in other jurisdictions, and that is an issue that has to be addressed first of all in those jurisdictions, Ireland's answer is simple. If American companies like Apple are using loop holes in the American tax system to skirt playing their taxes, it's not Ireland's fault, and we should fix our system before we come after theirs. It's a good point. The issue isn't that Ireland provided a safe haven for Apple to hide profits. It's that American tax law is so convoluted and full of loop holes that American companies like Apple can enjoy all the benefits of being an American company while paying a fraction of the taxes our laws say they own. It will be interesting to see if these hearings will simply be an attempt to shame the company for tax avoidance, or if it will finally be the catalyst for closing the massive web of loop holes that make up its tax system. Ireland distances itself from Apple's tax inquiry originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSSDaily Update for May 21, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mark Crump at GigaOm has an interesting piece on how the iPad is becoming an important tool for music bands. Crump is an amateur musician whose band is rehearsing for a gig. What's interesting is Crump's realization that the iPad is almost all his band needs at rehearsal. Crump explains how his iPad fits into band rehearses. First, he chooses the songs in the Music player app and sends his friends links to the songs on YouTube. Next he'll use the AmpliTube app (free) to load up his selected song from the iPad's music app and play along with it via a Fender Squire USB guitar. To chart the songs during rehearsal, Crump uses Apple's Pages app (US$9.99). He supports the iPad in front of him by using the iKlip 2 ($39.99) from IK Multimedia. The iKlip 2 is a universal microphone stand that allows you to attach an iPad to almost any mic boom. If you're a musician, Crump's piece is well worth a read. It's another example of how Apple's iDevices are changing almost everything we do.How iPads, YouTube help bands practice originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked selections that include some sweet deals on iOS and OS X software (all prices are USD). Deals from Dealnews Monoprice.com: [24-Inch LCDs Or Larger] Monoprice 27" IPS-G LED LCD Display for $474 + $17 s&h Oyen Digital: [Drive Enclosures] DataTale SMART 4-Bay Thunderbolt HDD Enclosure for $540 + free shipping MacUpdate Promo: [Mac Software] Drive Genius 3 for Mac downloads for $40 Other World Computing: [Media Receivers] NewerTech NuStand Alloy Display Stands from $16 + $4 s&h all4cellular.com: [iPhone Cases] Refurb Mophie 2,000mAhJuice Pack Air for iPhone 4/4S for $15 + $2 s&h eBay: [Battery Chargers & Accessories] 12,000mAh USB External Battery Pack for $16 + free shipping MegaMacs: [23-Inch LCDs] Refurb Apple 23" Aluminum Cinema LCD Display for $290 + $19 s&h Cameta Camera: [Camera Accessories] Tenba Vector Digital Camera Bags from $35 + free shipping StackSocial: [Storage] The MacMate Pro 2-Year Plan for Mac and Windows downloads for $59 MegaMacs: [MacBook] Refurbished Apple MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.1GHz 13" Laptop for $360 + $15 s&h PC Micro Store: [iPhone Cases] rooCASE eXTREME Hybrid Shell Case for iPhone 5 for $6 + free shipping StackSocial: [Mac Software] Stellar Drive Clone 2.5 for Mac for $20 iOS Software Flickr Studio [iPad; Category: Photography & Video; Now free, down from $4.99] All your Flickr photos and videos, one smart app. Oldify [iPhone; Category: Entertainment; Now free, down from $0.99] Oldify ages AND animates your face in 3D. Stress Check 2 [iPhone; Category: Health & Fitness; Now free, down from $1.99] Stress Check 2 turns your iPhone into a smart device that quantifies your physical and emotional stress level. Tunable - Instrument Tuner [iOS Universal; Category: Music; Now free, down from $2.99] Tunable is a chromatic tuner, tone/chord generator, metronome, and recorder that helps you learn to play steadily, in tune, and on beat. Checkmark [iPhone; Category: Productivity; Now free, down from $4.99] Checkmark is the fastest way to remind yourself of all the things you have to do in your busy life. Tiny Troopers [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Now free, down from $0.99] Take control of a platoon of crack soldiers and deploy in a variety or war zones as you battle through the epic campaign. MoneyWiz - Personal Finance [iPhone; Category: Finance; On sale for $0.99, down from $4.99] Do more with your money. View all your accounts, budgets and bills in one place. Bottle Cap Blitz [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Now free, down from $1.99] Fire bottle caps to smash ice cubes. Calculator [iOS Universal; Category: Utilities; Now free, down from $2.99] Calculator possesses a flexible slide keyboard with mathematical expression support offering a great user experience. Rolling Hero [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Now free, down from $0.99] The evil Redman has kidnapped our hero's girlfriend and you'll have to turn the world upside down to find her - literally. Pudding Monsters [iPhone; Category: Games; Now free, down from $1.99] Pudding Monsters is a deliciously addicting puzzle adventure with wacky characters and innovative stick-'em-together game-play. Apple's App of the week. Pudding Monsters HD [iPad; Category: Games; Now free, down from $1.99] Pudding Monsters is a deliciously addicting puzzle adventure with wacky characters and innovative stick-'em-together game-play. OS X Software Two Dollar Tuesday [OS X; Category: Various; On sale for $1.99] Two Dollar Tuesday offers three OS X app for $1.99. Titles include Steps, WriteRoom and Corporate Style Packs. AgingSpine [OS X; Category: Medicine; Now free, down from $4.99] AgingSpine[TM] by Orca Health teaches you about spine anatomy, conditions, best practices, and helps you find a specialist. xScan [OS X; Category: Utilities; On sale for $0.99, down from $4.99] xScan has been specifically designed to help you monitor the behavior and health of your Mac in a simple and straightforward manner. Daily Deals for May 21, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Blendoku is based on a crazy idea, made even crazier by the fact that it works. I am just plain terrible at colors. When I was working retail, I spent an entire day learning to lay out merchandise according to color. I was so bad at it, the trainer sent me right back to customer service. That's the very skill set that Blendoku tests, yet I still enjoy playing it. You're presented with several different colors which must be sorted by shade, lightness, or various other qualities. Some levels are simple, with just a strip of various colors going back and forth, but some are very complicated, with multiple colors mixing up in different ways. The game works well. Moving the colors around is intuitive, and the fun, simple aesthetic allows you to focus on the puzzle. Blendoku was a surprise. If someone asked me if I'd like a game about lining up color combinations, I don't think I would have said yes. But this is a fun one, and it might give you a new look on how various visual colors go together (needless to say, you probably can't be color blind and play this). The game is free, with a few in-app purchases to help you solve puzzles or get rid of the ads.Daily iPhone App: Blendoku has you lining up colors to match originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Tim Cook on Tuesday morning appeared before Congress to talk about Apple's tax practices, with a specific focus on Apple's foreign stash of cash. As it stands now, the bulk of Apple's revenue is derived from overseas sales. Consequently, Apple has chosen to keep that cash abroad where it's subject to much lower tax rates than the corporate income tax rate of 35% it would be subject to if it brought that cash back. During his opening remarks, Cook highlighted all Apple has done for the U.S. economy, emphasizing how much the company already pays in domestic taxes and how it's been responsible for the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the U.S. Further, Cook noted that Apple was investing $100 million to begin manufacturing Macs in the US. While we had previously heard of Apple's plans to do so, Cook for the first time fleshed out some more details, in a geographic sense, surrounding Apple's plans. Specifically, Cook noted that Apple's upcoming "made in the USA" line of Macs will be assembled in Texas and will use components sourced from Texas, Illinois, Florida and Kentucky. As for what type of Mac will be assembled in the US, Cook in an interview last week indicated that it would be a new model of an already-existing family.Tim Cook: US-made Macs will be assembled in Texas originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai is often referred to as "the world's only 7-Star hotel." And now you can see why. The hotel has announced that it will be giving 24-carat gold-plated iPads to guests at check-in. The iPad will act as a "virtual concierge" for the hotel's guests, with information like maps, housekeeping services, spa services, and more. Guests will be required to give the iPads back when they check out, unless they choose to purchase it (there's no word on the cost). The gold-plated iPad isn't the only Apple product that the Burj Al Arab's guests can enjoy: each of its 202 rooms has an iMac as well. "The world's only 7-Star hotel" is giving 24k gold-plated iPads to guests originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Environmental activist group, Friends of the Earth HK, claims Apple's Causeway flagship store in Hong Kong is a major contributor to light pollution in the area. Apple reportedly runs about 500 lamps and spotlights over night, and the light spills outside of the store into the Hong Kong streets. According to a report in M.I.C. Gadget, Friends of the Earth HK says light from the store can be seen as far as 700 meters away. Hong Kong is known for its colorful and illuminated skyline, but all these lights may be having a negative effect on residents. A recent study suggests that parts of Hong Kong have light levels that are 1,200 times higher than international standards. This nighttime brightness is affecting the sleep patterns of residents who can't escape the blinking neon. A government task force is looking at ways of curbing light pollution from restaurants, retail outlets and other buildings in the area. Though Apple isn't being targeted by the government, M.I.C. Gadget claims the council has received several complaints about the amount of light pouring out of Apple's retail stores at night.Chinese activists complain of Apple Store light pollution originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple has announced that its next Apple store will open at Rundle Place Centre in Adelaide, South Australia this Saturday. It will be the first Apple Store in South Australia. This will bring the number of Apple's retail stores in Australia up to twenty. Rundle Place Centre is a four-story shopping center with over 70 retail outlets. The store is set to open at 10 AM local time this Saturday. However, interested customers can already set up Genius Bar appointments on the store's web page.Apple's first store in South Australia to open on Saturday originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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This morning, AT&T sent out a message to Oklahoma customers affected by yesterday's tornado devastation noting that those in the affected areas will have all voice, data and text overages waived through June 30. The company also reminded AT&T Wireless customers across the country that they can support disaster relief efforts by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. That text message sends a donation of $10 to the American Red Cross and is charged on the customer's monthly bill. Bryan Gonterman, State President for AT&T Oklahoma, said in a statement that "Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area Monday. We are coordinating with local authorities and bringing in additional resources. We recommend text messaging for communications with family, friends and loved ones given heavy call volumes." AT&T waiving overage charges for Oklahoma customers affected by tornadoes originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Catch up on all of Apple's tax controversy here as both CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer gear up to testify in front of Congress to address Apple's billions in foreign-stored cash. Livestream of Tim Cook and Peter Oppenheimer at today's congressional hearing originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Football fans rejoice (that's soccer for you in America)! Sky Sports has released an update to its popular iPad app that offers a new feature called Sky Sports 360. It lets you switch between over 20 camera angles during a replay. The app also allows you to choose to view the replays at normal speed or in slow motion. Announcing the new feature, David Gibbs, Director of Sky Sports Digital Media, told Sky Sports: "This is great news for the Sky Sports for iPad app, which keeps getting better and better. This is about putting the technology into the hands of the viewer and allowing them to recapture the big moments in the final. It's the first time we've offered this through our app and it's another example of our investment in the Sky Sports viewer's experience." Though the feature is built into the iPad app now, it won't go live for the first time until this Saturday, May 25th during the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich. Sky Sports 360 will also be available throughout the 213-2014 season. Sky Sports for iPad is a free download from the UK App Store. It's free to use for all customers who subscribe to the Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 channels. Non-subscribers can access content in the app for £4.99 a month via in-app purchase.Sky Sports for iPad lets you choose your own replay camera angles originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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This is an excellent deal for any iOS owners who are fans of football and video games. EA is releasing the 25th iteration of the Madden football games this year, called Madden 25. And in that box, which costs a standard $60, there will be a deal with DirecTV and the NFL to set up streaming to your television, your PC and consoles, or any mobile devices you have. The NFL has been stepping up on streaming game coverage to iOS over the last year or so, and usually services like that can cost a couple of hundred dollars. To get the deal, you'll have to preorder the Anniversary Edition of Madden 25 (which costs $100) over on Amazon. The biggest hitch is that you'll need to actually have a DirecTV subscription to stream the games to your television. But even without a DirecTV sub, you can still get a code for the streaming, which will still allow you to see the games on your mobile device. Note also that this is for a "17-week free trial," which basically means that when the season is over, so's your service (so no playoff games, for example). Still, if you were thinking of picking up Madden 25 anyway, that's a solid deal, and it could mean hours of streaming games on your mobile device for essentially free. [via 9to5Mac]Preorder Madden 25 on Amazon, get a deal for NFL app streaming originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Poser has come a long way from the last time I used it, right around version 4. We're now at 10 for the basic edition (retail US$299.99) and Poser Pro 2014 (retail $499.99) has become a powerful animation tool in its own right. I got to look at some of the new features rolling out today and they are impressive, putting Poser on par with many animation and modeling suites costing much more. A problem with any humanoid character is how the "skin" folds when you bend it. Poser now offers Pixar's OpenSubdiv libraries, which means subdivision surfaces anywhere you need them. I was impressed with the accuracy and speed at which Poser created subdivisions, which add greatly to the realism already available in Poser. There are also some new characters, both realistic and cartoonish, to help get you started. For basic work the stock characters will keep you busy for quite a while, but there's also a great third party market for Poser models should you need more. One pain point for many digital artists are the hair and clothes for models. Getting those to "fit" properly can take a long time. Poser Pro now offers a "fitting room" which speeds up this process. Poser already has a cottage industry of third-party models and props, including clothes and hair. Now with the fitting room you can quickly fit those accessories to your basic models faster. Sure, you've still got the morph targets you've come to know and love, but Poser Pro now offers five specialized tools for interactively loosening, tightening clothes while retaining their physics properties (rigid or soft body deformations). Both the Pro and basic editions now offer Bullet Physics, which simulates rigid body and soft body dynamics. Applying regions of soft body dynamics is as easy as painting on your character, and the results are truly impressive with very little learning curve for newbies. That's the power of Poser, really. Many of the trickier elements of 3D modeling and animation are done for you (if you've ever rigged a biped using IK you know how tedious it can be!), leaving you to "play" with the models, lighting and accessories to get just the right look. With models already rigged, and now with Bullet Time, it has become easier than ever to get realistic animation out of the box with very little effort. Poser has become a powerful tool for graphic novelists as well, allowing artists to quickly pose and render characters. The latest addition offers a Comic Book Preview mode which allows artists to dial in the correct amount of lines and shading throughout a scene, even animated. Doing this in your 3D tool counts for a lot, and the examples I saw were impressive and fast. If you've ever set up a scene, added a cartoon render and discovered lines going funky when you animate, you'll be pleasantly surprised by Poser's ability to lock down lines and shaders in Comic Book mode. In addition to all this, there's a more capable Morph Brush for enhancing models, and a Live Simulation preview which allows you to quickly render ray traced models or preview animation using Bullet Time. Poser has become more capable and faster -- exactly what you want in a 3D modeling and animation tool. While the cost isn't cheap, Smith Micro is offering a deal through June 20. Poser 10 will be available for $239.99 and Poser Pro 2014 will be $399.99. If you're upgrading, check the Poser site for more details. Compared to 3ds max and other tools, Poser is a steal at those prices. If you find yourself needing character models (for medical illustrations, graphic novels, stock photos, etc.) I think the basic version will make you very happy. If you need animated characters with lifelike skin, hair and clothes, Pro is simply brilliant and priced very competitively for what it delivers. No, these are not hobbyist tools exactly, but they are accessible to anyone and powerful enough to be used in professional situations. Check out Poser if you need a reliable solution to character animation or modeling needs. Show full PR text New Poser 10 and Poser PRO 2014 Animation Software Now Available · New 3D characters · Subdivision Surfaces · Bullet Physics with soft body dynamics · Interactive Raytrace Preview · Comic Book Preview Mode ALISO VIEJO, CA - May 21, 2013 - Smith Micro Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMSI) Productivity and Graphics Group today announced the newest version of its 3D animation software program, Poser(R) 10 and Poser(R) Pro 2014. Perfect for artists, illustrators, animators and graphic designers, Poser enables users to easily create full 3D scenes with digital humans, animals and props. In addition to an extensive library of pre-loaded characters and content, Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 come equipped with new features such as Subdivision Surfaces for improved bending fidelity, Bullet Physics for adding increased realism to animation and Live Simulation mode for previewing dynamics in real-time. Watch a video teaser for Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 here. "It's our goal to provide illustrators, graphic designers, animators and 3D artists as well as novice users and hobbyists with a resource for telling their stories in 3D, via images and video," said Steve Cooper, senior product manager of productivity and graphics at Smith Micro. "Poser not only provides professional users with powerful tools for creating 3D character content and scenes, but also offers a variety of easy-to-use features and pre-loaded figures and props that allow beginners to get into 3D art without forcing them to master figure modeling, texturing and rigging." Poser comes with pre-built, ready to use 3D characters that enable users to begin posing and animating right out of the box. Supported by a multitude of tutorial videos as well as by an experienced team of content creators, developers, QA testers and customer service and support teams, the full featured software is reliable, well documented and easy-to-learn. "With each new version that is released, Poser continues to raise the bar for 3D illustrators and artists," said Brian Haberlin, co-artist and co-writer of the multimedia sci-fi adventure saga Anomaly. "Poser gives users the ability to create exceedingly realistic animations and illustrations and has emerged as the digital artist's secret little helper." Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 provide new professional level features, even at the base version of the software. The integration of Pixar's OpenSubdiv library enables artists to define subdivision levels by prop, figure or even individual body part with ease. This feature, known as Subdivision Surfaces, improves bending accuracy, smoothens polygonal surfaces and boosts overall performance by enabling lighter poly-count content. Poser's new Bullet Physics tool simulates rigid body dynamics, soft body dynamics and even dynamic strand-based hair. Poser artists can now add jiggle and bounce to any prop or character, paint soft body constraint weights to animate and more. Users can even preview their animations in real-time with the Live Simulation feature. "Poser offers a variety of features that help everyone from beginners to professional animators alike," said Monty Oum, director of animation at Rooster Teeth Productions. "Whether you are just jumping into 3D animation or are a skilled digital artist, Poser has tools that will help bring your art to life, while cutting down production time and cost." Comic Book Preview Mode and new Fitting Room: Poser's new Comic Book Preview Mode enables illustrators to create color or black and white comic art with improved line control and outlines with persistent shading, even when rotating or animating their point of view. Users can also interactively fit existing clothing and props to any Poser figure with Poser Pro's Fitting Room, which provides five intelligent methods that interactively loosen, tighten, smooth and preserve soft and rigid features. With the click of a single button, designers can generate a new conforming clothing item, using the original figure's rig, complete with full morph transfer. For a full feature-listing visit here. Pricing and Availability: From now until June 20, 2013 Poser 10 is available for $239.99 and Poser 2014 for $399.99. After this time, Poser 10 will be available for $299.99 and Poser 2014 for $499.99. For more detailed product, pricing and tiered upgrade pricing information, please visit the Poser website. About Smith Micro Software, Inc. - Productivity and Graphics Group: Based in Santa Cruz, Calif., the Smith Micro Software Productivity and Graphics Group produces award-winning software that inspires consumer creativity and enables efficiency. The group's creative suite of programs provides artists of all skill levels - from novice to professional - with the tools to illustrate, animate and create 2D and 3D art. Some of the Productivity and Graphics Group's award-winning creative and utilities products include Poser, Anime Studio, Manga Studio and StuffIt. For more information, please visit: www.smithmicro.com. (NASDAQ: SMSI) Safe Harbor Statement: This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, forward-looking statements relating to the company's financial prospects and other projections of its performance, the existence of new market opportunities and interest in the company's products and solutions, and the company's ability to increase its revenue and regain profitability by capitalizing on these new market opportunities and interest and introducing new products and solutions. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements are changes in demand for the company's products from its customers and their end-users, customer concentration given that the majority of our sales depend on a few large client relationships, including Sprint, new and changing technologies, customer acceptance and timing of deployment of those technologies, new and continuing adverse economic conditions, and the company's ability to compete effectively with other software companies. These and other factors discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are made on the basis of the views and assumptions of management regarding future events and business performance as of the date of this release, and the company does not undertake any obligation to update these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release. Smith Micro, the Smith Micro logo and Poser are trademarks or registered trademarks of Smith Micro Software, Inc. All other trademarks and product names are the property of their respective companies. Poser 10 and Poser Pro 2014 available, bringing new characters, physics and more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Touch Arcade recently had a chat with CCP, the Icelandic developer behind the popular MMO EVE Online, and while there aren't any announcements yet, it certainly sounds like they're gearing up for some iOS apps, or even maybe a client for the game itself. EVE's been on the Mac for a while now, and there have been some third-party attempts at bringing parts of the game to iOS. But CCP has just released a companion game called Dust 514 on the PS3, and that means it's probably time they start thinking about tying in iOS and other popular mobile platforms as well. There's an app called Neocom coming from CCP to the PS Vita, and executive producer John Lander calls that app a "tracer bullet" to see if the community's interested in more mobile offerings. Neocom allows players to customize their weapons and buy and sell virtual goods for the game, and that seems like an excellent set of functionality to bring over to iOS as well. Lander says that there are lots and lots of possibilities, and that CCP is planning on stepping up development this year, hopefully moving towards lots of little projects with quicker turnarounds. At any rate, there's something coming from CCP for sure. "This time next year, you will have EVE Mobile in your hand," Lander told assembled fans at a recent company gathering.EVE Online creator CCP revving up for mobile release originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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