With ABC adding live streaming to its iPad app and the growth of live TV services via iOS in the past few months, the time is right for Belkin to announce Dyle mobile TV receivers for the iPhone and iPad. The US$129.99 device is about the size of a half a deck of cards, weighs around 6 ounces, and includes a carrying case. It's only compatible with devices with 30-pin dock connectors at the moment. It'll bring live TV to an iOS device without the need for an Internet connection. However, as Victor pointed out in his review of the Dyle receiver created by Elgato, is still pretty limiting. If you're in an area where the service is pretty strong, the receiver might be of use to you. But, it could be worth it to wait a few more months for Dyle to get stronger. The Belkin receiver is available through its website and is up for preorder on Amazon. [via 9to5Mac]Belkin releases Dyle receivers for iPhone and iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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TUAW readers know of my affinity for Belkin WeMo home automation tools, whether I'm using them to get Siri to turn on the Christmas tree or keep my cat cool in the summer. Today Belkin announced IFTTT multi-device control for WeMo switches. What does that mean? It means that you can now control more than just one WeMo switch in your house with IFTTT recipes. Previously, you could only control one of those devices at a time through IFTTT. Now it's simple to write recipes for multiple switches as seen in the image at the top of this post. Belkin announced that since the IFTTT.com WeMo Channels launched over 30,000 recipes have been created and over 400 shared recipes are available online. Now I just need to get one more WeMo switch so I can water my garden remotely through Siri...Belkin WeMo rolls out IFTTT multi-device control originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Google announced a new Hangouts app at its I/O conference, which will be available for iOS today. It's not out as I'm typing this, but the brief keynote demo showed a family of participants taking part in a long-running conversation of photos of text. From what we saw, it looks like Messages with a whole lot more oomph. We'll have a look at it as soon as it has been released.Google announces new Hangout app to hit iOS today originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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EA has announced that its Frostbite game engine, used to power popular game like "Need for Speed" and "Battlefield 4," is coming to iOS. Dubbed Frostbite Go, the game engine is set to give a big graphics and performance boost to cutting-edge iOS games. From the Frostbite website where the engine was officially announced for the first time: One of our most exciting current projects is called Frostbite Go, a mobile division empowering EA game developers with Frostbite's proven excellent workflows and features to bring true Frostbite experiences to all major mobile platforms. Currently there's no release dates for any games using Frostbite Go, but the site does mention that EA games using Frostbite Go are actively in development.EA's Frostbite engine could improve iOS games originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 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 li>StackSocial: [Mac Software] MacX Video Converter Pro for Mac for free MacMall: [Apple Computers] MacMall Mac Blowout Sale: Up to $1,099 off Macs, iPads, and more Other World Computing: [Computer Accessories] OWC 2012 Featured Move 'em Out Sale: RAM, accessories, HDDs, more eBay: [Home Security] Refurbished Philips WiFi Home Monitor for iPhone / iPad for $60 + free shipping MacUpdate Promo: [Mac Software] YourtTrip for Mac downloads for $9 Other World Computing: [Media Receivers] NewerTech NuStand Alloy Display Stands from $16 + $4 s&h eBay: [Media Receivers] Denon 5.1-Channel 3D Network Receiver with AirPlay for $340 + free shipping MidnightBox: [iPhone Cases] Waterproof / Shockproof Bicycle Bracket Case for iPhone 5 for $12 + $4 s&h Adorama: [Camera Accessories] Flashpoint Version II Carbon Fiber 65" Tripod for $100 + free shipping Adorama: [Camera Accessories] Sunpak Aluminum Tripod w/ Pistol Grip Ballhead for $25 + free shipping all4cellular.com: [iPhone Accessories] Apple iPhone 4 / 4S Bluetooth Keyboard Case for $15 + free shipping StackSocial: [iPhone / iPod Apps] Building iOS Apps From Scratch Without Programming Course for $79 iOS Software Rail Maze Pro HD [iPad; Category: Games; Now free, down from $0.99] Rail Maze Pro HD is the iPad version of All new Rail Maze Pro game. Pocket Cycle - Period & Fertility tracker [iOS Universal; Category: Health & Fitness; Now free, down from $0.99] Pocket Cycle keeps track of your period and fertility without all the inputting and upkeep of similar apps. Just tap the visual calendar to enter in your last period and choose your cycle length. That's it. Circulets: the game for families, friends and parties [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Now free, down from $0.99] Circulets is a game that pits two players against each other on the same device on a fun trip to collect as many tiny colored circles - circulets, as the other player will let you. iFileExplorer Pro - View and manager all files via WiFi or USB [iOS Universal; Category: Productivity; On sale for $0.99, down from $4.99] "iFileExplorer Pro" not only integrates all the features of various iFileExplorer versions, but also has unique features like "Web Download", and it supports both iPhone/iPad. DMD Panorama [iOS Universal; Category: Photography & Video; Now free, down from $1.99] Here is why you should get this panoramic app:- complete the circle: up to 360 degrees- don't wait: we hate progress bars, the result is extremely fast- get quality pixels. Dots (Pixel Art) [iPhone; Category: Entertainment; Now free, down from $0.99] Draw pixel art with Dots. Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders [iOS Universal; Category: Games; On sale for $0.99, down from $4.99] You'll participate in visceral dogfights, protect cities and fleets, bomb enemy structures and even fly through tunnels. TextCrafter 2.0 ~ Craft & Share Text [iOS Universal; Category: Productivity; Now free, down from $2.99] TextCrafter is a notes app for iPhone and iPad. Packed with features designed to allow you to quickly write messages, manage and search you notes, and share your writings across your social networks. ProCollage [iPhone; Category: Photography & Video; Now free, down from $1.99] ProCollage is a powerful and professional photo collage app with almost all features you can imagine. Percolator [iOS Universal; Category: Photography & Video; On sale for $0.99, down from $1.99] Percolator packs your images with well-rounded, full-bodied color - every time. OS X Software Two Dollar Tuesday [OS X; Category: Various; On sale for $1.99] Two Dollar Tuesday is offering three OS X apps for $1.99. Titles include PDF Creator +, Synalyze It! and Stills. Breezy [OS X; Category: Developer Tools; Now free, down from $1.99] This tiny app keeps track of your recent encoding sessions and you can get to base64 code of up to 7 recent images with a single click. Identical [OS X; Category: Utilities; Now free, down from $0.99] There are times, perhaps only a few times per year, when you want to quickly find out whether two or more particular files (not folders) are exactly the same.In these cases, download and use Identical. Daily Deals for May 15, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 12:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The next time your Samsung Galaxy-toting friends try to annoy you, here's a piece of information you can throw back at them. According to a study published yesterday by investment bank Piper Jaffray, iPhones depreciate at less than half the rate of similar Android devices from Samsung. Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray referred to the new index as "a pulse on what consumers are willing to pay for unsubsidized phones in the US." The index compares US eBay auction ending prices for the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II over a rolling 8 weeks to create a trend on resale prices. "The key takeaway from 8 weeks of data is that the iPhone is holding slightly more of its value compared to the top two Galaxy phones," according to Munster. The iPhone 5's eBay auction ending value dropped about 11.2 percent in the last 8 weeks, while the comparable Samsung Galaxy S III dropped 13.7 percent in value. The iPhone 4S kept its value the best, dropping only 7 percent during the same time period. The Galaxy Note II did the worst job of retaining its value, dropping a full 15 percent in just 8 weeks. Munster expects iPhone aftermarket prices to drop as the release of the next model of iPhone draws nearer.Study: iPhone retains value better than top Galaxy models originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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It has been busy in the App Store with a handful of new apps landing on iOS and OS X. Take a few minutes and check out our list of standout apps from the past few weeks! iOS Apps A Beautiful Mess [iOS Universal; Category: Productivity; $0.99] The photo app from A Beautiful Mess is the easiest way to make pretty photos and to share them with friends.Add new life to your favorite photos with custom filters, fun fonts, and hand-drawn doodles by Elsie and Emma, creators of the award-winning lifestyle blog, "A Beautiful Mess". Limelight - Your Movie Library [iPhone; Category: Entertainment; $0.99] Limelight is a new way to browse and organize your movie library. Become a movie critic and share your library with friends. Arpeggionome for iPhone [iPhone; Category: Music; $0.99] A New Musical Instrument for Controlling Arpeggios with the Touch of a Finger. Arpeggionome for iPhone transforms your iPhone into a new and expressive musical instrument. Audio Mastering [iPad; Category: Music; $9.99] The first fully functional audio mastering application for iPad. For everyone who wants to make own music tracks excellent quality. Amazon Cloud Drive Photos [iPhone; Category: Productivity; Free] Protect and store all of your photos in one place with Amazon Cloud Drive Photos. Bellyfish [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $0.99] Swim freely with intuitive controls through beautiful underwater environments. Fight your evil enemies with unique and fun power-ups. Join the adventure and see how high you can go. Go Home Dinosaurs [iPad; Category: Games; $4.99] Go Home, Dinosaurs! Stop hordes of marauding Dinos from crashing your party in the world's premier BBQ defense simulator. Daddy Was A Thief [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $1.99] Gain as much money as you can! Hurry! Everyone will try to catch you, but you are clever, aren't you? MYSTIC* [iPhone; Category: Photography & Video; $0.99] On the surface, Mystic is an app. In practice, it is an experience. Yeah, You can add text, textures, frames, lights, colors...elephants, tigers, bears, and a few flying buffalos, too. TinyLegends: Monster Crasher [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $0.99] the evil dragon has been awakened. Sound your trumpet as a call to arms and get ready for an epic challenge. Write for Dropbox - A Beautiful Note Taking App [iPad; Category: Productivity; $1.99] Writing. Automated Dropbox Syncing. Markdown. Fastest Sharing. Free Mac Addon. Beautiful Design. Love. Topple2 with Mobage [iPhone; Category: Games; Free] Immerse yourself in 30 levels over 6 Topple worlds that allow you to balance and stack fun and playful Topple blocks using multi-touch and accelerometer controls. IMPOSSIBLE ROAD [iOS Universal; Category: Games; $1.99] IMPOSSIBLE ROAD is a pure, minimal arcade game about risk, reward, and rollercoasters. OS X Silo - Share Your Lists [OS X; Category: Productivity; Free] Silo is the delightful way to share and manage your lists. Together 3 [OS X; Category: Productivity; $19.99] Together lets you keep everything in one place. Text, documents, images, movies, sounds, web pages and bookmarks can all be dragged to Together for safe keeping. oneSafe [OS X; Category: Productivity; $5.99] oneSafe not only securely stores all your passwords and other confidential information, it also synchronizes all that data between your Mac, iPhone and iPad, so you can have it at your fingertips wherever you happen to find yourself.New and notable apps for iOS and OS X - May 15 edition originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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An app called Buycott is giving iPhone owners the chance to make a political statement each and every time they shop. The concept behind the app is simple: when you're in a store, scan an item's UPC code to see what parent company owns the product. "What company owns the product?" you might ask. "Wouldn't that be the name of the company on the package?" Not necessarily. Popular brand names are often subsidiaries of bigger corporations. And those corporations might have their fingers in things you politically disagree with. This means that even though there is no way you would support the corporation's political activities (say they donate to political campaigns you don't like) you may be inadvertently supporting that corporation by buying one of its subsidiary's products. Gallery: Buycott Take, for example, Angel Soft bathroom tissue. The ultimate owner of that company is Koch Industries, which has extreme political views on one end of the spectrum that you may disagree with. By scanning that product with Buycott in the store, you're immediately told who the owner is (Koch Industries) and that information can allow you to make more informed buying decisions. Buycott also allows you to create and follow campaigns covering issues you care about. These campaigns cover a wide variety of topics and allow you to make better buying decisions by not only telling you what companies to boycott, but by telling you which companies support you ideological views (hence the "buy" in Buycott). Currently the most popular campaign is 'Demand GMO Labeling,' while the most trending campaign is 'Avoid Koch Industries.' Buycott is a free download.Buycott lets you boycott evil companies while you shop originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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The CharityBuzz auction for coffee with Tim Cook closed at US$610,000 yesterday. The high bidder will meet Tim Cook on a mutually agreed-upon date for 30 to 60 minutes. On the last day of the auction the high bid sat at $605,000, but in the last 30 minutes someone who had not placed a bid before came in with a bid that was $5,000 higher. The only thing known about the winning bidder is that his bidding name was "a********s." CharityBuzz will not reveal the name of the winning bidder, but it's possible that the bidder could come forward himself or herself. 20% of the winning bid goes to CharityBuzz while the remaining 80% goes to the RFK Center for Justice & Human Rights. If you had just paid $610,000 to talk to Tim Cook, what would your conversation be like? Let us know in the comments.Coffee with Tim Cook auction closes at $610,000 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Back in April of 2012, the US Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and a number of publishers for allegedly colluding to raise the price of e-books on the iBookstore. The original suit targeted five publishing companies; Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster. While Macmillan and Penguin were initially keen on fighting the allegations, all five publishers have since settled with the US Justice Department. As such, Apple is the last man standing. As part of its investigation into Apple's actions, the Justice Department collected evidence which it claims demonstrates that Apple was the "ringmaster" in a price fixing conspiracy. According to the New York Times, which took a look at various court filings in the case, one such piece of evidence is an e-mail from former Apple CEO Steve Jobs to James Murdoch of News Corp. The email reads, "Throw in with Apple and see if we can all make a go of this to create a real mainstream e-books market at $12.99 and $14.99." While that in and of itself seems rather innocuous, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Times adds: In July 2010, Mr. Jobs, Apple's former chief executive, told the chief executive of Random House, Markus Dohle, that the publisher would suffer a loss of support from Apple if it held out much longer, according to an account of the conversation provided by Mr. Dohle in the filing. Two months later, Apple threatened to block an e-book application by Random House from appearing in Apple's App Store because it had not agreed to a deal with Apple, the filing said. When Random House ultimately signed on the dotted line, Eddy Cue sent an email to Steve Jobs stating that one of the reasons Random House agreed to Apple's terms was because "I prevented an app from Random House from going live in the app store." Apple, for its part, seems intent on defending itself fully. Indeed, Apple believes its strategy was simply a means to break what it affectionately calls "Amazon's monopolistic grip on the publishing industry." Remember that in the wake of the Justice Department's allegations, Apple in April of 2012 issued the following statement: The DOJ's accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true. The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon's monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. Since then customers have benefited from eBooks that are more interactive and engaging. Just as we've allowed developers to set prices on the App Store, publishers set prices on the iBookstore. In recent filings, Apple argues that there was no collusion amongst the parties involved to the extent that it negotiated contracts with each publishing company independently of the others. Apple further claims that the particulars of each agreement varied from publisher to publisher. Apple also argues that publishers, on their own accord, had already decided to abandon the wholesale pricing model championed by Amazon, a model wherein the price of e-books is determined by retailers and not publishers. To that end, Apple contends that publishers did not need to be coerced into Apple's agency model for e-books, a model where publishers themselves determine the pricing structure. Indeed, Apple notes that one of the consistent points of contention during the negotiation process actually centered on "Apple's price caps" and its desire for a 30% commission on e-books sold. In other words, the publishers were, by and large, already on board -- it was only the details that needed to be ironed out. One thing's for sure -- this will certainly be an interesting case to keep an eye on. Two months ago we reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook will testify during the trial, which is scheduled to begin on June 3.Justice Department calls Apple the "ringmaster" in e-book price fixing case originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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One of the problems with giving people advice is that certain topics are so... personal. Our previous experiences, current technology and outside pressures inevitably corral us into a particular line of thinking or acting. So it is with the debate over paper vs. software solutions. Personally, I've found a mix of both to be handy. A quick poll of the TUAW crew indicates a similar divide: Some of us use paper almost to the exclusion of software, whereas some of us went digital once we found enough apps to deliver us from dead trees. Most of us use a blend of both, however. In this week's productivity tip, I want to discuss when you might want to use paper or an app, and some specific apps and resources for both. Paper (and whiteboards, etc.) The thing about paper is that you have to write on it. That seems simplistic, but for some that's actually a big deal. I happen to learn by doing something, and I find I remember notes better if I write them out versus typing them. The other (obvious) thing about paper is that it isn't connected to distractions like social networks and calendars, push notifications, etc.. If those are your problem, maybe switching on Do Not Disturb and sitting outside with pen and paper are a way to really focus on whatever you're trying to capture. I'm also a big fan of mind mapping, and while there are apps for this (discussed below), I have yet to replace my large format rolls of paper with an iOS device. There's something primitive and powerful about scrawling ideas and notes on a giant canvas, then seeing what patterns you can divine. Another advantage to paper is that you can hang the stuff wherever you want so things are always top-of-mind. Steve uses Post-It notes for reminders. Megan uses a Moleskine for capturing checklists -- and she correctly notes that there's something satisfying about actually drawing a line through stuff you've done. Dave has written a great post on Unclutterer about using a notebook for the ARC system. As for me, I can just do more with paper in certain ways. As this post from a time before the iPad notes, "paper is just more usable than a computer monitor." Sure, I can make annotations on a PDF, but it's not as easy in a PDF app to tear off 3 pages and line them up side-by-side to examine them. Similarly, as you can see in the image at the top of this post, I've created a simple "task board" when apps like 30/30 and OmniFocus weren't really nailing a certain workflow for me. In this case, I have a certain number of things I have to do regularly, but they can't be called a project per se, they're more like categories. I also don't have to do every one of them every day, so I pull these (I call them pommes, which is why they have little apples on them) out of an envelope each day and set them up on the board. When I complete one, I put it below the middle of the board (hence the "Done" with a down arrow). Each one of these "pommes" typically maps to a context in OmniFocus (and GTD, for that matter), and they represent the many hats I wear at TUAW. Each one is meant to be completed (more or less) in under 30 minutes. Some days I don't feel like digging into a lot of research, or maybe I just want to focus on writing. By putting them up on the board and being able to easily see them right there in front of me, I'm quickly able to see how much I've done or not done. Yes, I have tasks and projects in OmniFocus, but this allows me to structure my day around types of tasks, and greatly reduces the stress and feeling of being overwhelmed with "too much to do." I'm still working on this system, but on my most productive days it's a good way to batch my time. Some other low-tech things I do, sometimes with a high-tech twist: Use a whiteboard for mocking up web pages and quick mind mapping. Then I take a pic to save in Evernote. In my kitchen I use a whiteboard calendar so my kids can easily see the stuff that is relevant to them. Often this means writing stuff from my Google calendar on the board, but there are worse things in life -- like the stress of kids not knowing what they are walking into when they come stay with me. Use Moleskine notebooks when I travel. Often power is at a premium, and I like to travel light. Plus, during takeoff and landing I can't use my iDevices. Again, I try to capture this digitally later, either in OmniFocus, Evernote or a mind-mapping app. Big ideas beg for a big canvas. I keep very large rolls of paper and oversized sketch pads in my house so I can periodically clear the kitchen table and go to town with ideas and connecting them. Sometimes this requires stitching pics together before dumping into (you guessed it) Evernote. Cornell has a notes template here if you're in a meeting and worry about capturing things. Lastly there are times when you just can't avoid using paper. Coupons I get at the self-checkout are printed, though I wish I could add them to Passbook (if Kroger ever hops on that wagon). But when I see a poster for a show on a telephone pole, I snap a pic of it. Nothing jogs the memory like seeing that pop up in your Photo Stream. You can also use something like the iNotebook, Inkling or LiveScribe's offerings to write and capture to digital. I've only used the LiveScribe Pulse, but I find that adding complications subtracts from the organic nature of simply using paper. These also add considerable cost. Digital Obviously there are lots of limits when it comes to paper. Sharing among a distributed group is somewhat difficult. Contacts are better handled digitally when you get an email and can quickly add phone and address to your address book, or if you use a business card scanner app and text recognition. Speaking of recognition, natural language parsing has come a long way, so adding reminders and calendar events via Siri or Fantastical or Google Calendar is just so easy I will never use a paper calendar again. When I was in middle school I used FastTrack Schedule to plan projects. Now I use a combination of DevonTHINK Pro (for research materials) and OmniFocus, but there are a good number of capable project managers out there, including Merlin and OmniPlan. If I were handling larger projects, I am sure I would rely upon those heavily. Notes can absolutely have an advantage in digital form if you're busy linking things, as you can do in a wiki or software such as VoodooPad, which is excellent. There's also nvALT and a host of other note applications out there which can cross-link and insert multimedia in ways you can't replicate on paper. When it comes to capturing ideas, Doc uses Drafts and voice recognition to quickly capture items. Similarly, Siri does a great job for adding Reminders. Fancy tricks like geolocation are all but impossible on paper. The only problem with all of these: You have to know how to use them. Everyone knows how to use paper, however. Some digital tools I use that attempt to simulate or replace paper-based equivalents: SimpleMind for mind mapping (this has sync so I can access my maps on my Mac), although MindNode is good and Grafio allows a sort of scrapbooking. Passbook as much as I can for plane tickets and customer loyalty cards. Some folks in team chat mentioned Lemon Wallet as well. I just hate fumbling for a paper ticket while I wait for first class to board. Fantastical for scheduling (Mac and iOS) and BusyCal on my Mac instead of iCal. Sketch Club for sketches, although Autodesk's SketchBook is good (just overkill for my needs usually), and Paper on iPad is simply wonderful. I also use Procreate (and a Pogo Connect) when I want to make a really great drawing. Now that Penultimate is integrated with Evernote, it's hard to beat. That said, I kinda like Sketch Rolls when I don't have access to my paper at home. But when to use what? Well, this is really a personal choice. What I tell people is to try both and see what fits you best. It's hard to argue that digital contact management is a bad thing, and calendars are another one which paper doesn't do better than digital tools. When it comes to notes and creating tasks, it all depends on how much you have to share with others and your own personal style. If you are building a spaceship, you're probably going to need some pretty complex project management tools, and paper will likely reduce your efficiency. If you juggle a couple of things a day, it's really satisfying to whip out a sheet of paper or note card and start crossing off tasks through the day. I used to use the heck out of these DIY "hipster" planners, and Dave Caolo points out these awesome productivity tools you can print courtesy of David Seah. Try this: Pick one or the other for a solid week and see how it feels. If you get into the groove of reviewing your tasks in OmniFocus and you find satisfaction in clicking check boxes, there you go. If, on the other hand, you feel more accomplished writing down tasks and scratching through them, paper is your friend. Because we all work in such different ways, this sort of A/B testing is critical for determining your preferences. Hint: Use a simple to do app to prevent having to read a huge manual. Conclusion While I love gadgets and technology, we simply aren't in the Diamond Age just yet. I'd love to have an iPad which really felt like a book, but that doesn't exist yet. Yes, I'd love to save some trees, but there are times when my old monkey brain just wants to poke at a sheet of paper with a stick filled with graphite. There's still a case for paper. That said, I turn 40 this year and maybe I'm just wed to a particular workflow. In the end try out the tools and make an honest assessment of what works best for you. Let me know if you have any suggestions in the comments below!Productivity Tip: When and how to use paper vs software originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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My birthday was last week on May 6, and Firaxis must have heard about that because in recent weeks they've released not one but two great turn-based strategy games. First, Haunted Hollow was released as a great, original free-to-play title, and now the legendary Sid Meier (of Civilization and Pirates) has released a game called Ace Patrol, available as a free download on iOS. Ace Patrol is excellent -- it's a turn-based dogfighting game, where you manuver pilots in WWII around a battlefield, climbing, diving, and swooping around into position all while trying to accomplish certain goals or take out the other side. Progression in the game is marked by "maneuvers," so pilots who have leveled up have access to more and advanced moves. Weapons fire for free, but you've got to line up closely to the enemy, preferably behind them, to avoid any incoming attacks. Unfortunately, as good as the game itself is, Firaxis really missed the mark on this one's freemium plan. The in-app purchases on Ace Patrol are just plain confusing -- you can play through a number of missions for free, but then when you spend some money to unlock the rest of the missions, you (currently -- I'll bet this is fixed soon) don't get to keep your progress. Additionally, while in-app purchases give you access to other nations, you also sometimes need to pay to get your lost pilots out of being captured. Fortunately, there are "superpacks" you can buy (which essentially open up the game's content), but the whole scheme just isn't well thought-out. Haunted Hollow's IAP was clear and well-designed, but the same care hasn't been taken here, unfortunately. Still, Ace Patrol is an excellent game, a very well-designed set of battles put together by a master game developer. There are quite a few of these turn-based battle simulations to go around (Leviathan Warships is another recently released variant, though that one takes place on sea and is more complicated than Ace Patrol), but Ace Patrol does an excellent job of combining really deep strategy with easy and accessible gameplay. Grab this free download right away for sure.Daily iPad App: Sid Meier's Ace Patrol is an excellent game sold badly originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Finger Tied is an iPad app that arrived late last year. It's put together by developer Owen Goss, and he says that a lot of users have asked him to create an iPhone version of the app, but given that it's a game that uses the iPad's big screen for lots of finger-swiping space, he didn't want to make it until he was sure he could do it justice. Apparently he found a way, because he's delivering the iPhone version next week, with a game called Finger Tied, Jr. There's a short post up on his blog talking about the game, and as you can see from the picture above, it's more compact than the full iPad title. But that could be fun anyway. Finger Tied, Jr. is due out next week, May 23. Stay tuned for a full look at the app sometime after that.Finger Tied Jr. coming next week originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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With this review, I think that we're just about through the Spring 2013 crop of iPad Bluetooth keyboard folio cases, and it appears that I've saved the best for last. The ClamCase Pro for iPad (US$169, currently available for $20 off with coupon code SPRING20) was a pleasant surprise, providing the best keyboard I've ever used on an iPad along with some of the best protection to be found on any of the new keyboard folios. Design The ClamCase Pro is designed to look like a little laptop computer. The area around the keyboard is solid aluminum, and the keyboard itself uses black keys with white lettering. The top and bottom of the case are encased in white polycarbonate, which lends a very clean look and provides excellent protection. The iPad is held securely into place with two barely visible clips on either side of the device, and that design makes it simple to remove the iPad when necessary. On the back of the case is a perforated "grille" so that sound isn't muffled, and there's a lower opening that accommodates either a Lightning or 30-pin Dock connector. As you'd expect, there are openings for the camera and headphone port, as well as the a small one for the iPad microphone. The on/off/sleep/wake button and volume toggle have their own pass-through switches; there is not a pass through for the seldom-used mute/rotation lock switch. The big difference with this case from all of the rest is the hinge mechanism that connects the bottom (keyboard and battery) section with the top (iPad) section. This hinge can actually rotate through a full 360 degrees, meaning that you can swivel the keyboard around to the back of the case when you want to just use your iPad as a tablet, or put it into a literally infinite number of angles for typing. Gallery: ClamCase Pro for iPad There's one button on the ClamCase Pro, a small power switch on the left side as you look at the keyboard. The battery, like those on most of the other cases we've tested, is recharged via a USB to micro-USB cable that is included. One charge should get you through about 100 hours of typing; that, of course, is longer than your iPad battery is going to last. The ClamCase folks say that the device will fully charge in about 2 hours, and that a case has a battery standby time of six months. When you want to check the battery life, there's a small "battery" key on the keyboard located near the arrow keys. Push and hold that button, and the white power light located in the upper right corner of the keyboard flashes up to 4 times (meaning fully charged) or just once to indicate that you'd better plug it in. The keyboard itself has a standard QWERTY layout, which is nice to see. Unlike the new Logitech cases with their EasyType keyboards, there's no need to type "Fn-Q" to hit the Tab key or "Fn-A" to go into Caps Lock. The keys are just there. There's also a separate top row of keys so that you don't need to use a function key to perform tasks like changing the volume on your iPad or cut/copy/paste. Functionality The ClamCase Pro had one interesting effect on me; I kept thinking that I was typing on an 11" MacBook Air and continually tried to use the non-existent trackpad. It has that solid feeling of one of Apple's diminutive laptops. I never once had the feeling that the screen was going to flop over, and although I'm not going to try it out, I think this case could protect your iPad from a drop quite well. Previously, my favorite iPad keyboard was the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover. Well, move over Logitech. The keyboard on the ClamCase Pro actually feels better to me than my favorite Mac keyboard -- Apple's Wireless Keyboard. Since I spend my life sitting at a keyboard, I can tell almost immediately if I'm going to love or hate a keyboard, and my first impression of the ClamCase Pro was very positive. Writing this post on a third-generation iPad using Daedalus cemented that impression -- this keyboard has wonderful positive feedback, quiet keys, and a touch that encourages typing. ClamCase's website cites an ABC News test that shows that the keyboard can result in a higher number of words per minute typed, and I can entirely believe that. My fingers didn't need to search for certain keys like they did on the latest crop of Logitech cases; everything was exactly where I expected it to be. If there's one downside to the ClamCase Pro, it's the weight. This thing weighs 1.5 pounds, which means with the iPad added in you're looking at a total weight of just about 3 pounds. That's almost identical to the weight of a 13" MacBook Air and almost .6 pounds more than an 11" MBA. The ClamCase Pro, like any other keyboard folio case, is going to add thickness to your iPad as well. It's .85 inches thick, which is .17" thicker than a MacBook Air. This brings up the old debate about whether one should buy a light MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, or just use an iPad with something like a ClamCase. There's certainly no lack of applications in the iPad world now, and with a top-notch keyboard like that in the ClamCase Pro you can definitely get your work done efficiently. Price-wise, someone could buy a 64 GB Wi-Fi iPad with Retina display and ClamCase Pro for $868, less than the $999 cost of a 64 GB 11" non-Retina MacBook Air. The ClamCase Pro pairs with your iPad with the press of a Bluetooth button that's on the keyboard and a tap on the ClamCase Pro name in the Bluetooth settings on the iPad. It has magnets to shut off your iPad when closed, and turn it back on when you pop the top open again. However, this doesn't help you when you flip the keyboard over into "tablet mode," as you can end up knee-typing. So, when using your iPad as Steve Jobs intended, be sure to hit the power switch. There's one little quirk I noticed with the case design. There are four little rubber feet on the bottom of the case that are probably designed to keep it from sliding on a desktop. That works fine, provided that the case is closed. When you open it, the hinge extends down onto the surface you have the case on and pushes two of the feet off of the surface, making it susceptible to sliding. Conclusion Pros Excellent keyboard, one of the best I've used on Mac, PC or iPad Completely unique 360-degree hinge holds the "screen" in place regardless of how you have the case configured Probably the sturdiest iPad keyboard case TUAW has ever tested Very fast pairing process, built-in battery level capability Good battery life; much longer than your iPad battery is going to last Power button is easy to find and shut off, making it easy to power down the keyboard when using the iPad as a tablet Cons Fairly heavy; with the iPad installed, it's about the same weight of a 13" MacBook Air One of the most expensive iPad keyboard cases we've tested; however, it's worth every dime Who is it for? Professionals who are thinking about using an iPad and keyboard case as a replacement for a traditional laptop or anyone who wants the best possible experience with a keyboard case. ClamCase Pro for iPad: Solid protection, amazing keyboard originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 18:00:00 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 14, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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A minor update for iMovie has been released. Version 9.0.9 fixes issues where iMovie didn't recognize when video cameras were connected to the computer, adds improved compatibility with iMovie for iOS projects, and includes the usual stability improvements. The update is currently available for download in the App Store.iMovie update 9.0.9 released originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Square today unveiled the Square Stand, the company's latest effort to become an even more entrenched player in the mobile-payments market. The Square Stand is essentially an elegant stand with an embedded card reader for the iPad, which when running Square Register, offers a compelling alternative to traditional cash registers. You might also notice that the device bears an ever so slight resemblance to Apple's iMac. "Local business owners take as a given that they need an ugly, slow, expensive, and complicated point of sale system cluttering their counter," Square co-founder Jack Dorsey, said in a press release. "Square Stand is elegant, fast, affordable, and easy to use. Whether you're selling cupcakes, cardigans, or cappuccinos, running your business with Square has never been easier." As pictured above, the Square Stand can be configured to work with a cash drawer, a receipt printer, and a barcode scanner -- items which are also available for purchase from Square. It's worth noting that the first iteration of the Square Stand is only compatible with second and third-generation iPads, as the stand relies on Apple's 30-pin connector. A model supporting the 4th gen iPad's Lightning connector is expected later this year. The stand retails for $299 and is available for pre-order from Square. Best Buy, along with other select retailers, will begin carrying the device in early July. Square said that iPad customers represent nearly 50% of total payments processed by Square. Square unveils new iPad stand dubbed Square Stand originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Sure, kids can play with an iPad to learn how to program, but what about robots? Play-i is a start up company seeking to develop affordable (under US$100), programmable robots as an educational tool for children. Normally this would sound like the plot of a bad 90s sci-fi movie of the week, but the development team behind the Play-i have impressive resumés. CEO Vikas Gupta, a former head of consumer payments at Google, is joined by Saurabh Gupta, a former head of the iPod software team, and Mikal Greaves of Frog Design. The team also features Imran Kahn, a former head of marketing at Eloan Symantec. The group is still a bit shy about providing specifics about the robots they're designing, but AllThingsD has a profile up on the group that's well worth reading. The profile explains about the team's motivations, the importance of tangible play for children, and the struggles they're currently facing. Recently the program gained $1 million in funding from Google, Madrona Venture Group, and a few private investors. Reportedly they will launch a crowd funding effort later this summer to raise more money.Former Google, Apple employees working on educational robots originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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We've talked before about how the iPhone can do a lot of things for you, but can it serve as a scope on a tactical rifle? That's the idea behind the Inteliscope, a new accessory that connects your iPhone to an actual tactical firearm. You just clip your iPhone 5 (or 4S or iPod touch) to the accessory, connect that to your rifle, and you've got a heads-up scope that allows for custom crosshairs, video recording, a built-in compass and GPS, a timer, and a few more handy functions. The idea is pretty ingenious -- it seems like using the iPhone's camera would offset the view, but maybe the accessory actually uses mirror to line up your shot. At any rate, the Inteliscope and its associated app will be available in June of this year, with each model costing $69.99. You can preorder the attachment right now.The Inteliscope connects your iPhone to an actual firearm originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Sometimes it's cool to live in the future. Take Philips Hue, an energy saving lightbulb that can be controlled by your iPhone or iPad. If you're coming home at night with an arm full of groceries and didn't leave the lights on, you can turn them on before you get into the house. They allow you too control the color, power, and brightness of your lighting, from anywhere in the world. Now with the latest update to their iOS app Philips has brought geofencing support to their already brainy smart bulb. The geofencing feature allows you to activate a scene in your room automatically when you arrive at a location, without having to do it manually each time. Come in from a long day at work and have your house know you've come home by greeting you an illuminated living room. The alarm settings have also been improved, so whether you're using the alarm to make it look like someone's home when you're away or simply to wake up, you're in luck. The update also includes some minor support fixes, an improved colors in the LivingColors system, and other tweaks to the alarm system, including support for a weekly alarm schedule. Head over to iTunes to grab the new app, or over to Philips to learn more about this system.Philips Hue iOS app adds geofencing support originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple's voice interaction system Siri has been updated, this time specifically to ask users to keep it short. Siri's system doesn't deal well with longer user queries, so if you happen to ask something that's just too long for Siri to deal with, she'll interrupt you, giving you a quote from a famous person, and then asking you to rephrase the question, shorter or in fewer words. Siri herself doesn't have the authority to change your speech patterns, apparently, so she's recruited legendary wordsmiths like William Strunk and Thomas Jefferson to make her point more clearly. Ironically, the quotes used aren't very short at all, which makes the whole process go even longer. But at least Siri is telling you the problem with what you tried to ask her, rather than just using a generic, "Sorry, Mike, I didn't get that." If a user is sending a query that's just too long, this is definitely a clearer way of asking for a correction.Siri update prompts users to be brief originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Just when you think that Apple has decided to totally ignore iWork, along comes news that the company has added job postings for a number of positions on the iWork team. The last official release of the iWork suite -- Pages, Numbers, and Keynote -- is telling: the name of the suite is still iWork '09. About the only major changes to any of the apps over the past few years has been to make them available on the Mac App Store and to add compatibility with iCloud. Apple Bitch covered the latest job listing for a software QA engineer to "work on the next generation of Desktop, Mobile and Web application/services," focusing on bug detection, isolation, and reporting in the iWork suite. MacRumors notes that a number of other jobs are open on the team, including three positions for other QA engineers, a Production Specialist, a "Technical Production Ninja," a Verification Engineer, a Visual Motion Designer, and a HiDPI Image Specialist to work on making the apps "the best they can be" on Retina displays.Apple job postings suggest iWork team is growing originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Miracles do happen. BlackBerry today announced that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will be available on iOS and Android this summer as a free download. On the BlackBerry blog, BlackBerry employee Donny Halliwell stated that availability is dependent on approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. BBM for iOS is huge, considering the number of people that use the system: over 51 million daily active users who use BBM an average of 1.5 hours per day, sending over 10 billion messages per day. Rumors about an iOS version of BBM first started floating around in earnest in March of 2011, but this is the first word from BlackBerry that the app will actually appear. BBM for iOS should feature the ability to do multi-person chats, allow the sharing of voice notes, and create BlackBerry Groups for sharing calendars, photos, files and more with groups up to 30 people.BlackBerry bringing BBM to iOS and Android this summer originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Last week, after Adobe announced its move to a subscription-based cloud plan, our own Kelly Hodgkins asked me to look at software alternatives for some Creative Suite apps. We know that none of these apps provide a full replacement for Photoshop or Illustrator. What she asked me to do was to spend time, hands on, to get a sense of what kind of options were out there. For Photoshop, I looked primarily at Pixelmator (US$14.99 "sale" price, but it's been on "sale" since Nov 2012) and Acorn 4 ($29.99), with a glance at the donationware GNU Image Manipulation Program, GIMP. I quickly discovered that GIMP is not in the same class as Pixelmator or Acorn. Both Pixelmator and Acorn have seriously targeted ex-Photoshop users, creating tool suites intended to seduce that audience. GIMP just isn't competitive in that way. You can tell this in the key equivalents added to both Pixelmator and Acorn -- they responded properly to many of the Photoshop-standard text shortcuts I tried such as G for gradient, M for marquee selection, W for the magic wand. On the whole, Acorn seemed to support more shortcuts -- such as 0 through 9 for transparency and Command-Shift-I to invert the selection, but both apps have the sense of Photoshop users in their DNA. In terms of general interface design, Acorn stood out. I found its toolbar easiest to understand and its adherence to Photoshop norms the strictest. It also achieves the most OS X-like look and feel. Both apps "got" OS X, in elevating interaction beyond Adobe's prosaic implementation. But Acorn's fine details are palpably superior. Both GUIs were polished and stylish, although I wish both apps would offer bigger font choices for older and visually impaired users. Acorn's visuals were generally larger except for teeny tiny font choices in palettes. I found the Acorn toolbar much easier for recognition tasks. In power, however, I lean towards Pixelmator. Although both tools have recently undergone major upgrades, I found the Pixelmator toolset more extensive than Acorn's. There were almost always extra options on the Pixelmator side that I did not find (or, at least, not easily find) on the Acorn side. I rely on community support for my photo editing needs. Whenever I need to figure out how to do anything in Photoshop, I turn to Google and the thousands upon thousands of how-to articles and videos found there. During my testing, I set myself common tasks like building buttons or blurring backgrounds in Acorn and Pixelmator, and quickly found myself searching for how-to answers on the web. While both developers have provided superb how-to support pages on their sites, Pixelmator offers a far larger existing support community. To give a sense of that, the Google results for "glossy button in Pixelmator" include videos and how-to's from a variety of sites and vendors. The first three include a link to pxm-tuts.com, a Pixelmator support page, and ehow.com. Compare that with the results for "glossy button in Acorn." These start off with a Flying Meat support page, followed by a bunch of acorn-shaped vector links, finishing with tutorials for Photoshop, Illustrator, and GIMP. If you're looking for a knowledge-base of solutions that you can use today, Pixelmator has the edge. On the whole, I was terrifically impressed by both apps. While I generally preferred Acorn's look and feel, Pixelmator's feature set and passionate userbase should not be overlooked.Pixelmator and Acorn: economic, practical image editors originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Remember what Realmac Software did for to-do lists with its best-seller Clear? In one stroke, the company grabbed the attention of millions of iPhone users with a gesture-driven app that was easy, understandable, and colorful. Today Realmac teased us with a glimpse of Analog for iPhone, a slimmed-down version of the popular OS X app for adding beautiful photo effects to images. Realmac says the app will launch later this month, and no price was disclosed. It appears, though, that Realmac's thoughtful approach at user interface design brings one-handed effects and sharing to the iPhone. We'll have a full review when Analog for iPhone is launched in the App Store. Realmac Software's sneak preview of Analog for iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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