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1) TUAW is going to Macworld 2010
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/tuaw-is-going-to-macworld/
Filed under: Macworld, TUAW Business
Join TUAW next week from Macworld 2010! Several TUAW team members will be in San Francisco for the biggest expo of the year for the Apple faithful, including David Winograd, Ken Ray, Brett Terpstra, Mike Schramm, Steve Sande, Mike Rose, Dave Caolo and myself. Despite Apple's bailing on the event, the good folks behind Macworld have put together a week's worth of amazing learning and product demos plus talks with Kevin Smith, Guy Kawasaki, Leo Laporte among others.
This year TUAW will have a booth (number 654, come on down and say "Hi!") and we'll be livestreaming video from the show floor. We'll have plenty of hands-on video from the floor and around the show as well, plus our usual stream of posts and galleries. It'll feel like you're there!
We've got a few more surprises in store, so stay tuned for more details on Monday.
By the way, huge thanks [...]
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2) More eBook trouble for Amazon
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/more-ebook-trouble-for-amazon/
Filed under: Software, iBook, Apple
Amazon has run into more trouble with its pricing -- after Macmillan and HarperCollins, a third company has pressured the online book retailer to raise prices on their Kindle eBooks. This time it's the Hachette Book Group, and their CEO in an internal memo says that the company will switch to an "agency model" for eBook sales.
What's an agency model? Why, it's the 70%/30% split between platform and content provider currently used in the App Store, and the same model that's planned to be used in iBooks on the iPad. And it's important to note that this is exactly what Jobs said would happen -- that publishers would move away from Amazon when they had another system to go with.
What we don't yet know is where prices will end up on the iPad -- Jobs said that prices would be "the same," and it's looking more and more like the $9.99 bestseller price is [...]
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3) Found Footage: Woz on coloring computers
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/found-footage-woz-on-coloring-computers/
Filed under: Video, Cult of Mac, Apple, Found Footage
This video of Woz talking about the "revolutionary" idea of putting color into computers is amazing. It sounds like an LSD trip -- he says he was awake for four days in a row, plunged into some sort of television screenglow madness, and somehow emerged from this zeroes-and-ones induced frenzy with a cheap way to create color screens (which we presume eventually found its way in the Apple II).
This is why Woz is really the preeminent geek for our times -- he's done some brilliant things with computers, really helped revolutionize the industry, and invented from scratch some of the most amazing things in this already amazing age, and when asked how he did it, he doesn't credit his own intellect or any personal insight. He says he stayed up for four days, and "sometimes, you're not sure if it's going to work because it didn't follow [...]
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4) Flying Magazine blogger wants an iPad in the cockpit
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/flying-magazine-blogger-wants-an-ipad-in-the-cockpit/
Filed under: Hardware, Software, App StoreHere at TUAW, we've talked about some potential markets for the iPad; for example, the health care industry. Over at Flying Magazine's website, blogger Robert Goyer is lusting after the iPad as a tool in the cockpit.
The iPhone has become a pilot's toolkit since the App Store opened, with apps like Flight Plan - Pilot's Toolbox [iTunes Link] and CoPilot - Flight Planning [iTunes Link] making it into the cockpit for private and commercial pilots alike.
Goyer loves the idea that the iPad will have a much larger display than the iPhone and, most importantly for the quick pace of flying, that it's an instant-on device unlike many laptops. He thinks that the 3G models will be most useful for aviation since they'll provide online access to a plethora of aviation, regulatory, and weather-related data sources.
What Goyer is looking forward to the [...]
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5) iPad hands-on: Not a full desktop replacement, but the keyboard works
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/ipad-hands-on-not-a-full-desktop-replacement-but-the-keyboard/
Filed under: Hardware, Bluetooth, Internet, AppleFor all of the back and forth about the iPad over the last week, only a handful of people (including Stephen Colbert) have gotten to actually touch one. Fox News, of all the outlets out there, posted a pretty clean and objective hands-on with the iPad earlier this week, and you can get a pretty good idea of what it's like to actually hold the device in your hands from them. They say that it works well -- the keyboard is about the same as an iPhone keyboard (though they don't say whether they try the hunt-and-peck of the iPhone, or actually try to lay their hands down as if on a laptop), and they agree to what we've heard elsewhere: that while the iPad is a nice computer, it's much more of an iPhone extension than a full laptop or even desktop replacement.
One of the most interesting notes is that the much-discussed camera might not be [...]
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6) Charge your iPhone, or any two USB devices with ZAGGsparq
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/charge-your-iphone-or-any-two-usb-devices-with-zaggsparq/
Filed under: Accessories
In the never ending saga of finding the best battery backup for your iPhone or iPod touch, Zagg has taken a different approach in releasing the ZAGGsparq [US $99.95]. Instead of a dongle or a snap in case, The ZAGGsparq is a big honking block, around the size of an Airport Express that contains the largest lithium polymer backup battery I've seen weighing in at 6000 mAh. For reference, the two Monoprice pieces we covered contain 2200 mAh batteries. The battery in an iPhone is 1150 mAh, so the ZAGGsparq is good for up to four iPhone/iPod touch charges. Running the numbers it seems like it should be about 5 charges, but I never said that I understood electricity.
The beauty of the piece is that it can charge two USB devices at the same time. So along with your iPhone, it's also good for your Bluetooth headset, video camera or just about any USB device that needs [...]
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7) Dear Auntie TUAW: I've got a great idea, now what?
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/dear-auntie-tuaw-ive-got-a-great-idea-now-what/
Filed under: AppleDear Auntie T.,
I have the best idea for an iPhone app, well, modestly speaking, ever! So how do I sell this great idea? Is there a forum for discussing how to get an idea sold? Any help you can offer will be appreciated.
Love and kissies and hugs,
Your nephew,
Mike (who isn't Max)
Read Auntie's answer below!
Dearest Mike,
It's pretty cold and dreary out there this winter. Are you remembering to supplement with Vitamin D? My doctor swears by the stuff -- tells everyone it's the secret to everything from better cardiovascular health to a brighter smile. Now, isn't that a nice image to keep in your head? Reason I put that shiny vision there is because the news I have for you is pretty bleak.
Unfortunately, the odds aren't good. According to Uncle Ernie, there is basically "a zero percent chance" that you can sell your idea and "make a million dollars -- or even [...]
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8) Apple puts limits on location-based advertising in the App Store
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/apple-prevents-app-store-devs-from-using-location-based-ads/
Filed under: Software, Apple, iPhoneApple's excited about mobile advertising (and it certainly seems like they're setting up a plan for local ads), but to devs, they say, "not so much." Apparently they've sent out a message that says location services should only be used to provide "beneficial information," not targeted advertising. Any apps that include ads targeted to where you and your iPhone are will be rejected posthaste, says Apple.
There's a few things going on here -- Mobile Entertainment wonders just what "beneficial information" means. Certainly apps like Foursquare and MyTown provide business information based on your iPhone's location, and Foursquare especially is working on local deals with places that you've checked-in to -- is that considered advertising?
And a few developers, including our friend Craig Hockenberry (MacNN messed up Chock's name in their post) say that [...]
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9) Company that owns iPad trademark in EU wants Apple's business
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/company-that-owns-ipad-trademark-in-eu-wants-apples-business/
Filed under: Hardware, Apple
While Apple appears to be the rightful owner the iPad trademark for the U.S., there's a bit of a problem in the E.U. A French-Italian company, STMicroelectronics, currently owns the rights to "iPad" in two different classifications -- "electronics and components" and "using the name in print." ST has held the trademark since September 14, 2001, but it is set to expire on September 1, 2010.
So what does ST intend to do? Possibly try to get Apple as a customer in return for trademark rights. The president and CEO of STMicroelectronics, Carlo Bozotti, is currently meeting with customers in Taipei, and when asked if the company would make some sort of deal with Apple, he replied "Our ambition is to have a great customer named Apple."
It's a possibility. The existing ST iPad (Integrated Passive and Active Devices) trademark covers chipsets for cell phone [...]
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10) Siri for iPhone is like the proverbial Genie in a bottle
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/siri-for-iphone-is-like-the-proverbial-genie-in-a-bottle/
Filed under: iPod Family, Freeware, iPhone, App ReviewWe're getting closer and closer to some of the stuff we see it science fiction literature and films. Siri [iTunes link] is a small Silicon Valley startup with a really breakthrough product that for now only works on the iPhone.
Here's the deal. You download the free app, start it up, and tell it what you want. It could be "Will it snow in Des Moines today?" or "Where can I find the nearest burger" or it could be "Find the nearest parks". It parses your comments, runs out to the web for a few seconds and comes back with a lot of suggestions. It gives you buttons to call the places you've found, or to show them on Google Maps and get you directions.
I tried to get a bit fancier saying "Make me a reservation for 2 at the nearest Olive Garden tonight at 7." The app figured out Olive Garden didn't take reservations through their [...]
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11) Vanity Fair releases Oscar predictions app
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/vanity-fair-releases-oscar-predictions-app/
Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store
Film fans everywhere will be sitting before their TVs on March 7th to catch the Academy Awards. Now, as with so many other things, there's an app for that.
Vanity Fair Magazine has produced the free Oscars app called Vanity Fair Hollywood. Users can submit their predictions for winners, browse photo galleries, share comments and prediction results via Facebook and more. Of course, you can chat in real time during the show itself from within the app and watch trailers of the nominated films. I'm not an Oscars fan, but I often fire up Twitter when watching my beloved Red Sox because the accompanying chat makes the experience more fun.
For more iPhone fun on Oscar night, check out these apps:
The Envelope (Free) Try and predict the winners and share results with your friends.
Awards: Oscar Edition ($0.99) Search for winners and nominees in [...]
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12) Apple hires two more for mobile ad sales
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/apple-hires-two-more-for-mobile-ad-sales/
Filed under: Portables, Software, Freeware, Apple
In addition to their Quattro Wireless buy last month, Apple has picked up two more new employees that seems like additions to an incoming mobile advertising business. Theo Theodorou was picked up from Microsoft's mobile advertising sales department and will head sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. And Todd Tran, from mobile ad agency Joule, will serve as general manager in Europe.
Apple hasn't announced exact details of what they plan to do with all of this mobile advertising, but they did say in the conference call last week that they plan to use their Quattro Wireless acquisition to help app developers make money, especially on free apps. We don't yet know the exact specifics of that plan ("iAds," coming soon to an App Store near you?), but it looks like Apple is making a significant investment in putting mobile ads on their [...]
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13) App Store devsugar: Browser-based previews and URL tricks
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/app-store-devsugar-browser-based-previews-and-url-tricks/
Filed under: iTS, Software, iTunes, Apple, App Store
TUAW reader Gabby tipped us off this morning that Apple has expanded its new browser-based iTunes previews to include App Store offerings. Sure enough, I pasted a standard App Store URL for Apple's Remote application into Safari and was treated to the preview shown just above.
This new preview option is just one of many App Store URL tricks you may want to take advantage of. You can find some of the most useful tricks right after the break on this post. Got another URL trick for App Store? Let us know in the comments.
Direct App Links (and creating them proactively). Right-clicking (or Control-clicking) the application icon in an iTunes App Store listing allows you to copy a URL that provides direct access to your App Store listing. A typical link looks like this:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/remote/id284417350?mt=8
Notice the [...]
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14) AppFund offers VC money for iPad apps
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/appfund-offers-vc-money-for-ipad-apps/
Filed under: Software, Developer, SDKA group of investors has teamed up to form AppFund, a company solely focused on raising money for and incubating apps for the iPad. You'll remember the somewhat similar iFund, which even got a mention in an Apple keynote a while back, and eventually offered up millions of dollars to emerging iPhone app companies like ngmoco and others. AppFund is trying to do the same thing, though they're starting out a bit smaller, promising $5000 to $500,000 to folks with interesting iPad ideas and the means to get them up and running.
They're soliciting ideas right now, so if you saw the iPad on stage and came up with a brilliant way to use it, you can send them a report and see if they bite. You'll probably need a solid business plan and/or a prototype as well, since they probably won't give you $500,000 to develop an iPad whoopie cushion that you can sneak [...]
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15) Sonic 4 coming to the iPhone/iPad?
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/sonic-4-coming-to-the-iphone-ipad/
Filed under: Gaming, Hardware, Rumors, Software, Apple
Sega surprised everyone last night with the reveal of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 -- apparently the newest game in the series will be a download-only episodic title coming to the Xbox and PS3 later this year. And the iPhone, too? The very end of the trailer, as you can see above, has a blank rectangle after the XBLA, PSN, and WiiWare logos, which some presume is a space for the App Store logo eventually. In addition, various graphics were found on the official site that hint at an iPhone release as well. The game, which you can see in the trailer linked above, is a colorful return to the series' 2D roots, but even the updated 3D graphics are probably enough for the latest versions of the iPhone to handle.
And of course there's the iPad -- considering that the game is called "Episode 1" (so presumably Sega is going to be releasing a few of [...]
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16) The Flash saga continues: Adobe responds to charges of "laziness"
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/05/the-flash-saga-continues-adobe-responds-to-charges-of-laziness/
Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Internet ToolsKevin Lynch, CTO of Adobe, has posted the latest riposte in the ongoing fencing match between Apple and Adobe concerning the lack of Flash support in Apple's portable products, including the iPad. Apple's latest word on the subject reputedly came from Steve Jobs himself at the recent Town Hall meeting with Apple employees, where he characterized Adobe as "lazy," condemned the plugin's poor performance on the OS X platform, and predicted a future where HTML5 would supplant Flash. Presumably in response to those comments, Adobe's Lynch has argued in favor of Flash, citing the plugin's ubiquity, flexibility, and Adobe's commitment to "focus on enabling our customers to do their best work, and helping them reach people effectively and reliably around the world across operating systems, browsers, and a variety of devices."
Lynch acknowledges [...]
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