New Posts to The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Apr 29, 2010:
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1) Steam for Mac beta set for May 12
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/steam-for-mac-beta-set-for-may-12/
Filed under: Gaming
Steam for the Mac has been given a date: May 12th. We were hoping to see it by the time April ended, but they've pushed back the date to just a few scant weeks from today. So come the second Wednesday in May, you the public will be able to go and pick up the beta and see what the biggest digital distribution system in the world looks like running native on your Mac.
Keep in mind that you'll have to have an Intel Mac running 10.5 or higher (and you might even need a more current OS for some of the games on the system), and of course this is the Steam platform, not all of the games along with it. But at the very least, the official Valve games will be Mac-ported, including the Half Life and Left 4 Dead series, and the very excellent Portal. Should be fun!TUAWSteam for Mac beta set for May 12 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 [...]
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2) Did iPad kill the Courier tablet?
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/did-ipad-kill-the-courier-tablet/
Filed under: iPad
Microsoft's Courier project was an exciting and fascinating concept. When it first appeared last year, the folding two-screen tablet was one of the most incredible things we've seen out of Redmond for a long time. Similar in concept to Apple's Knowledge Navigator concept device, Courier used a combination of touch and pen-based computing to generate a lot of buzz and interest about what was going on in Microsoft's labs.
Gizmodo is reporting that the project was killed yesterday. There's speculation that the intense popularity of Apple's relatively low-cost iPad, coupled with the imminent arrival of Android-based tablets and possibly even WebOS slates from HP, could have scared the software giant away from releasing the device.
Nobody outside of Microsoft knows for sure how far along Courier really was -- the video that was widely distributed last fall was obviously [...]
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3) Apple releases Aperture 3.0.3 update
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/apple-releases-aperture-3-0-3-update/
Filed under: Software UpdateApple has released an update to Aperture 3, its professional imaging software. The 3.0.3 update improves overall stability and fixes issues in a number of areas, including:
Applying adjustments such as Retouch or Chromatic Aberration
Creating and using Raw Fine Tuning presets
Viewing, adding and removing detected faces
Switching target printers and paper sizes when printing
Duplicating Smart Albums
Repairing and rebuilding Aperture libraries
Reconnecting referenced files
Working with GPS track files in Places
Searching for keywords in the Query HUD or Keyword Controls
The Aperture 3.0.3 update weighs in at 69.4MB and requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later, or Mac OS X 10.6.2 or later. The full release notes can be found here.TUAWApple releases Aperture 3.0.3 update originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:00:00 [...]
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4) Found: The iPhone prototype finder
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/found-the-iphone-prototype-finder/
Filed under: iPhoneWired has located and interviewed the man who "found" Apple's lost prototype iPhone in a Redwood City bar: 21-year-old Brian Hogan. With a statement from his attorney, Hogan has shed a great deal of light on the ongoing saga of Gizmodo's premature unveiling of Apple's next-gen iPhone. The story, as told by Hogan, supposedly goes like this:
Another bar patron handed Hogan the iPhone when the patron found it lying on a nearby barstool. This patron asked Hogan if it was his iPhone, then abruptly left. Hogan asked nearby bar patrons if the phone belonged to them. When no one said it was theirs, he and his friends left with the iPhone. Critically, there's no mention that Hogan made any effort to leave the phone with the bartender, which is what I probably would have done in that situation. [Ed: After you put together a hands-on and gallery for TUAW, you mean.]TUAWFound: [...]
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5) Apple passes Motorola, now the largest US phone maker
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/apple-passes-motorola-now-the-largest-us-phone-maker/
Filed under: iPhoneIn some incredible news, Apple has passed Motorola to become the largest phone maker in the US. According to Forbes, Apple sold 8.8 million iPhones in the first quarter, while Motorola sold 8.5 million of their various mobile devices. This is despite Motorola having posted an unexpected profit in the quarter and outdoing both its own and Wall Street's forecasts.
Motorola has been in a skid for a while. Four years ago they posted 46.1 million phones sold in the 1st quarter (back when the RAZR was hot). Their current strategy is to focus on smart phones that they can charge more for, like the Droid. It's working, Forbes notes, but more slowly than executives would like.
Motorola earned US$69 million, or 3 cents per share in the quarter. In the same quarter last year, it lost $231 million, or 13 cents per share.
Motorola has been in the market for a long time, which [...]
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6) iPad hacksugar: More than you wanted (or needed) to know about Apple's iPad Camera Connection Kit
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/ipad-hacksugar-more-than-you-wanted-or-needed-to-know-about-a/
Filed under: iPadThe iPad. It is awesome. And the iPad camera connector kit is even more awesome. It works with USB keyboards. It works with USB headsets (seriously, I just spent a half hour on the phone with Kyle Kinkade on Skype voice chat that way). And, of course, it does photos. You can import photos from cameras, from SD cards, and even from iPhone OS devices.
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tweetmeme_url='http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/ipad-hacksugar-more-than-you-wanted-or-needed-to-know-about-a/';tweetmeme_source='tuaw';
But that's not the sum of what most people really want to do with their iPad USB ports. What people want, what they really really want, is to insert a USB memory stick and read arbitrary files off and write arbitrary files onto that device.
On that end, there's good news and there's [...]
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7) Found Footage: Jon Stewart scolds Apple over the Gizmodo stolen iPhone fracas
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/found-footage-jon-stewart-scolds-apple-over-the-gizmodo-stolen/
Filed under: Found FootageLeave it to Jon Stewart to put things into perspective. In this segment from The Daily Show, Jon satirically cops to being an Apple user since the 80s and takes Apple to task for stealing the evil empire crown from Microsoft in their handling of the Gizmodo lost iPhone incident.
After Giz gave back the iPhone, the cops busted down its editor, Jason Chen's door. "Don't they know there's an app for that?" Say what you will, I think Jon nailed it.
Watch the full clip after the break.
[via iPhone Savior]
TUAWFound Footage: Jon Stewart scolds Apple over the Gizmodo stolen iPhone fracas originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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8) Adobe releases Flash Player "Gala" preview with H.264 video hardware decoding for Mac OS X 10.6.3
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/adobe-releases-flash-player-gala-preview-with-h-264-video-hard/
Filed under: Software
Apple and Adobe may be at each others' throats, but that won't stop the software from going out. Adobe has released "Gala," a Flash Player preview that introduces support for H.264 video hardware decoding on Mac OS X 10.6.3. While Flash Player H.264 video hardware decoding has been available on Windows for some time, Apple has only recently made available to developers APIs that support H.264 hardware video decoding in the browser, with the release of Mac OS X 10.6.3. Gala's hardware decoding "enables supported Macs running the current version of OS X to deliver smooth, flicker-free HD video with substantially decreased power consumption," according to Adobe.
In order to take advantage of Gala's hardware decoding, users will be required to have Mac OS X 10.6.3 running on a Mac with one of the following graphics cards: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, GeForce 320M or GeForce [...]
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9) Setting up your 3G service on the iPad 3G
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/setting-up-your-3g-service-on-the-ipad-3g/
Filed under: iPadIt's been an exciting iPad 3G day. First, nearly everyone's iPads were marked for shipment, then AT&T unveiled iPad 3G data information.
digg_url = 'http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/setting-up-your-3g-service-on-the-ipad-3g/';
While most still wait for their iPad 3Gs to arrive tomorrow, reader Robert S. was kind enough to send us the following screen shots of signing up for AT&T 3G service on his iPad 3G (he got his a day early -- lucky guy).
tweetmeme_url='http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/setting-up-your-3g-service-on-the-ipad-3g/';tweetmeme_source='tuaw';
As you can see, you simply touch the Settings iPad app, tap on Cellular Data, enter your payment details, and boom! you're presented with a Cellular Data Account page which shows you your Cellular Data Plan account number, the status of your plan (how many days you have remaining), the billing period, and the abilities [...]
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10) Adobe CEO reponds to Steve's Flash rant
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/adobe-ceo-reponds-to-steves-flash-rant/
Filed under: AppleJust hours after Apple posted Steve Jobs's explanation of why Flash isn't supported on the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen responded. The Wall Street Journal live-blogged their exclusive interview with Narayen at 2:35 PM Eastern. Here are some of the highlights.
Narayen began by reinforcing Adobe's belief in open content, noting that the Creative Suite apps were designed to work on multiple platforms, and notes that Adobe "certainly" will be shipping on the latest version of Android. He goes on to call Steve's essay "a smokescreen," noting that more than 100 apps are currently in the App Store used Adobe's software.
In response to Steve's assertion that "...Flash is the number one reason Macs crash," Narayen said that, if Adobe does crash a Mac, it's probably got something "to do with the Apple operating system."
He goes on to warn developers [...]
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11) Apple files official app icon trademarks
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/apple-files-official-app-icon-trademarks/
Filed under: AppleApple has filed trademark motions on a number of its official app icons, and none of them are new (though the trademarks for the iDisk app and the MobileMe gallery app threw me a bit, not having MobileMe myself). Apple appears to be shoring up its official iPad and iPhone app icon library, and trademarking all of the official icons that it's put together.
Each icon is marked not only by description (the Camera app icon is described as "rounded corners depicting a stylized camera lens"), but by its colors as well, which is standard for a logo trademark. It's also interesting that all of these icons are submitted at a gigantic size of 955x955 pixels, but iPhone icons are shown at 57x57, and iPad icons are displayed at 72x72. Clearly, though, Apple makes its icons Texas-sized and then scales them down to display them.TUAWApple files official app icon trademarks [...]
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12) AT&T posts iPad 3G data information
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/atandt-posts-ipad-3g-data-information/
Filed under: iPadAs iPad 3Gs travel to eager owners, AT&T has posted specifics on data pricing [PDF]. Best of all, you can activate and manage the whole works from the iPad itself. Here's the lowdown of domestic plans. All prices are US dollars.
$14.99 per month for 250 MB
$29.99 per month for unlimited data
Unlimited access - no added cost - to AT&T's 20,000+ Wi-Fi Hot Spots
Domestic plans can be canceled at any time from the iPad with no penalty. Otherwise, they'll automatically renew after 30 days at the same rate.
There's a "usage meter" in the general settings of 3G iPads (Settings > Cellular Data) that lets you monitor your data usage. Additionally, when you purchase the $14.95 plan, you'll get three warnings that you're about to exhaust your plan: One at 20 percent, one at 10 percent and finally at zero. If you do exceed your plan, it simply expires until you renew (so [...]
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13) Kerio integrates iPad into the corporate messaging and collaboration world
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/kerio-integrates-ipad-into-the-corporate-messaging-and-collabora/
Filed under: iPadKerio Technologies, Inc. is a major player in the enterprise messaging and collaboration software market, and the company's products are well-known in the Apple world. Their primary product, Kerio Connect 7, provides tools for corporate IT departments for email, calendaring, and group contact lists, all using cross-platform server tools that are much less expensive to implement and maintain than their counterparts from Microsoft (Exchange) and Apple.
Now, Kerio has announced that Kerio Connect 7 natively supports the Apple iPad. Kerio is spotlighting the integration of Connect 7 and the iPad platform at Interop 2010, which ends today in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kerio Connect 7 allows iPad users to synchronize email, contacts, and a private calendar to the server. Users can also search the Global Address List (GAL) and manage invitations, and admins can easily perform [...]
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14) WSJ: Apple to charge a premium to put ads in mobile apps
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/wsj-apple-to-charge-a-premium-to-put-ads-in-mobile-apps/
Filed under: AppleWhen Steve Jobs introduced iAd on April 8th, he provided some details on how it would work, but not all. Now, the Wall Street Journal is reporting on the cost for early participants, and it's steep.
Apple is currently on a dog-and-pony-show tour, proclaiming the benefits of iAd to potential customers across the US. According to a "person familiar with the matter," initial participants could be charged as much as $10 million. It's a number that has some market veterans surprised.
Phuc Truong, managing director at Mobext, called it "...a hefty sum... What Apple is trying to do is certainly above and beyond what's been done in the past." Mobext's clients include Sears, Choice Hotels, Amtrak and Volvo.
Apple and developers will share iAd revenue with a 40/60 split; that is, Apple gets 40% while developers get 60%. In addition, Apple will charge advertisers US$0.01 for [...]
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15) Apple previews icon of iPhone video chat app? Probably not.
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/apple-previews-icon-of-iphone-video-chat-app-probably-not/
Filed under: iPhone
On their Worldwide Developers Conference 2010 page, Apple has posted a series of icons, one of which looks like it could be the new icon for the rumored iChat video conferencing app that will be used to take advantage of the 4G iPhone's front facing camera.
As you can see from the series of twelve icons above, only four of them are definitively app icons (Maps, Calendar, Photos, and Messages), four are icons for new iPhone OS 4.0 services or features (multitasking, iAd, Game Center, and Enterprise), while the last known three are standerd developer icons (the lock, the x-ray applications icon, and the iPhone pref file).
Of course, it's likely that the remaining camera icon is just referencing the access developers have to the iPhone's video recording software and hardware. We've gotten quite a few emails about this, though, so we are posting this in the interest [...]
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16) TUAW First Look and Giveaway: Twelve South BookArc for iPad
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/tuaw-first-look-and-giveaway-twelve-south-bookarc-for-ipad/
Filed under: iPadThere are a lot of Twelve South fans here at TUAW. The company makes nothing but Apple accessories, and they do it with a flair and panache that most other accessory makers seem to lack. We've reviewed or introduced a number of their products -- the BackPack shelves for iMac and Cinema Displays, the BookBook cases, BookArc desktop stand, and BassJump subwoofer for MacBooks -- and now we have another lovely aluminum arc to add to the list.
The BookArc for iPad is a tabletop stand for the iPad. While we've seen everything from empty tape rolls and carry-out trays used as stands for the iPad, the BookArc is definitely one of the more stylish stands. The US$39.99 BookArc for iPad is a sleek arc of aluminum, outfitted with silicone rubber inserts to keep your iPad from getting scratched while it's sitting in the stand. Depending on which insert you use, you can orient the [...]
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17) Apple visited the iPhone 4G's finder before the police did
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/apple-visited-the-iphone-4gs-finder-before-the-police-did/
Filed under: AppleWith all of the chaos going on around the lost iPhone case, everyone has more or less assumed that Apple is behind the police department's actions in searching Gizmodo Editor Jason Chen's house late last week. Of course, no one believes that the sheriff is working for Apple, but most people seem to be under the impression that Apple wants to get to the bottom of the case, and that the company is pulling strings in law enforcement to try and do that.
However, some new information discovered by Wired suggests that the story may be more complicated than that. They have heard claims from an anonymous source that Apple already knew the identity of the person who found the iPhone, and allegedly sold it to Gizmodo. Someone identifying themselves as being affiliated with Apple apparently arrived at the finder's house in Silicon Valley last week, looking for the finder (and [...]
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18) iTunes accounting for 1/4 of all U.S. music sales
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/itunes-accounting-for-1-4-of-all-u-s-music-sales/
Filed under: iTunesOverall, music sales fell by more than a billion dollars last year, but Apple's iTunes is doing better than ever. The digital music distribution service claimed more money than ever, and now represents the biggest U.S. market for music sales, making up over a quarter of total music sales in this country. Unfortunately, not even iTunes may save the industry; total music sales in the US only rose by 1.1 percent over the previous year (which, according to industry analysts, is as good as not growing at all), and the total worldwide market decreased to $17 billion. That's nothing to sneeze at, but the fact is that, even if more people are buying music through iTunes, less music is being sold. The way the trends are going, it looks like actual music sales themselves may start dropping off, even in the United States.
So what's the solution? The record industry is actually [...]
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19) Blizzard hasn't looked at the iPad for StarCraft
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/blizzard-hasnt-looked-at-the-ipad-for-starcraft/
Filed under: iPadLast week, the folks from Ars Technica got a chance to stop by Blizzard headquarters in Irvine, CA. They kindly asked a question that many of us RTS gamers have been wondering about ever since the iPad was released: Is there any chance that we'll be getting StarCraft to play on the iPad? Sure, there are lots of games we'd like to play on Apple's revolutionary device. Real-time strategy seems a perfect fit for a touch interface, though, and when you talk about RTS, you're talking about StarCraft. Either a port of the old game, or maybe even a few teaser levels for the new version would be awesome to see in the App Store.
Unfortunately, it's not in the cards quite yet. StarCraft II's lead designer, Dustin Browder says it's not beyond the realm of possibility at some point, but the team is "certainly not working on it now." Like all of us, they're intrigued by the idea of [...]
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20) Apple posts thoughts on Flash
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/apple-posts-thoughts-on-flash/
Filed under: Steve JobsApple has posted their Thoughts on Flash, signed by Steve Jobs himself, which echos a lot of the commentary that you've probably already read on why Apple isn't supporting Flash on iPhone OS devices, and why they plan to block apps that allow Flash programs to be recompiled into iPhone OS programs, especially games.
Beginning with citing their long-standing relationship, Steve outlines six points: openness, "the full web", security and performance, battery life, touch, and the drawbacks of relying on third-party development tools.
In case anyone has been unclear thus far, or has been waiting for a version of the iPhone OS that supports Flash, here is your clear and unmistakable sign: you will never see Flash on an iPhone OS device. Steve's letter addresses the "why not?" questions.
TUAWApple posts thoughts on Flash originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple [...]
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21) The Gizmodo iPhone saga flowchart
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/the-gizmodo-iphone-saga-flowchart/
Filed under: iPhone
Fast Company has come up with an awesome Gizmodo iPhone Saga flowchart to help us follow the increasingly confusing case. The flowchart allows users to pick what they believe to be the true facts, and it lets them follow the trail to its "obvious" conclusion. Possible outcomes include: it was all an Apple conspiracy, bloggers are journalists, and Gizmodo bowed to corruption to get site traffic. So, where did you end up?TUAWThe Gizmodo iPhone saga flowchart originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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22) iPad 3Gs being marked for shipment
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/ipad-3gs-being-marked-for-shipment/
Filed under: iPad
This is just a quick note to say that we've gotten a flood of emails from readers stating that their iPad 3Gs have been shipped. Most have an estimated delivery time of 4:30PM on April 29 -- a whole seven and a half hours before the official April 30th release date! One guy emailed us saying that he's been checking his tracking information every five minutes. I know the anticipation of iPad 3G receipt is exciting, but just remember to take deep breaths, people. For those of you who didn't pre-order one originally, the iPad 3G should be in Apple retail stores by May 7th.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.TUAWiPad 3Gs being marked for shipment originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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23) TUAW's Daily App: Chimes
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/29/tuaws-daily-app-chimes/
Filed under: App Store
Chimes is a beautiful and subtle game; its simple graphics and premise hold up some interesting gameplay that's somehow both frantic and serene. You're given five chimes of five colors to touch, and little drops of color will soon arrive on the screen and try to make their way to the bottom. Your job is to hit the chimes, and as waves of sound and color ring out, the little drops will be cleared when they match up with the right colors. Chimes can be added together as well, so when a red chime hits a blue chime, it makes a yellow chime, and so on. Drops can also have multiple colors, and when you start to realize that sending out waves of color can sometimes "paint over" the drops that are coming down, this previously simple game gets more complicated.
It's a lot of fun, and it's free in the App Store. 1.1 added a few features to the in-app purchase that open up [...]
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