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January 30 2012
Macworld | iWorld 2012: A Hero Will Rise
In our first video study of Macworld | iWorld 2012, we took a quick look at the seedy underbelly of the event. Now, we wonder about the public displays of peace, love and understanding that this “lifestyle event” has engendered. Drum lines? Public dances? At a tech show? Who can stop them? Who can save the world?
Macworld | iWorld 2012: Appletell’s favorite products
Macworld | iWorld 2012 has come and gone, just like that. Three days are barely enough to take a close look at all the new apps, gadgets, software and hardware that vendors were happy to show off, but it was enough time for the Appletell team to put together our list of favorite products from the show floor. This year, it’s an iPhone camera accessory, a home control system and one developer’s entire lineup.
Aaron: ōlloclip iPhone Lens by ōlloclip
Launched as a KickStarter project last year, ōlloclip has been burning up the iDevice accessory world lately. The ōlloclip is a combination fisheye, macro, and wide angle lens that snaps effortlessly on the iPhone body and self-aligns with the camera.
The ōlloclip takes full advantage of the iPhone 4S’ excellent camera for both still shots and video, opening a new world of artistic effects for the point-and-shoot camera most people carry around every day. With precision ground optical elements and a machined aluminum lens barrel, the ōlloclip is a great option for professional photo results when a bulky DSLR just is not an option.
David: Crestron Mobile Pro G by Crestron
With all due respect to all of the fantastic apps at MacWorld | iWorld 2012 I am going to give Crestron my nod for Best of Show.
The Crestron control system allows you to connect to and control almost anything that runs on electricity from your iDevice wherever you are. The ability to set up preferences, touch a couple of buttons and have your home set your shades, start your coffee, turn on the morning news, set the thermostat, turn on some background music, open the garage door, etc., all before your feet hit the floor when the alarm goes off is a significant time saver.
In the workplace it can help manage light harvesting and environment control, which can mean significant energy savings. Since I have a penchant for the really handy, Crestron gets the “best of show” for this Expo.
Kirk: Pretty much any speaker system by Gavio
There were plenty of products by familiar companies I was happy to finally check out at Macworld | iWorld this year: iStop Motion for iPad from Boinx, the Spark Digital condenser mic from Blue, and Monster Wars from Liv Games, for example. But my “best in show” goes to a company that’s new to me and to Macworld Expo: Gavio.
Gavio showed off a lot of products for iDevices, but it was their line of portable speakers that won me over. Specifically, the Wrenz, Alchemey, Toast and GooGoo models. These are all gorgeously designed systems that are at once charming and unique, and all of them pack more punch than you’d expect (especially the Alchemy, despite being housed in a single aluminum cylinder).
Wrenz
Whether via Bluetooth or the docking port, they provide solid sound from your iDevices, and complement them quite well. The Wrenz are available now, with Alchemy, Toast and GooGoo available for pre-order.
Also see Appletell’s Surprising Finds.
Will the iPhone 4S overtake the Kinect as the fastest selling consumer product device?
In 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, managing director of Guinness Breweries, was involved in a drunken argument about which of Europe's many game birds could fly the fastest. Unable to settle the argument even after consulting a well-stocked library, he commissioned a new reference book that would be filled with the sort of facts that people routinely argue about over beer -- the fastest, furthest, most expensive, largest, and so forth.
Thus was Guinness World Records born, and it has continued to this day. Last year it announced that Microsoft's Kinect was the "Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device" ever. The Xbox 360's motion-sensing controller sold an impressive eight million units in its first 60 days on sale.
However, let's look at some other numbers relating to another consumer electronics device you may have heard of -- the iPhone 4S. The 4S was announced on October 4 and went on sale on October 14. Leading up to this, we know that iPhone 3GS and 4 sales were down based on the widely circulated rumours of the 4S release. So we know that most of Apple's iPhone sales for the quarter would have happened after the 4S was released.
We also know that Apple sold 37 million iPhones in total in the fourth quarter of 2011 -- in other words, from October 1 to December 31. Furthermore, survey firm Consumer Intelligence Research has produced credible analysis that suggests that 89% of those 37 million sales were of the iPhone 4S model. This is corroborated by the high average selling price of the iPhone reported in Apple's quarterly earnings report. An average of $659, above the iPhone 3GS and 4 price points, suggests that the majority of sales must have gone to the more expensive iPhone 4S models.
Finally, we know that Apple sold four million iPhone 4S handsets in the first three days it was available. Oh, and that there's 78 days between the date the iPhone 4S went on sale and the end of Apple's quarterly reporting period.
So to recap: the Kinect holds a genuine world record for selling eight million devices in 60 days. The iPhone 4S definitely sold four million devices in three days, and went on to sell as many as 33 million devices in 78 days. It seems extremely likely that somewhere between those two numbers Apple comfortably eclipsed Microsoft's 60-day sales record.
The only fly in the ointment I can see might be Guinness World Record's definition of "consumer electronics device." I'm not sure if cellphones are included, or if they perhaps have their own category. Several media sources such as the Telegraph took care to point out that Kinect outsold the iPad and the iPhone 4, which suggests that these devices were considered as part of the same category. If so, come the publication of the next volume of the Guinness World Records book -- the 2013 edition, due towards the end of this year -- we can expect to see Apple take Microsoft's place as the record holder.
Will the iPhone 4S overtake the Kinect as the fastest selling consumer product device? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Here we are again, another Sunday. What remains of our TUAW crew after covering Macworld | iWorld 2012 (and more importantly, all of the ancillary events associated with MWiW) will be around tonight to chat about the show and whatever else we can come up with to fill out the hour.
What's left of Kelly's voice will be hosting this evening, so you might have to listen closely. What's left of Paul Kent has said he will make every attempt to join us, but if he can't make it this week he said he'd join us next week.
Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cellphone weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8.
If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Gizmo, X-Lite, or Blink SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!
Talkcast tonight, 10pm ET/7pm PT: Post Macworld-iWorld Edition! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
January 29 2012
Steve Jobs anda lever vidare
Apple vill uppenbarligen att Steve Jobs ska vara en del av den dagliga verksamheten. Med citat och fotografier från olika perioder vill Apple att de anställda ska inspireras av mannen som förändrat hur vi ser på datorer, musikspelare, mobiltelefoner och mycket annat.
Efter Steve Jobs tragiska bortgång för ett halvår sedan, är det många som har svårt att se hur företaget ska fungera utan den allvetande härskaren. Vi får hoppas att Apple inte förändras allt för mycket och att de kan använda sig av Steve Jobs många visdomsord när de i framtiden skapar produkter utan hans inblandning.
Via: 9to5mac
Unofficial "Look Up in 1Password" bookmarklet for iOS 5
1Password is one of my most-used iOS apps, since I need it to log in to any site which requires a password.
Since the introduction of 1Password on iOS, Agile has provided a bookmarklet which will open 1Password and then search for the current domain. That helps the fact that 1Password can't be fully integrated with Safari on iOS. Unfortunately the bookmarklet stopped working in iOS 5.
According to the company's blog, Agile has discontinued the bookmarklet and won't be updating it. They are working on "something better coming up for the future." They went on to add that they want to make 1Password's own integrated browser "more usable as "a Safari replacement, or rather partial replacement."
While I will reserve judgment until I see it, I have serious reservations about this plan. I have used iCab Mobile on the iPad for over a year. iCab is a superior browser to Safari, but it is still difficult to use instead of Safari because iOS doesn't allow you to change the default browser. It's hard to imagine that 1Password's integrated browser will be better than iCab.
Fortunately, two 1Password users, Kevin Yank and Brendan Averett, have created a new Look Up in 1Password bookmarklet which is compatible with iOS 5. You can either copy that link, or use this:
javascript:window.location='onepassword://'+window.location.href.substring(window.location.href.indexOf('//')+2
I have successfully tested it on iOS 5 and 1Password Pro (with both Safari and iCab).
Unofficial "Look Up in 1Password" bookmarklet for iOS 5 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Bill Gates's Microsoft was a long time Apple rival, as well as a respected competitor; the two companies also collaborated many times, including Microsoft's role as one of the original Macintosh third-party developers.
The Telegraph reports that a letter to Steve Jobs from Gates was kept on Jobs's nightstand during the Apple co-founder's final days. Gates and Jobs had met to reminisce and re-connect in the months before Steve's death due to complications from cancer in October 2011.
Gates didn't reveal many details about what was in the letter, but he said, "I told Steve about how he should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built. I wrote about his kids, whom I had got to know."
After Jobs died, Gates got a phone call from Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve's widow. She said, "Look, this biography (the Walter Issacson book) really doesn't paint a picture of the mutual respect you had."
She then told Gates that the letter had meant so much to Steve that he kept it by his bed.
Gates appeared in a video interview last week where he also discussed the complex relationship between himself and Steve.
Thanks to Daniel Jalkut.
Steve Jobs kept letter from Bill Gates on his nightstand originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
ReadNow bortplockat från Mac App Store
Tyvärr har, som Henrik Konstig uppmärksämmade, appen ReadNow plockats bort från Mac App Store. Utvecklaren Michael Schneider har bara denna korta information på sin hemsida.
- I’ve pulled ReadNow from the Mac App Store because of an infringement letter. In my current situation I’m not allowed to provide any further information.
I’m very sorry, but ReadNow is not available for download until the future of it is completely clarified.
Vi får hoppas att det ordnar sig och appen åter dyker upp i Mac App Store.
Upcoming software for the Mac and iOS lets users create unique video-based photographs.
Host Serenity Caldwell presides over a session featuring Christopher Breen and Ted Landau answering your Mac and iOS troubleshooting questions.
The iFlashDrive has a USB connector on one end that, when attached to a Mac or PC, acts like any other thumb drive. On the other end of the iFlashDrive is a dock connector that you attach directly into an iOS device.
iOS web browser shoot-out: alternatives to Safari on the iPad
I’m a Web browser junkie, and I usually have at least four different browsers up and running on my Mac, each with multiple tabs open and often two or more windows-full on the go, and in its own dedicated Space (OS X 10.6) for easy access and switching.
Unfortunately, the iOS doesn’t support Spaces, or for that matter real multitasking at all. But, true to form, I still usually have four browsers started up and populated with open tabs on the iPad as well, and I find that different browsers are best suited to various particular tasks.
On the Mac, I like Google’s Chrome Web browser a lot more than I do Apple’s Safari, and I often go for weeks or months without ever starting Safari in OS X. Unhappily, Chrome isn’t available on iOS devices.
To be fair, relatively speaking, the iOS version of Safari holds up a lot better in comparison with other Web browsers that support the iOS, like Opera Mini, Dolphin, Diigo, Terra, Mercury, and more, than does regular Safari for OS X against its competition. Indeed Safari may be the best of the iOS browser pack, ahead of my other favorites Dolphin, Diigo, and Terra, especially now that the iOS 5 version has real tabs. On the other hand, while I much prefer Opera to Safari in their respective OS X versions, Opera Mini on the iPad has been a disappointment, with a clunky user interface and distinctly less lively performance than any of the aforementioned competitors, and the very speedy Dolphin especially. These are all pretty good Web browsers.
However, for general Web surfing and searching, my favorite browser isn’t really a conventional Web browser at all, but rather the closest approximation of Chrome available on the iOS—namely the Google Search app. In fact, I find Google Search more useful and satisfying than I probably would an iOS port of the Chrome browser were one available.
Google Search For iPad
Google Search for iOS is simply outstanding—a lovely piece of work, obviously carefully tailored and optimized for the iOS, and it works with the same speediness, fluidity and smoothness I’ve come to expect from the Chrome browser for OS X. Even Chrome’s one-click ease of machine translation for other language Web pages is supported.
Within its capabilities, Google Search for iOS lets you search the web faster, easier, and more efficiently than you can with a regular Web browser. How so?
Google Search displays search results and websites side-by-side so you can quickly browse pages and results, and lets you wipe through its image carousel to see image results in full-size. You can also compare search results as webpage snapshots in Instant Previews mode, and use Google Instant and search suggestions to find you desired search results faster. Revisiting past searches is facilitated with Visual Search History, and you can highlight what you want to see on a webpage with the app’s new Find button, easily share pages and +1 sites, and have quick access to other Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Docs and more.
Google Search also supports Voice Search, allowing users to search by voice and skip the typing, and Google Goggles lets you snap a photo of what you see to find more information about products, landmarks or famous paintings, or even solve Sudoku puzzles. The handy “Search Nearby” feature finds places near you without typing your location.
Google Search also serves as a handy frontend gateway to the constellation of Google Web apps and services, somewhat like Google’s Chrome OS does, only bringing it to iOS through the back door, as it were. There’s an application launcher for 16 Google apps like Gmail, Google Reader, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and so forth, on two pages, and easy navigation from one app to another without leaving the Google Search environment.
Google Search for iOS works with iPhone and iPod touch as well as iPad, and requires iOS 4.0 or later.
Product [Google Search]
Dolphin Browser HD
Dolphin Browser claims over 10,000,000 total downloads, has been rated #2 on CNET’s 100, and #1 in PC Mag’s “The 40 Best Free Apps for 2011″ In my seat of the pants estimation, Dolphin HD is probably the fastest iOS Web browser, although it’s not necessarily faster than Google Search.
My most disliked Dolphin HD aspect is that on my poor 16 GB iPad 2, where I tend to keep a couple of dozen apps started up, Dolphin tends to dump loaded Web page content when it’s running in the background. Page restorations are fast, as long as there aren’t too many, which mitigates the aggravation somewhat, but I haven’t found this an issue with most other iOS browsers (it is also an issue with Opera Mini).
Dolphin Features:
- Webzine – Fast loading, without ads; Webzine simplifies the way you read your favorite news, blogs and websites.
- Gesture – Let your inner artist out and create a personal symbol to access the websites you use the most.
- Speed Dial – Visit you favorite sites on the go with one touch.
- Tabbed browsing – No need to toggle between screens, tabbed browsing lets you open and switch between pages fast as lightening.
- SideBars – Make the best of mobile interface via Dolphin SideBars.
- Bookmarks Bar -The fastest way to customize your desktop.
- Full Screen Mode – Browse without clutter by switching easily to full screen mode.
- Access the left and right Sidebar by swiping at edge of screen to facilitate easier browsing when zoomed in.Dolphin Connect – Sync your bookmarks across your iPhone, iPad or Android devices with a Dolphin ID.
- Quickly tap the status bar to scroll to the top of a webpage.
Dolphin is compatible with iPad and requires iOS 4.0 or later
Product [Dolphin]
Diigo Browser
Diigo browser (formerly known as iChromy) claims to bring the best of Chrome’s interface, speed and web annotation features to the iPad, and it does a pretty good job of that, although not quite as good as Google Search does for Web search based surfing.
Diigo Feature Highlights:
- Tabs on Top - It’s easy to open, switch and close tabs.
- OmniboxType search keywords or URL in one box.
- Extra space for the web content - The address bar will be hidden automatically when you scroll down the page, so you get the the extra space for web content. To show the address bar, just tap the tab again.
- Read later and Reading list (Offline reading) - One click to save a page to reading list, so you can view them offline. One click to remove a page from the reading list. It’s fast to get pages in and out.
- Share to different places - Share the page to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Diigo, Instapaper etc.
- Context search - Search from context menu directly.
- Open link in new tab - Long press a link and choose different open options.
Other features:
- More privacy
- Efficiency
- Stability
- More options
Diigo is compatible with iPad and requires iOS 4.3 or later.
Product [Diigo]
Terra Web Browser
Terra is another fast web browser with unlimited tabs, full screen browsing, text search, and the ability to save web pages for offline reading. I like Terra, find it stable and comparable in speed to Safari, and, like Safari (and Diigo), it happily holds on to open tabs when idling in the background. The downside of that with Diigo and Terra is a lag in coming forward as the tab pages refresh, and I’ll give Safari the nod as best of the bunch for graceful handling of open Tabs, since it’s unafflicted by any similar lag on most sites.
Terra Advantages:
- Unlimited Tabs - Enjoy desktop class web browsing experience. Create as many tabs as you need, quickly switch between opened web pages and open links in new tabs.
- Full Screen Browsing - Take advantage of the 100% of the iPad screen. Hide toolbars and tabs with one tap.
- Save Web Pages - You can save web pages to read them offline with all images preserved.
- Text Search - Easily find a word on the web page. Great for long Wikipedia articles.
- Swipe gestures - Use swipe gestures for easy navigation while surfing the Internet.
Other things Terra lets you do:
- Bookmark Favorite Web Pages - You can add your favorite web pages to the bookmarks. Open a new tab and quickly navigate to any preferred web site.
- Manage Bookmarks - Terra excels bookmark management. Add bookmarks, create multiple nested folders
- Turn on Desktop Browsing - You can set Terra to pretend IE 6, Desktop Safari or Firefox to browse desktop versions of the web sites.
- Stay Private - When private mode is turned on, your browsing history and cookies are not saved.
- Passcode protection - Protect application with password. Best way to keep your bookmarks, recently visited web sites and saved pages private.
- Send links by email - Share interesting web pages with friends and colleagues.
- Save images - Tap and hold on the image to save it, exactly like in Safari.
Terra is compatible with iPad and requires iOS 4.0 or later.
Product [Terra]
Opera Mini Web Browser
As noted, Opera MIni is not my favorite alternative iOS browser, which was a surprise, because its big sibling, Opera for OS X, in many respects is my favorite OS X browser. Go figure.
However, Opera Mini does have one unique advantage: compression. Handy for times you find yourself on a slow, crowded network, away from Wi-Fi or when data roaming. Opera’s servers compress data by up to 90% before downloading, so page loads don’t take forever.
On the other hand, I find Opera Mini consistently slower than Safari, Google Search, Dolphin HD, and the others for routine surfing.
Opera Mini features include:
- Up to 6 times faster browsing when on slower or crowded networks
- Data Savings: Compress up to 90% of data trafficSpeed Dial: Get to your favorite Web sites with a single tap
- Visual Tabs: See all your open Web pages and quickly switch between them
- Opera Link: Synchronize your bookmarks and Speed Dial with a Desktop PC or other mobile phone.
Product App Store: [Opera Mini]
So there you have it. There are other iOS Web browser alternatives to Safari, such as iCab, which gets good reviews. However, with so many good freeware browsers available, I remain convinced there’s a compelling case to be made for fee-based browser software on either the iOS or OS X.
Indeed, the iOS’s bundled Safari browser requires no apologies, and is, as I suggested, probably the best general purpose browser on the platform, but I do encourage you to give Google Search a whirl. It’s addictive.
Macworld | iWorld 2012: Appletell’s surprising finds
Another Macworld has come and gone, this time taking a new name with it. And just as the new name implies a shift away from the Macintosh and towards Apple’s iDevices, so do our surprising finds, for the second year in a row. iOS apps and accessories dominated the show floor, three of which took us pleasantly by surprise: a video app, an art app, and some slick iPhone cases.
Aaron: Game your Video by Global Delight
Video effects like Matrix-style bullet time or Charlie Chaplin jittery black & white, which used to take hours to render in your video, can now be applied live to HD video shot on your iPhone. Game Your Video comes with a full complement of audio effects like Chipmunk, Demon, and Baby voice transformations to add hilarious, scary, or “awwww” effects on the fly.
For personal sharing, the app also offers integration with your Music library, so you can pick an epic soundtrack for your footage. Game Your Video promises to let you stop editing your photos and start gaming. For only $1.99 it is an easy directive to follow!
Product [Game Your Video]
David: Art Authority for iPad by Open Door Networks
Art Authority was my surprise find for this Macworld | iWorld 2012. This was the first Macworld I’ve been to, so I really did not have a complete idea of what to expect. I was ready for the gadgetry and the tech atmosphere and the entertainment as part of the marketing. What I did not expect to find was an interesting app that featured the fine arts.
Art authority is an iPad app that lets you view over 50,000 works of art. From Paleolithic to Post Modern, Art Authority lets you view high resolution images of paintings, sculpture, tapestry and other art from around the world. The app also lets you search for works that are “like this one,” so if you find a particular painting you like, the app will show you works that are similar. Since the viewer is an iPad, you can use the usual finger tap zoom, rotate, pan, etc.
The nice folks at Art Authority said the app is starting to get some use in the classroom. To me this sounds like a great improvement over the old watching slides in the dark routine (which carries the inherent risk of dozing off). The resolution and clarity of the images are very good, and the selection virtually guarantees anyone can find what they like in the art world.
Product [Art Authority for iPad]
Kirk: Formati Collection for iPhone 4/4S by All Jack Boutique
You’re going to hate me for this, but I don’t actually have a photo of my most surprising find: the Formati collection of metal iPhone cases from All Jack Boutique. By the time I realized I’d accidentally deleted the photos I took, the show floor was closed and they were apparently all packed up.
But trust me when I tell you that these cases were quite sweet. There were about two dozen colorful designs on display, all of which have been CNC machine tooled. In addition, many of the designs come in multiple colors, including a rather cool looking green American flag (although my favorite is the haunting and lonely “Star Trace”).
I’ll upload some images once I obtain them, which will hopefully become before their official release, likely around the end of February 2012. I have a feeling, though, that you’ll really need to see these in person to appreciate just how stunning they look.
Chris Holt takes a look at the games being shown off at Macworld | iWorld this week -- some of which are already in the App Store and some which will arrive soon.
Sanho previews CloudFTP at Macworld | iWorld 2012
Sanho had its Kickstarter-funded CloudFTP at Macworld | iWorld 2012 this year, and the project has generated a lot of excitement.
Sanho's Daniel Chin originally sought $100,000 in funding through Kickstarter, but wound up with more than 2,700 backers and more than $262,000 by the time the pledge drive ended three weeks ago.
CloudFTP is an adapter that turns any USB storage device into a wireless file server. It can share files with any WiFi-enabled device and will back up data to cloud storage on the Internet. It creates its own ad-hoc wireless network to share data, and it can be accessed from a web app, iOS app (there's one for Android as well) or via FTP.
CloudFTP is expected to ship in early February to Kickstarter participants and will cost $99.95 retail. Check out the video below to discover CloudFTP can do.
Sanho previews CloudFTP at Macworld | iWorld 2012 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iOSOpenDev to allow the development of unofficial third-party apps in Xcode
A new project entitled iOSOpenDev will allow something that many iOS developers should be excited about: the ability to create unofficial third-party apps (the kind that make it into Cydia rather than the App Store), tweaks, themes, etc. right from within Xcode. The project, created by developer Spencer James, is nearing completion and public release, and is almost certain to gain a lot of hype among App Store developers interested in creating something for the jailbreak community.
iOSOpenDev expands Xcode and the iOS SDK to allow for open development beyond the limitations imposed by Apple, and will include templates for common Cydia packages, such as Notification Center widgets, SBSettings toggles, and many others. iOSOpenDev even allows developers to build the .deb files required for submission to a Cydia repository right from within Xcode.
Prior to this project, iOS developers wishing to create apps, tweaks, etc. for the jailbreak community had to look elsewhere as Xcode and the iOS SDK would not permit things such as modifying system files. This caused most App Store developers to shy away from unofficial development, although hopefully iOSOpenDev will change that upon its release. Fortunately, this should occur within about a week from now, as James claims he’s in the final stages of packaging and testing the project. For now, you can watch the following video to see iOSOpenDev in action through the development of an SBSettings toggle using Xcode and you can expect the project to go public very shortly.
Via [ModMyi]
Zephyr touch multitasking iOS tweak updated to version 1.1
If you’ve jailbroken your iDevice(s), you may be aware of a really cool tweak in the Cydia Store that provides the ability to multitask through touch gestures alone. This tweak, called Zephyr, has just been updated to version 1.1, bringing with it the ability to also navigate to the home screen without having to use the home button.
Although arguably not the best way to implement this new feature, as there is a lot of room for user error and the accidental closing of an app when the intention was to bring up the App Switcher, it is great that this feature has been added, especially for those with troublesome home buttons. Essentially, Zephyr has almost replaced an iOS hardware function with a software alternative, except in a few cases, such as when having to enter DFU mode. The new feature, being able to close applications (and therefore getting to the home screen) using touch gestures, has been integrated with Zephyr’s original feature of bringing up the iOS App Switcher. While using an application, swiping up completely will exit the app while swiping up but stopping approximately halfway will bring up the App Switcher instead. While on the home screen, swiping up will bring up the App Switcher regardless of how far a user swipes as there is obviously no open application to exit.
Zephyr’s settings allow users to enable or disable the new feature introduced in version 1.1, where doing so will only bring up the App Switcher upon swiping. Whether you find this feature a useful addition, Zephyr is a great tweak that makes the home button much less of a necessity.
If you’ve got an iDevice and think Zephyr is something you could use, you can buy it on the Cydia Store for $2.99.
Via [ModMyi]
The iPad-only Babiis, which debuted at Macworld | iWorld, delivers video messages to the under-two set, while using the iPad 2's front-facing camera to record their reactions to recorded greetings and stories from family members.
January 28 2012
WillowTree Apps wants to tap into your Facebook network to help you discover new places, movies, bands, and books with its latest Likes app.
The Rhythm Touch is a small rectangular box the size of half a deck of cards, and it uses electric stimulator pads to ease muscle pain.
Maybe Soup is currently being updated? I'll try again automatically in a few seconds...
