Leander Kahney's Blog, page 1468

December 2, 2011

Learn How to Make Great Product Demo Videos with Cult of Mac's Creation Course Deal

There are 16 hours left on our Demo Video Creation Course Deal.

"These might be my favorite instructional videos ever." – Ashton Kutcher

If your company doesn't have a demo video, it's missing out on the most effective way to convert those visitors into lifetime-long customers – by up to 400%.

To create a professionally made, high-quality video like this would typically run you at least $5,000…but you don't need $5,000 to compete with the big boys.

Instead of spending several thousand dollars to get a demo made for your startup or small business, all it will cost you is $79 to learn the secrets of how to do it yourself.

The instructor, Miguel Hernandez is renowned in the startup community for his ability to create phenomenal demo vids and has over a decade's worth of experience.

Not enough proof?

He's created videos for Hipmunk, inDinero, Ashton Kutcher, and many more.

With this offer you're going to get more than 10 hours of pure genius distilled into 98 online lectures. If you still have any doubts, we'll give you 30 days to try it out and if it's not for you, we'll refund your every cent.

This alone should speak for itself.

Why should you make a great demo video?:

• Promote your startup and explain your services quickly and concisely
• Increase your conversion rates by up to 400%
• Keep your information pages clutter-free
• Use your demo video as an elevator pitch to raise capital

What you'll learn:

• Scriptwriting – Learn to create simple, compelling, effective scripts in less than 2 hours
• Animating – Learn to create awesome animations quickly and cheaply
• Voice over – Learn how to record great voice over audio with no budget
• Editing – Learn how to put animation, audio, sound, all together with Final Cut or iMovie
• Promoting – Learn great social media marketing techniques to promote your video
• And much more…

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Published on December 02, 2011 07:20

December 1, 2011

Seagate GoFlex Slim: Sexy Fast Laptop Storage [Review]

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Review by Jordan Trimas

The Seagate GoFlex Slim Performance Hard Drive ($100) is a compact, sleek, and fashionable storage accessory good for both Mac and PC users. If you're looking for a sexy and functional piece of computer candy, the GoFlex Slim is the Prada of portable storage solutions.

The Good:

If you have a Mac and want a compact, sleek, aerodynamic-looking storage device to complement your Apple's good looks, the Seagate GoFlex Slim is definitely on the fashionable end of the fashion/function spectrum. The GoFlex will also give your non-Mac computer that touch of class it needs. Just like a supermodel, it's thin as a pencil and has an attractive matte soft–touch anodized metallic finish.

The GoFlex Slim also employs their unique system of interchangeable interfaces that enable use of features like FireWire, eSATA, the Seagate HD TV media player or their Net Media Sharing Device. The combination of stock USB 3.0 and 7200 rpm make the GoFlex slim a fast storage option right out of the box.

The GoFlex Slim comes with a fast USB 3.0 interface, and also employs their unique system of interchangeable upgrades and interfaces that enable use of features like FireWire, eSATA, the Seagate HD TV media player or their Net Media Sharing Device.

Seagate includes backup software with the GoFlex Slim that can be used with Time Machine when reformatted to HFS. Seagate offers both a Mac-specific version and a NTFS/HFS driver compatible version as well.

The three-year warranty will help you sleep at night like a well-fed apple-loving baby.

The Bad:

I'd definitely like to see a GoFlex Slim with a bit higher capacity.

The GoFlex Slim employs an unusual looking non-standard cable (see pictures), so if you require multiple storage devices, you'll either need to keep an extra cable with you to use this drive or you'll have to purchase multiple GoFlex Slims. Also, the Seagate website says it comes with an 18-inch cable but the model we tested came with a 6-inch cable instead. Not sure why there was this discrepancy.

I was disappointed to discover that the GoFlex Slim doesn't come with any accessories; no travel sleeve or mini-USB cable.

Verdict:

Seagate has made another well-designed portable storage solution for Mac lovers and PC users on the go — but this time they made it sexy. The Seagate GoFlex Slim is durable, attractive, fast and compact, and is an excellent option for those interested in saving a little extra space in their laptop bag.

Verdict:

Rating: ★★★★☆

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Published on December 01, 2011 21:00

Enable Retina- Like HiDPI Display Modes In OS X Lion [Video How-To]

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Mac OS X Lion includes buried "HiDPI" display modes, which brings the possibility of Retina Display Macs one step closer to reality. Essentially, these display modes make user interface elements twice the resolution typically found on Macs, therefore increasing clarity and detail throughout the UI. This is exactly how the iPhone handles graphics with the Retina Display, and provides some insight into what Apple might be planning for future iterations of it's computers. While not very practical at this point in time, it's neat to try out. In this video, I'll show you how to enable these HiDPI display modes in OS X Lion.

Some more examples of HiDPI display modes:

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Published on December 01, 2011 20:23

"iPhone" Was The Top Search Term On Yahoo In 2011 [Report]

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Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber can't touch the iPhone's popularity, at least if Yahoo's top search term results for 2011 are to be believed. Apple's coveted smartphone edged past celebrities and major news topics to become the most-searched term on the Yahoo search engine.

Reuters reports:

"This is the first time since 2002 that we have had a gadget at No.1, which is an iPhone." Vera Chan, a Web trend analyst at Yahoo!, said in a conference call announcing the results of the review now in its 10th year.

"Even though the product has been around for four years it just became such a major news story," she added.

In case you were wondering, the Sony Playstation2 topped Yahoo's list in 2002.

Chan credited the iPhone with helping to facilitate political movements around the world and said the device embodied the vision of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who died in October.

It's important to remember that Yahoo's numbers don't say that much considering that the engine makes up less than 20% of the search market. What will be really interesting to see is Google's top search terms for this year.

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Published on December 01, 2011 18:50

U.S. Senator Al Franken Sends Public Letter to Carrier IQ Asking For Answers

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With the recent controversy surrounding Carrier IQ, U.S. Senator Al Franken has jumped back into the fight for privacy and sent an open letter yesterday to Carrier IQ asking the company to answer a number of questions concerning the company's key-logger and data logging software. Senator Franken's letter contains 11 pointed questions mostly asking why the company logs information, what type of information they're tracking, who receives the information, and how is it used?

Carrier IQ's software is currently running on millions of smartphones in the U.S. Apple released a statement on Thursday promising to eradicate all traces of Carrier IQ's software with a new software update. Android manufacturer HTC released a statement today blaming carriers for the inclusion of CarrierIQ on their phones. Samsung also released a similar statement.

U.S. Senator Al Franken, of Saturday Night Live fame, has been known to show immediate concern towards the violation of privacy carried out on U.S. citizens via their cellphones. Earlier this year, Franken headed the investigation to into "LocationGate" when it was discovered that Google Android phones and Apple iPhones sending data back information to the two companies that contained the whereabouts of the smartphones. Franken went on to sponsor the Location Privacy Protection Act of 2011 that closed "current loopholes in federal law to require any company that may obtain a customer's location information from his or her smartphone or other mobile device."

Franken's letter to the CEO of Carrier IQ, Michael Lenhart, claims that the companies software may be in direct violation of federal law and are a serious matter that needs prompt answering.

Dear Mr. Lenhart,

I am very concerned by recent reports that your company's software—pre-installed on smartphones used by millions of Americans—is logging and may be transmitting extraordinarily sensitive information from consumers' phones, including:

when they turn their phones on; when they turn their phones off; the phone numbers they dial; the contents of text messages they receive; the URLs of the websites they visit; the contents of their online search queries—even when those searches are encrypted; and the location of the customer using the smartphone—even when the customer has expressly denied permission for an app that is currently running to access his or her location.

It appears that this software runs automatically every time you turn your phone on. It also appears that an average user would have no way to know that this software is running—and that when that user finds out, he or she will have no reasonable means to remove or stop it.

These revelations are especially concerning in light of Carrier IQ's public assertions that it is "not recording keystrokes or providing tracking tools" (November 16), "[d]oes not record your keystrokes," and "[d]oes not inspect or report on the content of your communications, such as the content of emails and SMSs" (November 23).

I understand the need to provide usage and diagnostic information to carriers. I also understand that carriers can modify Carrier IQ's software. But it appears that Carrier IQ's software captures a broad swath of extremely sensitive information from users that would appear to have nothing to do with diagnostics—including who they are calling, the contents of the texts they are receiving, the contents of their searches, and the websites they visit.

These actions may violate federal privacy laws, including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. This is potentially a very serious matter.

I ask that you provide answers to the following questions by December 14, 2011.

(1) Does Carrier IQ software log users' location?

(2) What other data does Carrier IQ software log? Does it log:

a. The telephone numbers users dial?
b. The telephone numbers of individuals calling a user?
c. The contents of the text messages users receive?
d. The contents of the text messages users send?
e. The contents of the emails they receive?
f. The contents of the emails users send?
g. The URLs of the websites that users visit?
h. The contents of users' online search queries?
i. The names or contact information from users' address books?
j. Any other keystroke data?

(3) What if any of this data is transmitted off of a users' phone? When? In what form?

(4) Is that data transmitted to Carrier IQ? Is it transmitted to smartphone manufacturers, operating system providers, or carriers? Is it transmitted to any other third parties?

(5) If Carrier IQ receives this data, does it subsequently share it with third parties? With whom does it share this data? What data is shared?

(6) Will Carrier IQ allow users to stop any logging and transmission of this data?

(7) How long does Carrier IQ store this data?

(8) Has Carrier IQ disclosed this data to federal or state law enforcement?

(9) How does Carrier IQ protect this data against hackers and other security threats?

(10) Does Carrier IQ believe that its actions comply with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, including the federal wiretap statute (18 U.S.C. § 2511 et seq.), the pen register statute (18 USC § 3121 et seq.), and the Stored Communications Act (18 U.S.C. § 2701 et seq.)?

(11) Does Carrier IQ believe that its actions comply with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (18 U.S.C. § 1030)? Why?

I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

AL FRANKEN
Chairman, Subcommittee on Privacy
Technology and the Law

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Published on December 01, 2011 17:19

Shoot Holiday Pics That Don't Suck Thanks To "iPhone Obsessed" Author

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@Dan Marcolina.

If you're in New York December 5, it would behoove you to stop by the West 14th store for a free workshop with Dan Marcolina.

Marcolina's the guy behind the acclaimed iPhone photography book and app "iPhone Obsessed" (currently on offer for $3.99 in iTunes) and he'll be sharing tips and tricks including how combining picture choice and multiple app processing can turn a simple snapshot into a statement.

He's been shooting with the iPhone for three years and promises the presentation will deliver an "alchemist's conjuring of creative elixirs, as you will discover the results of cross-mutating apps with a variety of image types."

Ahem. In any case, the talk is perfect timing for the upcoming snap-happy holiday season. (If his tips makes us look a little more interesting while getting down at that company party we crashed, we're all for it.)

Your less photogenic pets and significant others will thank you.

Via Dan Marcolina

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Published on December 01, 2011 15:31

Check out Steve Note, All of his Best Public Appearances in One Place

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There have been a countless articles and even books about how you might channel Steve Jobs trademark style for presentations, but you'd have a hard time finding videos of all of those talks in one spot.

Enter Stevenote.tv. It's a labor of love from web designer Fabio Fiss, who thought it would be a fitting tribute to the late Apple co-founder to gather all of his public appearances by topic in one place.

What's there so far? You can watch Jobs' ground-breaking speeches at Macworld, WWDC, Apple Expo, Seybold, plus his demos for NeXt – back when he was still donning three-piece suits – as well as ads, interviews and documentaries, including the recent "One Last Thing" special from PBS.

Stevenote.tv is still a work in progress, the WWDC 2010 page gives an idea of what Fiss wants to do with the entire archive – breaking down the talk into searchable bits of text with splices of video.

If you haven't seen some of these in awhile, it's a great trip down memory lane. It's kinda hard to believe Bill Gates ever went for that "Dating Game" spoof in the 1983 event unless you actually watch it.

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Published on December 01, 2011 15:00

Angry Birds "Wreck The Halls" Edition Now Available With 25 New Levels For The Holidays

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Angry Birds Seasons has been updated for the holidays with a new "Wreck the Halls" edition for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Mac. The company behind the massively successful franchise, Rovio, releases updates for its Angry Birds Seasons app alongside new holidays, with the previous update being for Halloween.

For Christmas, Rovio has released an update with 25 new levels and several other added features. The Angry Birds "Wreck the Halls" update can be downloaded in the App Store right now.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, but the pigs are up to their usual tricks! Use your best puzzle skills on the Angry Birds holiday calendar – 25 new festive levels featuring gingerbread cookies, bells, twinkling lights, and candy canes. The newest Angry Bird will also make an appearance! And on the last day you'll meet the big pig himself… It's going to be an egg-citing holiday season!

The Mighty Eagle allows players to automatically beat a particularly difficult level and unlock achievements, and this latest update brings the Mighty Eagle to Angry Birds Seasons for the first time. Rovio also promises that the update includes several "seasonal surprises."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNXUAWjqnMQ

You can download Angry Birds Seasons for the iPhone/iPod touch in the App Store for $0.99. The HD version for the iPad costs $1.99. There's also a Mac version available for $4.99 in the Mac App Store.

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Published on December 01, 2011 14:21

The Official Spotify iPad App Is Coming Soon

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Spotify is working on an iPad app, and the highly-anticipated release is on the near horizon. According to Spotify UK managing director Chris Maples, the company is making its official iPad app "a priority" and it is "absolutely in the pipeline."

Spotify is already available on most devices, and the iPad will be a welcomed companion to the service's iPhone app.

In an interview with Pocket-lint, UK MD Chris Maples said:

"We launched recently on Virgin Media's TiVo platform and our fundamental philosophy is anytime, anywhere," he said. "Consumers make no differentiation between devices and we want our service to be available on any device that people want it on.

Maples hinted that Spotify is considering making its own hardware, but that idea is nothing more than a possible option that the company is considering.

"At the moment we're absolutely not a manufacturing business but if consumers demand something cool that we should create ourselves and we think we could do it better than anyone else, who knows?"

Spotify has opened its API to third-party developers for integrating its streaming service in other apps, and the company is committed to keeping its service open. This doesn't mean that Spotify plans to go the route of Android with thousands of worthless clones polluting its brand value, however. Maples noted that, "We've launched with services that are naturally intuitive to our business and work seamlessly hand in hand."

Like Apple, if you're going to work with Spotify, you better have a nice app. Hopefully the company's own iPad app will set the bar high.

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Published on December 01, 2011 13:58

Apple Turns Its Back On Keylogging Smartphone "Diagnostic" Company Carrier IQ

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Apple comments on the presence of Carrier IQ on some iPhones:

We stopped supporting CarrierIQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update. With any diagnostic data sent to Apple, customers must actively opt-in to share this information, and if they do, the data is sent in an anonymous and encrypted form and does not include any personal information. We never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other personal information for diagnostic data and have no plans to ever do so.

Seems like that says it all. Carrier IQ's not seeing a lot of support from the big boys here, is it?

[via All Things D]