Leander Kahney's Blog, page 1471

President Obama Uses A DODOCase With His iPad 2 [Image]

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Click the image above to embiggen.See that notebook to the left (his right) of a casually-dressed President Obama? That's not a notebook, it's the iPad 2 3G Obama got "a little bit early" from Steve Jobs, wrapped in a Moleskine-like DODOcase.

DODOcase must be beside themselves. They've got a good claim to being the only iPad case manufacturer personally endorsed by the President of the United States himself.

[via TNW]

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The Race is On: Kindle Fire Outsells 16GB iPad at Best Buy [Report]

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Photo by beX out loud - http://flic.kr/p/5qzzNq

Here comes more evidence Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire tablet is Apple's first serious rival in a tablet war so far strewn with the corpses of the iPad's Android-based victims. In the first skirmish between the two tablets, the Kindle Fire is outselling the 16GB iPad on Best Buy's website.

At the website, the Kindle Fire sits atop the 16GB Apple tablet when consumers search for the best-selling units. However, Apple iPad remains No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 out of the electronic giant's top-five tablets. Still, after the Kindle Fire, Acer's 8GB Iconia Tablet is the only other Android-based unit on the top-five, placing No. 4 on the Best Buy website.

Why is the Kindle Fire doing so well? Start with the Amazon device being newer than the iPad 2, which has been in the market for more than six months. Then there is the $199 price tag for the Kindle Fire versus $499 for the 16GB iPad 2. Perhaps the strongest selling point is one Apple has profited from already: a ready-made ecosphere where Amazon Fire tablet buyers can easily buy Amazon music, e-books, apps and cloud storage. This tightly-woven interface is unique for an Android device, attracting all of the Kindle e-reader owners, as well as consumers already using Amazon's other services.

But should Apple be quaking in their boots about this new challenger? Hardly.

"We believe the iPad still stands out as the industry standard in terms of software integration," writes Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes. Although the Kindle Fire is new, reviews are coming back and they are not all glowing. Other than the low price, reviewers focused on the Kindle Fire's lack of camera, microphone, GPS, Bluetooth, calendar or even a note pad. Other reviews mentioned the animations on the Kindle Fire were not as slick as the iPad.

Beyond whether the iPad or the Kindle Fire is the top-selling tablet online at one retailer, the potentially more important point is how the Amazon device could change the market. Rather than the iPad swimming in a pool with dozens of tiny pirahnas, the new Android tablet could instead make it a two-way contest between two large sharks.

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Infinity Blade II Hits The App Store

After what seemed like an endless wait, Infinity Blade II is almost here! The follow-up to Epic and Chair Entertainment's elegiac App Store masterpiece has just hit the App Store in New Zealand, and will creep out slowly around the globe from there, hitting the US App Store at 11pm ET tonight.

We'll have a review in the next couple of days, but so far, early reviews suggest it's even better than the first one. We can't wait to give it a spin.

When it is released, you should be able to find Infinity Blade II at this link for just $9.99.

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%@! The ETF, Most Apple Fans Break Contract For Newest iPhone

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Photo by hoshi7 - http://flic.kr/p/9CeAL7

Not even the threat of costly early-termination fees are enough to keep many consumers from jumping ship for the newest iPhone. Some 45 percent of cell phone owners have broken their carrier's contract in order to grab Apple's iconic smartphone, according to a new survey showing just how loyal many people are to the Apple brand.

According to Consumer Research Partners, 45 percent of people surveyed broke a contract with their current or former wireless carrier in order to pocket the iPhone 4S. More than 70 percent of that group paid more than $100 early-termination fees on top of the $199 to $399 price of the handset.

The findings also show the majority (71%) of iPhone rule breakers are upgrading from an earlier model — just 18 percent were switching from an Android or other smartphone. This only reinforces the belief that Apple revenue is all about the upgrade, rather than Android owners suddenly falling for the sleek and sexy iPhone.

About a third of the survey respondents said they left a carrier to buy the 4S. AT&T seems to be the largest benefactor, registering 49 percent of the iPhone purchases, versus 34 percent for Verizon Wireless and 17 percent for Sprint.

Coming from a mixed marriage (my wife has the iPhone, I own a relic from the past), I can understand the strong urge to break the bonds holding you into the feature phone wasteland. The result of just 18 percent of switchers coming outside the iPhone ecosphere is a bit surprising, but the price has to be a large reason why people buy an Android handset. If price is upper-most in your mind, you likely are more willing to stay put, but the pain must be nearly unbearable.

How about you? Did you break your contract to get the iPhone 4S?

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Apple Paid Peanuts For Its New Grand Central Store Space, Which Will Open Next Week [Rumor]

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Courtesy 9to5Mac.com

Apple's new retail store set in the heart of New York's Grand Central station is set to open its doors next week, according to a report from the New York Post. And thanks to Apple's infamous negotiation skills, the Cupertino company paid peanuts for the lease.

Other retail tenants in the station typically pay approximately $200 per square foot to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, according to the report, in addition to a certain percentage of their sales if they surpass a specified threshold. However, Apple's deal is a little different.

Despite estimates claiming the store will rake in around $100 million a year in sales for the company, it will reportedly pay just $60 per square foot for its retail space, and it won't share a penny of its revenues with the MTA. Its deal is said to be "well below" what many other tenants are paying, according to leases obtained by the New York Post.

Apple's deal is so good, in fact, that the MTA has received criticism for leasing the space out at such a reduced rate. Robin Adams, executive vice president at real estate firm Lansco, said Apple's no-percentage deal is surprising:

I am surprised they didn't get some kind of percentage. You'd think if they were going to do, say, $50 million in sales, the MTA would at least get some percentage of anything over that.

Despite the criticism, however, the MTA maintains it is happy with the deal it has reached with Apple. Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the MTA, said:

We set out to maximize the rent we receive for this space, and we're thrilled that we were able to more than quadruple what we had been receiving previously.

In contrast to the new deal, Apple's flagship retail store on Fifth Avenue costs the company around $5 million a year, with the landlord of the GM building taking an additional $15 million per year out of the $400 million the store generates in sales.

[via 9to5Mac]

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Alfred Mac App Launcher Hits Version 1.0 With Tons Of New Features

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Alfred is a relatively new launcher app for the Mac, and the tool has received a warm welcome from the Apple community since it launched in beta form last year. Today the development company behind Alfred, Running with Crayons, has launched Alfred 1.0, and the update brings with it many new features.

While Alfred offers many of the same launching abilities as other apps, like Quicksilver and LaunchBar, version 1.0 reinforces that Alfred is way more than your typical launcher tool for the Mac.

It's with immense pride and excitement that we released version 1.0 of Alfred today. A major milestone for us, having spent the past two years creating this app and getting to know the awesome Mac community that surrounds us.

Alfred's Powerpack has received a huge upgrade in version 1.0, with plenty of tools added for quickly launching websites, executing script-style actions, opening files, running system-level commands, and much more.

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The main features in Alfred 1.0 all make navigating and working on your Mac easier, and Running with Crayons has taken it to a whole new level with Global Hotkeys. You can assign specific commands for apps, files, and actions that can be executed with a simple keyboard shortcut anywhere on your Mac. The possibilities are nearly endless with Global Hotkeys. If you have an app or an action that you interact with regularly, you could create a quick shortcut that launches that app or action with a few keystrokes.

You can also turn on URL History in Alfred 1.0 to have quick access to your recently visited websites, exactly like the Clipboard History feature.

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Like TextExpander, you can save clips in Alfred for quickly launching things, and these shortcuts can be saved in the new Snippets section. With support for AppleScripts and Extensions, Alfred can be used to control nearly every facet of OS X, not to mention the integration with native apps like iTunes, Address Book, Calculator, Dictionary, and Mail.

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Alfred 1.0 also boast many overall speed and reliability improvements. Existing users can grab the update for free, while Powerpack users should have a new license sent to their email. The free version of Alfred 1.0 has been submitted to the Mac App Store and should be available there soon.

Running with Crayons is currently offering Powerpack licenses for Alfred 1.0 at a discounted price of £12 (about $19 USD). After next week, the price will go up to £15 (about $24 USD). There is also a different price for a family license (installable on 5 computers), and a "Mega Supporter" license for lifetime Powerpack upgrades.

The developers of Alfred have also teased us with what's in the pipeline:

To everyone who has helped us get this far by spreading the word about Alfred, we thank you. It's been an exciting ride so far, and we're loving every moment. We still have some great features up our sleeve for Alfred's 1.x updates. We are also planning on developing more great Mac apps to make your life easier. *cheeky grin*

We can't wait!

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iOS 5.1 Blocks Access To Settings Shortcuts On Your Home Screen

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Multiple tricks for gaining quick access to settings toggles on the iPhone's Home screen have been making the news lately, and many rejoiced that such a thing could be accomplished without needing to jailbreak.

In the iOS 5.1 beta, it's been discovered that Apple has blocked access to these settings shortcuts. How lame!

Other than some minor bug fixes, code references, and limited Siri API access for developers, iOS 5.1 doesn't bring much of anything new to the table. It does, however, block the use of URL schemes to access system settings on the Home screen.

Apple Releases Safari Update To Fix Webpage White Flashes And Overall Sluggishness

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Apple has released an update to Safari on the desktop. Safari 5.1.2 is now available in Software Update with multiple bug fixes.

An issue that has been plaguing many users involving webpages flashing white has been corrected, and PDFs can now be viewed within web content. A number of stability and memory issues have also been addressed, so Safari should work faster now.Release notes:

This update contains various improvements, including fixes that:

Improve stability Address issues that could cause hangs and excessive memory usage Address issues that could cause webpages to flash white Allow PDFs to be displayed within web content

A direct download for Safari 5.1.2 is also available on Apple's support website.

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Microsoft Planning Office For iPad, Lion Version Headed To Mac App Store [Rumor]

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Insider sources are telling The Daily that Microsoft is planning to bring its Office suite to the App Store. Specifically, the Redmond company has an Office business app for the iPad in the pipeline.

Apple offers its own iWork productivity suite on iOS, including Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Microsoft apparently wants a piece of the word processing action, and its sights are set on Office for the iPad.

According to sources, the tech giant is actively working on adapting its popular software suite for Apple's tablet. With the iPad making up over 80 percent of the tablet market and millions of people worldwide using Office, that could mean big bucks for the tech giant based in Redmond, Wash.

In addition to an iPad-ready version, a new edition of Office is expected for OS X Lion sometime next year. The current version of the desktop package, Office 2011, officially supports Mac versions up to Snow Leopard. A Lion version, likely available via the Mac App Store, is widely expected. Windows, too, is due for an update, with Office 2012 currently in beta form.

In addition to the new iPad app, a new desktop version of Office for Lion on the Mac is slated for release next year. The Daily notes that Office for Lion would likely be distributed in the Mac App Store alongside Apple's own iWork suite.

Microsoft will also reportedly offer its new apps for significantly lower prices, with pricing in both App Stores projected to competitively match Apple's $10 price tags for iWork apps.

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Gorgeous Panoramic Photos Are Child's Play With This Clever Camera App [Review]

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Outside my local Apple Store in Bath

DerManDar is a cute three-dollar panoramic photography app for iPhone, and it produces some lovely pictures.

It works like this: you hold the phone vertically, and turn slowly on the spot. The app takes snaps for you (you don't need to hit the shutter button for each one) then stitches them together into an elongated panoramic view.

If you sign up with dermandar.com you can upload your panoramas there, so that friends can look at them in a Flash viewer; or you can simply share the jpg image file that gets automatically saved to your device's Camera Roll.

Despite its odd name, this is a really nice app. Although it shares some features with stitching apps like AutoStitch (which has long been, and remains, one of my favourite photo apps), the two are very different in use.

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The Royal Crescent in Bath, much loved by visiting tourists.

DerManDar comes with a built-in sharing network, from which you can explore images made by other users. It is designed to capture a level circle of images – what you'd see if you could spin on the spot. It dynamically takes the photos for you, so in some respects it's not as flexible as AutoStitch. But don't think less of it for that – the images it creates are a lot of fun to make, share and explore.

If you enjoy experimenting with photography on your iPhone, this is an app well worth trying.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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