Leander Kahney's Blog, page 1474

November 28, 2011

First iOS 5.1 Beta Seeded To Developers, With Rumored Battery Life And Siri Improvements!

Apple has just seeded the first iOS 5.1 beta to developers, along with XCode 4.3 beta. What's new, only time and playing around with iOS 5.1 will tell, but according to past reports, iOS 5.1 should not only get to the bottom of the iPhone 4S's battery drain issues, it should also introduce some cool new Siri functionality. We'll have to wait and see though.

After the jump, the release notes. Are you a developer who has noticed something new in iOS 5.1, or seen the update fix your iPhone 4S battery drain problem? Please (sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address)

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Published on November 28, 2011 15:54

Muzzle Repeat Alerts for Incoming Text Messages In The Messages App [iOS Tips]

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It's nice to know when you receive the latest urgent text message from your significant other, but seriously do you need a reminder after each one comes in after receiving the first alert? I don't think so and you'll agree if you are like me, since I receive a lot of text messages.

You can effectively muzzle that second alert notification for iMessage by performing the following steps:

Launch the Settings app.

Tap Notifications.

Tap Messages.

Tap Repeat Alert.

Tap Never.

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Now you'll never receive a duplicate alert for every future text message you receive in the Messages app. If you receive as many text messages a day as I do you'll be glad that your incoming messages only alert you once and not twice by default.

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Published on November 28, 2011 15:23

LandingZone: A Dock With All Of The Bells And Whistles For Your MacBook Air

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The LandingZone is a dock for the MacBook Air that boasts a Mini DisplayPort, 4 USB ports, an Ethernet port, and a handy clamp or managing cables and your power cord. There's also support for the Kensington lock cords so you're MacBook Air stays safe.

For $200, the LandingZone looks like a pretty solid docking station for your MacBook Air. The project on Kickstarter is needing to reach its $50,000 goal before shipping begins, and pledging right now guarantees you a unit when they roll off the production line.

LandingZone is a docking station for the MacBook Air. We love the MacBook Air for its beauty and functionality. The MacBook Air deserves a docking station that's just as beautiful and functional. So we designed one and we think it's pretty cool. We hope you agree.
Total of 4 USB 2.0 ports; no need to attach a separate USB hub Built in 10/100T Ethernet port; no more dongles for the Ethernet or fumbling with the cable Built in Mini DisplayPort capable of driving resolution up to 2560×1440 Built in locking port compatible with all the Kensington Locks; now you can secure your MacBook Air Two models to support either the 11″ or 13″ version of the MacBook Air (2010 or later) Beautifully designed and engineered for simplicity, elegance, reliability and functionality (patent pending) Comes with US power adapter which accepts wide range of input voltage (100~240 Vac)

The dock works with the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air and the design keeps your laptop elevated to help with cooling.

The only major thing missing from the LandingZone is support for Apple's Thunderbolt technology. Bummer.

You can visit the LandingZone website for more information. To pledge $140 for a guaranteed unit when the product becomes available, head over to the Kickstarter page.

(via WIRED)

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Published on November 28, 2011 15:15

Apple Was The Fifth Most-Visited Retailer On Black Friday [Report]

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In case Apple needed more of a pat on the back, comScore has reported that the company was the fifth most-visited retailer on Black Friday. Apple is the only individual product brand to make it so high on the list.

Sitting behind the likes of Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Amazon, Apple's success on Black Friday is unprecedented.

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comScore reports:

"Each of the top online retailers generated significantly greater Black Friday activity compared to last year," added Mr. Fulgoni. "Amazon.com once again led the pack, with 50 percent more visitors than any other retailer, while also showing the highest growth rate versus last year. However, it is telling that the top multi-channel retailers also showed strong growth in visitors, demonstrating the importance of the online channel to the retail industry as a whole."

In a statement to AllThingsD, an analyst from comScore noted that this is the first time Apple has been in the top five retailers for Black Friday:

"Apple has not historically been in the top five — in fact, this is the first time I can remember," said Andrew Lipsman, an analyst at comScore, who added that Apple was "nipping at Target's heels," registering only a few percentage points lower in overall traffic.

comScore bases its figures on Apple's online and physical store presence. Calculated sales include digital downloads, such as apps and music.

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Published on November 28, 2011 14:20

November 24, 2011

Get Call of Duty 4, Civilization V, Star Wars the Force Unleashed and Many More Titles for 50% Off This Weekend [Deals]

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Once you're done stuffing your face full of turkey and gravy and recovered from your food coma, you're going to need some entertainment for the rest of the weekend. How about some new games? Aspyr is currently having an awesome 50% off deal on some of their games biggest games. We're not talking crappy boring titles either, we're talking legit amazing games for 50% off. Call of Duty 4, Civilization V, Duke Nukem Forever, Star Wars The Force Unleashed, and many more titles are available between now and Monday, November 28th for download.

If you're looking for something to do during your long weekend, you should probably head over to their site and get a few games for your Mac.

The full list of discounted games are:

Call of Duty 2

Call of Duty 4

Call of Duty Deluxe

Civilization IV: Colonization

Civilization IV

Civilization IV: Warlords

Civilization V: Game of the Year Edition

Civilization V

Duke Nukem Forever

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Star Wars: Empire at War

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars the Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

[via Aspyr]

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Published on November 24, 2011 12:20

Apple Airs New iPod Touch Ad: "Share The Fun" [Video]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGrDMVk2isc

Apple has aired a new commercial for the iPod touch called "Share the Fun." The advert features the white and black 4th gen iPod touch and several of the main features in iOS 5.

In the ad, people tweet from the iPod touch, use Game Center, talk on FaceTime, take pictures, and more. This new iPod touch ad joins Apple's recent iPhone 4S and iPad 2 commercials.

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Published on November 24, 2011 12:17

Happy Thanksgiving! Here's Why Cult Of Mac Is Thankful To Apple This Year [Feature]

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In the spirit of the holiday, most of here at Cult of Mac have decided to spend the day with our friends and families, but like last year, we thought we'd observe the holiday by writing about why we're thankful for Apple and its products this year. We hope you'll join in in the comments

Leander Kahney: I'm thankful for Steve Jobs, God speed the old buzzard. He could be a piece of work, and not a lot of fun to be around, but by Golly he pushed us all forward. Has there been anyone in the last 30 years who's had as profound an impact on our culture, through the crucible of Apple? (I'm amazed by the number of comments about him these last few months who dismiss him as just a nifty gadget maker; or Malcolm Gladwell's dismissive characterization of him as a mere "tinkerer.") It's not just his vision of democratizing tech, but also his energy and drive. Running any enterprise is exhausting, requiring huge investments of emotional energy. It must have been extraordinarily demanding to get up every day and constantly push people to produce better and better work. As Jonny Ive noted in his moving memorial to his friend (link to post), no one cared as a much as Jobs, and he paid the highest toll. Perhaps this contributed to him passing before his time? If so, it gives some meaning to his early death — the energy he expended changing the world took its toll on his body. Either way, thanks Steve.

Adam Rosen: I'm thankful to Apple because it's nice to know there are
still some companies around who take pride in creating quality products that people truly value and desire. Computing and computers are commodity items these days, but Apple goes the extra mile to make those products beautiful and well designed. They are not afraid to be original and think (differently) outside the box. Pride in workmanship still holds meaning, something easily overlooked in our profit-driven culture. For that I am thankful, and hope that they continue to keep these beliefs as they grow in years to come.

Ed Sutherland: I'm thankful for the iPad, which allows me to check email, play games and surf the Web without staying tied to my desktop iMac and away from family. I'm thankful for Apple providing a platform to launch Angry Birds, without which I'd probably be watching way too much television. I'm thankful that Apple has created an entirely new topic of discussion with my kids, as well as another fissure in the widening generation gap.

Giles Turnbull: The thing I'm most thankful for this year is my iPad 2, which has changed how the whole family does all sorts of tasks. I thought I'd just use it for work and testing apps, but everyone in the house now ends up turning to the iPad, where previously they'd have used the old kitchen MacBook (which now doesn't do much except play music and run Lego Digital Designer). My wife explores ravelry.com on the iPad. My son plays Casey's Contraptions, Worms, and Minecraft Pocket Edition. The iPad makes computing more sociable, less intrusive, just plain easier. Thanks Apple.

Alex Heath:
This Thanksgiving, I'm particularly thankful for how Apple has become such an integral part of who I am. It sounds cheesy, but Apple's products have profoundly impacted the way I live my life, and its products inform my work on a day to day basis. It's so exciting to go hands-on with a new Apple product or find innovate apps in the App Store that change something about the way I interact with others or complete a task.

I think that Apple is a great example of how technology can make one's life better. I'm thankful for all of the ways that Apple has led me to new friends and new ways of doing things. Apple has become a huge part of my identity, and I'm definitely thankful for that.

John Brownlee: Last year when we did this, I wrote something about my girlfriend's iPod, more or less as an excuse to write about something that mattered, something so much more irreplaceably dear to me than a slate of aluminum and glass ever could be. As time goes on, though, I realize that with few exceptions, all of the Apple devices on my desk have become imbued with deep emotional memories. And that's, of course, as it should be, because Apple's products aren't just gadgets… they are objects of beauty and craftsmanship, put together with care, and made companions in my life. Apple's made products I care enough about enough to consider to be parts of my life. I'm thankful they ever gave a damn enough to do that.

Pete Mortensen: This Thanksgiving, now that I've got the bird in the oven and the Lions on the TV, I'm grateful to Apple for helping to provide me with the life that I have. From the time I was a young kid, Apple products have been cherished supporting characters as I have grown, from playing Oregon Trail on an Apple II at school to publishing school newspapers on Macs to covering the company as a journalist and now consulting on strategy and innovation.

The Apple of today is a very different one from the brash revolutionaries I first became acquainted with in the early 1980s. In several markets, they're the establishment, not the upstart. But they're still unwilling to settle, they still constantly make decisions no other company will take the risk for, and they're providing a model for how to run a design-driven high technology company. Even when you're mad at them, this company makes you think. And that's what I'm most thankful for.

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Published on November 24, 2011 09:57

The Papernomad Case For iPad Is Begging To Be Doodled On

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I have this terrible habit of doodling on things while I'm on the phone. Often it's to jot down information that the person on the other end is feeding to me, but sometimes it's simply to draw silly faces and obscure patterns to pass the time. When I don't have a notepad to hand, almost anything could become my biro-covered victim.

But the Papernomad case for iPad is begging to be doodled on. It's a tear resistant sleeve made from a patented material that consists of several layers of paper, cotton, and Australian sheep wool; and it's completely biodegradable.

The case features a pull strap made from hemp which makes it easy to remove your iPad from the sleeve, and a magnetic lock that keep it securely snug inside. The sheep wool lining ensures your iPad is lovely snuggled away from the risk of scratches and scuffs, and it will absorb the impact from the odd drop here and there.

The best thing about Papernomad is that it's designed to be defaced. It wants to to write on it, sketch on it, doodle on it, paint on it, spill coffee on it… I could go on:

Papernomad products capture our experiences as quick scribbles, coffee stains, finger prints, telephone numbers or the occasional lipstick impression. Not unlike a diary, they document our experiences and create reference points in time for us to remember.

Once you're finished with Papernomad, you simply throw it on the compost heap and leave it to degrade.

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Papernomad cases are currently available for the iPad, both first- and second-generation; 13- and 15-inch notebooks; and the iPod touch; with prices ranging from €28 (approx. $37.36) to €48 (approx. $64.05). The iPad case featured in the images above is €43 (approx. $57.38) and available now from Papernomad.com.

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Published on November 24, 2011 08:35

Latest Siri Hack Will Lock Your Car, Pop Your Trunk, And Even Start Your Engine [Video]

Programming Siri to do weird and wonderful things that are yet to be sanctioned by Apple is quickly becoming a hacker's favorite hobby. We've already seen how well the digital assistant can control your home's thermostat, but this latest hack is even more impressive.

One developer has created used the same proxy featured in the thermostat hack to connect Siri with his Viper car alarm system. He can now tell his iPhone to lock his car, enable his alarm, pop his trunk, and even start his engine.

In a blog post on Fiquett.com, the developer explains how it all works:

The "Siri Proxy" plugin I wrote handles interaction with a php script that runs on my web server. The php script, which I developed months ago for personal use, allows me to send commands to my car which has a Viper SmartStart module installed.

Current commands accepted are: "Vehicle Arm", "Vehicle Disarm", "Vehicle Start", "Vehicle Stop", "Vehicle Pop Trunk", and "Vehicle Panic".

Here's a second clip that demonstrates how Siri can lock the car:

I have to say, this is pretty darn impressive. I only hope that Apple allows Siri to interact with third-party services at some point in the future — it seems the possibilities are endless!

[via 9to5Mac]

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Published on November 24, 2011 07:58

Get Over Half Off All Grand Theft Auto Titles For Mac For Black Friday

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iOS developers aren't the only ones slashing prices for Black Friday 2011; there's also some awesome discounts to be found in the Mac App Store. One of the best we've discovered this morning is over half off all three of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto titles for Mac.

That includes Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. All of which have been reduced from $14.99 to just $6.99: