Leander Kahney's Blog, page 1493

November 11, 2011

Apple.com Launches 2011 Holiday Gift Guide

We're a couple weeks from Black Friday yet, but it's never too early to start Christmas shopping, which is why Apple's online store has already launched their annual Holiday Gift Guide section, full of curated picks of the best Apple gear to get friends, loved ones or yourself this holiday season.

The new Holiday Gift Guide section is beautifully laid out, and contains sections with gift ideas for families, the aspiring artist, the athletic and on-the-go and the fashionistas.

There's a lot of great ideas here, and any purchase you make through the guide comes with gift wrapping, free personal laser engraving and in-store pickup. So why wait until Christmas Eve like a chump and risk the disappointed looks on the faces of your loved ones when they open hastily wrapped presents filled with items you can find at the corner gas station, like windshield wiper fluid and cartons of cigarettes? That's what my old man did for thirty years, and now he's spending Christmas in a home. Coincidence? Don't end up like him!

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Published on November 11, 2011 09:16

Track All Of Your Most Precious Belongings Through GPS With BiKN Case For iPhone!

If you're the type of person who spends a few hours a week searching for your car keys, wallet, dog, or other precious belongings, then the BiKN Smart Case and tags for iPhone could save you a whole lot of time.

Equipped with radios that talk to the accompanying tracking tags, the BiKN (pronounced "beacon") case will ensure that that you're always connected to the things most important to you — even when they're down the side of the sofa.

All you have to do it attach one of the tags to an item you're afraid of losing, and the BiKN case and app will allow you to track its current location, as well as sound an alarm if the tag ventures outside of its predefined range limit.

With BiKN tags attached to your belongings, you should never have a problem finding them again. Unless, of course, you also lose your iPhone.

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The only downside I can see to the BiKN is that you must have that bulky case attached to your iPhone. But other than that, this is possibly one of the most useful accessories I've seen in a while. The marketing video above is also pretty great.

The BiKN is still in development at this point, so there's currently no word on pricing, but it's expected to launch during winter 2012.

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Published on November 11, 2011 08:17

The iPhone 4S Is Now On Sale At A Fifth U.S. Carrier For Just $99 (But It Still Ain't T-Mobile)

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With C-Spire Wireless getting the iPhone 4S, all bets are off when it comes to which carriers get the iPhone and which ones don't. C-Spire only has about 750,000 customers, but it got the iPhone 4S, while the nation's fourth largest carrier, T-Mobile, sees its profits shrink because it can't come to an arrangement with Apple.

Today, the iPhone 4S has come to another US carrier. Puerto Rican wireless provider Claro Puerto Rico is offering the iPhone 4S for sale, and if you're within Claro Puerto Rico's coverage area, it's the best deal on an iPhone 4S yet: just $99 for a 16GB iPhone 4S with a standard 2GB coverage.

That's a pretty great price for the iPhone 4S, but Claro Puerto Rico's monthly plans don't seem to try to make up the difference by overcharging. In fact, they are some of the cheapest iPhone 4S plans we've seen, offering subscribers a choice of paying either $64.98, $74.98, $79.98 or $84.98 a month for 250MB, 2GB, 5GB and Unlimited Data.

Claro Puerto Rico's also offering a great price on the 8GB iPhone 4, which costs just $49.99.

Nice. These deals make me wish I lived in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, most of us don't: Claro Puerto Rico has just a million subscribers in its GSM network.

[via

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Published on November 11, 2011 07:58

Take Control Of Your 3G Data Usage [iOS Tips]

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A lot of people don't have access to unlimited 3G data plans so they need to keep an eye out on the amount of data they use every month. There are different tasks and apps that will use data on an iPhone or iPad, and it can be hard to keep track of them all. Luckily, Apple has thought of a few ways you can limit access to 3G data forcing apps to use Wi-Fi instead when it is available.

Turn 3G Cellular Data Off Completely

The nuclear weapon option in the war on saving data is to open the Settings app, tap General, tap Network and toggling Cellular Data to off.

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Control Apple Store Access to 3G Cellular Data

Another option to consider when you want to cut back on 3G data usage is how the Apple Stores in iOS download content. You can set limits on access over 3G to music, apps or books. In addition to that you can limit the access to content by other apps, like the New York Times app below, if listed in the Store settings screen.

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Just launch the Settings app and tap Store. Now toggle automatic downloads for music, apps and books to off. Do the same thing for any apps listed and if you want to use another nuclear catch-all option just toggled Use Cellular Data to off.

iCloud Documents and Data

Finally, another option to consider when you want to cut back on 3G data usage is how iCloud accesses documents and data. You can prohibit access to these over a 3G cellular data connection.

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Just launch the Settings app and tap iCloud, tap Documents & Data and toggle Use Cellular to off.

Conclusion

You now have three ways to limit how you access data over your 3G cellular data connection. Use them all or a combination to help manage how you use your data each month.

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Published on November 11, 2011 06:05

How Do I Disable iCal Reminder Alerts On My Mac? [Ask MacRx]

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iCal's Reminders feature is a handy way to keep track of our To Do lists, but sometimes you get pestered more than desired. Here's one way to quiet things down when your iDevices have nagged you sufficiently:

I love the new Reminders app for iOS, and it ties in beautifully with my use on my iPad and iPhone. However, I hate sitting down at the end of the day and having to click through all my day's reminders on my computer through iCal. In the iCloud settings, I can only disable iCal, but I don't want to disable my calendars, just the reminders part of it. Is there a way I can disable iCal reminder notifications on my Mac without disabling the calendar syncing? – Benjamen

Hi Benjamen,

Yes there is. On your Mac in iCal –> Preferences –> Advanced tab, there is an option to Turn Off All Alerts. Click this checkbox, that should do what you desire.

It worked! Thank you for your help.

• • •

Got a question about your Mac or iOS device? Email (sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address)

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Published on November 11, 2011 06:00

iOS 5.0.1 Won't Fix Your Battery Life, But It Will Forget Your Contacts

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Apple issued its first iOS 5 update to the public yesterday — an update which was released to fix "bugs affecting battery life" under the latest firmware, amongst other issues. Following the update, however, users have reported that their battery life has seen no improvement, and that iOS 5.0.1 comes with more bugs of its own.

Paul Hontz of The Startup Foundry reports that the latest release introduces a new problem to the iPhone 4S which causes the device to forget your contact names when you receive calls and text messages.

Hontz has the contacts in his address book, but his iPhone shows their contact number rather than their name when they call or text. Hontz conducted a quick survey on Twitter, according to a The Next Web report, and discovered he's not the only one with the problem.

Additionally, many users are reporting that the update does not fix battery life issues at all on the fifth-generation iPhone. 9to5Mac found the support forums on Apple's website are full of reports from disgruntled iOS 5 users who say the update has done nothing to improve their battery life. Some users who commented on the report also said they now have battery life issues where there were none before.

With so many complaints about these issues, it's likely Apple will release yet another iOS 5 update to address these issues before long. It certainly won't want the issue to become another "antennagate."

What has iOS 5.0.1 been like for you?

[via The Next Web]

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Published on November 11, 2011 04:48

Apple Issues Firmware Update 7.6 for AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule

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Following a firmware update for its MacBook Pro yesterday, Apple has issued a new firmware update for its AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule devices which fixes a number of issues that include a problem with audio streaming through AirPlay.

Firmware Update 7.6 is available to download now for all 802.11n AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and Time Capsule devices, with the following fixes:

This update for all 802.11n AirPort Express, 802.11n AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule models provides fixes for the following:
An issue with performance on overlapping wireless networks An issue with AirPlay audio streaming An issue with configuring multiple entries for DNS servers

To install the new firmware update on your device, you'll need AirPort Utility on your Mac or iOS device. Apple recommends using AirPort Utility 5.5.3 or later.

[via MacRumors]

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Published on November 11, 2011 04:21

November 10, 2011

Try Out This New Free Mac Text Editor [Review]

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New on the Mac App Store is Tincta, a text editor for coders and writers. It's small, lightweight, fast – and free.

The single window layout lists open files in a panel on the left. The preferences are simple and basic. This is an application that's still very much feeling its way into the big wide world.

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That doesn't mean that it's incapable, though. Tincta comes with support for 70 programming languages, line numbering, and a nice search-and-replace tool. It's been written from scratch, no third-party code included.

Not everything's there just yet. No full screen mode (not even of the system-wide Lion variety), and changes to text colors have to be made manually – you can't save a color scheme, or import one from elsewhere.

Also, although the app launches in an instant, I did occasionally notice just a tiny amount of sluggishness while writing and editing. It wasn't a big problem, though.

The basic version costs nothing. There's a Pro version on offer for a few dollars, which adds features such as split views, scripting support, a snippet manager and built-in file browser.

It's always great to see a newcomer on the scene, so keep your eye on future updates. The "keep it simple" approach is always appealing, as is the use of an octopus for an icon.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

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Published on November 10, 2011 22:20

Logitech Wireless Boombox for iPad: Bluetooth Turns 'Meh' Into 'Yeah!' [Review]

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Sometimes all it takes is a little tweaking to turn a decent gadget into one that makes the corners of your mouth curl up in a grin every time it's pulled out and powered up.

That's exactly what happened with the Logitech Wireless Boombox for iPad ($150), a portable six-speakered dock based off Logitech's S715i dock, which we reviewed earlier this year.

Logitech made two key changes to their most powerful portable speaker: they got rid of the remote; and more importantly, dropped the physical iPhone dock in favor of Bluetooth capability. Smart.

The Good:

Hey, who needs a 30-pin connection anyway — it's all about streaming now. The S715i required my iPhone/iPod to sit motionless in its 30-pin slot. But the Boombox's Bluetooth connection untethered my iPhone from the box, allowing me to control the party from my iPod App (now the Music App in iOS 5), like Steve intended, rather than with the practically useless, rinky-dink remote the S715i came with. Also, the new Bluetooth capability allowed me to connect with my iPad — which I prefer to use as a DJ over my iPhone (feel free to disagree with me).

The dock paired with my iPad 2 easily enough — but what was impressive was the knack the Boombox's had for quickly latching on to my iPad's Bluetooth signal when I punched the dock's power button.

The Boombox is one handsome gadget. There're no weird design antics going on here — just a clean, uncluttered, swoopy shape that doesn't try to make a fashion statement.

It's also a shockingly amicable travel companion — just short and thin enough to tuck into an overnight bag. In fact, my eyebrows were constantly shooting up in surprise at the ability of the Boombox to fit into all sorts of bags.

The rechargeable battery held enough juice for about 5.5 hours of music before fading — not bad for a dock this size, especially one with a Bluetooth power drain to deal with.

Everything about the Boombox's design is simple and clean. Just four buttons — power, Bluetooth and a pair of volume controls — populate the unit's control center; a pair of LEDs clearly convey battery and Bluetooth connection status.

Two other minor upgrades from its predecessor: The Boombox a sealed power/aux port, making it a little more expedition-capable, and the retractable kickstand at the back that props the dock up is now spring-loaded and extends with the press of a button.

The Bad:

Except for the method used to connect to an iDevice and the resulting cosmetic changes, the Boombox is the same dock as the S715i, and uses the same six speakers. this means the Boombox has the same shortcoming as the S715i — namely, a lack of bass oomph. And maybe because music with the Boombox is streamed via a Bluetooth connection instead of flowing through a 30-pin, the highs weren't quite as crisp as they were on the S715i.

That doesn't mean the Boombox is all convenience and no performance; in fact, the dock sounds pretty good — and it's just the right package for going from hotel room, to home office, to bedroom, to campfire and back. But like the S715i, bass tends to overload its smallish speakers at higher volumes, so it won't light up a party. Perhaps it shouldn't be expected to, but the asking price for this travelling dock is just a wee bit steep to push its rating any higher.

Verdict:

Logitech has found the sweet-spot with this versatile, easy-everything dock; a perfect traveller's companion.

Rating: ★★★★☆

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Published on November 10, 2011 19:00

This Auto-Tracking iPhone Mount Takes Stalking To A Whole New Level

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While we can't seem to find a practical reason for buying the Swivl iPhone mount, we still want one. The Swivl auto-tracks your movement with your iPhone's camera, all thanks to a handy receiver that can held or worn on a lanyard.

So many possibilities!

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The Swivl's multi-axis motion capabilities allow it to track movement horizontally and vertically. Once you clamp your iPhone or Flip camera (Do people still have those?), you're good to go. Any device that's less than 11mm thick can actually fit into the Swivl. The mount will also sit on top of most camera tripods.

Check out the Swivl in-action:

And yes… it does work with Android handsets.

You can pre-order the Swivl for $159, with the gadget shipping in early-2012. Who's buying?