John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
iOS 4.1 is now live, and along with the much anticipated software update comes Game Center, Apple’s new Xbox-Live-like gaming service that brings officially sanctioned achievements and multiplayer matchmaking to supported iPhones and iPod Touches.
Game Center seems promising, but unfortunately, it’s been hard to figure out exactly what games have Game Center support and which ones don’t… making early testing of the service frustrating. To make things easier, Apple has just updated the App Store with a dedicated Game Center section, highlighting all of the apps that have baked in Game Center support so far.
Unfortunately, most of the games currently on display are a little lackluster, with Flight Control, Fieldrunners and Zen Bound 2 being the real standouts… but hopefully that will change sooner rather than later.
Those unconventional iconoclasts at Psystar might have been ground down to a gelatin paste by Apple’s legal team, but that’s not to say you can’t have a business selling Mac clones… as long as you don’t sell them with OS X pre-installed.
Just ask the guys at Quo Computers, “Apple enthusiasts who breathe and bleed Mac OS X” who have just announced their latest hackintosh: a truly ghastly tower called the maxQ2 with beefy hardware placing it somewhere between the performance of a high-end iMac and the Mac Pro.
Inside the chassis, the Q2 features an Intel Core i7 3.6GHz CPU, 12GB of RAM, a 240GB SSD, a 1TB hard drive and an NVIDIA 285 GTX GPU. The real appeal here, though, is the addition of Aestek’s liquid / copper cold plate cooling system, which will keep the innards frosty regardless of what you throw at it.
The maxQ2 will run Windows, OS X or Linux through EFI support… although Quo isn’t stupid enough to install OS X on it for you themselves. The Quo maxG2 starts at $3,675, and if you’re willing to trade aesthetic for horsepower while breaking OS X’s EULA in the process, it seems like an option worth considering.
Apple hardware hacker Charles Mangin has a respectable history smashing modern functionality into nostaglically held but utterly obsolete hardware. For example, Maguin’s amazing success inserting a Mac Mni into an old Disk ][ drive, or his even more breathtaking success cramming an old G4 cube into an even older Macintosh Plus.
Mangin’s latest project might be his greatest triumph yet though: an iPhone ensconced in the hollowed out shell of its evolutionary predecessor, the venerable Apple Newton. Charles has yet to complete the project, but given his past successes, we’re confident he’ll succeed… but will he update the Newton’s stylus with a touch-capacitive tip for extra points?
With the new touchscreen iPod nano, Apple successfully managed to shrink their mid-level iPod down to Shuffle-sized dimensions… but not without dropping some notable capability, including video recording and playback. It’s unlikely that Apple is going to suss out the dimensional wormhole technologies required to fit a video camera back into the nano’s postage-stamp-sized casing soon, but video playback might not be out of the question in a future software update.
The revelation comes by way of TUAW’s Erica Sadun, who spotted a lot of video-related details in the new nano’s internal settings property lists, with options for captions, alternative audio, television subtitles and screen aspect all hinting at possible upcoming support.
Interesting, to be sure, but Apple left video support out of the nano for a reason: that screen is just unsuitable to movie watching, and Cupertino knows it. The new nano, despite the touchscreen, is still similar in its innards to the old nano… my guess is that this residual functionality is simply legacy code from the fifth-gen, and Apple’s not about to flip the switch anytime before next year as an incentive to upgrade.
The popular open-source media player VLC is headed to an iPad near you thanks to App Store developer Applidium… and while it’s currently waiting for approval, there’s every indication that this time, Apple will let it through.
That wouldn’t have been the case a few months ago: Apple had tended to reject media playing apps from the App Store for “duplicating functionality.” This was an extraordinary headache for individuals who wanted to watch media on their iOS devices without first undergoing the cumbersome conversion process to QuickTime compatible MP4.
Recently, though, that’s started to change, with Apple approving more universal media-playing apps like OPlayer and CineXPlayer. If the new VLC is subject to the same standards, it should have no problem getting through the approval process.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it does. VLC has long obviated QuickTime on my Mac. I’m ready to let it do the same for my iPad as well.
HP soon intends to relaunch their Palm-acquired webOS mobile operating system with a major new version, which they intend to use in a new lineup of devices to compete directly with iOS devices like the iPad. One new addition to the webOS arsenal of software features is pretty head-scratching, though: according to leaked screenshots of the software beta, the next version of webOS will sport MobileMe integration.
Huh. We don’t get it. Sure, Palm has done its dance with Apple before, giving Pre owners the ability to sync their media libraries through iTunes until Cupertino dropped the banhammer. But in that case, the benefits made sense. What does MobileMe integration get someone who has opted to buy a webOS phone or tablet instead of an iPhone or iPad… and just as importantly, what does it get HP, and will Apple kick?
Supposed mind-reading peripherals are nothing new. The Atari Mindlink, for example, introduced the concept to gaming way back in 1983. It didn’t work exactly as described, though, unless the way you usually thought was to accompany your ponderings with an alarming staccato of violent facial tics: then, just then, you might get Pac-Man to drunkenly wobble across the screen for a couple seconds before Pinky, Blinky, Inky and Clyde get their inevitable gang bang in.
Things haven’t changed much since then: consumer mind-reading gadgets still usually don’t do any mind-reading at all. They haven’t sold very well, but companies keep trying. The latest plucky upstart in the supposed-mind-control-but-probably-forehead-reading accessory market is PLX, whose XWave headset plugs into any iOS device’s audio jack and supposedly lets you drive your iPhone with your throbbing frontal lobe.
PLX claims that “with [the] XWave, you will be able to detect attention and meditation levels, as well as train your mind to control things. Objects in a game can be controlled, lights in your living room can change color depending on your mood; the possibilities are limited to only the power of your imagination.”
Or, at least, the power of PLX’s imagination, since their demonstration video (embedded above) shows concept apps that give results that seem about as reproducible in a laboratory as those of your local dive bar’s coin-operated Love Tester machine. I’m somehow guessing those “Meditation” and “Attention” meters might be randomized.
It’s $100 bucks if you’re feeling overly credulous. PLX warns that the device is “for entertainment purposes and is not intended for medical use,” so don’t use it for psychic surgery or anything.
If you fancy a computer reboot to start off your day in exchange for some better WebKit stability and security, Apple has just pushed a new Safari update down the pipeline, fixing a stable of bugs and freshly revealed security vulnerabilities, including:
• Fixes an issue that could prevent users from submitting web forms
• Fixes an issue that could cause web content to display incorrectly when viewing a Google Image result with Flash 10.1 installed
• Establishes an encrypted, authenticated connection to the Safari Extensions Gallery
The 39MB Safari 5.0.2 update is available through Software Update now, or directly from Apple… and if you’re still stuck on Tiger, Apple’s even gone the extra mile and snuck out a 4.1.2 update for you throwbacks.
Wired Mag Editor Chris Anderson has posted a tasty rumor on Twitter: he claims that a T-Mobile manager revealed to him that they would be getting the iPhone 3GS by the end of the year. Granted, we shouldn’t put too much stock on the word-of-mouth hearsay of an anonymous store manager… but in actuality, other networks getting the iPhone 3GS, but not the iPhone 4, would make a lot of sense.
Here in Germany, for example, the rumored end of T-Mobile’s iPhone exclusivity was heralded with other networks suddenly being allowed to stock the 3GS. In other words, T-Mobile’s “iPhone exclusivity” was shifted to the exclusive sale of the iPhone 4… and even that exclusivity seems likely to end soon.
If Anderson’s nameless manager is right, then, we might see something similar happen in the States: AT&T becomes the exclusive carrier of the iPhone 4 for a time, while other carriers are allowed to sell the 3GS. If this coincides with a rumor of a January CDMA iPhone 4 for Verizon, we might conceivably start next year with an iPhone on every network.
Along with the arrival of sexy new iPod Touches replete with pixel-packed Retina Displays, touch-capable iPod Nanos and rollback Shuffles, today should see the debut of iOS 4.1 as well as Apple’s new iOS gaming social network, Game Center.
As such, TUAW is reporting that Game Center has just gone live for iPhone developers, meaning that instead of being limited to a sandbox-only development environment, Game Center is now allowing global registry and asking for new login details… older accounts having been purged from the system yesterday.
Game Center’s reportedly having a few birthing paints, including some crashing issues and connectivity problems, but it seems to mostly be due to server problems, and everything’s working once you manage to get connected.
Since Game Center is the showcase new functionality in iOS 4.1, the server switch being flipped on is a good indication that we’re all about to see an update get slurped down through iTunes sometime soon.
Morphie’s venerable line of iPhone-charging Juice Packs were bound to get an update with the new iPhone 4 redesign, we’re just surprise it’s taken them this long. All’s well that ends well, though: Morphie has just announced their next-generation Juice Pack for the iPhone 4, doubling your handset’s battery life while slightly expanding your iPhone’s waistline.
The Juice Pack comes in the form of a hard-shell case, shielding the edges from accidental death-gripping and protecting the glass back from accidental shattering. Inside is a highly condensed lithium-ion battery that Morphie says will give you an additional six hours of 3G talktime, 12 hours of 2G talktime, 36 hours of audio playback or 9 hours of video. You can see how your Juice Pack is keeping up thanks to a handy power gauge on the bottom of the device, and if you’re worried the case will obscure your iPhone 4’s clear sound, Morphie even claims the case will act “as a virtual speaker box.”
If you’re interested in owning Morphie’s latest Juice Pack, it can now be purchased over at the official website for just a nickel short of $80.
Employing the iPad Camera Connection Kit, it’s technically possible to hook an iPad up to a portable USB hard drive… but only if that hard drive falls within the maximum range of the SD card’s storage capacity. That’s only 32GB, which makes the Camera Connection Kit’s ability to read storage off of an external hard drive more a matter of trivia than practicality.
That gruesome device above, though? That’s the Sanho spacious 750GB HyperDrive, designed to circumnavigate the iPad’s restrictions by turning individual file folders into virtual 32GB drives on the fly. It comes with a CompactFlash and SD card slot for slurping up your camera’s photos, as well as a 3.2-inch QVGA color display and the ability to interface directly with your Mac. All yours for just… $600.
*Sputter* That’s a lot of money to drop on a hard drive that, because of iOS limitations, can’t even read music or launch apps. Of course, this isn’t for consumers who need to upgrade their iPad space: it’s clearly aimed at photographers who want to be able to juggle huge archives of RAW files on their iPad’s on the fly. A very niche market indeed, given the relative lack of powerful RAW editors on the App Store, but perhaps that will change in time.
We say “easy-to-follow.” We don’t mean “easy-to-perform.” A device this small is made up of component parts that are even tinier, and iFixIt says the new iPod Shuffle is incredibly difficult to vivisect, which is bad news for modders and DIYers… especially if you want to replace the new Shuffle’s miniscule 3.7-volt battery, which is soldered right to the logic board. Then again, for $49, if the Apple Store won’t replace your bum battery after a year, you might as well just pick up a new one.
Linux fiends have a new operating system to hate in the OS wars, according to web traffic firm Net Application: iOS overtook Linux as the third biggest browsing browsing platform in uly of this year.
According to Net Applications’ data, iOS represented 1.06 percent of all web traffic in July, compared to the 0.93 percent share of Linux. Google’s Android operating system, which technically bests iOS’ numbers when it comes to installs, is only 0.18 oercent.
It gets worse. In July, iOS encompassed 1.13% of all web traffic, while Linux shrank even more to 0.85% and Google’s Android shot up to 0.20%.
iOS is now the third most popular web browsing platform in the world, behind only Windows and OS X. And it doesn’t have far to go before it knocks out Snow Leopard, which accounts for just 2.59 percent of all web traffic. Wow.
The full import of the announcement didn’t exactly sink in at the time, but when Steve Jobs announced last Wednesday that AirTunes was becoming AirPlay, he was really announcing that media-streaming on Apple devices was getting a lot more open. Not only would AirTunes be extended to hardware beyond AirPort Expresses, making every AirPlay-compatible peripheral capable of sucking up tunes across the room, and not only was he opening AirTunes to an expanded gamut of media types including video and photos, but he was also opening the door for iOS devices to stream media directly to other devices, with no iTunes intermediary required.
I have to admit that as someone with three AirPort Expresses, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t realize immediately how cool this was. Thankfully, third-party accessory makers were quicker on the uptake than I was, and iHome has already announced their first AirPlay compatible wireless speaker system. Scant details so far (except for a rechargeable battery) and obviously — since this is just a speaker — it’s humble beginnings. But just you wait. An AirPlay compatible television is coming, mark my words.
Loathe — absolutely loathe — the new iTunes 10 look? The grayscale sidebar icons? The hypocritically wonky horizontal windows controls? That ghastly new CD-less icon? *Damien Erambert has put together a handy new package which allows you to roll back iTunes 10’s more egregious changes back to a more palatable iTunes-9-style aesthetic bliss. Not that that looked all that great either, you understand.
* – Okay, this download won’t change the icon… but it’s easy enough to do.
Look, we’re four generations in. If you still crave a physical hardware keyboard on your iPhone, you’re basically barking up the wrong tree: hey, look over there, there’s RIM, a succulent hydrant for you to whiz upon. Apple’s just never going to be there for you.
That said, there’s scarcely an itch the constabulary of third-party accessory makers won’t scratch for you, given enough dosh. So here, have this Mini Key case for the iPhone 4, complete with sliding, backlit QWERTY. It adds significant bulk, no batter life, and will cost you $60 when it’s released at the end of the year. You’re welcome.
Google’s none too happy about the breach, saying: “We’re now looking into the possibility that someone improperly disclosed confidential information about our clients, and [we] will take all appropriate action.”
But Apple can’t be happy about the leak either, particularly since it highlighted the fact that Apple spends a million dollars a month on Google Adwords adverising… despite the fact that they have a competing network called iAds.
Of course, a million bucks a month is just a drop in Apple’s coffers, and Apple can’t trust iAds alone to promote their own products successfully yet, given its limited rollout to iOS devices. Still, Apple ultimately intends to go head-to-head with Google Adwords for the mobile space… a blip in the headlines saying they are giving money to their rival has to be annoying, no matter how inconsequential the amount.
If you’re an iPhone 3G owner wondering if iOS 4.1 is going to save your device from the slow mercury hell of a sluggish post-3.1.3 device, good news. The fine lads and lasses over at Lifehacker find the last point iteration a marked improvement upon its predecessor, and to prove it, posted this chipper, chiptune-backed side-by-side comparison.
All I can say is, “Wow.” iOS 4.0 was that slow for 3G owners? How did Apple even let that update get out the door?
Like the iPhone before it, the iPod Touch is now a a haptic handset for the teledildonically inclined.
It appears that a new hardware feature in the iPod Touch is a small, whirring engine capable of delivering a vibrating alert when a FaceTime call is incoming to your pocket.
Pretty neat. It is, of course, unknown whether or not there will be an API call allowing app store developers to trigger the vibrating functionality at will. Here’s hoping: putting aside any reference to possible pelvic-grinding perversions, rumble functionality would be a very welcome addition to the iPod Touch for gaming alone.
As it turns out, the problem is caused because Automator detects iTunes 10 as being a lower version number than iTunes 9, because Automator apparently sorts version numbers alphabetically instead of numerically.
As it turns out, the fix isn’t entirely onerous: simply open up the info.plist inside the packages of your non-functioning workflows and manually change the version number. If you absolutely can’t live without your iTunes Automator workflows until Apple managed to issue a Software Update, here’s your stop gap solution.
Well, our insightful new columnist Mike Elgan certainly nailed it: mere hours after he received his new touchscreen iPod nano, Flickr user Kei Ogikubo has already added a watchstrap and turned the nano into an iWatch. Crap. I was skeptical before, but now I want one.
LaCie’s latest, the MosKeyTo thumb drive — get it? Har. — is a product that manages to pull off the nearly miraculous: it’s not only just 20mm long, or about the same size as the nanoreceiver of some wireless mice, but it’s actually garnered our interest enough to break our oath and yet again hit the keyboard to write something about the most boring species of gadget on earth: the USB storage dongle.
It’s not the specs, which are standard. It’s not the price: 4GB for $17.99, or 8GB for $27.99. It’s not even the drive’s tininess. No, we’re writing about it to call attention to the official product image above, featuring a giant mosquito wildly fornicating with its namesake on the lid of a MacBook Pro.
Congrats on catching our attention, LaCie! Time to give someone in your art department a raise.
Valve Software’s transcendent physics and teleportation puzzler Portal already runs sublimely through Steam for Mac… as long as you have a modern MacBook Pro or iMac. But what if Portal wasn’t a modern game, but a classic Macintosh text adventure? This brilliant mock ad re-imagines Portal as a lost game rediscovered through a lost Saturday morning advertisement, complete with an appearance by a badly puppeted GlaDOS. Brilliant… although that green text really looks more at place on an Apple II, don’t you think?
There are a lot of iPod docks on the market, but not a lot of them have docking trays big enough to accommodate the iPad without snapping it in half over your knee first… a tact which has some obvious repercussions on the resulting music’s audio quality.
Phillips’ latest dock changes that with a docking tray wide enough to accommodate the iPad’s chunky width. Called the Fidelio, the dock also features Bluetooth so that your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch doesn’t even need to be plugged in to avail itself of a nicer, room-filling speaker.
The Fidelio is also portable, with a battery that allows you to play music up to five hours per charge. Unfortunately, the Fidelio’s price and release date has yet to be announced.
