Cult of Mac

Leander posted yesterday about rumoured features for iPhone OS 4.0, including multi-touch gestures OS-wide, background apps, UI changes, and more.

Today, on TechRadar, Gary Marshall outlined his thoughts on 10 ways to make iPhone OS 4.0 damn near perfect, offering ideas such as disabling orientation, deleting default apps, home-screen widgets, document sync from a Mac (or PC), Mail filters, and one I’d love to see—touchable wireless icons (so you can disable Wi-Fi without accessing Settings).

I commented on that article with ideas of my own about what I want to see in iPhone OS 4.0:

Mail needs an optional unified inbox that can be set as the default view. Forcing me to go in and out of each inbox is dumb.

All default apps should be removable, with a suitably chunky warning if you decide to do so. If Apple only hides them, I don’t care. Perhaps there should be a show/hide list in Settings.

The Springboard needs serious work, because while it was great pre-App Store, it’s now a nightmare to arrange/organise apps. One might argue you should do this in iTunes, but plenty of people only use their device, ignoring iTunes in the main.

I’d like to see an app list, available by swiping left of Spotlight to access an app launcher that lists every app on the device, but that can be filtered as per Spotlight. I did a mock-up of this for Cult of Mac back in October.

On deleting an app, you should be able to optionally store its settings, which should (again, optionally) be available when reinstalling the App via iTunes at a later date. In other words, if I’ve spent 20 hours getting 90% of the way through Myst or Peggle, but delete the app, I shouldn’t have to start from scratch on reinstalling it. As it stands, Apple’s decided iPhone and iPod touch gaming should be akin to cheapo Nintendo DS carts, as opposed to something with a battery back-up. Such a system would benefit apps, too.

Also, Apple should fire/beat to within an inch of their life whoever came up with the sync UI in iTunes and get someone with some actual talent to redesign it. I don’t appreciate ‘film’ titles being truncated after about 25 characters, forcing me to check a tiny thumbnail to see if I’m syncing the right one. And the Applications tab is a disgrace, coming across like an interactive Flash website from 1999, not a robust system for organising your apps.

So, what are your wishes for iPhone 4.0? Tell us in the comments!

What it is:  BumpTop for Mac is OS X software that gives you a whole new way of looking at and using your desktop, one that brings your computer screen into the realm of 3D imaging and instantly grows your monitor’s real estate – no matter how large or small – into a more productive palette than anything you’ve seen before.

Why it’s cool:  BumpTop represents a total re-thinking of the 20 year-old design artifact that is the standard desktop UI.

Now you can view your computer screen as a real desk, or more accurately perhaps, as the floor of a four walled room – and use all the space to put your stuff in piles, tack important things on the walls and slap sticky notes on everything – just like in real life.

Desktop minimalists are hereby free to skip the rest of this post.

Console emulators have been a firm fixture of the software grey market practically since the dawn of the Internet. A legal loophole regarding back-ups means that emulation software itself is on solid legal ground (to the degree that Steve Jobs once demoed a PlayStation emulator for Mac during a keynote over significant protest by Sony).

Unsurprisingly, emulation is one of the most popular reasons to jailbreak the iPhone. One (former) console-maker has realized that it’s usually smarter to provide a legal alternative rather than try to squash the bootleg edition. According to Gizmodo, Sega is on the verge of launching Ultimate Genesis, a free emulator that includes Space Harrier II and will enable in-app purchases of what will soon be a large library of titles from the dawn of the 16-bit era. It hasn’t shown up in the App Store yet, but based on Sega’s existing iPhone titles, from Sonic the Hedgehog to Super Monkey Ball 2 means it will be worth waiting for.

Ultimate Genesis: Sega’s Official Console Emulator for iPhone [Gizmodo]

The organizers of the Indie+Relief one-day charity sale have been overwhelmed by the response from Mac software developers.

After accepting more than 140 developers in the Wednesday January 20th sale — all proceeds of which will be donated to Haiti — the organizers are now turning down offers to add more companies to the program.

“We expected people would be interested, but the response has been overwhelming and amazing,” said Garret Murray, one of the organizers. “Personally, I thought we’d probably have 20 or so companies. And in under a week we’re already having to stop taking submissions. I’ve always known the Mac community is very supportive, but even this blew me away.”

To contribute, all you have to do is buy some of the Mac or iPhone software listed on the Indie+Relief webpage. All proceeds will be donated to charities working in Haiti, including Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, the Red Cross, and others.

The sale includes well-known titles like Delicious Library 2, Instapaper Pro, MarsEdit, Moneydance, Things and Tweetie — as well as lesser-known but highly-rated apps such as Gas Cubby and Today.

Hardware makers are also getting involved. Twelve South promised to donate $5 for every BassJump Subwoofer for MacBook ($79.99) and BackPack Shelf for iMac ($29.99) sold directly on twelvesouth.com.

The effort began five days ago when Mac/iPhone software developer Justin Williams suggested on his blog that software publishers should donate a day’s sales to relief efforts. The idea spread quickly and Williams and Garrett soon had dozens of volunteers. They spent the weekend creating a single page listing all the software for sale.

The pair are now calling on everyone to spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, blog posts or by adding Indie+Relief banner to websites and blogs.

“The more awareness there is, the more software will be bought,” said Williams on his blog. “The more software that is bought, the more is donated to charity. I realize we won’t be making nearly as much money as the text messaging campaigns or other telethons, but it is refreshing to know the Mac & iPhone community has the opportunity to at least make a dent in the Haitian relief effort. Thanks for being a part of that.”

I just conducted a quick IM-terview with Murray. Full text after the jump.

The iPhone OS 4.0 will feature multitasking (the ability to run apps in the background), multitouch gestures system-wide, and several changes to the UI, according to Boy Genius Report, citing “one of our trusty Apple connects.”

According to BGR, the update to the iPhone OS, which may come as soon as the special Apple next Wednesday, will include:

There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)

“A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.

Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.

The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”

The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.

Half of this is pretty vague, but the UI changes to make the OS “easier and more efficient,” ring true. One of the biggest complaints against Google’s Android is the occasionally kludgy interface. Version 4.0 of the iPhone OS is a major milestone — and it sounds like it’ll be miles ahead of anything else out there.

Today we look at some very practical Apple deals, including a way to keep your iPod safe; always be prepared for a quick road trip with your iPhone; and a cookbook with recipes to make meals from whatever (or whomever) is on hand. The iPod mobile security lock from Targus encases your music collection in a three-digit combination lock. The traveling kit includes an FM transmitter, screen protector and skin for your iPhone 3G. Lastly, the Zombie Cookbook is an iPhone or iPod touch app that teaches you to make delicious meals from ingredients such as brains, hearts, eyballs and guts.

For details on these and many other bargains, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.

Samsung Monday unveiled five new ultra-slim point-and-shoot cameras with improved graphics, HD video support and greater image control.

The TL110 (pictured above) features a 14.2-megapixel image, a 5x optical zoom, a 27mm wide-angle lends, 2.7-inch LCD screen and records 720p HD video at 30 fps. Available in February for an unknown price, the camera measures 0.65-inches wide. “Consumers want portability in a point and shoot,” said Samsung CEO SJ Park.

Skype for the iPhone is a pretty nifty port of the venerable VoIP software, but it has two big gaps in its feature set that have had users clamoring for months now: namely, push notification of incoming calls and messages, and voice over 3G.

It’s completely shocking, then, that the latest Skype for iPhone version 1.3 patch didn’t add support for either. Instead, all the software gains is a call quality monitor, a landscape mode for instant messaging and hint functionality to gently lead new users along.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIf_09tVX5s&feature=player_embedded

In nine days, Steve Jobs will walk on stage, shout “Bam!” and unveil the Apple Tablet. That much we pretty much know. But with rumors that the Tablet will require a steep learning curve, evidence is mounting that the Tablet won’t interface with us like a mere tablet PC or an iPhone, but instead set an entirely new paradigm.

One interesting bit of speculation on what kind of new interface we might expect comes way of Roger Åberg, who points out an interesting new interface technology Apple has been pursuing over the last couple of years, eye control, which could allow Tablet users to do everything from scroll, navigate, launch apps and even type through blinks, motion and long dwelling gazes.

Apple may fully convert iTunes from a software-based application to a cloud service in 2010, thus stalling rivals and solving the problem of pesky license tug-of-war fights with music publishers, an online music veteran suggested Tuesday.

Citing “a wide variety of insider sources,” Michael Robertson, founder of MP3.com and CEO of MP3tunes, said Apple this year will leverage its recent purchase of music streaming service Lala to convert iTunes to a fully cloud-based operation. “The Lala upload technology will be bundled into a future iTunes upgrade which will automatically be installed for the 100+ million iTunes users with a simple ‘An upgrade is available…’ notification box,” wrote Robertson on TechCrunch.

Rather than building the technology in-house, the Lala acquisition permits Apple to quickly transition from a software business to a cloud service, the online music expert reasons. However, although the service will be cloud-based, iTunes consumers will still be able to buy music and videos as they are now. Once purchased, though, the material will be automatically uploaded to the mobile iTunes where it can be accessed from anywhere and from any device.

The new approach will “sidestep new licenses from the major labels,” which Robertson said are wary of Apple. Because the music is owned by the users, Apple won’t need to negotiate new license deals with record publishers.

Already, signs are evident that Apple is moving in Robertson’s direction. Earlier this month, we reported Apple had begun offering 30-second sound clips on its browser-based iTunes Preview site. That site, quietly introduced in November of 2009, allowed people to browse song titles without requiring they install the iTunes software.

[Via TechCrunch]

The venerable Grand Theft Auto series has been ported to almost every device in gadetry’s zoological garden, but few of the efforts were as superlative as Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS. Realizing that the first-person style of the likes of Grand Theft Auto III and IV would be ill-suited for the DS’ control scheme and modest hardware, they instead came up with an amalgam of the frenetic, top-down 2D action of Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2 combined with the story and strong characters of the latter games in the series.

The result is a masterpiece: not just one of the best games in the handheld line Grand Theft Auto games, but the series as a whole. And now it’s available over at the App Store for $9.99.

I haven’t tried the iPhone version yet, but the screenshots look remarkably more crisp and detailed than the Nintendo DS version, although it retains the latter’s attractive cel-shaded top-down perspective. A failing of the DS version was afterthought touch gimmicks, and I imagine those have been ported wholesale to the iPhone version, but overall, if Chinatown Wars for the iPhone is as good as game as its DS counterpart, this is a must buy for Apple gamers.

This post originally appeared on our friend Graham Bower’s Mac Predictions blog. Graham’s post is pure speculation — but a good read nonetheless.

Take a sheet of letter paper and fold it in half. You’re holding something about the size of Apple’s new iSlate. Imagine that scrap of paper is a beautiful, shiny combination of glass, aluminum and plastic, weighing about 10 ounces. How does it feel?

The first thing you’ll notice is that, unlike the iPhone, you want to hold it with both hands. And this presents a bit of a problem. You don’t have a hand free to touch the screen.Your thumbs are resting on the edges of the device, and are not long enough or manoeuvrable enough to reach the middle. Your fingers, however, are idly stretched across the back of the device.

And this gives us the clue we need to suspect that there’s some truth the rumors doing the rounds that Apple’s working on a multi touch surface for the back of a new iPhone. But perhaps it’s destined for the new tablet, instead (or as well). More than just a gimmick, this all-new input method would enable users to interact with the device without moving their hands from its sides. It also has the benefit of enabling you to use the device without obscuring the screen with your hands.

The slavering, cannibalistic undead have shambled onto the App Store in the new Dawn of the Dead game, available now for iPhones and iPod Touches.

As a fan of Romero’s spaghetti zombies, I’m slightly disappointed to learn that Dawn of the Dead is based not on the original 1978 classic, but Zack Snyder’s execrable 2004 remake. That means fast zombies and Ving Rhames. Ugh.

Still, it’s hard to go wrong with a zombie game, and Dawn of the Dead seems like a perfectly serviceable zombie masher. Its gameplay model seems plucked from the likes of games like Dracula X, Crimsonland and SmashTV: it’s a top-down shoot-em-up, with a number of weapons and power ups.

At $1.99, you might as well pick it up: with the forthcoming zombie apocalypse as certain as the release of the Apple Tablet, you’ll need all the zombie-beheading practice you can get.

It may be difficult with reports and rumors of a tablet whizzing by your eyes every day, but one analyst is bullish on Apple’s original product: the Mac. With 3.1 million Macs expected to be sold during the December quarter, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster told investors Tuesday morning, 2010 is “The Year of the Mac.”

Munster said sales of Macs during the December period tracked by retail research firm NPD Group rose 26 percent compared to the previous year, topping the Wall Street consensus of 19 percent. The jump in expected annual growth prompted the analyst to estimate 3.1 million Macs were sold during the previous quarter, an increase from his previously-predicted 2.9 million Mac sales. If that figure holds up, it would beat the 3.05 million in Mac sales, Apple’s previous high water mark.

If Apple unveils a tablet Jan. 27, publisher HarperCollins may also be in the spotlight, according to a Tuesday report. Apple is talking with HarperCollins and other publishers about making ‘enhanced ebooks’ available on its much-expected and long-rumored tablet device.

Citing anonymous “people familiar with the situation,” the Wall Street Journal reports enhanced ebooks with video, interviews and social-networking connections, could command up to $19.99 per title – far from the $9.99 price for Amazon’s Kindle.

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon when I was suddenly bewitched by the heavenly tones of a siren’s call radiating from the single speaker inside my favorite Starbucks. I was enraptured, overwhelmed with the sudden desire to find out to whom these dulcet tones belonged! Gripped in a fever of curiosity, I quizzed the barista, but — tragedy! She didn’t know! Would I never find the answer?

After I calmed down a bit, I realized, like everything else, there’s an app for that. In fact, there are two — one of which is truly outstanding.

Oh Groupon, you bring us such wonderful deals with your hyper local bulk buying business strategy. And today, of all days, you tell me I can pick up Macworld tix at incredible discounts? Tell me more.

Check out the San Francisco Groupon site for $10 3-Day General Admission tickets to the Macworld 2010 Expo $25 value). They also have Macworld Users Conference tickets for $50 ($105 value).

Groupon is like a woot! for events and services. Apparently they offer unbeatable deal a day in 30 cities across the U.S. They do group buys so they can offer tickets to events or spa certificates or car washes for a hefty discount. The discount is only good if they get enough people to sign up, which for this deal happened at 9am EST so you’re good to go.

We’re at it again, bringing freebies to your Facebook world. Put down that virtual hoe (Farmville) or ho (Mafia Wars) and post a picture of your dirty keyboard on our wall!

We’ll pick 5 random pictures of dirty keyboards posted to our Facebook Page to win an iSkin ProTouch anti-bacterial cover for your MacBook (Pro/Air) or full size aluminum keyboard. So take a picture of your keyboard in all of it’s coffee stained, pizza grease, sugar sticky glory and upload it to Facebook for a chance at improving your chances at staying flu free this year. Be sure to include which type of keyboard cover (MacBook Pro-Air or full size aluminum) you want when you post your photo.

Contest starts immediately and ends at 3 pm PST tomorrow, January 19th.

Since late 2008, John Kooistra has been masterminding an intergalactic war—inside your iPhone. The reds and blues have been engaged in a deadly struggle, as evidenced in twist-based shooter Blue Defense and its more involved sequel Blue Attack.

Red Conquest is John’s most advanced and innovative game yet, a complex, exciting RTS that takes full advantage of Apple’s hardware. Cult of Mac interviewed John about how he got into iPhone games development and how the latest game in the red/blue saga came to be.

The Apple Tablet is coming, and if our own tipsters are anything to go by, the UI will require a “steep learning curve” and a complex vocabulary of new gestures. We won’t know for sure what to expect until Steve Jobs sends his fingers dancing across the tablet’s slate-like surface on January 27th, but until then, Patently Apple has hit the US Patent Office archives, prophesying what we can expect.

Kotaku, of all places, is reporting that they have received their invitation for Apple’s January 27th event. The Loop has also received an identical invitation. Leander presumably has one rattling around in his mailbox as well.

“Come see our latest creation,” the invite reads, superimposed over a multi-chromatic palette paintgun-like spatterings.

No surprises here. From the colorful splotches of e-ink to the mention of a “latest creation,” that invite all but confirms the January 27th unveiling of the Apple Tablet. All we need to do now is wait for Steve Jobs to pull it out on stage, give it a name and spell out the details.

Over 2,000 workers in the Chinese city of Suzhou went on strike last week after persistent rumors circled that their employers, Taiwan-based Wintek Corp, would not pay a promised productivity bonus for 2009. They certainly seem to have earned that bonus: the workers build the touchscreens used in Apple’s iPhone, only the most popular and bestselling smartphone on Earth.

According to reports, the workers are outraged, flipping vehicles and damaging facilities in protest. Needless to say, production has halted in the meantime.

It’s hard to imagine this is going to go well for the workers. If conditions at Wintek’s factories are anything like those at Foxxconn’s iPod facilities, most of Wintek’s employees earn less than fifty dollars a month, and work 15 hours a day. They’ve doubtlessly earned whatever meager bonus is being held back. It’s easy to understand their frustration. Too bad the Chinese government isn’t the sort to look favorably upon worker rebellion.

We start off the week with new deals on MacBook Pro computers, more juice for your iPhone or iPod touch, and your own collection of classic reading material for free. The Apple Store has nearly two dozen MacBook Pro laptops, starting at $999 for a 2.26GHz 13″ unibody MacBook Pro. Are you looking for a convenient way to boost your iPhone’s talk or music time? The Morphie JuicePack lets you have 250 hours of standby or 24 hours of music for just $66. Finally, have you wanted to build your library of classic literature but don’t have the bucks, or the space? We have a deal you can’t beat: 112 titles, including Wizard of Oz, Little Women and Frankenstein, for free from the iTunes Store.

Along the way, we look at ways to conserve your computing energy, connect faster, hear better and become a comfier couch potato. As always, details on these and many more bargains can be found after the jump.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BP5ax1qs5o

Digg founder Kevin Rose has become an investor of the Square iPhone payment system (which was in turn created by another social networking visionary, Twitter co-creator Jack Dorsey), and so he’s posted an informative video tour of the technology on YouTube.

Next week, Apple will either officially unveil their much-rumored tablet device, or the lot of us are going to look like complete idiots. Either way, it should be a fun week, but as anticipation boils to a pitch, we might as well keep ourselves entertained with a look back at the prehistory of Apple’s last tablet launch: three Newton prototypes evocatively codenamed the Bic, the Cadillac and the Batmobile.