Mophie juice pack powerstation PRO: A big gas tank for your gizmos

We test a lot of external power packs here at the top-secret TUAW labs, most of which are just powerful enough to top off an iPhone or iPod touch. But what if you need enough juice to top off a couple of iPhones or an iPad? That's where Mophie's new juice pack powerstation PRO (US$129.95) comes in handy. Read on for a full review and a chance to win a juice pack powerstation PRO.

The juice pack powerstation PRO is to most external power packs as a gasoline tank truck is to the tank in your family car. It has a capacity of 6000 mAh, which is over four times the capacity of the 1432 mAh battery in your iPhone 4S. Imagine being able to completely charge an iPhone 4S four times from the powerstation PRO, and you have a pretty good idea of its capabilities.

That won't completely recharge a new iPad, which has a huge 11666 mAh battery, but it will extend the operating time by another five hours or so. The original iPad battery (6600 mAh) and iPad 2 battery (6930 mAh) will see almost a doubling in operating time from the juice pack powerstation PRO. The pack pumps out energy at 2.1 Amps, about what you'll get from the standard iPad power brick.

Gallery: mophie juice pack powerstation PRO

The powerstation PRO is incredibly well-built -- in fact, it's IP-65 rated, which means that it's protected against dirt, sand, and water. Sure, you won't want to bring it into a bathtub with you, but it could probably withstand the spray from a shower as the charging and output ports both have their own watertight seals. The entire power pack is made of aluminum and steel with a rubber-like impact resistant exterior.

Size-wise, the powerstation PRO is only 2.63" x 4.53" x 1.03" in size and weighs 7.6 ounces. It's small enough to fit in a pocket, although I wouldn't recommend putting into a pants pocket unless you don't mind getting strange looks. A set of four LEDs on the front of the case act as a "fuel meter" to tell you the charge level of the powerstation PRO.

How did the powerstation PRO work? Just great. I didn't have a chance to drop it down a hill and into a river like the guy in the video below, but I was quite impressed with both the speed with which it charged my iPhone and the rugged looks of the case.

And now for a giveaway! To enter, just fill out the form below completely and click on the submit button. Only one entry per person, and you must follow the rules:

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button.
• The entry must be made before April 30, 2012 at 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.
• You may enter only once.
• One winner will be selected and will receive a mophie juice pack powerstation PRO valued at US$129.95
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Mophie juice pack powerstation PRO: A big gas tank for your gizmos originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mophie juice pack powerstation PRO: A big gas tank for your gizmos originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LIL KIKR iPhone dock has both looks and functionality

I'm probably opening the floodgates to thousands of emails by talking about another Kickstarter project, but this one caught my eye today. The LIL KIKR dock for iPhone is a project by Seattle designer Mike Kemery that not only looks good, but provides a stable and non-slip speakerphone dock for your favorite Apple phone.

The project currently has less than half the backing it needs with just 17 days to go, but I've seen plenty of projects jump into fully-funded mode after a tickle from TUAW. The LIL KIKR can be yours for a US$50 pledge, is available in anodized red, black, or natural finish aluminum, and comes with a charging cable and AC adapter.

If you really want something unique and cool, there's a limited edition LIL KIKR in ceramic white with laser etching -- your pledge will go up to $60, and there are about 184 of these special docks (see below) left.

For a closer look and designer's description of the LIL KIKR, be sure to check out the video below.

LIL KIKR iPhone dock has both looks and functionality originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

LIL KIKR iPhone dock has both looks and functionality originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple sold 645,000 devices per day in the 2nd quarter

Blogger Adrian Kingsley-Hughes over at ZDNet did the math and came up with some staggering statistics about Apple's hardware sales during the last quarter. As we heard during the Q2 2012 earnings call yesterday, Apple sold 35.1 million iPhones, 11.8 million iPads, 7.7 million iPods and 4 million Macs. That total of 58.6 million pieces of hardware, divided by the 91 days in the financial quarter ending March 31, 2012, means that Apple sold an average of 645,000 devices per day.

Of those 645,000 units, over 385,000 of them were iPhones and about 130,000 of them were iPads. Kingsley-Hughes also played off the announcement during yesterday's call when Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the company has sold 67 million iPads so far, and that it took Apple 24 years to sell that many Macs. In 42 quarters, notes Kingsley-Hughes, Apple has sold 344.3 million iPods, but in half that time the company has sold 218.1 million iPhones.

It's also obvious from Kingsley-Hughes's almost-obsessive charting of cumulative and quarterly sales of Apple's devices that Apple has "undoubtedly made the transition to being a true post-PC company." As he notes when discussing the chart below, "If we add Macs into the equation, they are barely a blip on the post-PC landscape." It's a fascinating visual look at the changing product mix at Apple and how it is has completely moved away from dependence on the Mac as a primary revenue source.

Apple sold 645,000 devices per day in the 2nd quarter originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple sold 645,000 devices per day in the 2nd quarter originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OpenPhoto is an open, cloud-based photo storage alternative for iPhone

If you're furious with Flickr and peeved at Picasa, there's a new kid in town -- OpenPhoto. OpenPhoto is an open source photo sharing service along the lines of those other services, but the images are stored on Dropbox, Amazon S3, or any other cloud-storage service. It's meant to give photograph owners more control over their online photo storage, and you can even install the code on your own server is you wish.

OpenPhoto was initially funded by a Kickstarter project, and the development team has reached a new milestone with the release of an iPhone app (free). The app is a bit underwhelming at the moment, but remember that this is 1.0 version. Some other bloggers have tried to compare the app to Instagram, but point out that there's no social aspect to the app or service yet. At this time, OpenPhoto is good for one thing, and that's for storing your images in the cloud.

The app provides a way to upload and view your images, and there are screens for entering titles and tags to each photo. There are even some editing tools in the app from Aviary, and images can also have filters applied. If you want to do sharing with others, simply turn on the Facebook or Twitter upload capability when you're getting ready to upload an image.

One major complaint about the app has been about the use of Browser.ID for login, which means that the app jumps to mobile Safari to complete the login before moving bak to the app. It's a bit confusing at first, to put it lightly. If you happen to have a lot of photos on your Mac (or PC) it's easy to drag and drop them onto the OpenPhoto page for uploading.

For Dropbox users, the uploaded files may take some initial digging to find. I was expecting to find a new folder called "OpenPhoto", and eventually did -- after I found that it was in another folder called "Apps".

Developer and founder Jaisen Mathai, a former Yahoo! employee, talked with Robert Scoble about the project in a long interview that can be viewed below.

[via The Verge]

OpenPhoto is an open, cloud-based photo storage alternative for iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

OpenPhoto is an open, cloud-based photo storage alternative for iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone accounted for half of Verizon’s smartphone sales in Q1 2012

Next week we get to hear how Apple did in the quarter ending March 31, 2012. Today, Verizon announced its earnings for the first quarter of 2012, and the news is good for both Apple and Verizon.

Verizon announced that it activated 3.2 million iPhones during the quarter, over half of the total 6.3 million smartphone sales for the company in the traditionally slow January to March timeframe. That's less than the 4.3 million iPhones sold in the previous quarter, which encompassed both the launch of the iPhone 4S and the brisk sales usually seen during the holidays.

Wall Street analysts are expecting Apple's iPhone sales to be down for the first calendar quarter of 2012, and it appears that the Verizon news supports that analysis. However, the iPhone 4S became available in many more countries around the world in the first calendar quarter. China Unicom's launch of the device in January, followed by China Telecom in the early part of March, should help Apple's numbers.

In other news, Verizon noted that users of its 4G LTE network (including those with the new third-generation iPad) now make up 9.1 percent of the company's wireless user base.

iPhone accounted for half of Verizon's smartphone sales in Q1 2012 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone accounted for half of Verizon's smartphone sales in Q1 2012 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brookstone’s Pocket Projector, Big Blue speakers perfect for movie night

Gadget retailer Brookstone has taken to iOS devices like a baby duck takes to water, and the company supplied TUAW with a trio of review products last week that are perfect for hosting a movie night at your home or wowing a client with a presentation at their office. The Brookstone Pocket Projector for iPhone 4 (US$229.99) and a pair of Bluetooth speakers from Big Blue -- Big Blue Studio ($149.99) and Big Blue Live ($99.99) -- are useful and well-designed products that work just as well at home or in the office.

Brookstone Pocket Projector for iPhone 4

I have to admit that I was dubious about this pocket projector, but it far exceeded my expectations. The Pocket Projector is basically a small iPhone case that you slide your iPhone 4 or 4S into. It has a 2100 mAh battery built in that not only powers the projector, but can serve as a backup battery for your iPhone as well.

The Pocket Projector is thick enough (about .88") that your friends or co-workers will be wondering if you're happy to see them. The surprising thing is that the Pocket Projector only adds 3.6 ounces to the weight you'll be carrying.

Gallery: Brookstone Pocket Projector for iPhone 4

The projector isn't particularly bright at 15 lumens, so you'll want to make sure that you are in a well-darkened family or conference room before switching it on. Once it's on, you can use the projector to show your Keynote presentations, movies, or slideshows to anyone in the room. The device projects images up to 50" diagonal, so it's almost like having a big flat-screen TV in your pocket.

I was able to use the projector for about two hours before it shut down. The battery still seemed to have some juice in it as I was able to turn the projector back on in a while, but it appeared that the shutdown was due to overheating. There is no way to run the projector from an AC adapter, so you are definitely tied to the life of the non-replaceable battery.

There's a focus adjustment for making sure that the image is sharp, and there's even a built-in .5 Watt speaker to supply sound. Frankly, you'll want a Bluetooth speaker like one of the Big Blue models I'll talk about later in this review.

I watched some short segments of movies, some presentations, and a slideshow or two using the Pocket Projector, and for the most part I was happy with the results. However, this isn't a replacement for a much more capable projector for one very big reason -- the native resolution of the device is only 640 x 360 pixels.

While the images seemed fairly sharp and colors were bright, small text suffered. However, as you can see from some of the photos included with this review, screen text was very easy to read so your mileage may vary.

I think the best use for this device would be for showing images; giving slide shows to friends or clients, watching home videos or product videos. It's definitely doesn't have high enough resolution to be used as a projector for classes or meetings, but still a fun and useful product in the right use cases.

Big Blue Studio and Live Speakers

We get a lot of Bluetooth speakers here at the TUAW Labs, some of which are high-end units and others that are cheap. The Big Blue line seems to hit the middle ground, with a big speaker that's more reasonably-priced than some smaller devices like the Jawbone Jambox.

The Studio Speaker comes in a white polycarbonate shell with a metal grid covering the front, dominated by a big blue "eye." There's a hefty looking AC adapter with a thin cable that powers the unit. The speaker has a total 30 Watt output, with two full-range 2.5" drivers, a 3" subwoofer driver, and a passive radiator. The Studio Speaker supports any Bluetooth 2.0 or higher device with A2DP, GAVDP, or IOP compatibility.

Gallery: Brookstone Big Blue Speakers

The Studio Speaker is definitely made to be left in one place, as you do not want to carry this monster around. The portable member of the family is the ten-ounce Big Blue Live Speaker, which can be easily toted around to wherever you need to push out some tunes. It has an output of 4 Watts (2 Watts per channel) and runs off of a rechargeable 1150 mAh battery for up to four hours. You can be up to about 33 feet away from the Live Speaker, which supports any Bluetooth 2.0 or higher devices with A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, or HSP compatibility.

While the Studio Speaker is designed for music or movie soundtracks, the Live Speaker also has a secret life as a speakerphone. I tried it out with my iPhone 4S and was pleased with the voice quality of the incoming call, and the person I was talking to said my voice seemed clearer than usual. The Live Speaker would be the perfect companion on business trips where you might wish to have a conference speakerphone and a way of listening to music in a hotel room.

The sound quality on both Big Blue speakers was very good. The Studio Speaker really took the prize, though, both in terms of raw sound power and how well it reproduced sound. The Live Speaker wasn't as powerful or as accurate, and seemed to lack punch in both bass and in highs.

I think Brookstone has a winner with the Big Blue speakers, and you can see them at Brookstone stores around the country. For a portable movie viewing or presentation setup, the Live Speaker and Pocket Projector are a perfect pair of accessories.

Brookstone's Pocket Projector, Big Blue speakers perfect for movie night originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Brookstone's Pocket Projector, Big Blue speakers perfect for movie night originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mount your iPhone in your DSLRs hot shoe dock

DSLR shooters -- have you ever wanted to mount your iPhone on top of your camera? No? Well, this product might give you a reason to do exactly that. The Flash-Dock (US$39.95) is designed to slide into the hot shoe on top of your expensive camera and provide a way to hold your iPhone while you're snapping away.

Why would you want to have your iPhone sitting there while you're shooting? According to the marketing materials from Flash-Dock, you'll want to have it there for geotagging of your photo shoots and sharing your photos immediately with the world. And if you happen to own a Canon 5D Mark II DSLR, you can use your iPhone's flash as a low-light autofocus aid.

Well, there's one problem. After you spend $40 for this device, you need to also buy a Eye-Fi card to send those huge, high-resolution photos from your camera to the iPhone over an ad hoc Wi-Fi connection. Then you can use your 3G/4G iPhone connection to send them to the world where they'll chew up your monthly data allotment faster than a shark goes through a surfer. The Flash-Dock folks also fail to say exactly how you get your DSLR camera to nab the .GPX location information from the iPhone when it takes a picture, so I'm guessing that there's a manual step involved here.

Frankly, you could do the same thing with an iPhone in your pocket or camera bag and an Eye-Fi card in your DSLR, and you'd avoid the weight of the phone throwing off the balance of your camera and the $40 charge for the Flash-Dock. Of course, you wouldn't be able to use the iPhone as an expensive low-light autofocus assistant, but there are other ways to do that.

Like some of the other dubious products we see from time to time here at TUAW, the Flash-Dock appears to be a solution in search of a problem.

Mount your iPhone in your DSLRs hot shoe dock originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mount your iPhone in your DSLRs hot shoe dock originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BRAVEN SIX portable Bluetooth speakers sound great, charge your iOS device

There are a lot of portable Bluetooth speakers on the market that can work with your iOS devices, but not many that deliver high-end sound and can also charge your favorite Apple product. Utah-based BRAVEN has announced the SIX line of Bluetooth speakers that offer a lot of power -- both the electrical and sonic kinds.

The BRAVEN 600, 625e, and 650 all provide classic looks, great sound, and that charging capability. The BRAVEN 600 (US$149.99, see image at top) is crafted out of aircraft-grade aluminum, comes in Ash Grey and Moab Red, and can play up to 14 hours on a charge. The 625e ($179.99) is perfect for outdoor use, packaged with a waterproof bag and equipped with a USB flashlight, and able to power your iPhone or iPod touch for up to 16 hours. The 650 ($189.99) is the top of the line, equipped with aptX and AAC audio encoding for flawless sound, and can provide up to 20 hours of extra play time for your iPhone or iPod touch.

If you have multiple BRAVEN speakers, it's easy to daisy-chain them for extra sound power. The image below shows four of the BRAVEN speakers tied together to create a mini sonic wall. All of the speakers will be available in June, 2012 and as of today they'll be on pre-order.

BRAVEN SIX portable Bluetooth speakers sound great, charge your iOS device originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BRAVEN SIX portable Bluetooth speakers sound great, charge your iOS device originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CordCruncher headphones: A sound way to keep your life tangle-free

Kickstarter has launched a number of innovative products, and one caught my attention a few weeks ago -- the CordCruncher headphones. The inventor, Jay Johnson, claimed that he'd come up with a way of keeping headphone cables from tangling. Sure enough, his product works amazingly well and the project is now funded on Kickstarter with a few days to go. Read along for a short review of the product, then go back the project on Kickstarter for $20 to get a set of these 'phones for your very own.

The idea behind the CordCruncher headphones is rather simple -- there's an elastic sleeve that surrounds the cables. To use the headphones, you simply pull down on the sleeve until you get the cables out to the length you want between 16 inches and 3.5 feet. When you're done listening, you "zip" the cables back into the sleeve with a quick tug. The short video at the end of this post shows how it's done, and I can vouch for how well the CordCruncher works.

What's really unique is that you can also plug the headphone jack into the top of the CordCruncher to carry your headphones around your neck necklace-like or as a wristband. It's the first set of headphones that's also a fashion accessory!

In case you're wondering, the CordCruncher headphones also provide good sound quality. They use in-ear buds with a set of different-sized inserts for the ultimate in listening comfort. Don't just sit there, support the CordCruncher project before Friday, April 20 at 9:01 AM EDT and get a set for yourself.

CordCruncher headphones: A sound way to keep your life tangle-free originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CordCruncher headphones: A sound way to keep your life tangle-free originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photojojo unleashes a trio of Belkin iPhone camera accessories: review and giveaway

One of the best places to get 1) fun, 2) useful, and 3) fun (did I already say that?) photo accessories is Photojojo.com. Since the advent of iPhoneography, Photojojo has become the go-to spot for those little attachments and goodies for your iPhone photography pleasure. I recently had the opportunity to review three new Belkin accessories courtesy of Photojojo, and some lucky TUAW reader will have a chance to win these goodies in a giveaway.

Gallery: Belkin LiveAction Camera Accessories for iPhone - from Photojojo

Let's take a look at this trio of accessories and their companion app, Belkin LiveAction (Free).

Belkin LiveAction Camera Grip

The thinking behind the design of the LiveAction Camera Grip (US$40) is that the iPhone and iPod touch aren't really set up like traditional cameras. The Camera Grip provides an easy way to hold your iPod touch or iPhone 4/4S in one hand and then push a large black button conveniently placed at the tip of your index finger to take the photo. There's a smaller red button that starts and stops video recording with your device.

The Camera Grip installs easily on all "naked" devices and on iPhones with slim cases. Part of the grip plugs into the 30-pin dock connector port, while two spring-loaded arms grip the body of the iPhone tightly. On the bottom of the grip is a standard tripod screw mount for those situations where you want to use a monopod or tripod.

The location of the shutter button is perfect for right-handers, and the video start/stop button is relatively flat so that you don't accidentally start shooting video when you mean to take a still photo. It's a very comfortable grip as well, and doesn't add the weight and bulk of some other grips like the OWLE bubo.

So far, so good. I love the feel of the Camera Grip and the way that it allows one-handed shooting. But unfortunately the Camera Grip can only be used with the LiveAction app, and it's not the best photography app out there. If you like to shoot snaps with Instagram and share them with friends, or you're a fan of the awesome Camera+ app, you're out of luck. Belkin's LiveAction app only allows direct sharing to Facebook, through email, and saving images to your Camera Roll.

However, if you want to use the three LiveAction accessories, you're stuck with the LiveAction app. For those who just use the standard iPhone camera app, it's an acceptable tradeoff, but those who love their other camera apps won't be happy.

Belkin LiveAction Camera Remote

The second device in the trio is the LiveAction Camera Remote ($40), which provides an easy way to take photos The Camera Remote is actually a Bluetooth device and comes with a pair of AAA batteries to power the connection between your iPhone and the remote.

The remote comes in two pieces -- the handheld remote with a large black (photo) and small red (video) button, the batteries, and the electronics, and a smaller piece that clips onto the iPhone and acts as a stand. The two pieces snap together for transport.

The iPhone and Camera Remote are paired, and as with the Camera Grip, the remote only works with the Belkin LiveAction app. I had some issues with the Bluetooth pairing process, and it appears that this is common as there's a note with the remote that says that you will see a "pairing unsuccessful" popup on the iPhone before the device is actually paired -- go figure...

When the remote button is pushed, there's about a one-second delay before the photo is taken or the video capture begins. I found that I was able to walk about 40 feet away before the Camera Remote no longer worked; I'm not sure I would want to leave my iPhone on a table unattended 40 feet away!

It should be noted that the LiveAction app has a self-timer (5 or 10 seconds) if you wish to use that for group portraits.

Belkin LiveAction Mic

The final part of the set is the Belkin LiveAction Mic ($40). It's a small directional microphone that plugs into the headphone jack of your iPhone. There's a small thumbwheel that is turned to secure the mic to your iPhone.

This is the only part of the LiveAction trio that doesn't require the Belkin LiveAction app. The mic can be used with any sound or video recording application just fine. The power switch on the mic also serves to set up the response pattern -- wide or narrow. Narrow is excellent for recording someone who is standing a distance away from you and talking, as it tends to block out sounds from the side.

The mic seems to be very sensitive, which (coupled with the narrow response pattern) will be perfect for recording audio in conditions where there is a lot of ambient noise. The mic is powered by a single AAA battery.

Conclusion and Giveaway

While the Belkin LiveAction app requirement makes two of these well-constructed iPhone camera add-ons a bit less useful than they could be, all three can find a welcome place in the iPhoneographer's grab bag. I'm hoping that Belkin makes an API available to other camera app developers so that the Camera Grip and the Remote can be used with other apps, as that will make them much more useful.

Now here's your chance to win all three of these great little camera add-ons courtesy of Photojojo.com and TUAW. Just fill out the form below, follow the rules, and you'll have an opportunity to win $120 worth of Belkin LiveAction tools.

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button.
• The entry must be made before April 15, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
• You may enter only once.
• One winner will be selected and will receive a Belkin LiveAction Mic worth $40, a Belkin LiveAction Camera Grip worth $40, and a Belkin LiveAction Camera Remote worth $40.
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

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Photojojo unleashes a trio of Belkin iPhone camera accessories: review and giveaway originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Photojojo unleashes a trio of Belkin iPhone camera accessories: review and giveaway originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Walter Isaacson: “Apple will settle Google Android dispute”

Walter Isaacson, the author of the blockbuster bestselling biography of Steve Jobs, believes that the "less emotional" Apple CEO Tim Cook will settle the company's dispute with Google over the Android operating system for smartphones.

In his book, Isaacson quoted Steve Jobs as telling Google executives, "You can't pay me off. I'm here to destroy you," referring to the way that the widely-licensed Android OS parroted iOS, in much the way that Windows followed the Mac's look and feel. How and when Cook will settle the dispute with Google wasn't part of Isaacson's statement to the Royal Institution in London.

Isaacson also hinted that Apple will revolutionize the digital photography and television markets in the next two years. While the rumors of an Internet-connected Apple HDTV have been flying since Isaacson's book was published last fall, this is the first time that digital photography has been mentioned as another potential big market for Apple. The company's iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch products contain digital cameras, and the company makes the popular iPhoto and Aperture software products as well, but those products are hardly revolutionary.

In his talk, Isaacson also professed his belief that, in a hundred years, Jobs will be seen as one of the great all-time inventors alongside Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Isaacson was quoted as saying that "Steve Jobs is a greater genius than Microsoft's Bill Gates because he has transformed multiple industries."

[via Digital Spy]

Walter Isaacson: "Apple will settle Google Android dispute" originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Walter Isaacson: "Apple will settle Google Android dispute" originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motrr Galileo robotic iPhone platform is go for launch

One of the coolest Apple-related Kickstarter projects in the recent past has been the Motrr Galileo, a robotic iPhone platform. The project has definitely been funded -- it's now at US$400,000 with a $100,000 goal -- and it appears that the first devices will be shipped some time in June. There's still time for you to be a Galileo backer and get one for $85 -- the actual price tag when the product hits the market will be $129.95.

The founders of Motrr are no strangers to the world of successful products. Josh Guyot and JoeBen Bevirt are the designers of the Joby and Gorillapod flexible camera tripods. With Galileo they'll have an awesome iOS-controlled motorized platform with an API for developers who want their apps to be able to control the device.

If you haven't seen the Galileo in action, check out the video below.

Motrr Galileo robotic iPhone platform is go for launch originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Motrr Galileo robotic iPhone platform is go for launch originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Regional carrier Alaska Communications to sell the iPhone

Most Apple fans get their iPhones from the big three -- AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint -- but there are other regional U.S. carriers that also have the iPhone as part of their stable of phones. Shortly after carrier nTelos announced that it will begin offering the iPhone 4S, regional carrier Alaska Communications announced that it will bring the iPhone to the 49th state.

If you're an Apple fan in The Last Frontier, you can begin lining up at your local Alaska Communications retailer soon -- the iPhone 4 and 4S will both be available starting at 12:01 AM on April 20.

Four plans are available to Alaska residents only -- for unlimited talk, no text messages, and 2 GB of data per month, you'll pay $90. For unlimited talk and text plus 5 GB of data, the bill goes up to $101 per month. Those are for nationwide roaming plans; if you'll only be placing calls from within the state of Alaska, the rates are $10 lower per month.

To quote the state's motto, "North to the future!"

[via Macworld]

Regional carrier Alaska Communications to sell the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Regional carrier Alaska Communications to sell the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shazam 5.0 offers faster tagging and startup

When you absolutely, positively need to know the song that is playing on the background soundtrack at the restaurant or club, Shazam (free) is the go-to application. The app "listens" to music, queries a database, and responds with information including the song's title, artist, and sometimes even the lyrics. Shazam just got a lot better, with a bump to version 5.0 that should make every user of the app even happier.

As you can see from the update screen at right, Shazam (I use the $5.99 Encore version) has improved tagging and recognition speeds dramatically. One feature I was personally happy to see was improved startup time -- when you were trying to get Shazam to catch a few bars at the end of a song, it was annoying to have it take so long to start up that you missed it. The app now launches much faster -- the company says it's over a second quicker, but it feels faster than that.

If you like to tweet what you're listening to, you can now edit your tweets if you're using iOS 5. The synchronization of LyricPlay lyrics to the music is better; I found almost no lag between the music and lyrics, even over "4G".

The update to version 5.0 is a freebie and should appear in your App Store list of updates today.

Shazam 5.0 offers faster tagging and startup originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shazam 5.0 offers faster tagging and startup originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch out, Apple — that Samsung in your mirror may be closer than you think

The iPhone 4S is currently the king of the hill when it comes to smartphone sales in the U.S., but Samsung is coming on strong as the second place manufacturer for U.S. mobile carriers according to Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley.

AppleInsider posted the analyst's report that showed that the Samsung Galaxy S II has been the second most popular smartphone at AT&T and Sprint for the past four months, trailing the extremely popular iPhone 4S. The Galaxy S II is also the most popular smartphone at T-Mobile, which does not carry the iPhone.

At Verizon, the iPhone 4S tops sales, with the Motorola RAZR/RAZR Maxx coming in as the second-best seller. AppleInsider quoted Walkley as saying that Apple and Samsung "continued to consolidate with sales rebounding after a slow start to 2012."

Apple shouldn't have too much to worry about: Walkley stated that "In fact, we believe iPhones are outselling all other smartphones combined at Sprint and AT&T and selling at roughly equal volume to all Android smartphones at Verizon."

All of Walkley's information is based on sales estimates, and we should get a much better view of actual numbers -- especially for Apple -- later this month.

Watch out, Apple -- that Samsung in your mirror may be closer than you think originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Watch out, Apple -- that Samsung in your mirror may be closer than you think originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 Photoshop file available for app development

Developers -- are you in need of a really high resolution mockup of the iPhone 4/4S Retina display GUI elements to help the design of your app? Geoff Teehan and his team created a Photoshop file (.PSD) to help you mock up those apps.

According to Teehan, "The file is huge, both in file size (62.7MB) and dimension (4074 x 2986). You'll need to work at 25% - 50% even on the largest screens to roughly grab elements before zooming into 100% for the actual work."

Teehan mentions that as they were developing the template, they noticed that Apple had expended a lot of effort on determining how each UI element would be translated to the 640 x 960 pixel native resolution of the iPhone Retina display. "What were single pixel elements are now two or three pixels thick and effects are exaggerated to become visible," says Teehan.

The file is free for the download, but Teehan asks for anyone using the file to "Pay Whatcha Like." That seems to be a fair and useful pricing scheme.

[Via Macgasm]

iPhone 4 Photoshop file available for app development originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone 4 Photoshop file available for app development originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive video: Is this the iPhone 5?

TUAW readers -- you saw it here first! We received a video from an anonymous reader who claims to work at Apple. This tipster told us that he was "tired of the deception, the secrecy and the despair in our labs." He went on to say that "TUAW is my favorite Apple blog, and I decided that it was your team that needed to see this video of the iPhone 5 first. I apologize for the poor quality of the video -- we are forced to leave our own iPhones outside the lab, so I built a small video camera from off-the-shelf parts and used it to shoot the video."

The results of his undercover work are so incredible that it had all of us at TUAW in shock. Could this be the iPhone 5? Will it really have these amazing features? Are we asking too many questions? Note that this is all we could show you -- to see the unedited version, click here or click the source link below the video.

Continue reading Exclusive video: Is this the iPhone 5?

Exclusive video: Is this the iPhone 5? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Exclusive video: Is this the iPhone 5? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No comment: iPhone money clip

Yeah, here's the way to make your iPhone even more attractive to thieves. Add a money clip to it, and then make sure that you put a wad of cash or a couple of credit cards in the clip.

The Poddities Money Clip for iPhone 4 (US$32.80) is available now and comes complete with a screwdriver to glom this clip right onto your iPhone. That way, when the thieves go to grab your credit card and folding money, they can be sure to take the iPhone at the same time.

No comment: iPhone money clip originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

No comment: iPhone money clip originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs reportedly disliked “Siri” name

Network World's Yoni Heisler attended Technori Pitch in Chicago yesterday, and related a story about Siri that not only sheds new light on the name of Apple's intelligent assistant, but on Steve Jobs' low opinion of the name.

Technori Pitch is a monthly meeting where Chicago-based startups can tout what they're working on, and yesterday's speaker was none other than Dag Kittlaus -- one of the founders of Siri. The company was bought out by Apple in April of 2010 for US$200 million, and of course Siri became the outstanding feature of the iPhone 4S.

We had always heard that the Siri name was a play on SRI International, the contract research institute founded by the trustees of Stanford University in 1946. Siri was a spinoff company of SRI before its purchase by Apple. However, in yesterday's talk, Kittlaus noted that "...Siri means in Norwegian, 'beautiful woman who leads you to victory.' I worked with a lady named Siri in Norway and wanted to name my daughter Siri and the domain was available. And also consumer companies need to focus on the fact that the name is easy to spell, is easy to say..."

Kittlaus, who was the CEO of Siri, was invited to talk with Steve Jobs at one point for three hours at the late Apple CEO's home. Kittlaus noted that Jobs really didn't like the Siri name, but Kittlaus kept pushing him to keep the name. When Jobs couldn't find anything better, he decided to stick with Siri. Similar stories have come up about the naming of the iMac and iPad, both products that were given names that Jobs initially hated but eventually came to like.

Steve Jobs reportedly disliked "Siri" name originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Steve Jobs reportedly disliked "Siri" name originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple granted patent on improved antenna design

If the news of Apple's newly-granted patent on a SIM tray wasn't enough to get you all excited this morning, here's some additional patent news that should have bouncing up and down with delight. OK, maybe not, but Apple did secure a second patent today -- Number 8,144,063, which was applied for on March 28, 2011. It's all about "Antenna isolation for portable electronic devices."

The abstract of the patent begins with "Portable electronic devices are provided with wireless circuitry that includes antennas and antenna isolation elements. The antennas may include antennas that have multiple arms and that are configured to handle communications in multiple frequency bands." In other words, this patent covers those antennae that are used on iPads and iPhones to handle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a variety of cellular frequencies.

That diagram at the top of this post is representative of the type of things discussed in the patent. In case you're wondering what that is, it's a "perspective view of a portable electronic device antenna structure with antennas and antenna isolation elements in which the antenna isolation elements each have a bent portion that runs perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the antennas in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention." So there.

[via Engadget]

Apple granted patent on improved antenna design originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple granted patent on improved antenna design originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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