Technology Today ( Apple,iPhone,iPad,Mac – Google,Tables,Android )
Apple
Video shows another way Apple could implement text editing on iPad
May 4th
As noticed by iDownloadBlog, YouTube user danielchasehooper has come up with an idea that would simplify text editing on the iPad by making it even easier to select text. Instead of tap, hold and zoom to select text, you could use a finger swipe to move the cursor and hold shift to select the text.
You can check out the concept in the YouTube video embedded below and let us know what you think in the comments.
[Via iDownloadblog]
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGQTaHGQ04Qfeature=player_em…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/video-shows-another-way-apple-could-implement-text-editing-on-ip/
Portfolio Pro for iPad is a solid entry-level portfolio app
May 4th
We took a look at several portfolio apps a few months ago, but I’m always on the look out for new ones to try on the iPad. Gone are the days of trying to shrink large articles and projects down to an 8×11 piece of paper for a portfolio. With the new iPad, high-definition video has become more important than ever, and there is no reason not to use an iPad to show off your work to a potential client or job prospect.
We were invited to take a look at Portfolio Pro for iPad, which makes its App Store debut today, and it’s a solid addition to the portfolio apps out there. The UI is easy, and creating a basic portfolio doesn’t take long. You can add content from Dropbox, Flickr or media stores on the iPad. I would like to see an option to add content from a website URL, a feature that Portfolio for iPad has that I love.
Portfolio Pro’s best features lie in its customization options. One thing I really like is the ability to tweak fonts throughout the app. Like using an Adobe product, when you change a font, you can actually see what the font will look like. You can set up galleries, which is great if you want to show off different aspects of your work. You can use the provided themes or create your own, saving them for later use. Moving between edit and client mode is extremely easy, so you’re not constantly fumbling to change settings. The learning curve is not steep at all, and if this is your first time making a portfolio, it won’t take you long to get the
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/portfolio-pro-for-ipad-is-a-solid-entry-level-portfolio-app/
iPad 2′s new 32nm A5 processor improves battery life
May 4th
If you’re in the market for a new iPad 2, pay attention! As Chipworkds reported last month, Apple’s put an updated 32nm A5 processor into the new Apple TV and the iPad 2. More specifically, the iPad 2.4.
Compared to the previous 45nm A5 chip found in the iPad 2, the new chip comes in almost 42% smaller. And now AnandTech has the scores to prove that the new, smaller chip is much more efficient than its predecessor, particularly in the battery department.
Apparently you can expect to see an 18% improvement when playing video, 15.8% improvement when web browsing and 29% improvement when playing power hungry games compared to the old iPad 2.
How can you get your hands on one of these iPad 2.4s? Well, reports say they’re rather thin on the ground right now. And unfortunately, the only way to tell if you’ve got one is by turning it on and peering at the system information.
So, you’ll either have to take your chances or wait for the new stock to fully replace the old.
[Via The Verge]
Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5789/the-ipad-24-review-32nm-a…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/ipad-2s-new-32nm-a5-processor-improves-battery-life/
OpenStreetMap gets acknowledged in iPhoto credits
May 4th
After iPhoto landed on iOS in March, people quickly discovered the app used OpenStreetMap data for the map tiles. At the time, there was no attribution given to OSM but that has changed in the latest version of iPhoto, which was released earlier this week. OpenStreetMap pointed out in a tweet that Apple now lists OpenStreetMap contributors in the long list of acknowledgements for the app.
Richard Fairhurst, OpenStreetMap Foundation board member, explains how the foundation nudged Apple to get the attribution added to iPhoto,
The OSM Foundation has made informal contact with staff at Apple and, in addition, one of our volunteer mappers who is an iOS developer spoke to people at Apple. We believe it was the latter that precipitated adding the attribution – it’s great to have such an active and engaged community!
OpenStreetMap is a crowdsourced mapping platform that provides free map data in exchange for an attribution. Both FourSquare and Wikipedia use OSM data in their apps.
[Via TalkingPointsMemo Idea Lab]
Source: https://twitter.com/#!/openstreetmap/status/1981015122018344…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/openstreetmap-gets-acknowledged-in-iphoto-credits/
Walmart cuts price of iPhone 4S
May 4th
Walmart is not only the third-largest reseller of iPads, but the discount retailer also sells a lot of iPhones for Apple at its approximately 9,000 locations. Now it appears that Walmart is selling the ATT iPhone 4S at a significant discount at some stores.
According to Cult of Mac and The Verge, some Walmart stores are showing a sale price on the 16 GB iPhone 4S (in both black and white) with a two-year ATT contract for US$114. That’s $74 less than the usual price at Walmart and a full $85 off the normal $199 price from Apple and ATT.
The sale isn’t available on Walmart’s website, but appears to be popping up at a number of stores. The price drop was discovered at a Walmart store in Edmond, OK by Cult of Mac, and The Verge found the same pricing at a store in Austin, TX.
If you’re not in the market for an iPhone 4S, the 8 GB iPhone 4 is also available at a discount at the low, low sale price of just $34. TUAW readers who find the sale pricing at their local stores should leave the store location in the comments below so other readers may take advantage of the bargain.
Source: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/05/04/walmart_slashe…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/walmart-cuts-price-of-iphone-4s/
Smoking iPhone emphasizes importance of authorized repair work
May 4th
An iPhone self-ignited during a Regional Express flight in Australia due to a faulty repair. According to a Sydney Morning Post article, the smoking phone was spotted by a cabin crew member, shortly after the plane landed at the Sydney Airport on November 25, 2011. The crew member asked the passenger to throw the overheating device into the aisle and blasted it with a fire extinguisher.
The iPhone was sent to the US for analysis where it was discovered that a faulty repair created a short circuit in the device. According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau report, an unauthorized repair facility had pierced the battery’s casing when it misplaced a screw during re-assembly of the iPhone. This created a short circuit which caused the battery to overheat and smoke.
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australia, Australian Transport Safety Bureau, AustralianTransportSafetyBureau, battery, iPhone, lithium ion, LithiumIon, overheat, plane, repair, screw, self-ignite, smoking
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/smoking-iphone-on-f…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/smoking-iphone-emphasizes-importance-of-authorized-repair-work/
Daily iPhone App: Star Wars Pit Droids is free on May the fourth (be with you)
May 4th
Star Wars Pit Droids is a fun little Star Wars-themed arcade puzzle game from LucasArts on the App Store. Since because today is May the fourth (be with you), the game is free all weekend long.
There’s not a whole lot going on with this one. It’s essentially a Chu Chu Rocket clone, and your job is to guide autonomous pit droids to a certain location on an isometric grid. But the puzzles get nice and fiendish, and there are plenty of options to finish a stage better and faster, scoring up to three stars per level. The music is worth mentioning, too, with groovy versions of Star Wars tunes playing as you solve the puzzles.
Unfortunately, the Star Wars flavor on this one is just that — flavor, and I’m sorry to say it’s based on the droids from the pod racing scenes in the abominable Episode 1. If you want something a little cooler, you might also try the Star Wars Lightsaber app — it’s an oldie but a goodie, on the App Store for 99 cents.
But Pit Droids is free this weekend, so if you just need a fun taste of Star Wars action, it should do what you want.
Source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-wars-pit-droids/id494450…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/daily-iphone-app-star-wars-pit-droids-is-free-on-may-the-fourth/
Greenpeace activists protest Apple by blocking train tracks
May 4th
Greenpeace activists tried to stop Apple’s coal consumption at its source by blocking train tracks that Duke Energy uses to ship coal to Apple’s Maiden, North Carolina data center. Activists targeted the Marshall Steam Station in Catawba county, according to a report in Charlotte’s WCNC.
Protestors locked themselves to the train tracks, posted a sign that read “Save Our Mountain Clean The Cloud” and branded train cars with Apple’s logo. Greenpeace International IT analyst Casey Harrell said, “Apple should be more transparent about its coal problem, and take steps to start solving it, as other tech companies have.”
Police were called in to disband the protest and remove the signs. The protesters will be charged with trespassing.
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Apple, coal, data center, DataCenter, Duke Energy, DukeEnergy, energy, Greenpeace, Maiden, NC, north carolina, NorthCarolina
Source: http://www.wcnc.com/mobile-content/local-news/Apple-Duke-Ene…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/greenpeace-activists-protest-apple-on-train-tracks/
Steve Jobs interview returning to theatres
May 4th
Last November, a 70 minute documentary based on “lost” interview footage with Steve Jobs was shown in a number of Landmark theaters in the U.S. Now “Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview” is returning to Landmark theaters for a limited run in 19 cities beginning on May 11.
The footage was originally recorded in 1995 when journalist Robert Cringely was working on his “Triumph of the Nerds” series for PBS. The master tapes were lost, but a VHS copy was found in London last October. After digitization and restoration, the interview footage was released to capitalize on the publicity surrounding both the death of Jobs and the release of the Walter Isaacson biography.
MacNN reports that the resolution of the film has now been enhanced using digital cleanup techniques, and that Robert Cringely provides “context and linking narrative.” The Landmark Theatres website doesn’t show the listings for the film at this time, so check your local theater listings next week for show times and locations.
[via AppleInsider]
Source: http://www.macnn.com/articles/12/05/03/limited.release.shows…
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/steve-jobs-interview-returning-to-theatres/
Sword and Sworcery devs hosting a creative jam
May 4th
Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP has earned accolades from critics and players for its creativity. Now its developers are asking the community to show off their own creativity, in the “Create in the Key of Sworcery” virtual jam. Over on the game’s official tumblr, they’re sharing some really incredible fan art from the game, and they’re asking for more to be made and sent in during a virtual jam, happening on May 11-13.
It’s not a contest and there are no prizes, as far as I can tell. I believe it’s just making some art for art’s sake. The world of Sword and Sworcery is certainly gorgeous, and has already inspired some great work from fans. If you are a fan with some artistic talent, we’ll be waiting to see what you and others put together with Jim Guthrie, Capy, and Superbrothers next weekend.
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art, capy, iOS, iPad, iPhone, jam, jim guthrie, JimGuthrie, superbrothers, sword and sworcery, SwordAndSworcery, virtual
Source: http://www.swordandsworcery.com/
Article source: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/05/04/sword-and-sworcery-devs-hosting-a-creative-jam/