Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Last Friday the iPad 2 went on sale and quickly sold out as expected. Let’s see what is going on this week in the world of Apple!
Adobe Finds Backdoor for Flash into iOS Devices
Adobe has released a Flash to HTML5 conversion tool called Wallaby. What it does is convert Flash-based artwork and animation files (.fla) into HTML5 when viewed via mobile Safari on iOS devices. Some might say that Adobe found a way to get Flash into iOS devices but I see it as an admission by Adobe that HTML5 is clearly the standard going forward.
iOS In-App Purchasing Requiring Password Now
Last week I discussed new features in iOS 4.3, one of the minor changes is when you make an in-app purchase now, it will require your account password. This is great news for parents who’s children had apps with in-app purchasing that were ringing up mom and dad’s charge card (Smurfs).
More Evidence of Possible Bigger iPhone 5 Screen
A new image has leaked out showing an iPhone 5 design diagram that hints at a larger display screen for the next generation iPhone. Seems to match up with other speculation as well. We shall find out in June or July I guess.
How to get the iMovie iPad app on First Gen iPad
Last week Apple released an updated iMove iOS app. Of course the biggest update to it is the ability to run on an iPad or more specifically, an iPad 2. But never fear fellow iPad generation 1 owners, there actually is a way to run iMove on your iPad. So if your feeling daring, give it a try.
iPad Continues to Crush the Tablet Competition
This report came out prior to Friday’s iPad 2 release, but as you can tell the iPad commands a huge lead in tablet market-share and based on the numbers on iPad 2 sales, those numbers will grow even bigger. Another interesting bit of information comes from Piper Jaffray which says that according to their survey, about 70% of iPad buyers are new customers to the tablet device. One Wall Street analyst has gone so far to state that the iPad now has an “insurmountable lead”.
GarageBand for the iPad
With the new iPad 2 came a release of GarageBand for both the first and new iPad models. I played around with it myself and put together an awful hard rock tune. The folks at TUAW have a nice review on it as well. It is definitely for musicians and lacks the podcast feature found in the desktop version. But playing the drums is quite fun I must admit.
White iPhone coming in the Spring
With the released of a White iPad 2, many are wondering if this is the year we will finally see the long promised white iPhone 4. Well according to Phil Schiller via Twitter, it is indeed coming in the Spring and Phil goes on to state that “it is a beauty.”
Jon Bon Jovi hates iTunes
How many times have we heard this one, burned out rocker complaining how (fill in new technology) is killing music. We heard it before when the cassette and later the CD came out, we heard it from Garth Brooks who is too stubborn to put his music in any digital store, and now Jon Bon Jovi is saying that Steve Jobs is the antiChrist..Ok he didn’t say that, but he did say that Steve is personally responsible for killing music. Jon, go blow it out your *bleep*!!! Ok first off iTunes came about 2003 about 4 years after Napster. Maybe do your homework next time about digital downloads and how they came about Jersey boy!
Archive your email in Apple Mail
If you use Gmail then no doubt you are familiar with the feature to just archive your email messages and not have to worry about which folder they are in. Well, thanks to a little plugin, you can now do the same with your Apple Mail. Now me personally, I use Gmail via the web but if you use Mail then this may be a handy thing for you to try. MacWorld has an article of its own on how to better integrate your Gmail into Mail
Time Warner brings TV watching to the iPad...sort of
Time Warner has rolled out a new app for the iPad that allows you to watch a limited number of channels IF you are at home and using their internet. It will also allow you to change the channels on the TV as a remote and set DVR recordings which is similar to other TV provider services.
The Zune is Dead...Long Live the iPod!
Microsoft this week pulled the plug on the underperforming Zune media player and wannabe iPod. Although it does sound like they will maintain the Zune Marketplace for the Windows Phone 7 devices so if you have a Zune then the 2 of you will still be able to get your music that you have to pay a monthly subscription for to listen to...ownership beats rent people!
MacBundle Deal
Finally, check out this great bundle deal! Parallels itself would be worth $49 alone but there is over $300 in software here!
Well, that is going to do it for this week’s AppleTalk Thursday. Be back next week for more exciting Apple news!
Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
AppleTalk Thursday #10
Hello folks and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Got quite a bit of Apple news so let’s dive right into things.
iPad 2 coming next Wednesday
Apple has scheduled a press event for next Wednesday in San Francisco where it will announce the iPad 2. This has been a rumored date for the past week but it is now official. So based on what has been said about it the expectations are we will see a second generation iPad with a front and rear facing camera and a more anti-reflective screen to make it easier to read for long periods of time. One thing that will not be in the second gen. is a retina display but that is rumored for the iPad 3 which Apple may announce in the Fall. I also expect the new iPad to be sold at both AT&T and Verizon locations as well as the usual Best Buy and Apple Store locations.
iPad 2 coming next Wednesday
Apple has scheduled a press event for next Wednesday in San Francisco where it will announce the iPad 2. This has been a rumored date for the past week but it is now official. So based on what has been said about it the expectations are we will see a second generation iPad with a front and rear facing camera and a more anti-reflective screen to make it easier to read for long periods of time. One thing that will not be in the second gen. is a retina display but that is rumored for the iPad 3 which Apple may announce in the Fall. I also expect the new iPad to be sold at both AT&T and Verizon locations as well as the usual Best Buy and Apple Store locations.
A MobileMe Makeover
According to a report in Cult of Mac, Apple is about to totally rebuild MobileMe into a combination of Facebook, uStream, and FourSquare. Basically allowing you to have a dynamic website that is live. If they make good on only half of what is in the article it is totally worth the $99 I just paid again for it this year. Apple stated yesterday that their new massive Data Center in North Carolina will support iTunes and MobileMe when it goes live in the Spring.
Sony backtracks on iTunes Crazy Talk
A Sony executive stated that it has no intention of pulling their music content from iTunes. Glad you bozo’s got your story straight! Any label pulling its music content from iTunes would be like a TV network pulling its shows from say DirecTV...it would only hurt their sales in the long run. Like it or not iTunes is the standard for digital music distribution, if someone can do it better then people will flock to that service in large numbers, but it hasn’t happened yet. Certainly Amazon does a good job with their music content but it is still not as simple as iTunes IMHO.
Apple Looking at Offering a Cheaper iPhone
Apple is said to be looking at developing a cheaper iPhone, one that can better compete with Android offerings. Presumably this lower cost iPhone could be free if signed with a 2 year contract with a carrier. Of course you can get the iPhone 3GS right now for $49 but only through AT&T. Another story floating around is that this cheaper iPhone would be more of a streaming device with content coming from a digital locker in the new MobileMe revamp as mentioned above.
AT&T Allowing Mobile Hotspot for 4.3 Users
Here is an interesting piece about how developers using iOS 4.3 are being allowed access to AT&T’s new Mobile Hotspot service. I hope this will be the case when iOS 4.3 goes live to the general public and that AT&T will allow an iPad for example to be a part of the hotspot. Why pay AT&T $25 for 3G access on the iPad when I can just use it as a device with a hotspot service?
According to a report in Cult of Mac, Apple is about to totally rebuild MobileMe into a combination of Facebook, uStream, and FourSquare. Basically allowing you to have a dynamic website that is live. If they make good on only half of what is in the article it is totally worth the $99 I just paid again for it this year. Apple stated yesterday that their new massive Data Center in North Carolina will support iTunes and MobileMe when it goes live in the Spring.
Sony backtracks on iTunes Crazy Talk
A Sony executive stated that it has no intention of pulling their music content from iTunes. Glad you bozo’s got your story straight! Any label pulling its music content from iTunes would be like a TV network pulling its shows from say DirecTV...it would only hurt their sales in the long run. Like it or not iTunes is the standard for digital music distribution, if someone can do it better then people will flock to that service in large numbers, but it hasn’t happened yet. Certainly Amazon does a good job with their music content but it is still not as simple as iTunes IMHO.
Apple Looking at Offering a Cheaper iPhone
Apple is said to be looking at developing a cheaper iPhone, one that can better compete with Android offerings. Presumably this lower cost iPhone could be free if signed with a 2 year contract with a carrier. Of course you can get the iPhone 3GS right now for $49 but only through AT&T. Another story floating around is that this cheaper iPhone would be more of a streaming device with content coming from a digital locker in the new MobileMe revamp as mentioned above.
AT&T Allowing Mobile Hotspot for 4.3 Users
Here is an interesting piece about how developers using iOS 4.3 are being allowed access to AT&T’s new Mobile Hotspot service. I hope this will be the case when iOS 4.3 goes live to the general public and that AT&T will allow an iPad for example to be a part of the hotspot. Why pay AT&T $25 for 3G access on the iPad when I can just use it as a device with a hotspot service?
Apple adopting Thunderbolt (Light Peak)?
Perhaps this will explain Apple’s reluctance to adopt USB 3.0. They appear to be adopting Intel’s Light Peak or High-Speed Connection Technology which offers a connection speed of 10Gbps (USB 2.0 is 480Mbps and USB 3.0 is 5Gbps). Apple would rebrand it as Thunderbolt, think for example how they renamed iLink (IEEE 1394) as FireWire.
Readability app Rejected and Resubmitted
Readability which is an application that strips away a lot of advertising junk from stuff you want to read as rejected earlier this week by Apple over the lack of in-app subscription, but the issue seems to have been resolved as it has been resubmitted. Readability is more of a Software as a Service app than say a subscription content something Steve Jobs stated in an email to a developer. Apple’s new in-app subscription policy has caught the eye of the FTC which is investigating the policy. From Apple’s standpoint I can see where they want to make it easier for the consumer to purchase content from within the app, but from a developer perspective it is more of a twisting of the arm to get to play in Apple’s App Store club and giving Apple a 30% cut of the in-app purchase on top of that. I think Apple should be more flexible on that percentage offer as Google’s new service simply takes 10%. I don’t have a lot of big beefs with Apple but this would be one of them.
24-bit Music coming to iTunes?
Apple is in discussions with music labels on offering 24-bit music in its iTunes music store. Currently it is only available in 16-bit format where 24-bit is a HiFi format.
Will OS X 10.7 Lion bring new UI?
Another bit of information here is will the upcoming Mac OS update of 10.7 Lion bring an updated user interface? Maybe something more iOS like? Will be interesting to see what Apple has up their sleeves for it.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week where we will have a good breakdown of the iPad 2 announcement. See you then!
Perhaps this will explain Apple’s reluctance to adopt USB 3.0. They appear to be adopting Intel’s Light Peak or High-Speed Connection Technology which offers a connection speed of 10Gbps (USB 2.0 is 480Mbps and USB 3.0 is 5Gbps). Apple would rebrand it as Thunderbolt, think for example how they renamed iLink (IEEE 1394) as FireWire.
Readability app Rejected and Resubmitted
Readability which is an application that strips away a lot of advertising junk from stuff you want to read as rejected earlier this week by Apple over the lack of in-app subscription, but the issue seems to have been resolved as it has been resubmitted. Readability is more of a Software as a Service app than say a subscription content something Steve Jobs stated in an email to a developer. Apple’s new in-app subscription policy has caught the eye of the FTC which is investigating the policy. From Apple’s standpoint I can see where they want to make it easier for the consumer to purchase content from within the app, but from a developer perspective it is more of a twisting of the arm to get to play in Apple’s App Store club and giving Apple a 30% cut of the in-app purchase on top of that. I think Apple should be more flexible on that percentage offer as Google’s new service simply takes 10%. I don’t have a lot of big beefs with Apple but this would be one of them.
24-bit Music coming to iTunes?
Apple is in discussions with music labels on offering 24-bit music in its iTunes music store. Currently it is only available in 16-bit format where 24-bit is a HiFi format.
Will OS X 10.7 Lion bring new UI?
Another bit of information here is will the upcoming Mac OS update of 10.7 Lion bring an updated user interface? Maybe something more iOS like? Will be interesting to see what Apple has up their sleeves for it.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week where we will have a good breakdown of the iPad 2 announcement. See you then!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday Tech Talk #81
Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Let’s see what is going on this week.
AT&T CEO: App Stores are Bad
So according to the AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, app stores like the iTunes App Store and Android Marketplace are bad because they are platform specific. Uh Ok, well if that were the case then why have 10 billion apps been downloaded just on the iOS platform? What is his solution? Web-based apps, you know like the first gen. iPhone had. Remember how boring those were? I sure do. Mr. Stephenson is completely out of touch with the reality of what the customer wants.
Apple vs Google vs Amazon on Subscription Plan
AppleInsider has a rather in-depth article on the subscription plans offered by Apple, Google, and Amazon Kindle. It is worth the read if one has quite the time to read as it is about 3 pages of reading. Here is a quick breakdown chart found in the article though.
Motorola Atrix 4G Rooted already
The thing is not even out yet and someone has already managed to root it. I have to admit, this is a nice looking phone and might be the first Android device to make me want to cheat on my iPhone...why do I feel so dirty all of the sudden?
Well, that is all I have this week. Kind of a slow week for general technology. Come back later this week for AppleTalk Thursday where I will have some choice words for Apple and their new subscription policy. See you next week for another Tuesday Tech Talk.
AT&T CEO: App Stores are Bad
So according to the AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, app stores like the iTunes App Store and Android Marketplace are bad because they are platform specific. Uh Ok, well if that were the case then why have 10 billion apps been downloaded just on the iOS platform? What is his solution? Web-based apps, you know like the first gen. iPhone had. Remember how boring those were? I sure do. Mr. Stephenson is completely out of touch with the reality of what the customer wants.
Apple vs Google vs Amazon on Subscription Plan
AppleInsider has a rather in-depth article on the subscription plans offered by Apple, Google, and Amazon Kindle. It is worth the read if one has quite the time to read as it is about 3 pages of reading. Here is a quick breakdown chart found in the article though.
Motorola Atrix 4G Rooted already
The thing is not even out yet and someone has already managed to root it. I have to admit, this is a nice looking phone and might be the first Android device to make me want to cheat on my iPhone...why do I feel so dirty all of the sudden?
Well, that is all I have this week. Kind of a slow week for general technology. Come back later this week for AppleTalk Thursday where I will have some choice words for Apple and their new subscription policy. See you next week for another Tuesday Tech Talk.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
AppleTalk Thursday #7
Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Quite a bit of Apple news this week so as always let’s dive right in.
Verizon announces price plans for iPhone
Verizon yesterday announced its pricing plans for the iPhone 4. Which are the same as their other smartphone plans. Existing Verizon customers can order their iPhone TODAY! All you AT&T (and other carrier) switchers, will have to wait until next Thursday.
Skype 5 out for Mac
Great news Skype has released Skype 5 out of beta for the Mac. There is one catch to it though, group video chat is now a premium feature. You can go with a monthly fee of $9 or a day pass of $5 for the service. I couldn’t imagine doing the $9 a month as it is a feature I hardly use, however the pay as you go $5 plan is appealing. If I do video chat it is usually 1 on 1 and not a group video chat. I guess we can call this the “Leo Laporte Fee” as he relies on Skype video group chat for his TWiT podcasts with contributors that are not in the TWiT Cottage.
Apple wants eBook makers to offer in-app book purchasing
Ok so this one is looking nasty. Apple rejected Sony’s eReader app on the basis that it lacked an in-app purchase of book content. Now keep in mind Apple approved the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook apps, both of which when shopping for content, open the mobile Safari browser to access the Kindle and Nook eStore...just like the Sony eReader app does. So this is baffling but Apple has offered an explanation in that it is simply enforcing a pre-existing rule in the app store and that developers must offer both in-app purchase content along with web-based store access. So does this mean that Apple will be pulling the Kindle and Nook apps soon? I sure hope not as I rely on the Kindle app for my book reading and if they did pull it I would buy a Kindle before using Apple’s own iBookstore and iBooks reader app. I hope Apple rethinks this policy quick.
Apple introduces Paid Subscriptions to iTunes App Store
With The Daily coming out yesterday, Apple announced it now supports subscription plans in the iTunes store for publishers content. I think The Daily will be the first of many publishers under this new plan. Which leads me to the last article of the day....my initial review of The Daily!
The Daily: Initial Review
So yesterday Rupert Murdoch the CEO of NewsCorp announced The Daily for the iPad. It was also released about an hour after the announcement. I downloaded it right around that time and I have to admit it is pretty cool! The photos of the stories are great quality and video is sharp. Also it has the ability to read out articles to you so you can be doing something else while still getting caught up on the events of the day. It will also update throughout the day so in essence it is a live paper. During the first 2 weeks it is free courtesy of Verizon, after which it will cost 99 cents per week or $39 a year. That is a great deal for a daily publication. The closest thing I can compare it to is the Wall Street Journal app also owned by NewsCorp, but even better. For now The Daily is strictly an iPad publication but the door is open to other platforms making tablets such as Android once that market has established itself.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week for another edition.
Verizon announces price plans for iPhone
Verizon yesterday announced its pricing plans for the iPhone 4. Which are the same as their other smartphone plans. Existing Verizon customers can order their iPhone TODAY! All you AT&T (and other carrier) switchers, will have to wait until next Thursday.
Skype 5 out for Mac
Great news Skype has released Skype 5 out of beta for the Mac. There is one catch to it though, group video chat is now a premium feature. You can go with a monthly fee of $9 or a day pass of $5 for the service. I couldn’t imagine doing the $9 a month as it is a feature I hardly use, however the pay as you go $5 plan is appealing. If I do video chat it is usually 1 on 1 and not a group video chat. I guess we can call this the “Leo Laporte Fee” as he relies on Skype video group chat for his TWiT podcasts with contributors that are not in the TWiT Cottage.
Apple wants eBook makers to offer in-app book purchasing
Ok so this one is looking nasty. Apple rejected Sony’s eReader app on the basis that it lacked an in-app purchase of book content. Now keep in mind Apple approved the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook apps, both of which when shopping for content, open the mobile Safari browser to access the Kindle and Nook eStore...just like the Sony eReader app does. So this is baffling but Apple has offered an explanation in that it is simply enforcing a pre-existing rule in the app store and that developers must offer both in-app purchase content along with web-based store access. So does this mean that Apple will be pulling the Kindle and Nook apps soon? I sure hope not as I rely on the Kindle app for my book reading and if they did pull it I would buy a Kindle before using Apple’s own iBookstore and iBooks reader app. I hope Apple rethinks this policy quick.
Apple introduces Paid Subscriptions to iTunes App Store
With The Daily coming out yesterday, Apple announced it now supports subscription plans in the iTunes store for publishers content. I think The Daily will be the first of many publishers under this new plan. Which leads me to the last article of the day....my initial review of The Daily!
The Daily: Initial Review
So yesterday Rupert Murdoch the CEO of NewsCorp announced The Daily for the iPad. It was also released about an hour after the announcement. I downloaded it right around that time and I have to admit it is pretty cool! The photos of the stories are great quality and video is sharp. Also it has the ability to read out articles to you so you can be doing something else while still getting caught up on the events of the day. It will also update throughout the day so in essence it is a live paper. During the first 2 weeks it is free courtesy of Verizon, after which it will cost 99 cents per week or $39 a year. That is a great deal for a daily publication. The closest thing I can compare it to is the Wall Street Journal app also owned by NewsCorp, but even better. For now The Daily is strictly an iPad publication but the door is open to other platforms making tablets such as Android once that market has established itself.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week for another edition.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
AppleTalk Thursday #5
Hello fellow Apple fans and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday. We have quite a bit of Apple news and rumblings this week so let’s see what’s happening.
Steve Jobs Medical Leave
Let’s address the big elephant in the room first. I will simply restate what I wrote on Tuesday. Not a lot of details as to why as the CEO of Apple is very private person when it comes to himself, but for the second time Steve Jobs is taking a medical leave and Tim Cook will run the day to day operations just as he did the last time while Jobs remains CEO during his absence. So this may explain why Cook was there for the iPhone-Verizon announcement last week and not Jobs as many expected. We here at TupeloGeek wish Steve nothing but the best and pray for a full recovery for him and look forward to his excellent keynote speeches soon enough. Great so now that we have that out of the way, let’s move on.
Apple releases iOS 4.3 to developers
I touched on this briefly last week when I mentioned that Apple had included a Hotspot feature in 4.3 but in addition, it will also allow developers to utilize AirPlay features. That is great news cause it means apps like Netflix, and maybe even Hulu Plus will be able to stream video to AppleTV. It also gives the option back to the user to decide if the slider switch on the iPad should be a mute or screen lock orientation switch. Also there appears to be a Find my Friend feature for MobileMe users, this would be similar to Latitude from Google.
Apple boosts market share in slumping US PC market
Interesting little tidbit here on how Apple is increasing its sales even during one of the worst periods for PC sales. All I can say is neener-neener.
Gloves for touchscreen users
Well, here we are in January and for a lot of folks it is COLD! Recently there was snow on the ground in 49 States (sorry Florida). So what do you do if you are out for a morning or late night run or walk and you use an app like RunKeeper on your iPhone and need to access some data without freezing your fingers off? Well, MacWorld offers a review on some touchscreen friendly gloves. Granted some of these gloves can be pricey, but they do offer both comfort and functionality at the same time...or you could just join a gym or move to Florida.
Safari and iTunes together?
Strictly rumor at this point, but imagine a tightly integrated iTunes with Safari. This could really push Safari out of being a niche browser into a true multimedia browser. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
A5 processor 4x faster than A4 chip for iPad 2 and iPhone 5
AppleInisder is reporting that the upcoming iPad and iPhone updates will sport a chip known as the A5 that will be 4x faster than its predecessor the A4. Lot of specs in the article so you hardcore techies, knock yourself out.
Cool feature in Twitter for Mac
I came across this article on a nice feature that works quite well for me it turns out. If you installed the recently updated Twitter app for the Mac (formerly known as Tweet when you highlight something and right click a contextual menu appears and at the bottom is an option that says, “Tweet” it basically will then copy and paste what you have highlighted into a tweet box to send out. It is really great when I write something on Facebook that would make for a great tweet. Give it a try!
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week with more news from our favorite tech company!
Steve Jobs Medical Leave
Let’s address the big elephant in the room first. I will simply restate what I wrote on Tuesday. Not a lot of details as to why as the CEO of Apple is very private person when it comes to himself, but for the second time Steve Jobs is taking a medical leave and Tim Cook will run the day to day operations just as he did the last time while Jobs remains CEO during his absence. So this may explain why Cook was there for the iPhone-Verizon announcement last week and not Jobs as many expected. We here at TupeloGeek wish Steve nothing but the best and pray for a full recovery for him and look forward to his excellent keynote speeches soon enough. Great so now that we have that out of the way, let’s move on.
Apple releases iOS 4.3 to developers
I touched on this briefly last week when I mentioned that Apple had included a Hotspot feature in 4.3 but in addition, it will also allow developers to utilize AirPlay features. That is great news cause it means apps like Netflix, and maybe even Hulu Plus will be able to stream video to AppleTV. It also gives the option back to the user to decide if the slider switch on the iPad should be a mute or screen lock orientation switch. Also there appears to be a Find my Friend feature for MobileMe users, this would be similar to Latitude from Google.
Apple boosts market share in slumping US PC market
Interesting little tidbit here on how Apple is increasing its sales even during one of the worst periods for PC sales. All I can say is neener-neener.
Gloves for touchscreen users
Well, here we are in January and for a lot of folks it is COLD! Recently there was snow on the ground in 49 States (sorry Florida). So what do you do if you are out for a morning or late night run or walk and you use an app like RunKeeper on your iPhone and need to access some data without freezing your fingers off? Well, MacWorld offers a review on some touchscreen friendly gloves. Granted some of these gloves can be pricey, but they do offer both comfort and functionality at the same time...or you could just join a gym or move to Florida.
Safari and iTunes together?
Strictly rumor at this point, but imagine a tightly integrated iTunes with Safari. This could really push Safari out of being a niche browser into a true multimedia browser. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
A5 processor 4x faster than A4 chip for iPad 2 and iPhone 5
AppleInisder is reporting that the upcoming iPad and iPhone updates will sport a chip known as the A5 that will be 4x faster than its predecessor the A4. Lot of specs in the article so you hardcore techies, knock yourself out.
Cool feature in Twitter for Mac
I came across this article on a nice feature that works quite well for me it turns out. If you installed the recently updated Twitter app for the Mac (formerly known as Tweet when you highlight something and right click a contextual menu appears and at the bottom is an option that says, “Tweet” it basically will then copy and paste what you have highlighted into a tweet box to send out. It is really great when I write something on Facebook that would make for a great tweet. Give it a try!
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you all next week with more news from our favorite tech company!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Googling Friday #12
Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Googling Friday.
Edit your Google Docs on your mobile devices
Google announced this week that you will now have the ability to edit your Google Docs on your iPhone, Android, and iPad devices. I tried it on my iPhone just a few minutes ago and when you highlight say like a header, it creates an edit box within that same line of the header, so you can edit the header or add to it. This is welcome news and am looking forward to trying it out on my iPad. I am moving more of my documents to the cloud and a lot of times I am just taking my iPad with me instead of my MacBook to different places.
Google Voice for iPhone at last
On Tuesday, the official Google Voice app for the iPhone appeared in the iTunes app store. It offers everything the desktop client does at the same price as the desktop client (FREE!). I absolutely love Google Voice! It is our default long distance carrier now on our landline and has allowed us to drop our landline to the basic service like a dial tone.
Google Maps review
You have read here back in Googling Friday #7 of my thoughts on Google Earth, there is also Google Maps. What I like about Google Maps is if you have it say on an iPhone which is one of the included apps for it, it will show you as a moving blue dot and you are able to see just where you are even by walking. A case in point, when my wife and I went to Oxford, MS a few months ago, we were looking for Ajax Diner on the Square. By walking around the square and pulling up their location in Google Maps, we were able to quickly locate it and enjoy a nice lunch there (try the Southern Pecan Beer and the Deuce burger btw). I do find that it is often better updated than TomTom when it comes to rural areas. I was using the TomTom app on my iPhone to drive out to my friend Kenny’s place and it took me out to some backwoods country where the only thing missing was a banjo playing. Luckily, I switched over to Google Maps which accurately got me to his house. Needless to say, Google Maps has helped me out several times and is worth every penny it costs which btw it is free.
Well that is going to do it for this edition of Googling Friday. See you all next week!
Edit your Google Docs on your mobile devices
Google announced this week that you will now have the ability to edit your Google Docs on your iPhone, Android, and iPad devices. I tried it on my iPhone just a few minutes ago and when you highlight say like a header, it creates an edit box within that same line of the header, so you can edit the header or add to it. This is welcome news and am looking forward to trying it out on my iPad. I am moving more of my documents to the cloud and a lot of times I am just taking my iPad with me instead of my MacBook to different places.
Google Voice for iPhone at last
On Tuesday, the official Google Voice app for the iPhone appeared in the iTunes app store. It offers everything the desktop client does at the same price as the desktop client (FREE!). I absolutely love Google Voice! It is our default long distance carrier now on our landline and has allowed us to drop our landline to the basic service like a dial tone.
Google Maps review
You have read here back in Googling Friday #7 of my thoughts on Google Earth, there is also Google Maps. What I like about Google Maps is if you have it say on an iPhone which is one of the included apps for it, it will show you as a moving blue dot and you are able to see just where you are even by walking. A case in point, when my wife and I went to Oxford, MS a few months ago, we were looking for Ajax Diner on the Square. By walking around the square and pulling up their location in Google Maps, we were able to quickly locate it and enjoy a nice lunch there (try the Southern Pecan Beer and the Deuce burger btw). I do find that it is often better updated than TomTom when it comes to rural areas. I was using the TomTom app on my iPhone to drive out to my friend Kenny’s place and it took me out to some backwoods country where the only thing missing was a banjo playing. Luckily, I switched over to Google Maps which accurately got me to his house. Needless to say, Google Maps has helped me out several times and is worth every penny it costs which btw it is free.
Well that is going to do it for this edition of Googling Friday. See you all next week!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday Tech Talk #69
Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. I apologize for the later posting but the Fab Four is always worth waiting for I believe. So lets dive into the news.
Ladies and Gentlemen...THE BEATLES!!!!
Yes, earlier today The Beatles catalog became available in the iTunes Music Store. The long wait for the Fab Four has finally arrived! Now based on Apple’s homepage yesterday, a lot of people were expecting something big like maybe a cloud based iTunes. But considering the announcement went up yesterday on the Apple.com site and wasn’t a scheduled press event based invite a week or so ahead of time, I wasn’t thinking cloud and had a suspicion it was The Beatles based on them having 4 clocks one of which was London time. My first download was Hey Jude followed by Let it Be and The Long and Winding Road with more tracks and albums to follow I’m sure.
Facebook rethinks Messaging
Yesterday Mark Zuckerberg announced a new messaging system for Facebook that will be rolled out over the next couple of months. It basically adds IM, texting, and email into a single communication model. You will get a @facebook.com style email address as part of it but it is more of an informal communication model with no subject line like in email. Once I get an invite, I will play around with it and write more about it later.
iOS 4.2, where art thou?
There was much speculation last week that iOS 4.2 would arrive on Friday but then news broke of the iPad having WiFi issues with the developer gold master which a updated version was seeded to developers but this will probably push back the release date to hopefully sometime this week. Apple has officially stated 4.2 will be released sometime in November so they really have 2 weeks left to stay within their promise, but I think iPhone and iPad users will be using AirPlay on Thanksgiving Day myself.
New York Times to rank E-Book bestsellers
With more and more people buying their books on Kindle, Nook, iPad, and other electronic devices, the New York Times early next year will rank E-Book fiction and non-fiction bestsellers. This is long overdue considering the Kindle has been around for quite sometime. I myself use the Kindle app on my iPad and looking to get the new Kindle itself early next year for my reading in long sessions.
Next generation iPhone and iPad may support glove use
Hitachi is developing a new touch screen that recognizes insulator based touching (gloves or stylus), this technology could then be based in the iPhone 5 next summer. Not really a big problem down in these parts, but for people in the Midwest or Northeast, this might be welcome news during those harsh winter months.
This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch/iPad apps
Talking Tom Cat (FREE) - This cute basic app is really fun! My friend Dave alerted me to this app. Basically you can speak things to it and it will repeat what you say in a cute high pitched voice. You can also pet it, “stomp” on its paw or just slap it around a bit...yeah it’s weird and would offend PETA, but it is free.
Facebook (FREE) - I may have discussed the Facebook app before but it has been updated since. One of the new features is Places, similar to FourSquare you can check into places but Facebook has used its popularity to partner with business to have special offers at places. For example, my wife and I were in Nashville this past weekend and when we checked into Chipotle, there was a Post-it icon next to Chipotle in the list of locations. Upon clicking on Chipotle, it described the offer which was when you buy a burrito, burrito bowl, salad, or taco, you get a second entree free. Being that it was my wife and myself, it was perfect as we saved about $6 on the second entree. It was a weekend offer only but it looks like Chipotle will be offering it again this weekend. This is how location checkin will take off in the mainstream. FourSquare is nice but it is just a competition to become mayor of places.
Nightstand Central for iPad (FREE) - This is a handy app for anyone staying at a hotel or with family. Just load up the app before heading to bed and set your alarm if you want. It has several alarm options, my favorite is Church Bells. It will also display the current city or town you are in and the temperature outside. Another nice feature is sliding your finger up and down the display will brighten or dim the screen so it isn’t glaring as you try and sleep. There is also an iPhone version as well. But the iPad version gives you more of a standard alarm clock feel.
Windowshop by Amazon (FREE) - This is how browsing the Amazon Store should look like on an iPad! It is like browsing the Amazon Store on a desktop or laptop computer but fully customized to the iPad. Trust me, wants you try it, there is no other way to browse Amazon. I actually use it anytime I want to look at Amazon.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk, see you all next week for #70! Wow, I had no idea when I first started to write Triple T over a year ago, it would reach 70 posts. Just proves how much I love to blog and how much I love technology.
Ladies and Gentlemen...THE BEATLES!!!!
Yes, earlier today The Beatles catalog became available in the iTunes Music Store. The long wait for the Fab Four has finally arrived! Now based on Apple’s homepage yesterday, a lot of people were expecting something big like maybe a cloud based iTunes. But considering the announcement went up yesterday on the Apple.com site and wasn’t a scheduled press event based invite a week or so ahead of time, I wasn’t thinking cloud and had a suspicion it was The Beatles based on them having 4 clocks one of which was London time. My first download was Hey Jude followed by Let it Be and The Long and Winding Road with more tracks and albums to follow I’m sure.
Facebook rethinks Messaging
Yesterday Mark Zuckerberg announced a new messaging system for Facebook that will be rolled out over the next couple of months. It basically adds IM, texting, and email into a single communication model. You will get a @facebook.com style email address as part of it but it is more of an informal communication model with no subject line like in email. Once I get an invite, I will play around with it and write more about it later.
iOS 4.2, where art thou?
There was much speculation last week that iOS 4.2 would arrive on Friday but then news broke of the iPad having WiFi issues with the developer gold master which a updated version was seeded to developers but this will probably push back the release date to hopefully sometime this week. Apple has officially stated 4.2 will be released sometime in November so they really have 2 weeks left to stay within their promise, but I think iPhone and iPad users will be using AirPlay on Thanksgiving Day myself.
New York Times to rank E-Book bestsellers
With more and more people buying their books on Kindle, Nook, iPad, and other electronic devices, the New York Times early next year will rank E-Book fiction and non-fiction bestsellers. This is long overdue considering the Kindle has been around for quite sometime. I myself use the Kindle app on my iPad and looking to get the new Kindle itself early next year for my reading in long sessions.
Next generation iPhone and iPad may support glove use
Hitachi is developing a new touch screen that recognizes insulator based touching (gloves or stylus), this technology could then be based in the iPhone 5 next summer. Not really a big problem down in these parts, but for people in the Midwest or Northeast, this might be welcome news during those harsh winter months.
This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch/iPad apps
Talking Tom Cat (FREE) - This cute basic app is really fun! My friend Dave alerted me to this app. Basically you can speak things to it and it will repeat what you say in a cute high pitched voice. You can also pet it, “stomp” on its paw or just slap it around a bit...yeah it’s weird and would offend PETA, but it is free.
Facebook (FREE) - I may have discussed the Facebook app before but it has been updated since. One of the new features is Places, similar to FourSquare you can check into places but Facebook has used its popularity to partner with business to have special offers at places. For example, my wife and I were in Nashville this past weekend and when we checked into Chipotle, there was a Post-it icon next to Chipotle in the list of locations. Upon clicking on Chipotle, it described the offer which was when you buy a burrito, burrito bowl, salad, or taco, you get a second entree free. Being that it was my wife and myself, it was perfect as we saved about $6 on the second entree. It was a weekend offer only but it looks like Chipotle will be offering it again this weekend. This is how location checkin will take off in the mainstream. FourSquare is nice but it is just a competition to become mayor of places.
Nightstand Central for iPad (FREE) - This is a handy app for anyone staying at a hotel or with family. Just load up the app before heading to bed and set your alarm if you want. It has several alarm options, my favorite is Church Bells. It will also display the current city or town you are in and the temperature outside. Another nice feature is sliding your finger up and down the display will brighten or dim the screen so it isn’t glaring as you try and sleep. There is also an iPhone version as well. But the iPad version gives you more of a standard alarm clock feel.
Windowshop by Amazon (FREE) - This is how browsing the Amazon Store should look like on an iPad! It is like browsing the Amazon Store on a desktop or laptop computer but fully customized to the iPad. Trust me, wants you try it, there is no other way to browse Amazon. I actually use it anytime I want to look at Amazon.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk, see you all next week for #70! Wow, I had no idea when I first started to write Triple T over a year ago, it would reach 70 posts. Just proves how much I love to blog and how much I love technology.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Googling Friday #5
Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Google Friday. This week I really don’t have a review as much as I want to share how I have used Google to keep me on top of things with my contacts and calendar both in the cloud and on the desktop. But first, as always, some Google news for the week.
Google Searching goes Instant
On Wednesday, Google updated its search engine to now present search results as you type them. What this means is after you type just 1 or 2 letters it will start to present results based on your past search history. This is going to be great for power users as it will save quite a bit of time. Here is a screen shot I took just to give you an idea and then go try it for yourself...it’s OK...I’ll wait.
Pretty snazzy huh? What will Bing and Yahoo do in response?
Gmail Priority Inbox Initial review
Last week I told you how Google was adding a new Priority Inbox to Gmail. It has since been made accessible to me and it is very good. It does a great job on recognizing important email to me from the regular day to day email. For example, anything job related goes right to my Priority Inbox where as my mailing list stuff goes to the regular Inbox. Also, if you star email in either section it will place in in a third Starred email section within your Inbox. So basically your Priority Inbox has 3 sections: Important and Unread, Starred, and Everything else.
Chrome 6
Google released version 6 of its Chrome web browser. It is a lot faster and a newer interface. Well worth the update.
Google launching Music Store?
Google apparently is negotiating with major music labels regarding a music store. My thoughts are cool, I will continue to use iTunes, but if they can offer me music cheaper and still have it sit within my iTunes player like Amazon does, then great! I love competition for my dollars.
Staying in touch from the cloud and the desktop
Now for my thoughts this week. I love using Google Calendar and Contacts in conjunction with my desktop applications BusyCal and Apple Address Book. I really don’t update anything within the Apple Address Book as I do within Contacts in Gmail, but with BusyCal I do quite a bit and it syncs back nicely to Google Calendar which then syncs to my iPhone and iPad. So whatever device you are near, you can update it and it will reflect to your other devices. What this means for me is coming up in January, I will probably cease my MobileMe membership as the Google Calendar and Contacts are free. With BusyCal it has a side view for a ToDo list which really helps me stay on top of things. I’m using it to remember to call people back. My wife still writes things down in a planner, I have gone digital, so if it is written down and not in my calendar, I will probably forget it.
So that is what I wanted to share this week, see you all next week for another edition of Googling Friday.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday Tech Talk #38
Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Triple T. Lets see what is happening this week in the tech world.
Kindle app for the iPad
On the heels of Amazon releasing a Kindle application for the Mac, they have now showed off its Kindle app for the iPad. This totally rocks now you don’t have to choose between the Kindle or the iPad based on content. Now you get access to both the Amazon Kindle store and the iBooks store and at some point access to the Barnes & Noble e-book store too all from the iPad.
Barnes & Noble focused on electronic delivery
The new CEO of B&N is someone with heavy expertise in e-commerce and selling books online. He seems to “get it” on which direction content delivery will be based on. Course I still like to sit around at their stores and browse books while web surfing on my iPhone with the free WiFi.
Apple getting into social media with iGroups?
Interesting article here on a draw-up of an app called iGroups. Seems similar to FourSquare or BrightKite but more based around events. Could be interesting.
Apple looking to add audio texting and walkie-talkie feature to iPhone?
Another interesting article points to Apple maybe thinking of adding the ability to have text to audio messages and a walkie talkie feature or push to talk like NEXTEL came up with.
iPhone on Spring 4G
Ok did that headline get your attention? Well sort of it can via the WiMAX device which the iPhone can connect to like it would a WiFi connection.
Gifting apps in the iTunes Store
Good news, you can now gift iPhone/iPod touch apps to family and friends that have one. This is long overdue and I’m glad to see its arrival.
Well that is going to do it this week for Triple T, see you all next week!
Kindle app for the iPad
On the heels of Amazon releasing a Kindle application for the Mac, they have now showed off its Kindle app for the iPad. This totally rocks now you don’t have to choose between the Kindle or the iPad based on content. Now you get access to both the Amazon Kindle store and the iBooks store and at some point access to the Barnes & Noble e-book store too all from the iPad.
Barnes & Noble focused on electronic delivery
The new CEO of B&N is someone with heavy expertise in e-commerce and selling books online. He seems to “get it” on which direction content delivery will be based on. Course I still like to sit around at their stores and browse books while web surfing on my iPhone with the free WiFi.
Apple getting into social media with iGroups?
Interesting article here on a draw-up of an app called iGroups. Seems similar to FourSquare or BrightKite but more based around events. Could be interesting.
Apple looking to add audio texting and walkie-talkie feature to iPhone?
Another interesting article points to Apple maybe thinking of adding the ability to have text to audio messages and a walkie talkie feature or push to talk like NEXTEL came up with.
iPhone on Spring 4G
Ok did that headline get your attention? Well sort of it can via the WiMAX device which the iPhone can connect to like it would a WiFi connection.
Gifting apps in the iTunes Store
Good news, you can now gift iPhone/iPod touch apps to family and friends that have one. This is long overdue and I’m glad to see its arrival.
Well that is going to do it this week for Triple T, see you all next week!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Tuesday Tech Talk #23
Hello folks, welcome to another edition of Triple T. Today is back to the usual form of topics. Here is what is catching my eye this week.
Engadget Nook review
Engadget has a review of the Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader. Pretty good job on the review and there is even a hands on video they have posted on it. It seems to be pretty durable in comparison to a Kindle and about the same size as a trade novel. There does seem to be some glitches so you may want to hold off until they update the OS if you plan on getting one.
Comcast controlled NBC may say no to iTunes subscription plan
Yet another reason Comcast should not be allowed to own NBC. Working for DirecTV (full disclosure), I have seen how Comcast tries to extort money from Dish, Time Warner, and other carriers with Versus but DirecTV stood their ground and as a result Versus is not carried by DirecTV. With Comcast owning NBC it would mean a much more restrictive distribution of enjoyable NBC content (pause for laughter). I think Apple, DIrecTV, Dish, TW, etc need to file a class action opposing Comcast’s buyout of NBC before the FCC. I’m not a fan of government intervention into private business but I have seen the mess Comcast has created with TechTV (now G4) and Versus.
Five Gifts for the iPhone owner
Christmas is drawing near and The Unofficial Apple Weblog has a write up on 5 gifts for those with an iPhone. I like the Walldock so if my wife is reading this let me just say I REALLY like the Walldock!
What in the Whrrl?
For those that can’t get enough of social media sites here is another one to add to your list. Whrrl allows you to post a real time photo story of an event with a mix of text and photos with captions storyboard. Try out a few stories first before trying a big one as it takes some getting used to but it is pretty cool. I might use this for my future 12 of 12 days.
This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps
Whrrl - In addition to using Whrrl via their website, they also offer an iPhone/iPod touch based app to post your stories (editing has to be done via their website).
AT&T Mark the Spot - Having issues with your date or voice network on your iPhone? Now you can communicate it via AT&T’s new app Mark the Spot. Oh yes, they are going to get tired from hearing from me Muhahahaha!!!
US National Debt - Want to know what the US debt is roughly in real time? There is an app for that.
WhatsApp - Really cool iPhone to iPhone (or iPod touch) IM app. Don’t have to add contacts to it, anyone in your contact list that has the app shows up in your WhatsApp list. Very similar to Ping. I use both but lately been using WhatsApp more. I chat with Jeremy quite a bit on it.
Well that is going to do it for another edition of Triple T. See you all next week!
Engadget Nook review
Engadget has a review of the Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader. Pretty good job on the review and there is even a hands on video they have posted on it. It seems to be pretty durable in comparison to a Kindle and about the same size as a trade novel. There does seem to be some glitches so you may want to hold off until they update the OS if you plan on getting one.
Comcast controlled NBC may say no to iTunes subscription plan
Yet another reason Comcast should not be allowed to own NBC. Working for DirecTV (full disclosure), I have seen how Comcast tries to extort money from Dish, Time Warner, and other carriers with Versus but DirecTV stood their ground and as a result Versus is not carried by DirecTV. With Comcast owning NBC it would mean a much more restrictive distribution of enjoyable NBC content (pause for laughter). I think Apple, DIrecTV, Dish, TW, etc need to file a class action opposing Comcast’s buyout of NBC before the FCC. I’m not a fan of government intervention into private business but I have seen the mess Comcast has created with TechTV (now G4) and Versus.
Five Gifts for the iPhone owner
Christmas is drawing near and The Unofficial Apple Weblog has a write up on 5 gifts for those with an iPhone. I like the Walldock so if my wife is reading this let me just say I REALLY like the Walldock!
What in the Whrrl?
For those that can’t get enough of social media sites here is another one to add to your list. Whrrl allows you to post a real time photo story of an event with a mix of text and photos with captions storyboard. Try out a few stories first before trying a big one as it takes some getting used to but it is pretty cool. I might use this for my future 12 of 12 days.
This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps
Whrrl - In addition to using Whrrl via their website, they also offer an iPhone/iPod touch based app to post your stories (editing has to be done via their website).
AT&T Mark the Spot - Having issues with your date or voice network on your iPhone? Now you can communicate it via AT&T’s new app Mark the Spot. Oh yes, they are going to get tired from hearing from me Muhahahaha!!!
US National Debt - Want to know what the US debt is roughly in real time? There is an app for that.
WhatsApp - Really cool iPhone to iPhone (or iPod touch) IM app. Don’t have to add contacts to it, anyone in your contact list that has the app shows up in your WhatsApp list. Very similar to Ping. I use both but lately been using WhatsApp more. I chat with Jeremy quite a bit on it.
Well that is going to do it for another edition of Triple T. See you all next week!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday Tech Talk #12
It’s Tuesday September 15th, time for another Triple T!
New iPods
So on Wednesday Apple announced updates to the iPod nano and iPod touch product line. To no one’s surprise, the nano supports a camera that shoots video but no pictures oddly enough. Has something to do with form factor issues and the size required for a still camera mechanism. It also supports an internal FM radio tuner, built in mic with speakers and voice memo, voice control and a pedometer. TUAW has a nice post about all the new features here. What was a surprise was the lack of a camera entirely on the touch models. However based on model tear downs, a future touch update may support cameras.
iTunes 9
Also announced was iTunes 9. Among the new features there are desktop management of your app layout on your iPhone or iPod touch which is much appreciated by me. Also you can now swap music on your home computers as long as it’s under 1 ID and up to 5 computers. Now my iMac and MacBook are synced on purchased music. You can share music, movies, TV shows, and app links in iTunes on Facebook and Twitter now as well. Oh and a new feature called iTunes LP. You can read more about it here.
AT&T MMS for iPhone
Yes, it is finally coming and for some it is already here. AT&T announced it will be available nationwide on 9/25. Congrats AT&T, it only took you 3 years to make available on the iPhone what I had on my Sony Ericsson before I got my iPhone...you get a cookie! (not saying what I put in the cookie)
This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps
WebMD Mobile - This cool app gives you one touch access to a Symptom checker, drugs and treatments, and First Aid information. I used it to diagnose my bloody eye problem yesterday.
MLB.com At Bat - Quite frankly if your a baseball fan like I am then you need this app. It gives you scores, in game live update down to the pitch count, you can listen to the games on either teams radio flagship. It also offers 2 free live streaming games and if you subscribe to MLB.TV you can watch all the games on it. I use this app to keep track of the Angels when I’m away from my TV.
Gun App - Ever want to shoot someone? Well me neither. But wouldn’t it feel good to fire a gun? Well now you can with this free entertaining app. You can choose from many different firearms and other peace keeping tools as I like to call them. With the iPhone you even get a cool vibrate kickback when you fire a gun.
Delivery Status - A handy package tracker. Use it to track FedEx, UPS, USPS. You can also track orders from Apple, Adobe, Nintendo, Amazon, and Google Checkout.
Dictionary.com - Hey how about a free dictionary app with all the words stored on the touch/iPhone? Look no further. It even has audio pronunciation of words to boot.
New iPods
So on Wednesday Apple announced updates to the iPod nano and iPod touch product line. To no one’s surprise, the nano supports a camera that shoots video but no pictures oddly enough. Has something to do with form factor issues and the size required for a still camera mechanism. It also supports an internal FM radio tuner, built in mic with speakers and voice memo, voice control and a pedometer. TUAW has a nice post about all the new features here. What was a surprise was the lack of a camera entirely on the touch models. However based on model tear downs, a future touch update may support cameras.
iTunes 9
Also announced was iTunes 9. Among the new features there are desktop management of your app layout on your iPhone or iPod touch which is much appreciated by me. Also you can now swap music on your home computers as long as it’s under 1 ID and up to 5 computers. Now my iMac and MacBook are synced on purchased music. You can share music, movies, TV shows, and app links in iTunes on Facebook and Twitter now as well. Oh and a new feature called iTunes LP. You can read more about it here.
AT&T MMS for iPhone
Yes, it is finally coming and for some it is already here. AT&T announced it will be available nationwide on 9/25. Congrats AT&T, it only took you 3 years to make available on the iPhone what I had on my Sony Ericsson before I got my iPhone...you get a cookie! (not saying what I put in the cookie)
This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps
WebMD Mobile - This cool app gives you one touch access to a Symptom checker, drugs and treatments, and First Aid information. I used it to diagnose my bloody eye problem yesterday.
MLB.com At Bat - Quite frankly if your a baseball fan like I am then you need this app. It gives you scores, in game live update down to the pitch count, you can listen to the games on either teams radio flagship. It also offers 2 free live streaming games and if you subscribe to MLB.TV you can watch all the games on it. I use this app to keep track of the Angels when I’m away from my TV.
Gun App - Ever want to shoot someone? Well me neither. But wouldn’t it feel good to fire a gun? Well now you can with this free entertaining app. You can choose from many different firearms and other peace keeping tools as I like to call them. With the iPhone you even get a cool vibrate kickback when you fire a gun.
Delivery Status - A handy package tracker. Use it to track FedEx, UPS, USPS. You can also track orders from Apple, Adobe, Nintendo, Amazon, and Google Checkout.
Dictionary.com - Hey how about a free dictionary app with all the words stored on the touch/iPhone? Look no further. It even has audio pronunciation of words to boot.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Tuesday Tech Talk #11
Ok it’s another Tuesday which means another edition of Triple T.
Apple Music Event
Tomorrow is the Apple music event, smart money points to iPod touch and nano’s with cameras. If your holding your breath for Beatles though then you might want to exhale before passing out. Also look for iTunes 9 with Blu-ray support.
Microsoft
If Microsoft were a human being they would probably need a therapist for their insecurity issues. I mean come on, you got what over 90% of the OS market and yet your worried about Mac and Linux? I mean yeah IMHO both are better than your OS but come on!
audioBoo
Ok so if your not using audioBoo yet and you own an iPhone or iPod touch, then you really need to. Basically it’s a short audio blog up to 5 minutes in length. You can find my feed here. Oh and you can add all your friends boo’s into your RSS reader or iTunes. It treats it as if it were a podcast.
This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps
A new segment as part of Triple T is This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps. Each week I will pick a few of my favorite apps I am trying. Here are this weeks.
AAA Roadside - This handy little app makes notifying AAA a whole lot easier. No need to talk to a person or dig out your card, just file it within the app. Upon first time setup you will enter your AAA card number and it will be stored within the app.
audioBoo - Couldn’t mention audioBoo above and not mention the actual app to do your recordings on. It also allows you to listen to recent boo’s from everyone else although as of now, there is no way to set it to just your family and friend’s boos.
Facebook - Facebook has updated their app with cool new features. You can now break down your news feeds by groups you set up like Family, Personal friends, and group names. Oh yeah and you can post photos right from the app (and video with an iPhone 3GS).
SiriusXM - If you subscribe to SiriusXM your iPhone or touch is now an instant radio (internet access required). I have found myself listening to different music and talk stations at Joe Joe’s and around the house.
TUAW - If your a Mac fan like me then you should have this app for The Unofficial Apple Weblog. All the latest news right in the app.
Well that is all for this edition of Triple T. I will be posting about the Apple Music event tomorrow some time.
Apple Music Event
Tomorrow is the Apple music event, smart money points to iPod touch and nano’s with cameras. If your holding your breath for Beatles though then you might want to exhale before passing out. Also look for iTunes 9 with Blu-ray support.
Microsoft
If Microsoft were a human being they would probably need a therapist for their insecurity issues. I mean come on, you got what over 90% of the OS market and yet your worried about Mac and Linux? I mean yeah IMHO both are better than your OS but come on!
audioBoo
Ok so if your not using audioBoo yet and you own an iPhone or iPod touch, then you really need to. Basically it’s a short audio blog up to 5 minutes in length. You can find my feed here. Oh and you can add all your friends boo’s into your RSS reader or iTunes. It treats it as if it were a podcast.
This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps
A new segment as part of Triple T is This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps. Each week I will pick a few of my favorite apps I am trying. Here are this weeks.
AAA Roadside - This handy little app makes notifying AAA a whole lot easier. No need to talk to a person or dig out your card, just file it within the app. Upon first time setup you will enter your AAA card number and it will be stored within the app.
audioBoo - Couldn’t mention audioBoo above and not mention the actual app to do your recordings on. It also allows you to listen to recent boo’s from everyone else although as of now, there is no way to set it to just your family and friend’s boos.
Facebook - Facebook has updated their app with cool new features. You can now break down your news feeds by groups you set up like Family, Personal friends, and group names. Oh yeah and you can post photos right from the app (and video with an iPhone 3GS).
SiriusXM - If you subscribe to SiriusXM your iPhone or touch is now an instant radio (internet access required). I have found myself listening to different music and talk stations at Joe Joe’s and around the house.
TUAW - If your a Mac fan like me then you should have this app for The Unofficial Apple Weblog. All the latest news right in the app.
Well that is all for this edition of Triple T. I will be posting about the Apple Music event tomorrow some time.
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