iPad By Davis: “Will.i.am unveils horribly overpriced punctuation-laden iPhone camera accessories” plus 13 more |
- Will.i.am unveils horribly overpriced punctuation-laden iPhone camera accessories
- 500px for iPhone and iPad review
- iTunes 11 still launching this week, was delayed due to engineering issues
- Google Drive for iPhone and iPad updated with spreadsheet editing
- iCloud and the problem with opaque sync
- The Transformer invasion has begun
- Adobe Photoshop Touch optimizes for iPad mini, adds effects, support for pressure-sensitive stylus pens, more
- How to set reminders and update task and to-do lists with Siri
- Notable New iPad Apps: BlogPad Pro
- Vimeo updates to version 3, brings new iPhone interface
- Slope may very well be the only stand you need for your iPad, or any other tablet you own
- Most Beautiful iPad Case. Ever
- Skype for iPhone and iPad updated with Microsoft accounts, animated Retina emoticons
- iStat Menus 4 brings Retina support, new design, and more to the Mac
| Will.i.am unveils horribly overpriced punctuation-laden iPhone camera accessories Posted: 28 Nov 2012 08:05 PM PST
Have you ever wanted to have a better camera on your iPhone? How about a physical keyboard? Sure, there are people that want those things. The camera on the iPhone has always been quite good for a smartphone, always leading with quality sensors and optics. But Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas thinks he can make it better, and he's unveiled his new line of "i.am+" accessories with the goal of doing such. Mr. William James Adams's i.am+ line is a perplexing set of beasts, consisting of four "foto.sosho" cases that add considerable bulk to your iPhone while also adding new elements to the camera. All four add a grip to the right side of the landscape orientation, but sadly don't add do anything fancy with that grip like adding a reserve battery pack for the iPhone. They all also include a built-in flash purported to be of higher power than the single LED bulb on the iPhone, thought you've got to use the shutter button on the case to actuate it and the volume button on your phone. So, there are four different versions of the foto.sosho? There are, and they come with even more unnecessary punctuation, as seems is the way of Will.i.am. The C.4 is intended for the iPhone 4/4S and has a "modern" look (it's all smooth and lacking in excess accoutrement) in black or white and includes a screw mount for the included standard, 0.67x wide macro, and 0.28x fisheye lens attachments. If you're not into the modern look, then there's the V.4, which includes the same lenses and mount and adds a slide-out landscape keyboard that pairs with the iPhone via Bluetooth. The V.4 also has vintage styling, which you might think with a slide-out landscape keyboard means it's going to look like an HTC Touch Pro or some other pre-iPhone smartphone, but actually kicks the styling back several decades for something a little more retro chic. The i.am+ foto.sosho V.4 (the punctuation nightmare continues) comes in white/gold or black/silver color combinations. Lastly, there are the V.5 and L.5 models, which really ratchet things up a notch. The aforementioned C.4 and V.4 only augment the iPhone 4/4S cameras by mounting an additional lens element over the existing hardware, whereas the x.5 models circumvent the iPhone camera hardware entirely by adding on a 14-megapixel sensor with a 5x zoom lens, but only for the iPhone 5. Will.i.am promises that the camera will provide better image quality than what the iPhone offers, but somehow we expect there will be tradeoffs to be made. The V.5 includes just the camera attachment, while the L.5 throws the slide-out keyboard as well. Both x.5 models are of the "vintage" look, with your choice of silver and brown leather, all white leather, or all black leather.
If you're thinking this all sounds pretty ridiculous, you're entirely right. The benefit of the iPhone's camera is that it's not only quite good, but it's also slapped into a slim and light package that slips into your pocket or purse without a worry. There are plenty of existing attachments that allow you to add zoom, wide-angle, and other lenses to the iPhone, and they do it without the excessive bulk of the foto.sosho line. Sure, they don't add a flash, but if we're being honest here, the flash units on point-and-shoot cameras typically fall short of even barely adequate, let alone whatever flash unit is included on these accessories. Take the Olloclip, for example. It just slips on over the corner of your iPhone (a new model for the iPhone 5 is coming soon), and if you don't need it it's easy enough to pop off and leave in your pocket or bag. foto.sosho isn't going to be so quick-and-easy optional. Aside from the extra weight and thickness of the foto.sosho line, there's also the pricing, which it turns out is the most ridiculous part of this whole exercise. The C.4 is retailing for a whopping £199 and the V.4 for a galling £299. If you're wanting to see those numbers in United States Dollars, that's $318 and $478, respectively. Yes, more than three hundred gorram dollars for an iPhone case with a mount for cheap screw-on lenses, a flash, and a bulk-adding grip. And another $160 if you want to add on a Bluetooth keyboard. Olloclip retails for seventy bucks and includes fisheye, wide-angle, and macro lenses. Or you can pay £199 to carry around a bulky iPhone with screw-on lens mount with only half of Will.i.am's name attached to it. The only thing saving us from this absurd punctuation.laden nonsense (besides the pricing, which should only appeal to those suffering from empty craniums), is that the foto.sosho will be available only at the three Selfridges stores in London, starting on December 6th. There's also a new i.am+ plus service launching alongside the foto.sosho that aims to needlessly replicate Instagram with basic photo editing and filters. Pricing for the V.5 and L.5 hasn't been announced, but we wouldn't be surprised to find that it's least another £100 for each level up, making the top-tier L.5 an appalling £499/$798. At that price you've crossed over from point-and-shoot pocket camera range to entry-level DSLR territory. Sure, a Canon EOS Rebel T3i with an 18-55mm lens is quite a bit bulkier than any of the potential iPhone+foto.sosho combinations, but it also will take much better pictures - and it's priced at $699.99. But, you know, there's always the need to show that you have more money and than sense. Common sense that is, because your style sense will be clearly evident as you walk around with your thick vintage-look iPhone camera thing. Or so we're told. Source: The Telegraph, Engadget 
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| 500px for iPhone and iPad review Posted: 28 Nov 2012 06:37 PM PST
500px is a premium photo sharing platform for professional and aspiring photographers for the web and iPad that has now made its debut to the iPhone, and the iPad version got a nice upgrade as well. It's beautiful. 500px for iPhone and iPad lets you scroll through your friends' activity in Flow, discover gorgeous photography in Popular, browse through photographers' profiles, and more. 500px is marketed for professional and aspiring photographers, so to keep that spirit within 500px, mobile uploads are not available on the iPhone and iPad; all photos must be uploaded through the web. However, you can browse through all the photos and view them on the gorgeous Retina displays of the iPhone and iPad as well as like, mark as favorite, and leave comments.
The iPhone version of 500px has three main sections: Home, Photos, and Your Account (named after you). From Home, you can go to Flow, Following, and Favorites. Everything except Flow is displayed as a grid making it easy to see up to 15 photos at once so you can specifically choose which ones you want to see bigger. Flow is a stream that displays all the recent activity of the people you follow and displays one photo at a time.
In the Photos section, you can find the Popular, Editors' Choice, Upcoming, and Fresh feeds. The are displayed in a grid making it easy to casually browse through what's available.
In Your Account, you can access your Profile or Flow. Profiles show one of the user's most recent photos at the top as a header. I actually don't like this because since the most recent photo is at the bottom of the initial screen, profiles usually look rather repetitive and boring. 500px should either allow users to choose their header image or automatically choose a photo that is further down the user's profile.
The iPad version of 500px is a little different and features a sidebar that gives access to Popular, Editors' Choice, Upcoming, and Fresh. Although the iPad version doesn't have Flow, it does include the 500px Market where you can purchase and download your favorite photos for personal use.
When you sign up for 500px, you are automatically granted a 14-day trial to experience all the available features. Once your 14 days are up, you can choose to continue using a free account or sign up for a premium account that gives you unlimited uploads and collections, a personal portfolio, advanced statistics, and more. A free account allows 10 uploads per week and the ability to sell your photos in the Market. A premium account costs $20/yr and $49.95/yr for the Plus and Awesome memberships, receptively. The good
The bad
The conclusionThe iPhone and iPad app for 500px is absolutely gorgeous and a great way to browse though photos on the platform. Even if you're not a professional or aspiring photographer, you can still use 500px as a way to discover and enjoy fabulous photography. Free - Download Now
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| iTunes 11 still launching this week, was delayed due to engineering issues Posted: 28 Nov 2012 06:11 PM PST
After its introduction during the September iPhone and iPod event, iTunes 11 was delayed from its initial October launch date to sometime in November. A more radical departure than previous updates, which included Genius Playlists and the ill-fated Ping social music network, iTunes 11 boats a new, more iOS 6 like interface, and deeper, tighter iCloud. When Apple announced the delay, they said iTunes 11 was taking longer than expected to get right. Jessica E. Lessin of The Wall Street Journal adds a little to that:
The WSJ also believes Apple will honor their new launch window and ship iTunes 11 this week, which means tomorrow or Friday. This all comes as part of a profile of Apple senior vice president of internet services, Eddy Cue. Cue, who has traditionally had responsibility for iTunes, the iTunes Store, and the App Store, was given iCloud (then MobileMe), and more recently Maps and Siri following less than successful user experiences following their respective launches. Services is likely the biggest challenge facing Apple in the near future, and even with Cue's reputation as "Mr. Fixit", he's got his work cut out for him. Hopefully the extra time spent on iTunes 11 will have been well spent. Source: The Wall Street Journal 
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| Google Drive for iPhone and iPad updated with spreadsheet editing Posted: 28 Nov 2012 03:33 PM PST
Google Drive for iPhone and iPad has been updated with improved collaboration and on-device sharing. Users can now create, edit, and collaborate on spreadsheets and upload to Drive with other apps using "Open in..." There is also a new Uploads section that allows you to manage upload progress and see recent uploads. The ability to edit spreadsheets has been one of the biggest user requests, so it's great to see Google respond by including that ability. It still isn't possible to update presentation, but hopefully that will be coming in the future as well. Google Drive is a Dropbox-like service that lets you store documents pictures, and other files and share them with whoever you want. A free account includes 5GB of storage space with options to upgrade to 25 GB and 100 GB for $2.49/mo and $4.99/mo, respectively. Free - Download now
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| iCloud and the problem with opaque sync Posted: 28 Nov 2012 12:20 PM PST
iCloud was meant to make data ubiquitous -- to magically handle syncing everything that really needs syncing between iOS and OS X devices, so users simply have the most up-to-date stuff, backed up and available, all the time and everywhere, without worrying. And it is. Except when it isn't. And when it isn't, it's almost as opaque to developers building against its APIs as it is to users wondering where their stuff is. So what to do? Tapbots' Paul Haddad spoke about the challenges of iCloud sync, especially document sync, on this week's episode of the Debug show. Other developers, however, have already chosen to leave iCloud behind. Vemedio have chosen to do just that with the upcoming Instacast 3.
Developer Steve Streza outlines some of the concerns on Informal Protocol:
Streza does point out, however, how hard rolling your own solution can be. That's true if you're an indie developer, and just as true if you're Apple. Google, Amazon, and Facebook are internet services companies. Apple isn't. They're having to become one, and you don't pivot from software to services on a dime. iCloud is still a work in progress, and it will likely continue to improve in future iOS and OS X versions. Hopefully it'll continue to improve independent of iOS and OS X as well, as the advantage of server side services should include decoupled development and hardware that's capable of receiving updates when they're ready, irrespective of the state of client-side OS updates. The cloud in general, and its increasing importance in every day computing, continues to be a huge challenge for Apple, and one they absolutely have to nail. Fortunately, even their strongest cloud competitors, like Google, are still falling on their faces every once and a while. But time isn't on Apple's side here. Let's hope everyone in Eddy Cue's internet services division is working on making iCloud and related server-side infrastructure not only ubiquitous, but far more modern, reliable, and scalable for users and developers alike. Source: Informal Protocol, Vemedio, Debug show 
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| The Transformer invasion has begun Posted: 28 Nov 2012 11:37 AM PST If you've ever watched the Transformers and wished you had one -- not a manual toy but an actual transforming model -- then stop reading and watch the video above. Done freaking out over the rolling out? Good. Here are the details, courtesy of Christina Bonnington at Wired:
Having an Autobot mini prowling iMore HQ, reporting suspicious activity back to my iPad mini, would pretty much be a geek dream come true. So, I guess it's time to learn autocad, robotic and automotive engineering, 3D printing, and alien AI programming. Back in a bit... Source: Wired
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| Posted: 28 Nov 2012 11:22 AM PST
Even though I use Photoshop CS 6 nearly constantly, I'm not a huge fan of Adobe Photoshop Touch. I think they made a lot of bad decisions, from not building a truly native iOS app, to creating an interface that's almost opaque. However, they're Adobe, this is Photoshop, and I'm just an overly opinionated blogger, so for those of you who are all up in the Touch, here's some good news: Adobe has made some optimizations to better support the iPad mini (likely fixing tap target sizes, though it doesn't say specifically), and adding support for the new generation of pressure sensitive stylus pens like the Pogo Connect, Jot Touch, and JaJa. There are two new effects, Lens Flare and Stamp Pattern (and they helpfully tell you Lens Flare is under the "&" menu, once again proving no menu should ever be labeled "&"). Facebook and Twitter support has been baked in, and access to the last 5 colors is now just a tap away.
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| How to set reminders and update task and to-do lists with Siri Posted: 28 Nov 2012 11:00 AM PST Complete guide to Siri commands for Reminders, tasks, and to-do listsSiri was designed to help you get things done, and part of that job description is creating and updating your to-dos and lists of to-dos in the Reminders app of your iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPod touch 5, iPad 4, iPad 3, and iPad mini. If you need to be prodded to pick up milk on the way home, order that present in time for the big party, or set up that lunch meeting before the end of the day, Siri's there to help.
(Unfortunately, you can't delete tasks or mark items as completed using Siri (at least not yet), so you still have to launch the Reminders app for that.) How to create a time-based reminder with SiriOne of the easiest things to do with Siri is have it set up a quick Reminder. Siri is so quick, in fact, it's almost always faster to use Siri than to tap your way through the Reminders app to set them up manually.
   The Reminder will go into the default Reminders list. This is usually Reminders for iCloud users and Tasks for Exchange users, or whatever you set up as the default list in Settings. If you made a mistake or simply want to revise something immediately, instead of confirming, you can also tell Siri to "change the time to", "change the title (of the appointment/event)", or simply "cancel" it entirely. Tap the Reminders widget to quickly mark the Reminder as completed. How to create a location-based reminder with SiriBecause your iOS device knows where you are, you can set up Reminders based on location as well. Again, it's much faster to do this with Siri than manually through the Reminders app.
  Just like with standard Reminders, the location Reminder will go into the default Reminders list. This is usually Reminders for iCloud users and Tasks for Exchange users, or whatever you set up as the default list in Settings. If you made a mistake or simply want to revise something immediately, instead of confirming, you can also tell Siri to "change the time to", "change the title (of the appointment/event)", or simply "cancel" it entirely. If you tap the Reminders widget, you can mark the Reminder as completed. How to create a Reminder in a specific List with SiriIf you have multiple lists in Reminders, like a packing list, a party list, etc. you can tell Siri to create a to-do item specifically for one of those lists.
 Now the Reminder will be placed in the List you specified. If you forget to specify a list when you create your Reminder, you can still move it before you confirm the Reminder.
  The Reminder will then be placed in the List you specified. How to maintain a shared shopping list with Siri and iCloudSiri in conjunction with the default Reminders app is a great way to maintain shopping lists, and when combined with iCloud, shared shopping lists. You can have one general shopping list, or even specific shopping lists, like a grocery list. Before you can use Siri to add items to a grocery or any other list, you first have to create them in the Reminders app, and set up the sharing in iCloud.
Once you have the list setup, just add items to it like you would any list.
Now anyone you share the list with can add items whenever you think of something, and all of you see them next time you're out shopping. When an item is taken care of and marked as done, everyone sees it marked as done as well. How to get more help with Siri
If you still need help with setting up or using Siri with your iPhone Contacts, or any other Siri feature, head on over to our Siri Forum and ask away! 
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| Notable New iPad Apps: BlogPad Pro Posted: 28 Nov 2012 09:27 AM PST
I've only installed the app a short while ago, but have some very quick first impressions and thoughts on it. It did a good job when I added iPad Insight to my sites list and imported the site' recent posts, comments, categories, and tags pretty quickly. It has a WYSIWYG writing interface, which I'm a fan of. It offers rich text type formatting options in a top bar right above the body text editing area. Here are the app's notable features, per its App Store page:
(...) © patrickj for iPad Insight, 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us         Related Stories
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| Vimeo updates to version 3, brings new iPhone interface Posted: 28 Nov 2012 09:21 AM PST
Vimeo's universal app for iOS has been updated to version 3.0 today. The changes focus on the iPhone and include tab-based navigation, a new view called Feed that allows you to browse new videos, and support background uploads while you continue to watch videos in the app. Users can also now share videos using the built-in iOS sharing features. The editing feature has been removed from the iPhone version, but Vimeo says that you can save active projects to the Camera Roll, while the editor is still present on the iPad.
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| Slope may very well be the only stand you need for your iPad, or any other tablet you own Posted: 28 Nov 2012 08:40 AM PST Slope is a new Kickstarter project that aims to be not only multifunctional but is designed in a way that makes you wonder why Apple themselves didn't design something similar. The best part is, it doesn't only work with the iPad, but any tablet you have laying around. The unique thing about Slope is that it doesn't depend on traditional brackets, levers, or magnets to hold the device in place. Instead it uses suction by way of thousands of tiny suction cups that create air pockets. This is why Slope should work with almost any device or tablet you've got laying around.
The creators of Slope need $60,000 before December 20th to get the project funded and as of writing this, they've currently managed just above $43,000. If you choose to help fund Slope there are quite a few options they're offering backers. The minimum pledge amount is only $1 while the max is $134. There are several in betweens that'll get you different items for helping Slope reach its goal. For $69 you'll get a full size Dekke Slope large enough for 10" tablets, which means your iPad, if the project is funded. It's not a bad deal and in my opinion, it's a much more elegant solution than stands and docks that are currently on the market for iPad. Hit the link below to check out more photos, info, and to back the project on Kickstarter. Source: Kickstarter 
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| Most Beautiful iPad Case. Ever Posted: 28 Nov 2012 08:02 AM PST
Yesterday afternoon I received this little fella in the mail. It's a review unit of the Celtic Hounds iPad mini Cover, from the lovely folks at Oberon Design. I'll spend some time with the case and then do a review, but I can tell you one thing right now: This is – easily – The Most Beautiful iPad case ever. It is just ridiculously beautiful. I've reviewed one other Oberon iPad case – the Hokusai iPad 2 Case – and I know Oberon does a range of gorgeous cases, but this one is just stunning. This is real artisan craftsmanship at its best, and made right here in the USA. I'll be less productive today, because of time spent just admiring the crap out of this case. If you want to see more detail or order one of these, check them out at Oberon's product page. © patrickj for iPad Insight, 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us  Related Stories
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| Skype for iPhone and iPad updated with Microsoft accounts, animated Retina emoticons Posted: 28 Nov 2012 07:49 AM PST
Microsoft's Skype communications apps for iPhone and iPad have been updated to version 4.2. New features include the ability to chat with Messenger, Hotmail, and Outlook.com, and merge them all together into one, happy, mega-Microsoft account. If you're a first timer, you can now create an account from within the app. You can also tap and hold to edit messages now, choose emoticons while typing, and -- terrifically or horrifically, depending on your point of view -- use animated emoticons in full on Retina quality. (I'm firmly in the latter camp -- I'd pay good money for a Skype update that killed animated emoticons dead. For everyone. Because, my eyes. My eyes.) There's also the usual round of bug fixes. If you haven't used Skype yet, it remains much like democracy -- terrible except when compared to everything else. It's cross-platform, more reliable than most, and enjoys full background access on iOS (though keep an eye on your battery while it's active). If you're already a Skype user, it's a no-brainer update. Go get it.
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| iStat Menus 4 brings Retina support, new design, and more to the Mac Posted: 28 Nov 2012 07:09 AM PST
Bjango's iStat Menus is the gold standard of system monitoring tools. It's one of the first apps I bought when I switched back to the Mac, and it's one of the first apps I -- and almost every geeky/techy type I know -- installs when they get a new Mac. Originally designed as a Dashboard widget, iStat has since moved to the menu bar, and with iStat Menus 4, it's now completely, comfortably ensconced there with a bold new look and full on Retina support. If you haven't used iStat Menus before, the gist is this -- it tells you everything you need to know, likely more than you need to know, about what's going on with your Mac. That includes CPU, memory, disk usage, network activity, battery status (if you're using a MacBook), and tons more. If you're already familiar with iStat Menus, new stuff includes per process network bandwidth monitoring, calendar events, history graphs across the board, more detailed GPU monitoring, the ability to change fan speed, SMART status monitoring to disks, and read/write IOPS to disks.
iStat Menus 4 offers a free 14-day trial. If you like it, you can buy it for $16. If you're an existing iStat Menus user, there's also upgrade pricing available.
Note: Bjango's Marc Edwards is a friend and co-host of mine, but I've been using and loving iStat since long before I met Marc. Still, don't take my word for it, grab the free trial and decide for yourself. 
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