jueves, 1 de noviembre de 2012

iPad By Davis: “Tim Cook's Apple” plus 17 more

iPad By Davis: “Tim Cook's Apple” plus 17 more

Tim Cook's Apple

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 06:30 PM PDT

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple from NeXT he famously found their product lines confounding. When Tim Cook inherited Apple, an argument could be made that Steve Jobs' greatest product, Apple itself, was confounding. Steve Jobs' solution, famously, was to draw a simple grid and in each of its four quadrants, place a core product -- laptop and pro laptop, desktop and pro desktop. Tim Cook just did the same thing, drawing up a simple grid, and in each of its four quadrants, placing a core person -- software and services, design and technology.

Steve Jobs took Apple from a plethora of ill-defined and overlapping computers to a clearly defined product line that removed internal overhead and customer confusion alike. While the iBook (MacBook) and PowerBook (MacBook Pro) and iMac and Power Mac (Mac Pro) have once again grown into a larger product line, and one now in adolescent-like transition, once that transition passes, Apple will likely return to a simpler scheme -- iPhone and iPads, MacBooks and Macs. Tim Cook is now taking Apple from an overlapping group of people, some responsible for iOS and some OS X, some responsible for hardware design and some software, some responsible for some services but not others, and clearly defining roles and responsibilities that remove internal roadblocks and hedge against the fiefdoms that plague other, large, second generation leadership teams. Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue will each set up teams to support their new roles, and industrial and interface design, chips and antennas, iOS and OS X, and data centers and ecommerce, and more, will all still get individual attention, but they'll benefit from better collective leadership.

Phil Schiller remains the product guy, Peter Oppenheimer the money guy, Dan Riccio the hardware guy, Jeff Williams the operations guy, Bruce Sewell the legal guy, and Tim Cook remains the oversight guy, but the core of Apple has been reinvented. Tim Cook's Apple has been reinvented.

Now we get to see how well this simplified, clarified team can envision the future and execute on it.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Which should you get?

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 05:07 PM PDT

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Which should you get?

Apple has introduced their lighter, thinner, more "concentrated" iPad mini but they certainly weren't first-to-market with a small tablet. Most recently, Google and their partner, Asus, launched the Nexus 7, the best Android tablet to date.

Still, the Nexus 7 hasn't really caught on beyond Android aficionados and gadget geeks. And that's despite it's decent build quality, ultra-modern operating system, and the full-on Google support only Nexus-class devices enjoy. It remains to be seen if Apple's small tablet will fare any better in the thus-far completely big iPad dominated market, but if you're looking for an alternative, there's very few other places to look.

So what happens when you put Apple's iPad mini up against Google and Asus' Nexus 7? Apple's engineering precision up against Google's Android power? Let's take a look.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Hardware

The Nexus 7 sports a quad-core Tegra 3 processor and a 7-inch IPS display at 1280x800 resolution, which translates into 216 ppi. It has NFC, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS built-in, and they've just added an HSPA+ option to the high end model (but not LTE, and yes, that makes a difference). It's got a 1.2 megapixel, 720p camera on front, and the back is plastic, but soft-touch to make it easy to hold on to, even one-handed.

The speaker is stereo but Google doesn't make a big deal about it. The original Nexus 7 came with 8 or 16GB of storage, but that's just been bumped to 16 or 32GB. Battery life is rated at 9 hours for video, which is accurate in my experience. (Though standby time for me has been abysmal.)

The iPad mini blends an iPod touch-like casing and internals with a decidedly iPad 2-like 4:3 screen ratio, splitting the difference in side bezel almost down the middle. The back is aluminum and the front, a 7.9-inch IPS display at 1024x768 and163 ppi. How does that compare to the physically smaller but denser Nexus 7?

The iPad mini also has a die-shrunk, dual core Apple A5 processor inside, and while there's no NFC, there is GPS on the cellular model, and there are cellular models compatible with GSM and CDMA, including HSPA+, DC-HSPA+, and LTE around the world.

The iPad mini has stereo speakers but Apple likewise doesn't advertise them, and both a front facing 1.2mp, 720p camera and a rear-facing 5mp, 1080p camera. You can get the iPad mini in black or white, and in 16, 32, or 64GB versions. Battery life is rated at 10 hours for watching videos, and iPads have traditionally met Apple's battery life claims.

So when it comes to hardware, iPad mini wins on design, manufacturing, and elegance, and Nexus 7 wins on power and screen density.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Software

The Nexus 7 runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean but should be updated shortly to Android 4.2. Jelly Bean is a great operating system, but it's still better suited for phones instead of tablets. Google claims the Nexus 7 uses a mix of phone and tablet UI, based on what's best for the task at hand. My guess is they're still searching for the right way to translate Android to tablets and we'll see it in 5.0 or some other future version. Right now, however, it's much more like a big phone than a small tablet, and that's not a bad thing -- it might even be better for some users -- but it's a different thing. Also, while Google and Project Butter have done a lot to improve interface and performance, it's still not iOS-level polished, and things like the back button are still an exercise in frustration. That said, Android is even more powerful than ever, with features and functions far beyond those available to iOS. Google Now is more than a few steps ahead of Siri, notifications are actionable, and apps can actually communicate with each other. Imagine that.

iOS 6 comes loaded on the iPad mini, and Apple still leads the industry when it comes not only to polish and consistency, but to pushing out software updates for their devices (granted, they have much fewer of them and much more control over them than anyone else in industry). You still can't do a lot of things with iOS, and that will frustrate a lot of users, especially those with edge or very specific power needs, but what you can do you can do easily. iOS 6 also has a complete, optimized tablet interface with multiple columns and features beyond what you can fit on a single phone-style interface screen. Safari for iPad is still the best mobile browser (sorry Chrome), the Home button is an amazing escape hatch for non-technical users, and the accessibility features lead the industry.

So software is a similar story to hardware. Apple writes better code and creates more cohesive, consistent user experiences than Google. But Google makes code that does more things and is more customizable than Apple. Argue that all you want, but at the end of the day iOS in invariably smoother, more intuitive, more up-to-date, and more pixel perfect than Android, yet just as invariably misses out on a lot of features Android gets early and gets stock. If you want something that's accessible and just works, iOS has the advantage. If you want something configurable that just works the way you want it to, Android wins.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Services

When it comes to services that bring the internet fully to your iPad mini, Apple has iCloud, which includes iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, Find my iPhone, Find my Friends, and more. As a service goes, it's... serviceable. It backs up and syncs your data and gives you access to all of the your iTunes content. But Apple is still new to the cloud and they aren't as strong at it as they are hardware and software. At least not yet.

Google was born in the cloud. They're the biggest cloud services provider in the world. Android, in many ways, is a localized front end for Google's cloud. Now the localized part traditionally wasn't as good as Apple -- they just chucked web pages inside of apps -- but Google has been getting better code as well. Now their services not only work well, but look better and perform far better than ever before.

The twist here is that you can get almost every single Google service on the iPad mini that you can get on the Nexus 7. Now, Android has by far -- by far! -- the better Google integration of course, but the iPad mini has a surprising amount as well, including the brand new Google Search. And that's also including Gmail, Google+ YouTube, Drive, Google, etc. That's a full, robust, and increasingly good set of offerings available in Apple's App Store. (For reasons that involve the difference in business models between Apple and Google.)

So, going with the Nexus 7, you get the best Google can offer, but nothing from Apple. Going with the iPad mini, you get everything Apple and almost everything Google, but there's one more kind of service to consider -- customer service.

The Apple Store is unmatched. From buying your iPad mini, to being taught how to use it, to easily getting help with it when something goes wrong, Apple has hundreds of stores in dozens of countries. If you live anywhere near an Apple Store and your iPad mini stops working, you can go in and get it fixed, or get it swapped out for a replacement, in a matter of hours. With the Nexus 7, all you'll have is lost time and patience as you wait for Google's notoriously non-human mechanisms to process you.

If you live in the Google cloud, Nexus 7 is undeniably the better choice. If you don't, go with the iPad mini. What Apple lacks in online services, Google makes up for, and you get the best customer service in the business.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Content

Apple has a tremendous advantage when it comes to content. iTunes started earlier and is now in more countries and provides more content than anyone else on the planet. Moreover, like with the services above, even if you don't like iTunes books, movies, TV shows, etc., you can also get Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, and all the other content companies right on your iPhone.

Google provides a lot of its own content now with Google Play, and you have access to enough third party content that there's no real difference. If you live in the U.S., you're almost certainly good to go. If you live outside the U.S. it can literally be the difference between being able to get legitimate content onto your phone and not (if that matters to you).

When it comes to apps, Apple used to win by default based on the sheer magnitude of numbers. That's no longer true for phones, but it is for tablets. Apple has over 275,000 tablet-optimized apps. Google has a handful. Sure, you can run the 700,000+ Android phone apps on the Nexus 7, just like you can run the 700,000+ iPhone/iPod touch apps on the iPad mini, but that's a second-class experience. Do you want a big phone or a tablet?

Apple has also become slightly more open over time, and Android apps have become much better looking and better working. You can still knock Apple for being more controlling, both in terms of what apps you can get and how those apps can interact with each other (or not), but for some users the simplicity and security of that model trumps any neck-bearded annoyance.

Now, if you already have an iPhone or iPod touch or iPad, and a lot of iOS apps that work on the iPad mini, or if you've already bought a lot of iTunes media, that can make it easier and cheaper to stick with Apple. Likewise, if you already have a lot of content from Google Play, you'll find it easier to stick with Android.

Otherwise, if you're in the U.S., you're good to go with either, and if you're outside the U.S. and really care about buying your media, check and see what's available, but Apple and the iPad mini is your safer bet.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Price

The Nexus 7 is $199 for 16GB, $249 for 32GB, $299 for 32GB + HSPA+.

The iPad mini is $329 for 16GB, $429 for 32GB, and $529 for 64GB, and you can get HSPA+/LTE on all of those for an additional $130.

So, while the iPad mini is much better built, uses aluminum instead of plastic, includes extras like LTE and a 5mp rear-facing camera, etc., the Nexus 7 absolutely wins on price.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: The bottom line

If you want to run Android, absolutely have to have a slightly higher screen density, or don't have more than $299 in your pocket, get the Nexus 7. Otherwise, get the iPad mini. Cost isn't the same thing as value.

The iPad is almost synonymous with tablets for most people, most of the time, for very good reason. If you want a Nexus 7, you specifically want a Nexus 7. If you want a tablet, you want an iPad mini.

iMore show. iPad buyers guide edition. Tonight. 10pm ET/7pm PT. Be here.

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 04:09 PM PDT

The iMore show returns tonight for our special iPad buyers guide episode. If you need help deciding whether you should by an iPad, choosing between iPad 4 and iPad mini, and which model to get, we've got you covered. Join us LIVE at 7pm PT, 10pm ET. Set an alarm. Bookmark this page. Be here.

If you can't join us live, email your questions to podcast@imore.com or send them to @imore on Twitter.

Donate to the Red Cross and Hurricane Sandy relief directly from the App Store

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:44 PM PDT

Apple has added a section to the App Store that allows you to quickly make a donation to the Red Cross and Hurricane Sandy relief. 100% of your donation will be transferred to the American Red Cross by Apple. The process is super quick and super easy.

You will find the section in the Featured tab of the App Store. When you first tap on the new section, you will promptly be asked for your password. Entering your password does not mean you are committing to a donation, but simply allows you access to the donation screen. Donation amounts include $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, and $200.

Donate here

Celebrate Halloween with your kids and Charlie Brown with It's The Great Pumpkin for iPhone and iPad

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:09 PM PDT

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a children's book for the iPhone and iPad based off the the classic Halloween Charlie Brown story. In the book, Linus and Sally wait for the Great Pumpkin, a fantasy similar to Santa Claus that Linus believes in, while Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang to trick-or-treating and attend Violet's Halloween party. In addition to the story, The Great Pumpkin also lets you create an avatar that looks like a Peanuts character, dress him/her up in a costume, carve pumpkins, and more.

The book included in the Great Pumpkin has a great design and has the look and feel of an actual book. For each scene, there may be several sections of text to read and instead of showing all the text on the book at once, the text is displayed at the bottom of the screen and you can turn pages of text without turning the entire page. The original voice of Charlie Brown, Peter Robbins, narrates the story as you read along.

Each page in the book has great illustrations that can be mildly interacted with. Most things you touch will wiggle and many of the characters will repeat their lines from from the story. If you tap falling leaves, they will grow in size and move to the "front" of the book. Sometimes there are other interactions available, like playing piano with Schroeder or bobbing for apples.

In addition to the story, It's The Great Pumpkin also lets your child create a custom avatar that looks like a Peanuts character. You can choose between different skin colors, hairstyles, head shapes, clothing, and more. All of the Halloween costumes must be purchased with coins or candy. You can buy coins as in-app purchases and candy is earned by completing achievements. For example, when I tapped on enough leaves in the story, I earned 6000 pieces of candy.

There is also a section of The Great Pumpkin that lets you carve your own pumpkin. You child will be really excited when s/he sees their personal pumpkin appear in story mode.

The good

  • Choose from over 1 billion creative avatar and costume combinations to create your own Peanuts character
  • Go trick-or-treating with Charlie Brown and the gang
  • Carve your own pumpkin, bob for apples and play Schroeder's piano
  • Touch and drag objects to make them "spring" to life or tilt to watch them slide and move
  • Objects magically pop out of the page to delight little and big kids
  • Jump to any page in the book with the handy table of contents bookmark
  • Educational features such as word and note highlighting to help improve reading and musical skills
  • Hear individual words spoken with the tap of a finger
  • Original dialog from the 1966 animated classic
  • Captivating narration by Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown
  • Charming soundtrack featuring music and sound effects from the original holiday special
  • Earn candy to buy costumes by complete achievements
  • Universal for iPhone and iPad

The bad

  • Page turning sometimes isn't responsive

The bottom line

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a great childrens book to read with your kids this Halloween. It's fun, interactive, educational, and funny. The bonus of being able to create an avatar and carve a pumpkin makes the app more than just a book and is sure to provide your kids with a lot of Halloween fun.

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is currently priced at $2.99, 40% off.

$2.99 - Download Now

AT&T and T-Mobile to share networks in New York and New Jersey

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 02:01 PM PDT

AT&T and T-Mobile to share networks in New York and New Jersey

AT&T and T-Mobile USA have agreed to share their networks in New York and New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. As both carriers operate GSM and UMTS networks, compatible devices can switch between either AT&T and T-Mobile with little trouble. Calls, texts, and data will go through whichever network has the most capacity in a given area. With reports of cell service outages thoughout New York and New Jersey, this agreement will allow people affected by those outages to utilize their phones if either network is operational. Service agreements will not be affected.

Full press release below.

AT&T and T-Mobile Open Networks to Customers of Both Carriers in New York and New Jersey

DALLAS & BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the wake of destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, AT&T and T-Mobile are taking extraordinary measures to make sure our customers can stay in touch.

AT&T and T-Mobile have entered into an agreement to enable roaming on their networks to customers of both companies in the heavily impacted areas and where capacity is available and for subscribers with a compatible device.

AT&T and T-Mobile customers will be able to place calls just as they normally would, but their calls will be carried by whichever network is most operational in their area. This will be seamless for AT&T and T-Mobile customers with no change to their current rate plans or service agreements even if the phone indicates the device is attached to the other carrier's network.

T-Mobile and AT&T both utilize network technology based on GSM and UMTS standards, which allows for this sharing of voice and data traffic.

Source: Business Wire

Eddie Cue, Apple's newly appointed head of everything services, gets profiled

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 01:31 PM PDT

Eddie Cue profiled

Eddie Cue, Apple's Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, is now really, truly in change of everything data and ecommerce driven at Apple, thanks to the recent management shakeups. That includes Siri and iOS 6 Maps, both of which have received negative feedback during their respective launches. And that's in addition to his continuing role as head of the iTunes, iCloud, and App Stores. Enter CNET, just-in-time profile.

CNET' focused on the 23-year Apple veteran's role at the company, one of negotiator. Cue has facilitated deals with record labels and movie studios, and keeps the peace with various partners, including preventing a meltdown in the relationship between Apple and the record labels in 2007. He is known for his cool disposition and being level-headed, which helped him get along with Steve Jobs.

But despite the fact that he is known primarily for negotiation with media companies, Cue has held a great deal of responsibility for the technical side of Apple's business, as CNET's Greg Sandoval reports:

Cue started in Apple's IT department when he joined Apple in 1989 and quickly moved up to overseeing areas in the software engineering and customer service units. In 1998, he helped build Apple's online store.

On April 28, 2003, Cue was at the helm when the iTunes Music Store (now just called the iTunes Store) launched. The dazzling success of the Web retail outlet is Silicon Valley lore now. A little over a year after launch iTunes had sold 100 million songs. Three years later, the site had sold 1 billion songs. As of this September, more than 20 billion songs had been sold at iTunes.

Cue was given MobileMe after its much-maligned launch in 2008. Three years later, MobileMe turned into iCloud, which Apple says now boasts 150 million users. With Maps and Siri now under his purview, Cue now directly controls all major aspects of Apple's internet presence. After the mixed reception of Maps, Apple is now counting on Cue to lead the charge in spotting issues and correcting them as soon as possible. Given that he was able to take the wreckage of MobileMe and turn it into something that just works for many of Apple's customers, Cue seems to be the right choice to fix Apple's Map problems. Given the nature of both Maps and Siri, we should know for sure sooner rather than later.

Source: CNET

iPad mini has stereo speakers

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 12:03 PM PDT

iPad mini has stereo speakers

Wake me, I must be dreaming, because it turns out the iPad mini has stereo speakers. Apple didn't announce it during the iPad mini event, but they're clearly shown (if not clearly labeled) on Apple.com. (Really, Apple should have talked about this in the iPad mini video at the very least!)

Google's Nexus 7 also apparently has stereo speakers and Google also apparently isn't bothering to mention it. That may be becuase small external stereo speakers on a device as small as a the iPad mini aren't going to be anything like giant stereo speakers in your home theater, and a good headset will still give the best experience. Still, every little bit helps.

First the EarPods, now stereo speakers on an iOS device? I take back 12% of the complaints I've made about Apple ignoring audio. [An argument could be made for 15% - Rene]

Thanks John!

Get a Letterpress t-shirt, help support the Red Cross

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 11:30 AM PDT

Get a Letterpress t-shirt, help support the Red Cross

The fine folks at United Pixel Workers have produced at Letterpress t-shirt in both light and dark theme variants. If you buy one -- or more -- Letterpress developer Loren Brichter of Atebits will donate his share (about $5) to the Red Cross. Great game. Great shirt. Great cause.

They're only available for the next 4 days, so if you want one, act fast. (I ordered 3).

And if you haven't played Letterpress yet, check out Dave Wiskus' review.

Source: United Pixel Workers

iPad Mini Early Reviews: Mostly Stellar

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 10:24 AM PDT

iPad mini in smart cover stand

A number of early reviews of the iPad mini have now hit the web. These are reviews from a number of 'A List' sort of journalists who've had the pleasure of the iPad mini's company for around a week prior to its public release.

These early reviews are mostly very positive about the iPad mini. The only two negatives mentioned often are the lack of a retina display and the price being a little higher than some would like to see.

Here's a selection of quotes from some of these reviews that caught my eye last night and this morning:

Jim Dalrymple at The Loop:

I was wrong. I have wondered publicly whether or not a smaller tablet would fit into my workflow and even suggested the larger iPad would be better. I was wrong. I picked up my iPad mini and iPad 4 from Apple just after the special event ended last week in San Jose and have been using them ever since. I haven't used the mini to the exclusion of my iPad, but I wanted to see where this new device would fit into my lifestyle without being forced. What I found was surprising to me. I actually used the iPad mini more than my iPad.

Walt Mossberg at The Wall Street Journal:

I've been testing the iPad Mini for several days and found it does exactly what it promises: It brings the iPad experience to a smaller device. Every app that ran on my larger iPad ran perfectly on the Mini. I was able to use it one-handed and hold it for long periods of time without tiring. My only complaints were that it's a tad too wide to fit in most of my pockets, and the screen resolution is a big step backwards from the Retina display on the current large iPad.

Joshua Topolsky at The Verge:

It doesn't feel like Apple is racing to some lowest-price bottom — rather it seems to be trying to raise the floor.

And it does raise the floor here. There's no tablet in this size range that's as beautifully constructed, works as flawlessly, or has such an incredible software selection. Would I prefer a higher-res display? Certainly. Would I trade it for the app selection or hardware design? For the consistency and smoothness of its software, or reliability of its battery? Absolutely not. And as someone who's been living with (and loving) Google's Nexus 7 tablet for a few months, I don't say that lightly.

The iPad mini hasn't wrapped up the "cheapest tablet" market by any stretch of the imagination. But the "best small tablet" market? Consider it captured.

(...)
Read the rest of iPad Mini Early Reviews: Mostly Stellar (437 words)

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Reminder: Our RSS Feed Has Changed

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 09:37 AM PDT

BandWRSSIcon

This is just a quick reminder that the RSS feed for iPad Insight has recently changed; as we moved from FeedBurner to FeedBlitz.

So if you want to keep up with all out latest articles please make sure to subscribe to the new feed. You can do that like so:

– Click or tap on the RSS icon up at the top right of the right sidebar – in the block that shows the site's followers count.

– Or go to this page: http://feeds.feedblitz.com/ipadinsight

Using either method you then just have to choose which RSS app you want to add us to.

Thanks for following us.

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Deal of the Day: 37% off Incipio Premium KICKSTAND Case with Stylus for The New iPad

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 06:57 AM PDT

Deal of the DayToday Only: Buy the Incipio Premium KICKSTAND Case with Stylus for The New iPad and save $14.99!

The Incipio KICKSTAND features a convenient slide installation that utilizes three sturdy clips for secure storage. With three points of contact, your iPad will slide in the case without a struggle. Included with the case is an Incipio Inscribe Stylus. Use the omnidirectional tip to write, draw and navigate through your iPad experience while your device remains smudge and fingerprint free. Comes in nylon and vegan leather.

Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping!

List Price: $39.99     Today Only: $25.00

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Paper by fiftythree updated with expanded color options, Pogo connect support

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:43 AM PDT

Paper by fiftythree, the popular iPad sketching app, has recieved a major update with a focus on expanded color options. New features center mostly around colors, including a color mixer, and new palettes. Additionally, Paper has added support for the Pogo Connect Bluetooth stylus, tweaking Paper's Expressive Ink Engine to respond to pressure when using the Connect.

The new Mixer lets you play with different color shades while keeping Paper's natural, artistic feel. They're using natural blending technology to keep things smooth and logical. Add pigments as you would with real ink or paint, get results as you would with real ink or paint. Yes, yellow and blue makes green!

There's also a set of palettes which Paper says were hand-crafted by color experts. You can flip through them and when you find one you like, you can rest assured that all the colors on that palette will work beautifully, tastefully, together. Palettes are provided for presentations, drafting, portraits, and travel. (And you can create your own with the Mixer, of course.)

The update is free, and the Mixer is available as one of Paper's paid tools for a $1.99 in-app purchase.

Paper by fiftythree updated with expanded color options, Pogo connect support

Clear for iPhone getting updated, Clear for Mac coming soon

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:11 AM PDT

Clear for iPhone will soon be getting an update that will include iCloud sync... to it's forthcoming big brother app for the Mac. When Clear launched for the iPhone it immediately made an impact for its almost button-less design, bold aesthetic, and super-fast, ultra-focused usability (see my Clear for iPhone review. Now Realmac wants to bring that same level of form-meets-function to the desktop, and based on the video above, it looks like they've succeeded.

In addition to iCloud sync, Clear 1.2 for iPhone will also bring the ability to easily swipe between lists using edge gestures, and the ability to paste in multiple lines of text to speed up task entry.

Clear 1.0 for Mac will bring the same, innovative gesture interface to trackpad users, but also include full on keyboard shortcut support for type-centric users. You can literally just start typing to enter new items, and point down a list to add something without having to switch to a mouse or trackpad to click.

Clear has always been a phenomenally simple, beautiful task manager for iPhone, and now that it will have a desktop counterpart, it'll be even more functional for even more users.

You can grab Clear for iPhone now from the iOS App Store. Clear for iPhone 1.2 and Clear for Mac 1.0 land on November 8. Clear for iPhone is $1.99. Clear for Mac will run you $14.99.

Source: Realmac

MapQuest App Updated – Adds Traffic-based Routes & More

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 08:16 AM PDT

MapQuest app

The MapQuest iOS app has been updated today, to Version 3.2. One of the headline new features in this update is the addition of traffic-based routes – which help you route around heavy traffic, road closures and the like.

Here's the remainder of the change list for Version 3.2:

Added Stuff
• Added helpful tips in the route list, like "Federal Blvd is just past Grove St"
• Support for the iPhone 5′s four-inch display
Updated Stuff
• You can now pause navigation at any time from the updated navigation display
• Pick a fancy new icon for yourself by tapping on your current location icon
• Fixed a crash some users were experiencing when using traffic

This is actually an iPhone app that does not yet have a full iPad version, but I've used it quite a bit on family road trips and it has always worked very well. In fact it often served us much better than the Maps app did – even back before iOS 6 when the Maps app was still powered by Google Maps.

Here's an App Store link for MapQuest; it's a free app.

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Banned iPad mini promo

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 07:44 AM PDT

The banned Apple trailer guys are back, this time offering us some laughs at the expense of Apple's latest iOS device, the iPad mini.

How to use custom vibration alerts on your iPhone

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 05:58 AM PDT

How to set custom alert vibrations or disable them on your iPhone

iOS 6 now gives you even more flexibility when it comes to creating custom alerts on your iPhone. This includes the ability to set custom vibrations for ringtones, text tones, and more, and to enable and disable them on an app-by-app basis.

How to change the preset vibration pattern on iPhone

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap on Sounds.
  3. If you scroll down you'll see where you can set individual sounds and alerts for things like your ringtone, text tone, voicemail, and more. Tap on the item you'd like to change the vibration alert for.
  4. At the top, tap on the Vibration label.
  5. You've got quite a few choices of pre-made vibration alerts that you can choose from. Tap on them to see what they are. Once you've found the one you want, just select it so the checkmark appears next to it.
  6. That's it. Just repeat this process for any kind of alert you want to change the vibration pattern for.

How to create and set your own vibration patterns on iPhone

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap on Sounds.
  3. If you scroll down you'll see where you can set individual sounds and alerts for things like your ringtone, text tone, voicemail, and more. Tap on the item you'd like to change the vibration alert for.
  4. At the top, tap on the Vibration label.
  5. Scroll past the pre-made vibration alert patterns to where you see the label for Custom and tap on Create New Vibration.
  6. Tap anywhere in the screen to start creating your custom vibration pattern. Holding your finger down will create a longer vibration sequence where tapping on the screen will create short bursts of vibration.
  7. Once you're done, just tap the Stop button. You can then hit the Play button to play it back. If you're not happy with it, just repeat the process.
  8. When you are happy with it, just tap the Save button and you'll be prompted to give it a name.
  9. You'll now see your custom vibration appear under the Custom section. You can create as many as you want and use them for any kind of alert notification you'd like.

How to disable vibration alerts on a per app basis on iPhone

If you don't want to disable vibration alerts altogether but just want certain alerts to have the feature, you can now do so easily by disabling them one by one and leaving the vibration alerts on for the alerts you want them for.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap on Sounds.
  3. If you scroll down you'll see where you can set individual sounds and alerts for things like your ringtone, text tone, voicemail, and more. Tap on the item you'd like to change the vibration alert for.
  4. At the top, tap on the Vibration label.
  5. Scroll all the way to the bottom and tap on None.
  6. That's it. That specific alert will not go off with vibration attached to it. You can repeat this process for any app you don't want a vibration alert for.

November is MOvember at iMOre and MObile Nations!

Posted: 31 Oct 2012 05:25 AM PDT

If you're taking part in Movember this November, be sure to join our Mobile Nations Network at Movember.com! Full details below...

November is almost here which means one thing... soon you'll be seeing loads of self-confident men walking around in glorious moustaches. That's right, November is MOVEMBER and this year we're going to join together across our MO-bile Nations communities to grow out our facial hair and raise funds and awareness of men's health issues.

If you're not familiar with Movember, jump on over to Movember.com and learn about it. Once up to speed, make the decision to REGISTER as either a Mo Bro or Mo Sista (that's right, ladies can participate too, no moustache required). Don't overthink it it. Commit to it. Join in as your fellow members, writers and moderators of Android Central, CrackBerry, iMore, Windows Phone Central and webOS Nation put their smartphone differences aside to come together next month for Movember.

For those who make the brilliant decision to participate in Movember, be sure to join the Mobile Nations Network we've setup on the Movember website. You can join the network as an individual or as part of another Movember team. Through the Network page we'll be able to track everybody who's participating and see how much we can raise together as a community. Come the end of Movember, we'll be awarding lots of prizes to those who participate. Best Moustache. Most Money Raised. Best Moustache Photo. You name it. Expect lots of awesome prizes and recgonition for those who join in.

November 1st is just around the corner. The good news is it doesn't take much effort to prepare for Movember. All you need to do is shave your face clean when you go to bed tomorrow night after eating your Halloween treats. If you're still on the fence, hit up the links below for more information. And if you're ready to join us on our Movember challenge -- YOU ROCK -- and should keep reading for more important details.

Join in on Movember at Mobile Nations!

Step 1: Register at Movember.com and Join our Mobile Nations Movember Network

Watch the video above for a step by step walk through of what to do. The easiest way to participate is to register as an individual member. Once registered, you can join the Mobile Nations Network. To do that, you need to login to Movember.com, then click the "Networks" link on the left side of the page. Once there, search for "Mobile Nations". When the results pop up, there will be a button allowing you to join the network.

The reason we went for creating a Mobile Nations Network (vs. the option to do a Movember Team) is that it allows for global participation. Teams only work within a region. What this means is that the money you raise personally will go back to your own country, but together we can still act as a group and see how much we raise together. That said, if you want to create your own team, or already are part of a Movember team, you can still join our Mobile Nations Network.

Step 2: Start November with a clean shave.

Yep. Though we'll end the month with glorious moustaches, we need to start the month with no whiskers. Shave and take photos. And videos. If you're reading this we know you own a capable smartphone. You'll want to put it to use all this month.

Step 3: Grow a Moustache, Raise Money on your My Mo Space Page

Don't shave. That's easy. The next part is raising funds. Luckily, the Movember.com website makes this super easy. When you create your Movember account, a My Mo Space Page will be created for you. You can even customize the url of this page. Once you have it, send it out to your friends, co workers, family, twitter followers, etc and encourage them to help you on your mission.

On your public Mo Space page there is a button to "DONATE TO ME". All people need to do is click the link, follow the instructions, and they're good to go.

Step 4: Take Lots of Photos and Videos and Enjoy the POWER of growing out your Moustache

Be sure to put your smartphone to use and take lots of photos and videos all month long. It's easy to post updates including images and video to your My Mo Space page. We'll be monitoring all of the pages of Mobile Nations Network members throughout the month. Awesome photos and videos will get posted up on our sites, help making your moustache famous and helping you raise more money as we link back to your page. You can always email us photos and info about your cause and campaign to movember@mobilenations.com too.

Step 5: All good things must come to an end....

Once Movember is over it's time to shave... although, if you've come to love your moustache you may not want to part with it. As we said above, throughout the month we'll keep in touch with all those participating. We have lots of fun and prizes in store for those who participate in Movember at Mobile Nations!

That's it. Time to get registered Mo' the force be-whisker you!
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