iPad By Davis: “Opera is working on ‘Ice’, a new mobile browser for iPhone, iPad and Android” plus 11 more |
- Opera is working on ‘Ice’, a new mobile browser for iPhone, iPad and Android
- Forums: Removing older devices from iTunes, iMessage only working one way
- Why Apple paying twice for Lala and Color engineers was a stroke of genius
- Are flat interfaces a trend towards digital authenticity, or a reality of competing platforms?
- Apple reportedly halting iPad retina displays production at Sharp
- How to manage alerts for individual Calendar events on your iPhone and iPad
- Vincible
- WeatherCube: Minimalist, Gestural iPad Weather App
- Best calendar app for iPhone
- Dolphin Browser for iPad Updated – The Best Just Got Even Better
- Price Drops: PhotoToaster on Sale at 50% Off Today
- Deal of the Day: 52% off BodyGuardz UltraTough Clear Full Body for iPhone 5
| Opera is working on ‘Ice’, a new mobile browser for iPhone, iPad and Android Posted: 19 Jan 2013 01:24 AM PST
The new offering from Opera will not replace its existing Opera mini mobile browser. The company sees that as still having an important role to fill in bringing new customers to its browser platform and then hopefully moving up to the new "Ice" system. The browser does look like a good option however for any alternative browser to be a permanent replacement for mobile Safari it needs to be able to be set as the default browser. Until Apple gives us that option it is always going to be hard to use it full time. Take a look at the Opera "Ice" browser in action in the video below and let us know what you think! It should be formally announced at Mobile World Congress in February. Source: Pocket-lint 
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| Forums: Removing older devices from iTunes, iMessage only working one way Posted: 18 Jan 2013 08:27 PM PST Have a burning question about that feature you just can't figure out? Need help with setting things up? The iMore forums is the place to be for all things iOS. You can head over there and join in the conversation, search for answers, or lend your expertise to other members of our community. Check out some of the threads below: If you're not already a member of the iMore Forums, register now! 
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| Why Apple paying twice for Lala and Color engineers was a stroke of genius Posted: 18 Jan 2013 06:37 PM PST Apple bought Lala for $80 million down and $80 in retention bonuses, and then, after founder Bill Nguyen and many of the engineers left anyway to found Color, Apple bought them again for around 7 million. Aubrey Johnson tells the story:
Even more fascinating is the reason Apple bought Lala to begin with, and the way Steve Jobs handled the negotiations. Go. Read. Source: Aubrey Johnson 
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| Are flat interfaces a trend towards digital authenticity, or a reality of competing platforms? Posted: 18 Jan 2013 06:06 PM PST A lot has been said recently about "skeuomorphism" -- both real skeuomorphism and the design-heavy skins for which it's often confused. There's even been a trend, real and perceived, towards flatter, squarer, more "digitally" authentic operating systems, themes, and apps, often credited to Microsoft's Windows Phone or Google's more recent Android design aesthetic. But is it a backlash against gradients and curves and shadows, or is it something else? Marc Edwards of Bjango argues it might just be something else -- the realities faced by competing hardware.
It's not about skeuomorphism or digital authenticity. It's about usability, and performance is part of that equation. No more spoilers -- go read his conclusion. Source: Bjango 
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| Apple reportedly halting iPad retina displays production at Sharp Posted: 18 Jan 2013 04:38 PM PST Last weekend it was iPhone 5 displays, now it's iPad 4 displays, and just as before, we have a sensational headline attributed to a couple of anonymous sources, with only the most superficial context and analysis provided far, far below in the body. This time, according to Reuters, production of iPad 4 displays at Sharp is being kept at levels only sufficient to keep the line running. However:
So, even if Sharp production is being halted, Samsung and LG still sound like they're full steam ahead. If panel production in general is merely being re-prioritized towards a higher mix of iPad mini and lower mix of iPad 4, or if quantities made by one company or during one period were sufficient to cover what would have been handled by Sharp during this period, or if any other factor is at play, isn't really investigated. When a spokesperson from Sharp was asking about the drastic change in retina display production, they declined to comment stating that they don't make statements about their supply chain or production levels. Again, production rumors, both correct and incorrect have plagued Apple for years. Now, however, in a more competitive, more skittish market, they're garnering more attention, and carrying more weight, than ever before. Apple announces their traditionally big Q1 numbers at the end of January. Expect the rumors to get crazier before then. Source: Reuters 
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| How to manage alerts for individual Calendar events on your iPhone and iPad Posted: 18 Jan 2013 01:52 PM PST The Calendar app on your iPhone and iPad are great tools for reminding you when you have events and appointments coming up. Not only does it help you stay organized and on track, the Calendar app can also double as somewhat of a personal assistant. Part of that job is to alert you when you have events coming up. We've already taken a look at how to set and change default alerts but what if a particular appointment or event should have a different alert time? Perhaps even repeating? It just so happens your iPhone and iPad can handle both scenarios. Follow along and we'll show you how.
How to change the alert time for an event on your iPhone and iPad
How to set a repeating alert for an event on your iPhone and iPad
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| Posted: 18 Jan 2013 12:32 PM PST There were stories today that Apple slashed Retina iPad screen orders from Sharp. There was little context or analysis, and little attempt to tell the reader what it may and may not mean, simply citing one or two anonymous sources. It follows a similar story from the Wall Street Journal last week about iPhone 5 screen orders being cut, suffering from similarly poor context and analysis, citing similar sources. There hasn't been a single Apple keynote yet this year. Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Craig Federghi, Eddy Cue and Jony Ive haven't taken a single step onto a single stage, or shown off one atom of new hardware or one bit of new software or services. Yet Apple has taken a huge hit on the market and in mind share, areas that, until very recently, they dominated. If you wanted to plan an assault on Apple, you couldn't do a much better job. You take a company at the height of their powers and value, manufacturing the largest amount of the best hardware ever released, and you write articles calling it boring and claiming it lacks innovation. You make them the headline in a series of articles in a major newspaper, casting them as the big bad in everything from Chinese factories to local retail outlets. You use them to jumpstart your own manufacturing processes, you clone their product lines, and then you run adds making fun of the people who buy their products, painting them as brainwashed and bamboozled, as hopelessly uncool and cluelessly unhip. You dump product at cost or just above it, commoditizing and undermining the hardware that makes them money. You frighten their shareholders with rumors of low demand, and spread false expectation that new products and new products alone, endless, impossible streams of them, are the only way to ensure the company's very survival. You attack their brand perception and market valuation at every level, and in ways very difficult for a highly focused, highly secretive public company to respond. Yet, whether you believe it's by coordinated intention, consequential destiny, or simply a confluence of events, none of this is new. Traders talked about attacking the stock as far back as the iPhone's Macworld launch. BlackBerry, Microsoft, and Palm all tried attacking the iPhone's usability and feature sets. And dumb click-bait articles were dished out and devoured long before Apple even shipped their products. But Apple was the underdog then, the rebel, the disruptor, the shiny new thing, and none of it mattered very much. No longer. Now they're the establishment, the mainstream, the status quo, the iteration, and cliched as it sounds, there's only one way left to go. Daring Fireball's John Gruber has pointed out several times that this is something that has plagued Apple from the beginning. It's a cycle based on much older perceptions. That Apple is inherently flawed, and any success it has is a fluke. That Apple has bright, brief moments of Apple II and Mac and iPod, built up each time only to come tumbling back down again. Now it's the iPhone and iPads turn. Yes, Apple has new leadership. It's Tim Cook now, and not Steve Jobs at the helm. Yes, Google and Samsung, once close partners, are now fierce competition. Yes, Apple has new competition, competition that use to be close partners. It's the services expertise of Google and manufacturing muscle of Samsung, and no longer the software of Microsoft or the devices of BlackBerry and Nokia. Yes, when BlackBerry 10 launches in a few weeks, iOS will be the oldest major operating system in mobile, and not the newest. And yes, Apple's stock, once absurdly low, currently getting kicked in the gut, has made them among the most highly valued -- and targeted -- in the world. But it's impossible to point to anything delivered by Apple in the 2012 and say it's substantively different than what was delivered by them two years ago or four years ago when they were riding high in minds and markets, or different on average than what's being delivered by their competition today. It's perception. It's psychology. It's how the unbeatable fighter, once scratched, is suddenly seen as beatable. It's how the only cool product option, once questioned, is suddenly just one among many options. This, as much as software and services is the challenge Apple faces this year -- that the invincible and infallible titan that could do no wrong, has now lost that luster, and has become quite vincible. That where once bullets bounced off their chest, and they leapt whole markets in a single bound, now their enemies have found their kryptonite. It's why we're being inundated with blogger ennui and pundit apathy. It's why we're being subjected to endless opinion pieces saying Apple needs a TV, or a watch, or an espresso maker, and bigger, cheaper, more colorful versions of all of it, and faster. But here's the thing -- Apple has been here before. They've been to the very bottom, and they came back. Apple knows they're beatable -- that everyone is beatable -- and they know how to fight their way back. It's part of them now. It's why they make less expensive products rather than cheap ones, and why, up-cycle or down-, they'll stay profitable and stay in the fight. They'll keep making the best products they can, which may cost them in trends but keep them in business. That experience, that understanding, is what makes Apple so interesting to watch not only month to month, but year to year and cycle to cycle. Crazy stories will continue. Competition will increase. Click-bait will thrive. Pressure will only increase. And Apple will have to address it, on stage, on shelves, and online. And it's what's going to make 2013 so interesting. 
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| WeatherCube: Minimalist, Gestural iPad Weather App Posted: 18 Jan 2013 11:21 AM PST WeatherCube is a minimalist, gesture-driven iPad weather app. It's got a just about invisible interface that's all about simple taps and gestures to navigate through your weather information. I think it's probably one of those apps you'll either love or hate. If you like minimal UI style apps like Clear for task management, then you'll [...]         Related Stories
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| Posted: 18 Jan 2013 10:50 AM PST While the default Calendar app for iPhone can get the job done, the interface leaves a lot to be desired. At the end of the day, a calendar app should be powerful, but still allow you to enter and find appointments as quickly and easily as possible. It's a balancing act. But which one is the best balance? We've taken a look at a lot of the most popular alternative calendar apps for iPhone including, Week Cal, Calvetica, and many more. After testing all of them out, we believe Fantastical by Flexibits is the best choice for most iPhone users. Here's why... User interface and designThe first thing you notice when launching Fantastical for iPhone is the interface. If you're used to the default Calendar app for iPhone, you'll notice it's very different. In this instance, that isn't a bad thing. The color schemes of Fantastical just work and they aren't overdone. The subtle change from grays to blacks and from bright colors to pastels is honestly breathtaking. It's a nice change from the grayscale layout of the default calendar app but you can tell some design cues were taken from it, such as the colored dots representing events on different calendars. The way you interact with Fantastical for iPhone is mainly gesture driven. By default the top of the main menu consists of a timeline of days while the bottom of the screen is occupied by a list of events that are coming up. As you flick and scroll through events in the bottom portion of Fantastical, the top portion automagically scrolls with it so you always know what day you're looking at. This is where Fantastical greatly differs from the default Calendar app for iPhone. Alternatively, you can also scroll through the top portion to a certain day and Fantastical will auto scroll the bottom portion of the event view to match the day. Whichever you prefer, the app will respond accordingly. Fantastical offers two main calendar layout views which are day and month. By default you'll see the day view which is the layout in which you can scroll through vertically and horizontally and each section will change to match. The other view Fantastical offers is month view. To switch between views just swipe down with your finger from the top of the menu bar. This will toggle between the two views. Whenever you want to switch back to day or month view, just repeat the same action. The month view within Fantastical will circle today's date so you know where you're at. Tapping on any one day will change the bottom portion of the screen to show the event menu for that day. To tap into an event, you can obviously just tap on its name. From there you can edit or view more details. In comparison to other apps like Week Cal, Pocket Informant, and Calvetica, Fantastical is better looking and easier to navigate. When looking through other third party calendar apps, the interfaces got cluttered very quickly. Icons were floating around in random places that just didn't feel right or solid colored bars indicating dates and events became overwhelming. Fantastical aims to solve the interface issue by improving upon the default Calendar app. It adds a few features that the default iPhone Calendar doesn't have but not too many to where it becomes cluttered and unusable. This is where Fantastical walks that line between form and function better than the rest. Creating calendar entriesTo create a calendar entry within Fantastical, tap the plus sign in the upper right hand corner of the main calendar view. Here you'll be taken to the add event feature. This is really where Fantastical shines. It understands regular text, meaning you don't have to enter individual fields. For example, you can simply enter Meeting with Rene on Friday at noon and Fantastical will take care of the rest. If you have a device that is Siri enabled, event creation becomes painless and effortless. You can easily dictate anything into Fantastical. Once you're done, you'll see an overview of your entry. Even if you don't have Siri, or prefer not to use it, as you start typing, Fantastical will automatically start filling out the fields and showing you a preview. The preview section makes it very easy to see if what you're trying to schedule conflicts with something else. If you'd like to be able to fill out details yourself, or view them to make sure Fantastical entered them correctly, you can do so by tapping on the Show Details button underneath the new event entry field. If you currently use the default Calendar app, you'll feel right at home since the calendar entry form is pretty much the same item for item and line for line. Fantastical will also integrate with anything that the default Calendar app does such as iCloud, Exchange, and more. If you'd like to invite someone to an event, you can do that straight from Fantastical as well. The one thing I've found about Fantastical that the default Calendar app doesn't let you do is create meetings and entries at off-times. While the default Calendar and Fantastical both give you increments of 5 minutes, if you dictate or put a different time in the event summary in Fantastical, it will accept it. So if for some reason, you have a meeting or appointment that starts at 9:58am, you can add it in. Obviously, this doesn't happen very often for most people, but it's a little extra I noticed when entering events in. Apps such as Week Cal and Calvetica may have more powerful calendar entry forms but they quickly become cluttered, unorganized, and daunting to use. This is where Fantastical really excels. At first I was somewhat disappointed with the lack of extra options Fantastical offers from the default Calendar app but over time I came to realize that it was probably the right decision. It may not have as many options as other calendar alternatives for iPhone but for most users, it does what they need elegantly and without effort. And for most, that's what matters. Alerts & settingsFantastical for iPhone features the same alert schemes as the default Calendar app. It will actually feed off the default Calendar app which means any alerts you've already got set up, Fantastical will abide by since it feeds everything you input into the default Calendar app. There's only been one issue I've found with this strategy. If you slide to view an event, it obviously opens the default Calendar app instead of Fantastical. It's somewhat of a double edges sword. There's nothing to do in order to configure alerts since Fantastical abides by your default ones, but you'll be forced to view the default Calendar app from time to time. While some other alternative calendar apps may have their own notification systems, we didn't feel it was an issue to the extent that it makes Fantastical any less useable. While it would be nice to see them integrate their own native notification system so you can ditch the default Calendar app altogether, it's more than bearable for the time being. Syncing and cross-platform supportFantastical currently has an iPhone version that is compatible with both iPhone and iPod touch. Unfortunately there isn't yet an iPad version, although you can run the iPhone interface letterboxed or at 2x on the iPad. It's not ideal, but it works. If you're a Mac user, there is a Mac version of Fantastical already available. This was actually Flexibits' original product with the iPhone version coming later. It's been my default calendar on my Mac for some time and I was ecstatic when an iPhone version was finally released. Fantastical for Mac combines notifications and calendar events in one app which means I no longer have to check two apps when working on my computer. I can simply access Fantastical from anywhere right in my system tray. The Mac version is available in both the Mac App Store and online via Flexibits' website. We'd recommend picking it up from the Mac App Store though since you'll be notified easier of updates than purchasing it outside of the Mac App Store. As far as syncing is concerned, Fantastical already uses the existing Calendar app as a bypass for sync which means any device you have your calendar events enabled on for iCloud, Exchange, or another service will automatically be updated. So if you have an iPad, even though you don't have a Fantastical counterpart, anything you enter in the app from an iPhone or Mac will still be synced with the default Calendar app on your iPad, creating an entirely synced ecosystem. While some of the other alternative apps we looked at had either their own syncing services or tied in similarly, they just didn't seem to be able to pull it off as elegantly and fluidly as Flexibits has with their Fantastical arsenal of apps. We only wish they'd release an iPad version soon. PricingThe iPhone version of Fantastical will currently cost you $3.99 at regular price. This is higher than apps such as Week Cal that come in at $2 or Calvetica at $3 but for only a few dollars more, we just feel most users will appreciate the much more refined experience. Alternative calendar and productivity apps such as Pocket Informant run around $10 and while they may have more functionality, unless you need all they offer, Fantastical will be a better deal all around. If you'd like to complete the collection by adding the Mac OS X version of Fantastical, it'll run you an additional $19.99 at regular price. This may seem high for some users and if you think it is, you don't have to pick it up. All your events feed into the regular calendar which means, just like your iPad, iCal on your Mac will always be in sync regardless which calendar program you decide to use on your desktop. Fantastical sits right in the middle when it comes to pricing points for iPhone and Mac calendar apps. It's also one of the best available in our opinion and if you're on the fence about what to buy, just remember that more expensive doesn't always mean best experience. The bottom lineEverything from the way Fantastical presents calendars and uses gestures to change views to the super simple and fast event entry makes it better than the default iPhone Calendar. Alternative calendar apps such as Week Cal, Calvetica, and Pocket Informant may offer additional features that Fantastical doesn't, but they compromise ease of use and interface to get there. Fantastical may not be the most robust and feature rich alternative calendar app for iPhone but it does what most people need it to do much more elegantly than all the others. If the default Calendar app suits your event creation needs but you desire more of a robust interface and more ways to interact with your calendar events, Fantastical can't be beat.
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| Dolphin Browser for iPad Updated – The Best Just Got Even Better Posted: 18 Jan 2013 08:55 AM PST Dolphin Browser for iPad has had another major update this week, to Version 6.0. This update includes a design refresh for the app and some superb new sharing features. My two favorite new features are these: – Save to Evernote – with just a couple taps. So useful for those of us who use Evernote [...] Related Stories
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| Price Drops: PhotoToaster on Sale at 50% Off Today Posted: 18 Jan 2013 08:06 AM PST PhotoToaster, the superb photo editing and effects app for iPad and iPhone, is on sale today at 50% off. It's available for just 99 cents, down from its standard $1.99 price. Here are some of its most notable features: - 60 one click effects that can instantly improve or completely alter a photo (Clarify, Cross [...] Related Stories
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| Deal of the Day: 52% off BodyGuardz UltraTough Clear Full Body for iPhone 5 Posted: 18 Jan 2013 07:29 AM PST | ||||||
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