Category: Apple

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iTunes 9.0.1, a closer look

 itunes9_main

iTunes is one of those apps that’s usually open on my computer throughout the day. I’m either using it to update the contents of my iPhone or simply playing music in the background. I really like the new features of version 9 and I am a fan of the app in general, however there are a couple of things in iTunes 9 that make me cheer and sigh at the same time:

 

Genius Mixes

geniusmixes

Genius Mixes is a new feature that compliments the previous feature of Genius Playlists. This feature however is completely 100% automated. So much so that you can’t even see which songs are included in the Genius Mixes, which are automatically generated.  I can live with not seeing the contents as for the most part the mixes are pretty good and play songs that I like, but haven’t listened to in a while. However, every now and then a song will start playing and I’m like "how the heck did that get in there?" For example, in one of my Jazz mixes, a Christmas song started playing. Of course I can just skip right by it, but it begs the question: "why can’t I simply choose songs in my library to NEVER be included in a Genius Mix? I know, I know, if I want more control that’s what Genius Playlists are for. I hear ya! However, for some reason I just really like the automation of the Genius Mixes more, I just wish that Apple would give SOME controls over it. 

Continue reading “iTunes 9.0.1, a closer look”

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iPhone App of the Week – Taxi Magic

taximagiclogo

I’ve spent the better part of this week doing a 3 part series on some of my favorite travel tips and accessories (see Part 1, 2 and 3). So I thought I would wrap things up this week with one of my new favorite Apps: Taxi Magic.

 

True Story

I was in a meeting in San Jose and during one of the breaks I checked my Genius App Recommendations and one of them was Taxi Magic. So out of curiosity I decided to take a look. First off, this app was getting hammered in the reviews. However, I didn’t let that stop me since the app was free and also one of the biggest complaints was the $1.50 charge if you pay for your Taxi with your credit card. I wasn’t too worried about that, so I downloaded the app.

At the end of the day I needed to go from the office in San Jose to the San Jose airport and I was going to go by Taxi. So I decided that this would be as good of a test as I could give it. I didn’t have much time and quite frankly if the app didn’t work, I may have been late/missed my flight. Risky, I know. 

 

taximagic

 

Continue reading “iPhone App of the Week – Taxi Magic”

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iPhone App of the Week – Facebook 3.0.2

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Although I’m a frequent user of Facebook, I was never a fan of their iPhone app. I don’t know how else to say it, but the previous version sucked. There, I got that out! The app worked, but it was very limited. It didn’t support many of the new features of Facebook and in most cases I ended up just doing things either on my computer in Safari or using the mobile version of Facebook in Safari on my iPhone.

 

3.0 changes all of that

The highly anticipated 3.0 release is finally here. There were pictures of the new interface and teasers for months, but a couple of weeks ago while checking the App Store for updates, it was there! I couldn’t click the update button fast enough. 

FBhomescreen

The Newly designed Facebook home screen has nice easy to read/identify icons navigate your way around. 

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iPhone OS 3.1 Update – A Deep Dive

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Although iTunes and the iPod updates took center stage at Apple’s Rock and Roll event, the iPhone update 3.1 offers a little more bang that I originally thought. 

Here’s what 3.1 brings to the table (my favorites in bold):

  • Genius Recommendations for Applications (more on this below)
  • iTunes 9 support:
    • Genius Mixes
    • Organize your Apps directly in iTunes – Much Needed!
    • Improved syncing options for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and photos
    • iTunes U organization
  • Redeem iTunes Gift Cards, codes, certificates in the App Store
  • Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store
  • Browse and Download ringtones wirelessly from the iTunes store (more on this below)
  • Save video from Mail and MMS into the Camera Roll
  • Option to "Save as new clip" when trimming a video on the iPhone 3GS (the non-destructive editing that we heard about)
  • Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on
  • Remotely lock iPhone with a Passcode via MobileMe
  • Use Voice Control on iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets (a BIGGIE!)
  • Paste phone numbers into the Keypad
  • Option to use the Home button to turn on Accessibility features on the 3GS
  • Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phising)
  • Improved Exchange calendar syncing and invitation handling
  • Fixed issues that caused some app icons to display incorrectly

  Continue reading “iPhone OS 3.1 Update – A Deep Dive”

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Navigon Updates Their iPhone App With TTS

 NavigonUpdate

One of the things that I had originally dinged Navigon for in their GPS turn-by-turn navigation app was the lack of Text-to-Speech (TTS). This is the feature that tells you the name of the street you’re about to turn on. ie. "Turn right on Maple Street". Well to keep the pressure on TomTom and others, Navigon just released their update as promised. They also added an Automatic Day/Night adjustment for adjusting the display for the time of day. 

Now let’s have Traffic Support and we’ll be really good to go!

 

NavigonCarKit

Navigon also recently announced that they were developing their own "car kit." Although the TomTom car kit seems that it will do more and offer the much needed GPS signal boost. Not to mention that the TomTom one will work with other apps besides TomTom (like the Navigon app). Both car kits are slated to ship in October. In the meantime I’m using this iPhone Vent Mount.

The Navigon app is now $89.99 and available here from the App Store.

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iPhone OS 3.1, iTunes 9, New iPods Today

As expected, Apple rolled out several updates and new iPods today. So here’s a quick recap:

 

iPhone OS 3.1

iphone3.1

The iPhone OS 3.1 update was rumored to be in the works shortly after 3.0 was released. This new version adds Genius App Store recommendations. I’ll be interested to try this feature. The idea is that now that there are over 75,000 apps available on the App Store that you can’t possibly find them all or see them all. So like Genius playlists, this feature will recommend Apps to you. Should be fun. 

Free update, available today via iTunes

  Continue reading “iPhone OS 3.1, iTunes 9, New iPods Today”

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New iPods today!

iPodEvent9909

Today is Apple’s annual iPod event

 

It’s highly likely that we’ll see a complete new line of iPods introduced today and possibly a new version of iTunes too. An Apple TV update would be sweet too.

 

I don’t like to deal in rumors, but here is the running list of rumors about what’s on tap for today:

  • New iPod nano with camera
  • New iPod touch (16GB, 32GB & 64GB) with camera, microphone and maybe video recording
  • New iTunes 9 with social networking features
  • Either a New iPod Classic with a camera/wi-fi or the iPod classic will be discontinued completely
  • New shuffle??? Maybe?
  • Beatles catalog coming to iTunes
  • Beatles Special Edition iPod that includes the entire collection
  • iPhone OS 3.1 Update (non-destructive video editing, 3GS voice control over bluetooth, bug fixes)
  • New Apple TV update (the 40GB model seems to be out of stock at the Apple Store online)

I’ll give you my run down of the event and my thoughts after the introductions are made. Check back here later today.

 

 

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What do you want in iPhone OS 4.0?

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Disclaimer – I know that for many of you the first "feature" you would like to see is the iPhone on another carrier besides AT&T. In all honesty that day probably isn’t too far away. The Apple AT&T Exclusive Contract ends in the 2010-2011 timeframe and I’d bet money that we’ll see a 4G Verizon iPhone. So my focus here is not going to be on carrier support.

 

While iPhone OS 3.0 certainly brought a lot to the table and went a long way towards bringing some long awaited features and capabilities to the iPhone. The over 60,000 available 3rd party apps have also filled in many gaps. Although the 3.0 update makes a great phone even better, the iPhone is not perfect and there is still room for improvement. Also yes I know that there are apps and workarounds for some of the items I’m listing below, but I feel that these features should be BUILT-IN!

 

So I thought I would start a NEW list of the features and enhancements that I would like to see come in the next major update. 

 

Flash support

This is now my number one feature request. Safari on the iPhone was definitely a breakthrough in web browsing on a smart phone. However, without an Adobe Flash plug-in there are still way too many sites that are inaccessible on the iPhone. Why doesn’t Adobe just do it? The problem is that although 3rd party apps can be written, Safari on the iPhone doesn’t have support of plug-ins. So the ONLY way that the iPhone can get Flash support is with Apple’s help. There, I said it.

 

Now in no particular order, the rest of my list….

 

Mail Needs an Overhaul

Unified Inbox

In both Calendar and Contacts, I can either look at a single calendar or a single group of contacts. However, in Mail I can still only look at one inbox at a time. While I can live with that, the back back back method of switching between different email accounts is a pain. If we can’t have a unitifed inbox (like there is in the desktop version of Mail) we should at least have popup menu to easily switch between accounts.

Spam Filter

It would be great to either have a built-in Spam filter or at least allow 3rd parties to create one. My favorite one on Mac OS X is SpamSieve. I’d love to see it as an iPhone app.

Mail to a Group

I have groups of contacts, yet I have no easy way to email to a group other than having to key the names in each time.

Multiple Signatures

It would be great to have multiple email signatures or at least one per account. I do both work and personal email on my iPhone. As it stands now I have to have one generic one.

Mail Rules

All of your mail comes into the Inbox whether you want it to or not. In the desktop version of Mail or Outlook you can set up Rules to automatically file messages, respond to them, mark them as read, etc. I’d like to see Mail Rules in Mail on the iPhone too.

  Continue reading “What do you want in iPhone OS 4.0?”

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iPhone App of the Week – DSLR Camera Remote Professional Edition

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As a portrait photographer I’m very used to shooting in a controlled environment like my studio. I’m also used to shooting tethered into my laptop. So when onOne announced that their DSLR Camera Remote Professional Edition app for the iPhone was now compatible with Nikon DSLR’s, I was intrigued and wanted to try it out.

 

Before we go any further

Before I get into this app let me first tell you what it does AND what’s required to use it. First off you’ll need a compatible Canon or Nikon DSLR camera. Here’s the list of the ones that this app works with. Next you’re going to need to plug that camera into your Mac or PC using a USB cable and you’re going to need to run the onOne DSLR Camera Remote Server app (free download here.) Lastly you’re going to need a Wi-Fi connection between your iPhone/iPod touch and your laptop so that the app can control your tethered camera.

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