Archive for the 'Apple' Category

Adobe building Flash Player for iPhone

Published on March 19, 2008 in Adobe, Apple, Flash and iPhone. 5 Comments

Finally, some concrete news on the Flash Player for iPhone front: according to the Wall Street Journal, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen announced in a conference call to investors that Adobe has begun work on a Flash Player that is suitable for the Apple iPhone.

It looks like Adobe is building the "product in the middle" that Steve Jobs is looking for. Let's hope Apple cooperates by adding the Flash Player to Safari on the iPhone.

This is a good move by Adobe. At the very least, they'll be able to say, "look, here's the Flash Player for iPhone, now it's up to Apple whether they include it in Safari or not." If Apple doesn't then it will end up looking bad as it willfully contradicts its own promise to deliver a non-watered down version of the Internet on the iPhone.

Via: ericd via AppleInsider via WSJ.

Microsoft licenses Flash Lite for mobile phones (yay or yawn?)

Published on March 17, 2008 in Apple, Microsoft, Mobile and iPhone. 6 Comments

As a Flash developer, I'm happy whenever anyone licenses anything Flash for any purpose whatsoever. It strengthens a platform that I love developing for. However, the news that Microsoft has licensed Flash Lite for its Windows Mobile phones doesn't excite me too greatly.

Flash Lite definitely has its place on mobile phones but that place is not to play back web-based Flash content. Flash Lite plays back Flash Lite content specifically created for phones and other devices like the Chumby. The best uses of it that I've seen are to build interface elements and other apps that integrate into the phone's operating system. Flash Lite cuts down development and testing time (and thus costs and time-to-market) considerably for such use cases.

What would excite me far more would have been an announcement that a mobile phone supported the full version of the Flash Player. There are, of course, optimization issues to consider. Steve Jobs mentioned that the iPhone cannot run the full version of the latest Flash Player. He also spoke about how Flash Lite is too light. As I mentioned previously, he's spot on.

What we need is a Flash Player for mobile phones that can play back existing Flash content on the web.

Phone and mobile device processors are increasing in speed to the point where I can run Flex sites on my Nokia N800 which supports the full Flash 9 Player.

Next step: Flash 9 (10?) on a phone?

I don't see Flash Lite going away as it has important uses in creating UIs for phone OSes and native apps but don't confuse the presence of Flash Lite on a phone with Flash support. I understand Flash support as the ability to play back existing Flash content on the web. As far as I know, no phone currently does this.

The iPhone created the expectation that mobile devices should be able to faithfully display the web. That's an expectation that Apple can only half meet at the moment (and they're the closest ones to meeting it at all.) As such, a mobile Flash Player that rendered existing content would be a game changer. I can only wonder if Apple is working on such a third option.

I also wonder if this is the goal that Microsoft is aiming for with mobile Silverlight? If mobile Silverlight can render existing web Silverlight content then it will have a technical leg up on Flash in the mobile arena. On the flip side, there isn't really that much Silverlight content on the web today to start with (this is a situation that I know Microsoft is pushing very hard to change).

To conclude, I applaud Microsoft's adoption of Flash Lite in its Windows Mobile phones and look forward to seeing how they implement and use it. I'm not as excited about this development, however, as I would have been by the announcement of web Flash content support by a mobile device. That would truly be an exciting turning point for mobile Flash.

Easier iPhone 1.1.3 software jailbreak

Published on January 27, 2008 in Apple and Mobile. 5 Comments

I ran into Pete, Josh, and Andy at The Office earlier today and found out that a software jailbreak/upgrade for iPhone firmware 1.1.3 has been released. I was on the modmyifone site yesterday, finally upgrading my 1.0.2 iPhone to 1.1.2 and hadn't seen anything so I went back there for a look.

It looks like two different solutions were released several days ago but those had issues (the location feature in Google Maps not working, etc.)

This morning, cash7c3f, who owns modmyifone, posted that they have a new software jailbreak method for 1.1.3 that you can run from Installer.app.

And, if your phone was unlocked at 1.1.2, it should retain its unlock after the upgrade. (My phone retained its unlock from 1.0.2 to 1.1.1 and 1.1.1 to 1.1.2).

To get it, you have to add the modmyifone repository to your Sources in Installer.app.

Once you've done that, you can see it under the System category.

I'm going to keep and eye on this but probably won't install it until I see some feedback on whether it breaks anything.

I'm really happy with 1.1.2 because I finally have caller ID again for UK numbers and that was my biggest complaint. (If you had numbers in your phone book in international format +44 0779 etc. under 1.0.2, caller ID would not work when people called you from the UK; the numbers would show up as 0779 etc.)

Update: More info on the 1.1.3 official jailbreak from ModiPhone. They also report "a contacts-related issue" with the method that should give you further pause before trying it out.

14 great Mac apps for $49 - only one day left on Mac Heist! (And me want NoteBook… yum!) :)

Published on January 23, 2008 in Apple, Mac and OS X. 2 Comments

Macheist

VectorDesigner, Snapz Pro X, Pixelmator, CSSEdit, AppZapper, Speed Download, 1password, CoverSutra, Cha-Ching, iStopMotion, Awaken, Tiki Magic Mini Golf, Wingnuts 2, and TaskPaper are the 14 applications you get for $49 in this year's Mac Heist. And there's just over 1 day left to take advantage of it.

I just put in my order (through your link, Relly, so I hope you get NoteBook!)

I already have a couple of the apps but you can assign the ones you have to someone else at checkout -- in this case, Stephanie's going to have a nice surprise when she wakes up tomorrow! :)

And, if you buy the bundle using the links on my post, I might just get a cool app called NoteBook also (and LaunchBar, but I'm way too much a QuickSilver addict!)

Check out Mac Heist.

Update: Thanks, guys and gals! Enough of you bought it through the night that NoteBook was unlocked for me when I woke up this morning... can't wait to play with it. :)

iPhone 1.1.3 firmware jailbroken, to be released next month

Published on January 19, 2008 in Apple. 14 Comments

I just read on Digg that the 1.1.3 firmware for the iPhone has been jailbroken. The team that did it, however, is not releasing it until Apple's iPhone SDK is out so that Apple doesn't patch it.

This means you have to wait until sometime in February before you can run 1.1.3 on a hacked iPhone.

Update: Marcus clarified in the comments that the firmware has been jailbroken and that this is not an unlock. So you can run homebrew apps on it but you won't be able to make phone calls, etc., with the 1.1.3 firmware until the phone is unlocked. (Thanks, Marcus!)

The video here shows the 1.1.3 firmware in use on a jailbroken iPhone.

I'm still on the initial firmware on my hacked iPhone. It was just too much trouble to upgrade/rehack/risk bricking the phone/etc. I will probably upgrade to this when it's released, though, since the first version of the firmware really does suck big time.

Apple MacBook Air: Are you getting one?

Published on January 15, 2008 in Apple. 37 Comments

Macbook Air

OK, so the cat's out of the bag: there's a new MacBook in town. The MacBook Air is light, it's got a multi-touch trackpad and a full-size backlit keyboard.

The US price for the base config (1.6GHz) is $1,799. And the 1.8GHz model with 64GB SSD will set you back a whopping $3,098.

In the UK, we're going to have to pay £1,199 ($2,359.51) for the 1.6GHz config and £2,028.00 ($3,990.91) for the 1.8GHz model (thanks, Apple! Well, I guess we should thank our lucky stars that we're not paying double!)

The MacBook Air looks like a beauty and weighs 3lbs. And, according to Apple, it's the thinnest notebook ever.

So, what do you guys think of this baby? The Apple Store has reopened... are you going to splurge? Is it too expensive? Are you happy with the specs?

Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Update: WTF? It doesn't have a user-replaceable battery? Were they high when they designed this? I mean, I don't care how good it looks or how long the battery is purported to last, I definitely wouldn't buy a laptop where I can't have a spare battery. The way batteries lose their charge these days (no doubt thanks to how hot Macs run), that 5 hours will start to taper off after the first few months. And sending your laptop in to have the battery replaced and not being without it for several days? No way!

I guess Apple expects people to have this as a second laptop or a companion to a desktop. There's no way I'd make it my workhorse. As much as I'd love to, the lack of replaceable battery is a deal-breaker.

Steve Jobs’ MacWorld 2008 Keynote

Published on January 15, 2008 in Apple. 4 Comments

Macworld 2008: MacBook Air announced

(This is a little diary I'm keeping while watching the liveblogging of the MacWorld keynote on several sites. It's liveblogging the liveblogging! This isn't an objective word-for-word transcript, it's littered with my own initial reactions. Apologies also if anything gets lost or mangled in this game of Chinese whispers.)

People are taking their places and the eagerly awaited keynote is about to start.

There are several sites liveblogging the event. Among them:

iJustine was streaming live video and audio from the event before they went in but her stream's gone dead.

Also, Fake Steve Jobs has his own live blog. His first entry, at 8:56 am, reads: "My God I am tingling like a little girl."

I'm trying to follow all of them and remembering how cool it was last year when I was watching the keynote first hand. Speaking at MacWorld was a very cool experience!

Apparently Steve's taken the stage now and revealed that there will be four things he will be talking about today.

Twitter is down

Twitter, predictably, has buckled under the extra stress of people twittering about MacWorld and Fake Steve Jobs' live blog is looking quite dead.

The first thing is Leapard, so I'm not entirely excited. (Don't talk to me about Leopard. I haven't been happier since I downgraded to Tiger!) Apparently they've sold a lot of copies (5m). Good for you Apple, now fix the darn thing already! :)
(TUAW is also buckling under the traffic. Gizmodo seems to be doing well.)

Time Capsule is interesting. Jason Chen from Gizmodo writes:

Leopard works great with a desktop machine, but it doesn’t work well with laptops because you have to keep plugging and unplugging a USB drive. Now he’s introducing a new backup station with 802.11n and server-grade backup station. It’s an AirPort Extreme station with ports in the back, allowing you to back up your macs wirelessly

I was wondering if they would introduce dual hard-drive MacBook Pros for the very same reason. This is good but the backups won't work if you're away from home. I'd still like a dual hard-drive MacBook Pro, please. And could you make one of those drives removable? khtxbai

(The Fake Steve Jobs' keynote page has also buckled under the traffic. He was using an app called coveritlive, which, when it was up kept warning me to use the latest version of Firefox when I already am!)

I guess you can always get two Time Capsules and take one on the road with you...

If I upgrade again to Leopard with the upcoming 10.5.2 release, I'll definitely be getting one of those babies. 1TB of storage for $499 by itself sounds like a good deal, forgetting all the other functionality! (Man, who'd have thought, back when Bill Gates was proclaiming that no one would need more than 640 kilobytes of memory and when hard drives were unheard of that we'd actually have 1TB drives in our homes one day.)

On to the iPhone, then:

You can now SMS more than one person at once. About time! How can a device that feels so futuristic in my hands be so stone-age in some respects. I know my N95 lets me do more but I just can't go back to it and I put up with the limitations of the iPhone for the lovely interface... why??? (I mean, I can surf the web with my laptop from anywhere at 3G speeds, SMS as many people as like, heck MMS even -- not that I have more than maybe three times in my whole life -- with my N95!)

(And what about copy and paste? Video capture?)

Webclips -- adding web apps to the iPhone's home screen -- sounds good.

The SDK at the end of Feb is going to be great.

The other apps, etc., are all good but, all in all, there doesn't seem to be any really exciting news about the iPhone. No 3G, for one thing! :(
Wow, and they're actually charging existing users $20 for the new apps that they're adding to the iPod touch! That's interesting.

And iTunes is to get movie rentals. (Will we see this in the UK this century? Update: "International later this year." Thanks, Steve! Again, we wait!)

Ah, finally, you can rent movies directly on the AppleTV. (Does this work for music, etc., too? Is iTunes essentially running on the Apple TV? And is this a software update for current AppleTV owners like me?)

Oooh, a new interface too. OK, I will be seriously bummed if current AppleTVs can't be upgraded to this...

Yes, it's a free software upgrade! So, sometime "later this year", I may actually start getting some use out of my AppleTV in the UK.

(And that makes perfect sense. They're going to make a lot of money with this rental system so why cut out their existing customer base by requiring new hardware. Especially since their first try was nothing to write home about.)

I'm still wondering what the big announcement is going to be. So far, the keynote has been quite tame.

Woot, the MacBook Air! "It's the world's thinnest notebook".

Damn, it's thinner than the Sony TZ series! (It goes from 0.76 inches to 0.16 inches.)

Full-size, back-lit keyboard and multi-touch track-pad!.. Rock on! :)
So we know what all the coolest kids will be carrying with them to the conferences this year!

So is there a "one more thing"..?

Photo by Ngo Quang Minh.

Exclusive MacWorld Rehearsal Pic Reveals Real Bombshell

Published on January 14, 2008 in Apple. 8 Comments

Steve Jobs in Track Suit

Hot on the heels of our previous exposé, we've received an exclusive photo from today's MacWorld keynote rehearsal at the Moscone Center that clearly shows the real bombshell that is going to make shockwaves at Steve Jobs' keynote tomorrow.

At the risk of causing widespread financial turmoil in the world's markets, we feel it's our journalistic duty to reveal that, according to photographic evidence which we present above, Mr. Jobs will be abandoning his trademark turtleneck sweater and blue jeans in favor of a sporty red tracksuit.

In the photo, Steve Jobs, seen gesticulating about a new product that you will be buying next week, looks comfortable in his new outfit.

Industry pundits will no doubt be falling over themselves to speculate on the reasons behind this latest unpredicted development. Our inside sources were uncharacteristically quiet, leading some in the press room to believe that super secretive Steve may have kept his costume change from even his inner circle at Apple. One industry analyst familiar with the photograph conjectured that it would make perfect sense for Mr. Jobs to seek sportier attire if he was to open the keynote by riding in on a flying MacBook Pro.

Others predicted that this might signal the launch of the long-rumored iPod Sport, also known as Sporty Pod (not as hot as the other iPods but with much better audio quality).

Here in the United Kingdom, a rowdy bunch of drunk teenagers commented "Oy, 'e looks jus' like us!" before downing another one. This prompted some to suspect that Steve Jobs may be attempting to woo the lucrative UK chav market after years spent ignoring this key demographic.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is expected to present in nothing but a thong after shaking his booty to Britney Spears' "Gimme More" at the Convergence 2008 conference in March.

Original photo of Steve Jobs by Ben Stanfield. Remixed by Aral Balkan.

Apple to debut flying MacBook Pro

Published on January 11, 2008 in Apple. 24 Comments

Flying Macbook Pros

ArseArs Technica have photos from the Moscone Center ahead of MacWorld on Tuesday where you can clearly see the message "2008 There's something in the air". I guess you know as well as I do what that means.

Yes, my friends, it's as good as official:

Apple is going to be releasing flying MacBook Pros (dubbed the MacBook Pro iFly) on Tuesday.

The iFlies are expected to relieve geeks of the physical pressures of carrying around their notebooks which will henceforth follow them around.

AralBalkan.com can also reveal that Steve Jobs is expected to announce the immediate availability of the new flying MacBook Pros by releasing a flock of them on stage at the end of the keynote.

It all makes sense. We've all been expecting the MacBook Pro line to get a radical overhaul this year. While Apple was busy spreading misinformation about an ultra-slim notebook they were secretly putting the finishing touches on the new MacBook Pro's dilithium crystal-powered nano warp drives. Insiders close to Apple have revealed that although the new notebooks are theoretically capable of Warp 9 speed, Apple will be artificially clamping speeds at Warp 1 for the initial run. We have, however, learned that Philip Torrone and his elite Make ninjas are close to perfecting a trans-dimensional time machine which they plan to use to go back in time, hack the new MacBook Pros before release to remove the restriction and create the world's first pre-hacked product release in the process (good luck guys!)

Several industry analysts that we spoke to predicted that we should grow accustomed to seeing flocks of MacBook Pros flying over major cities and an almost permanent spectre of circling notebooks should be expected to circle local Starbucks stores and university campuses.

The Mac rumor community will no doubt be completely blindsided by this latest development and I expect MacRumors.com, TUAW, etc. will be linking to this post within minutes of it going live (losers! pwned!)

Apple releases a fix for Leopard keyboard freezes

Published on December 19, 2007 in Apple and OS X. 15 Comments

John Grden just forwarded me an email form John Olsen (thanks guys) alerting me that Apple has reportedly released a fix for the keyboard freezing issue in Leopard.

That's good news but, to tell you the truth, I'm going to wait a couple of months at least before even considering giving Leopard another shot. See, the thing is, I'm really happy on Tiger and downgrading to it made me realize just how many little issues I had with Leopard (responsiveness, general quirkiness, etc.) I absolutely love how stable Tiger is. I love how Tiger looks (yes, I love my non-transparent menu bar, rounded corners and blue apple logo) and I love how everything (all applications, etc.) work. I love the level of polish Tiger has.

Tiger doesn't remind me of Windows at all and Leopard did.

Part of Apple's corporate culture is its arrogance. The problem with arrogance is that, combined with incompetence it makes you appear a fool. Apple can be as arrogant as they want with Tiger. It's a shining beacon of stability and aesthetics, a perfect marriage of form and function. It just works. Not so with Leopard, at least not yet.

In Leopard, form trumps function and eye-candy exists for its own sake while fundamental characteristics of the operating system like stability are compromised.

I'm personally going to wait until Apple or third parties at least give me the option to make Leopard more like Tiger before I upgrade again. I'm guessing this will be in the 10.5.2 - 10.5.4 timeframe.

And really, I don't miss anything that Leopard had. I definitely do not miss the IMHO butt ugly interface. The Finder enhancements were really nice (I loved the breadcrumbs, for one), spotlight was far more useful and I did enjoy the integration between Mail and iCal but I value a stable system far more than any of these. And I didn't really get to use Time Machine as I'm on a laptop and don't have a USB drive plugged in all the time (here's hoping for that dual hard-drive laptop in '08, Apple... and I'll have that second one removable/hot swappable if you don't mind!) :)

I know that Leopard is working well for some of you and that some of you are very happy with it and that's great! But I see Leopard as more of an alternative to Tiger than an upgrade.

At the end of the day, the kitty that still has this early adopter's heart is Tiger.

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