Friday, January 9, 2009

1/9 The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

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Facebook for iPhone and iPod touch updated to version 2.1
January 8, 2009 at 9:00 pm

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In the online social networking space you've got your big guns: MySpace, to a lesser extent Twitter and for business users, LinkedIn. Facebook is also extremely popular and now, Facebook's client for iPhone and iPod touch has been updated to version 2.1.

Among the changes for this update include fewer crashes (that's an important one), corrected timestamps for all time zones, improved sync time and faster loading of the inbox. It's also worth noting that Facebook for iPhone and iPod touch requires iPhone 2.2 firmware.

Other iPhone and iPod touch apps updated recently include Pandora, Things, Darkslide, Lists and the trifecta of iSteam, iFog and icanhascheezburger. So, fire up iTunes or the Applications app on your iPhone / iPod touch and go get 'em!

Be sure to let us know how they work in the comments.

TUAWFacebook for iPhone and iPod touch updated to version 2.1 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boxee opens up alpha, adds iPlayer support for UK users
January 8, 2009 at 8:00 pm

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It isn't just about Macworld; shockingly there is some other tech news happening this week as well. Our pals over at boxee have just announced a new version, some love for UK users and some great news: no more invites needed!

Instead of hounding me (I kid, I never minded) for a boxee invite, you can sign-up yourself at boxee.tv/join and get downloads for the Mac, Apple TV and Ubuntu. The Windows alphas are still in closed testing, but progress is moving quickly.

Here's a run-down on what's new and improved:

  • iPlayer support for UK users -- no more crying over the lack of overseas Hulu; you can now get the iPlayer via boxee
  • Joost support
  • MTV Music support
  • dual-screen support
  • Netflix improvements
  • search in Hulu
  • updates to the SMB library

Netflix is still only working on the Mac and not on the Apple TV, but this is a great update. I've been seeing some of the private builds and the improvements are nice. A reminder, boxee is still in alpha, but the development process is on a tear!

TUAWBoxee opens up alpha, adds iPlayer support for UK users originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wazabee brings glass-free 3D to the iPhone
January 8, 2009 at 7:00 pm

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At Macworld 2009, I've seen some cool stuff, but Wazabee's 3DeeShell for the iPhone wins my show pick for most unexpected cool product. The pitch sounds cheesy; it's an iPhone case that lets you view stuff in 3D, no glasses required. This is why it isn't cheesy: it works.

We're working on getting the video edited and working properly (because seeing really is believing), but I was most impressed with this technology. The 3DeeShell consists of an iPhone case (and it's actually a nice case) with a removable screen. The screen, when viewed at the right angle (and I found it very easy to get on the right angle) will show movies, pictures or games that support its 3D processing technology in 3D.

Right now, Wazabee has several apps in the App Store: 3DeeCamera [iTunes link], 3Dee!oader [iTunes link] and 3DeeVUsion [iTunes link] that allow you to view and encode your images so that they are viewable in 3D. These apps support 3D glasses right now, but they'll work with the 3DeeShell when it launches in March.

Additionally, developers can contact Wazabee to get access to the SDK, so that apps and other games can be built with support for 3D viewing.

The 3DeeShell is scheduled for release in March 2009 for $50 US. This summer, Wazabee will be introducing a screen attachment for the 13" MacBooks (larger series to follow) that will allow for viewing of 3D content on your MacBook screen. It utilizes the Eye-Sight cam to make sure the screen is always aligned for the best 3D view.

Video is on the way, but this was too cool not to share now.

TUAWWazabee brings glass-free 3D to the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macworld 2009: IPEVO shows off photo frames and more
January 8, 2009 at 6:15 pm

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Peripheral vendor IPEVO may have just dipped a toe in the Mac market last year with compatible iChat and Skype speakerphone devices, but it looks like a full-court press coming from them in 2009. At Macworld Expo, IPEVO is showing a full suite of audio (conference phones, handsets and more for VoIP services and iChat), video (a slimline camera) and especially photos -- the upcoming Kaleida digital frames, showing here and at CES, look remarkably good.

The wired and wireless frames, expected to ship in March under the $200 price point, allow for photo offloads from memory cards or from the Mac, subscription to Flickr or RSS feeds, and selected Google widgets (weather, calendar, news or financial data), all on a bright 7" screen. You can control the displayed content from your computer, or via a handy iPhone app.

We took a brief photo and video tour of the new products in the Dr. Bott vendor pavilion. Enjoy!

Continue reading Macworld 2009: IPEVO shows off photo frames and more

TUAWMacworld 2009: IPEVO shows off photo frames and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HearPlanet free for a little while longer
January 8, 2009 at 4:30 pm

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Just a reminder as Macworld Expo heads into the home stretch, the iPhone/iPod touch travel application HearPlanet is available for free this week only.

HearPlanet turns your iPhone into a travel guide, with audio tours of over 230,000 locations. Normally, HearPlanet is $3.99, but it's free during Macworld. You can get it in the App Store.

The company's party bus has been a fixture outside Moscone Center, and will be outside TUAW's Tweetup at the Thirsty Bear at 6 p.m. Stop by and say hi to them (and us too) as we celebrate another Macworld Expo and toast the (hopeful) future of the show..


TUAWHearPlanet free for a little while longer originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macworld 2009 sights and exhibitors
January 8, 2009 at 4:00 pm

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As you may have guessed, Macworld is a rather large event with lots to see and do. With so much under one roof (well, two roofs actually -- if you count the North and South halls) it's sometimes difficult for us to show you everything in great detail.

Sometimes we need to resort to more of an overview of things so you can get an idea of the sights, sounds and perhaps even smells that comprise an event like Macworld. Fortunately, that's one of the reasons the photo gallery was invented. So far, we've had galleries featuring a brief bit of the North Hall, an event with our partner Stylit.tv, day one photos and a whole bunch of others.

This time around, its more of the main show floor featuring many of the bigger vendors that make up this year's Macworld.

Check them out!

Continue reading Macworld 2009 sights and exhibitors

TUAWMacworld 2009 sights and exhibitors originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple releases 2009 proxy statement
January 8, 2009 at 3:15 pm

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Yesterday, Apple released a proxy statement detailing the financial compensation that executives enjoy as part of their participation on the board of directors.

Steve Jobs retained his $1 salary for 2008, but has over 5.5 million shares of Apple stock, which is worth over $500 million on paper. Jobs is worth about $5.7 billion, thanks largely to the fact that he's Disney's largest individual shareholder. Fidelity Investments continues to be Apple's largest investor with over 46 million shares of stock.

There are five proposals for shareholders to vote on this time around:

  • Proposal 1 asks to re-elect the board of directors, consisting of Steve Jobs, William Campbell, Millard Drexler, Al Gore, Andrea Jung, Arthur Levinson, Eric Schmidt, and Jerry York.
  • Proposal 2 asks for more transparency surrounding Apple's political contributions.
  • Proposal 3 asks the company to adopt a statement supporting universal health care for everyone, and not just employees.
  • Proposal 4 asks the company to release a report on corporate strategies surrounding climate change and greenhouse gas emissions before July.
  • Proposal 5 asks to adopt a policy that gives shareholders more input on executive compensation. (Thanks, Scott!)

The board of directors, perhaps not surprisingly, recommends approving the first proposal, and rejecting the other four.

The proxy statement is available from Apple's Investor Relations website, and will not be mailed to shareholders unless requested.

[Via MacDailyNews.]

TUAWApple releases 2009 proxy statement originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NRK pulls Beatles podcast citing legal concerns
January 8, 2009 at 2:00 pm

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Lost in the din of yesterday's Macworld announcements and video was a story from NRK that they've pulled down the "Our Daily Beatles" podcast -- featuring all 212 songs available for free -- citing contractual obligations with an organization that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide.

The three players in the debacle are NRK (Norway's publicly-funded broadcasting company), TONO (managers of the rights for Norwegian composers and writers), and IFPI (which represents the rights of international record companies). While NRK and TONO are happy with their contractual agreement to release the podcast, IFPI is not.

NRK's contract with IFPI states that they can only create podcasts for shows aired on the radio in the last four weeks where music accounts for less than 70 percent of the show's length. Since "Our Daily Beatles" was aired in 2007 (and not 2001 as they originally stated, but that's neither here nor there) it falls outside the bounds of the agreement. NRK, rather than air the broadcast again to comply with IFPI's rules, instead decided to pull the podcast offline.

NRK is negotiating with IFPI to update their contract to match the one they have with TONO. Their current agreement expired at the end of last year, but apparently NRK is still bound by its terms.

NRK had originally posted the podcast on Sunday.

TUAWNRK pulls Beatles podcast citing legal concerns originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Parallels Desktop 4 updated
January 8, 2009 at 1:00 pm

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Popular virtualization software Parallels has been updated to build 3810. The software offers many upgrades and fixes, including Windows DirectX 9.0 with Shaders Model 2 support, as well as "experimental" support for Snow Leopard and Windows 7 beta.

The "experimental" caution, as you might surmise, means not all features will work. For example, in Snow Leopard, there is no USB support, and Parallels notes there is no shared networking support.

Parallels has been running a competitive race against VMware Fusion as each software solution tries to out-feature and outperform the other.

The Parallels update can be downloaded at this link, or you can select "check for updates" from the Parallels application help menu.

A complete list of the enhancements in this build can be found here. Some users are reporting faster performance and some improvements with use of peripherals.

TUAWParallels Desktop 4 updated originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macworld 2009: Axiotron Modbook Pro
January 8, 2009 at 11:00 am

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Simply stated, it's the fastest tablet computer on the planet, and it's a Mac.

Axiotron surprised everyone in 2007 by demoing a tablet Mac, the Modbook, made by transferring the inner workings of a stock Apple MacBook to a new chassis with a touch / pen interface. At Macworld Expo 2008, the Modbook actually shipped. Now Axiotron has raised the bar for all tablet devices by announcing the Modbook Pro, a new model made with the 15.4" MacBook Pro electronics.

I talked with Axiotron's CEO and Chief Engineer Andreas Haas this afternoon. Andreas was with Apple's Newton group and said that he always wanted to get back to a pen-based device. The new device is impressively fast and powerful, and Andreas was willing to show us the insides of the new box. Enjoy the video after the break.

Update:
One of our readers asked about VESA mounting points for the Modbook. We believe there are holes in the Modbook to allow mounting, but we'll double-check with the product managers and let you know shortly...

Continue reading Macworld 2009: Axiotron Modbook Pro

TUAWMacworld 2009: Axiotron Modbook Pro originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macworld 2009: Interview with Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry
January 8, 2009 at 10:00 am

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Twitter is arguably one of the most popular social networking platforms in use today. And, one of the most popular ways to use Twitter is via applications for your Mac and the iPhone. In that space, one particular app seems to dominate -- Iconfactory's Twitterrific.

TUAW's own Christina Warren (A.K.A. @film_girl) sat down with Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry (A.K.A @chockenberry) to get all the latest on Twitterirfic, and to find out what else he has in store for Twitter users and elegantly designed icon fans everywhere. Click through to check out the video.

Continue reading Macworld 2009: Interview with Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry

TUAWMacworld 2009: Interview with Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macworld 2009 -- The TUAW and Stylit.tv giveaway
January 8, 2009 at 9:30 am

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Here at TUAW we try very hard, but we can't do everything ourselves. Sometimes, we need a bit of help from our friends. This time around, we teemed up with Stylit.tv to have a giveaway event at Macworld. But, in true TUAW fashion, it wasn't just any giveaway -- it was a big one.

Thanks to the generous participation by many great Macworld Expo exhibitors like Dr. Bott, G-Tech and Blue Microphones, TUAW and Stylit.tv were able to give away over two thousand dollars in prizes to two lucky winners. And of course, we have pictures. There's also going to be video as well so check back for that.

Until then, thanks to those of you who made it out for the giveaway. We do appreciate it. If you didn't win this time, don't worry, there's plenty more of these events to come -- so keep checking back at TUAW for all the details.

TUAWMacworld 2009 -- The TUAW and Stylit.tv giveaway originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macworld 2009: Interview with David Pogue
January 8, 2009 at 9:00 am

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Hot on the heels of the Macworld Live show Wednesday morning, we caught up with New York Times columnist David Pogue to talk about what's hot (and not) at the show this year, his thoughts on the "Philnote" and the future of Macworld, the iPhone's phenomenal success in 2008 and his undying love (ahem) for the Blackberry Storm.

Click through to check it out.

Continue reading Macworld 2009: Interview with David Pogue

TUAWMacworld 2009: Interview with David Pogue originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VixML debuts iPhone development middleware, demos 'TrueFlirt'
January 8, 2009 at 8:00 am

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Viximo has debuted TrueFlirt, a $5.99 iPhone application that demonstrates the capabilities of VixML, a simple development environment for creative entrepreneurs.

TrueFlirt, as you might suspect, allows you to send animated "flirts" to other users of TrueFlirt. You can "FlirtBack" with one of a few pre-populated "playful" replies.

TrueFlirt is -- while perhaps not suitable for the iTunes "productivity" category -- an interesting technology demonstration of VixML, an XML-based content creation platform that enables interactive designers to create native iPhone content for Viximo applications.

The way it works is a content creator signs up with Viximo, who provides them their framework and tools for development. Developing VixML uses structured XML that -- at first glance -- seems easy to understand, and includes code support for animation, interaction and music. Viximo says it's a much lesser investment in terms of time and money, since you don't need to become an Apple developer, nor pay to submit the app to the App Store.

Once an application is developed, Viximo will check it for problems, and submit it for publication in the App Store. It's unclear how pricing is structured, or how much of a cut Viximo gets for each application.

VixML applications are analogous to standalone Flash animations, but obviously they don't use Flash. Instead, they use the OpenGL 2D and 3D graphics engines built into iPhone OS. Applications can send and receive data (like TrueFlirt), as well as interact with the iPhone and iPod touch's built-in accelerometer.

Viximo, in addition to TrueFlirt, is releasing more titles expected to arrive in the App Store during the first quarter of 2009. TrueFlirt is available in the App Store now (for $5.99), and a free version is coming soon. The free version will be able to receive flirts, but the paid version can both send and receive them.

TUAWVixML debuts iPhone development middleware, demos 'TrueFlirt' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW First Look: Keynote '09
January 8, 2009 at 7:00 am

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Call me a curmudgeon, but I detest slide presentations. Ugh, even typing that gave me the heeby-jeebies. I've sat through too many demos during which some absolute bore read to me as if we were in preschool circle time. Not to mention the blue, marbleized buttons and millions of bullet points. Oh, the bullet points.

When Keynote was introduced in January of 2003, my feelings were mixed. On one hand, Apple is a stylish company that makes thoughtful, easy to use software. On the other hand, this was presentation software. How good could it be? The answer is "pretty darn good," and even better now with the latest version of Keynote.

When you first launch the demo version of iWork, you're greeted with an invitation to try or buy the software. This splash screen is much more attractive in '09 than it was in '08, and that change is indicative of nearly every aspect of Keynote '09: It's very beautiful.

Click below to read more.

Gallery: Keynote 09

Almost thereTime to installThe Keynote '08 trial splash screenInitial splash screenBuild a slide

Continue reading TUAW First Look: Keynote '09

TUAWTUAW First Look: Keynote '09 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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