It was announced this week at WWDC that Safari 4 is out of beta and ready for the masses. Soon after, Appletell was able to get a first look up about the performance of Safari 4. Now, Apple is stating that there have been more than 11 million downloads of Safari 4 in the first three days since its release. More than half of these (6 million) have been for Windows, which is quite interesting, if you ask me.

New features in this release include Top Sites, Cover Flow of your history, and Developer Tools. Also, according to Apple, “Safari executes JavaScript nearly 8 times faster than Internet Explorer 8 and more than 4 times faster than Firefox 3 based on performance in leading industry benchmark tests: iBench and SunSpider.” The browser war between Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari was tough as it is, and this update just made it even more competitive.

You can get the new version of Safari at Apple’s website.

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Last week, we talked about frameworks in relation to developing for the iPhone. With iPhone OS 3.0, Apple has updated and added many frameworks, as well as other interesting tidbits for iPhone developers. For instance, push notifications will now be included into the operating systems and will allow developers to send updates to users without their app being in the foreground. From a developer standpoint, this creates a lot more functionality for an app.

Furthermore, Apple also created an API to allow developers to interact with hardware accessories plugged into the connector on the bottom of the phone. This allows developers to not only code applications for the iPhone, but to also interact with hardware that supports receiving messages from the iPhone. Along these lines, iPhones can now more easily interact with each other through peer to peer connectivity. For developing, this opens a huge realm of possibilities for multiplayer applications.

Another interesting update comes in the form of in-app purchases. With these, developers can charge for upgrades to their applications using an API that allows them to access the users credit card on file with Apple iTunes (not the actual card, but the use of it). Not only does this make it more possible for developers to make money from their applications, it offers some interesting uses.

Overall, WWDC and iPhone OS 3.0 have brought all sorts of great improvements for developers.

See more iPhone Developer Intervention articles.

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This year at WWDC, Apple is doing something to amaze the attendees. In the Moscone West Center, they have created a “hyperwall” that consists of twenty edge-to-edge 30-inch Apple Cinema Displays, each of which are powered by a Mac Pro running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. These displays show a live feed of activity from 20,000 popular apps on the App Store, as 3,000 apps are downloaded every minute. When an app is purchased, it pulsates after a five minute delay. The animation is programmed in Quartz Composer using the new OpenCL APIs announced at this years WWDC.

I would love to be in California and able to see this in person, as I don’t believe the photos give the full effect of how awesome it is. That said, I believe Apple’s intention with this was to show the App Store’s popularity in order to prove to the developers present that they are needed and appreciated. I’m sure it would be a great feeling to be in front of this massive display and see the icon to your own app pulsating when someone purchases it. Nice idea, Apple.

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Apple has announced the winners of the Apple Design Awards for the year of 2009 and posted the results on their website. According to the company, “The Apple Design Awards recognize technical excellence, innovation, and outstanding achievement in iPhone and Mac software development. Each year, winning products set new standards for usability, performance, technology integration and adoption. This year’s winners raise the bar even higher.” There are a few categories in which the applications are chosen, as well as from different platforms. This year, there were iPhone apps as well as Leopard apps chosen. I have personally used some of these, and I must say I agree with Apple’s choices.

iPhone Developer Showcase

• MLB.com At Bat 2009 v1.0.1
• Postage v1.0
• Topple 2 v1.1
• Tweetie v1.3.1

Mac OS X Leopard Developer Showcase

• Billings v3.0.5
• BoinxTV v1.3
• Things v1.1
• Versions v1.0.3

Other winners also include Wooden Labyrinth 3D v1.2.1 for Best iPhone Student App, Fontcase v1.1.3 for Best Mac OS X Student Product, and AccuTerra v1.0.0 Beta for Best iPhone OS 3.0 Beta App.  Congratulations to all of the winners of the awards, it is nice to see them being awarded for taking the time to make great interfaces.

Via [Apple]

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At this year’s WWDC, Apple announced the new iPhone 3GS. While this was a pretty interesting refresh to the iPhone line, I believe that the lowering of the iPhone 3G 8GB to $99 is much bigger news. For a while now, people have been preaching that Apple needs to hit the $149 price point or lower in order to make their way into a more mainstream market. With this announcement, they have. No longer is the iPhone 3G an expensive product when it comes to phones as almost any phone these days will run you at least $99 unless they come free with a 2 year contract.

As far as where RIM and Palm stand in this market now, that is very fascinating. Palm recently released the Pre at a price point of $199.99 (after a $100 rebate), a whole 100% more expensive than the iPhone 3G. Now, I’m not going to get into the price of plans, early termination fees, and all of those extra fees brought on by carriers, I just mean the cost of the hardware (the thing that people first notice). With this price, Apple has taken both the Palm Pre and many of the Blackberrys out of the market as far as initial price goes.

The point I’m trying to make is that Apple really nailed it with the price on the iPhone 3G 8GB model. Now not only do they have models competing in the more expensive smart phone market but the average consumer market as well. I think we are going to see a nice surge in iPhone sales in the coming months.

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Today saw the full release of Apple’s latest web browser, Safari 4. The public beta has been around for a couple of months, so has Apple address the issue that appeared? Is Safari 4 enough to bring you back from Firefox, and enough to make you upgrade from Safari 3? From what I’ve seen so far, I’d say yes.

If you’re currently using the Safari 4 public beta, have a look at where your tabs are positioned. They’re right at the top; the idea was to give each tab a full window. If you tried to move the order, you’d need to select the small corner, otherwise the entire window would move. Not very useful. Now, take a look at the images posted of the full release. You’ll notice the tabs are back where they belong—below your bookmarks. It seemed the majority of users prefer their tabs lower down. It’s usually your first port of call to open a new page, although some people have shown a dislike to this change, and seem to prefer their tabs at the very top of the window.

While a page is loading, you’ll see a new icon in the URL field on the right telling you the page is loading, and giving you the option to cancel loading the page. If you’re visiting a blog or website with RSS feeds, the loading icon will change to one that reads “RSS” once the page has loaded, giving you a direct link to the RSS feed itself. Nothing’s changed here from Safari 3, other than the design of these icons.

Of course, the “report to Apple” icon has been removed in the full version. You can still report any problems you may have with Safari from the Safari drop-down menu, and selecting the “Report Bugs to Apple…” option.

There’s no doubt that Safari 4 is fast; it’s faster than Firefox, Chrome, Opera and IE 8. A new JavaScript engine allows pages to load and render quickly—even with a flaky WiFi connection—and it’s also the first and only cross-platform browser that achieves full marks (100/100) for the Acid 3 tests.

Top Sites and viewing your history in Cover Flow have stayed the same in the full release. We’ll have to dig deep into Safari 4’s files to see if its still keeping an eye on you, but otherwise, things look great in Cover Flow.

Apple didn’t miss much with Safari 4. There are 150 new features that make the everyday user and developer happy using Safari 4. I stayed away from the public beta because of issues around Wordpress and consistent crashing. I’m happy to say the issues around Wordpress have been cleared up, and Safari 4 hasn’t even lagged, let alone crashed.

Grab the download from Apple, and let us know what you think.

Full Story » | Written by Ed Parry for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

If you missed the junior high science fair that was the 2009 WWDC Keynote presentation, it’s now online and ready to be fast forwarded through. Watch as Phil Schiller, in a jealous rage because his baking soda volcano doesn’t win, smash Scott Forstall’s caveman shoebox diorama. Yesterday’s winners? Anyone who held off on getting a MacBook because they wanted FireWire. Yesterday’s losers? U.S. iPhone owners stuck with AT&T.

Seriously, readers. I care about you, and I know your time is valuable, so don’t go watch this one. It’s boring. I mean, I get that it’s a keynote for developers, but not really. Apple does invite the press, after all. They welcome the coverage. They make consumer announcements. If they’re going to quit participating in Macworld Expo, then WWDC is it, really, aside from the occasional random Tuesday event. Considering that, the first major post-Macworld keynote shouldn’t have us hoping Gil Amelio will swoop in and save the day.

But, if you’re a glutton for punishment, by all means, follow the link below. Just understand that you’ve been warned.

See [2009 WWDC Keynote presentation]

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Apple revealed several new features of iPhone OS 3.0 at WWDC today. One of these features is “Find My iPhone,” and it is only available to Mobile Me subscribers. However, the Mobile Me page includes a few other “Coming Soon” features that didn’t make it into the Keynote.

Along with “Find My iPhone,” they will also be including:

• Viewing iDisk files on your iPhone
• Sharing large files from your iPhone
• Accessing other iDisk users’ public folders
• Being able to search all of your server side Mobile Me e-mail messages

The first three items in the list will actually be features of a yet-to-be-released iDisk app. There are a few third party iDisk apps currently available in the Apple store that vary in their iDisk abilities, but this official app will make it even easier to use some handy iDisk features and increase the value of a Mobile Me subscription. Being able to access your iDisk content from your iPhone has been a much requested feature of Mobile Me users in the past.

The e-mail search feature appears to be built in to OS 3.0. According to the Mobile Me new features page:

iPhone OS 3.0 brings search capability to Mail on your iPhone. Now you don’t have to flick through your inbox, tapping messages to find the e-mail you’re looking for. You can search messages by sender, recipient, subject, or all headers. And if the message isn’t on your iPhone, Mail searches for it in the MobileMe cloud. When the message is located, you can display it on your iPhone with no problem.

And in case you missed the big announcement of this group, Mobile Me will also give you the ability to locate where your iPhone is using an interactive web page that includes a map showing its location. It will also allow you to override the silence switch and have it play a sound to make it even easier to locate the device. It will also allow you to have a a custom message on it to ask someone to call you if they find the phone and, finally, to be able to remotely wipe out all of its data so no one can have access to your data if you can not recover it personally.

The “Find My iPhone” feature is expected to be available on June 17 when the new OS is released, and I suspect the mail search feature will be available at that time as well. The iDisk app is currently listed as coming soon, so hopefully it will see the light of day sometime this summer. I imagine it will be able to sail through the app store approval process.

Product [Mobile Me]

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Until the moment that the lights dimmed and Phil Schiller walked on stage, the rumor mill was still hard at work. Video calling, more RAM, and FM transmitter, and an illuminating logo were all there. But Apple seemed to keep things simple with the update, even giving Jonathan Ive and his team a rest by keeping the exterior design the same. Disappointed? A little.

A matte-black back was quite a confident rumor. The majority regarded it as a sure bet, and I can’t recall a single rumor that suggested the exact same design for the new iPhone. We did see video capabilities, improved performance and graphics, enhanced GPS and compass all feature as part of the iPhone 3G S. But remember the WWDC poster that we saw? It read “light-years ahead.” I don’t know about you, but no part of the iPhone 3G S is light-years ahead. Nothing amazed me.

Don’t get me wrong here—the updates made to the iPhone are great. They were much needed, and adding the features of the iPhone OS 3.0, it’ll be an even better device. But the Palm Pre is right behind Apple. This update puts things on a more level playing field, and Apple still has the advantage with the App Store and trusting fan base. We’ll have to wait to see how things pan out with the Palm Pre—whether people like it in the long term. But I feel Apple could have done more with the iPhone, and a launch just a few days after the Palm Pre would’ve been the perfect time to do so.

I’m certainly tempted to upgrade to the iPhone 3G S, but there’s no specific reason why. There are no must-have features available; the majority will be free to iPhone users as part of iPhone OS 3.0.

The fact that Apple can now afford to sell the iPhone 3G at $99 shows just how cheap the technology inside was to build. There’s nothing special there. I feel there are two things keeping Apple at the top: a certain logo stamped on the back, and 50,000 amazing applications for just about anything.

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One of the most highly anticipated announcements at this year’s WWDC was the iPhone. As usual, Apple has delivered and announced the iPhone 3Gs where the “s” stands for speed. This iPhone looks pretty much the same on the outside and doesn’t have a front facing camera. That said, the camera on the back has been updated to a 3MP version that has auto-focus and auto-white balance. The camera can now also take video (30 fps) as well as stills.  The best part about this, though, is that the iPhone allows users to edit them from their actual iPhone. Once that is done, users can directly upload their videos to YouTube, MobileMe, and MMS.

The main improvements on this model of the iPhone are on the inside. Apple claims that everything runs faster on this version, from loading apps to browsing the web. Most apps load two to three times faster than on the iPhone 3G. Furthermore, this model also includes a built-in digital compass that can be used to find your orientation in Google Maps. Also demoed was voice control software that allows users to easily call friends or build Genius playlists, among other things. Nike+ support and hardware encryption are also built in.

As far as availability goes, the new iPhone 3GS will cost $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB with AT&T, and will come in black and white models as before.  It will ship with iPhone OS 3.0 in about a week and a half on June 19th. The iPhone 3Gs is also being called the most green iPhone yet with arsenic-free glass, BRF-free, mercury-free LCD, and other advancements. Along with that, it features improved battery life, with up to 9 hours of internet surfing, 10 hours of video, 30 hours of audio, 12 hours of 2G talk-time, and 5 hours of 3G talk-time. The original iPhone 3G will still available at only $99, starting today.

Stay with us here at Appletell for more on today’s WWDC announcements

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At this years WWDC, Apple spilled some more information about the highly anticipated iPhone OS 3.0 announcement. We already knew plenty of information about this new software, but as usual, Apple had a couple of surprising announcements. Among them was the announcement that the iPhone 3.0 software will be available June 17th, about a week from today!

What we knew:

• Cut, copy, and paste works across all apps
• Landscape mode available in Mail, Notes, Messages
• Safari has auto-fill for forms
• Enhanced support for renting and buying iTunes content
• Parental controls are being brought to apps, even those from the App Store
• In app purchases, Peer to Peer connectivity (easy multiplayer gaming)
• Accessories can work through the Dock connector or Bluetooth
• Turn-by-turn direction apps supported
• Push text alerts, numerical badges for homescreen icon, and custom alert sounds

What we now know:

• Over 100 new features
• 29 carriers will support MMS at launch, AT&T will have it later this summer
• Search even works on the server as well as local files
• Tethering is on and doesn’t require special software - 22 carriers will support it at launch, AT&T wasn’t mentioned here
• iTunes U is now also supported on the iPhone iTMS
• HTML5 support is being brought to Safari
• Even more languages are being added
• Find my iPhone allows MobileMe users to locate their iPhone on a Google Map from a web browser on their desktop

Be sure to stay tuned to our WWDC Keynot live blog in order to stay on top of all the coverage.

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In other news from this years WWDC, Apple has given more details of Snow Leopard.  However, they also managed to bash not only Windows Vista as usual, but Windows 7 as well, saying it still has the same registry issues, among other things. That said, Snow Leopard sounds like it is going to be really awesome. Best of all? It will be released in September for only $29. Here are some of the mentioned updates, and you can follow the rest of the updates at our live blog:

• Exchange Support
• Finder rewritten in Cocoa to allow it more features
• Refined over 90% of core OS pieces
• Grand Central Dispatch - It’s built-in support for multi-core all across Leopard
• 45% faster installation of the OS
• Language extension, multicore engine, object oriented framework, new system-wide APIs, tools
• Built Expose into the Dock
• All the major system applications are in 64-bit mode
• Recover over 6GB of disk space after upgrading from Leopard
• Preview is now up to 2X faster
• Quicktime X lets you trim and share video using a visual timeline
• Mail is up to 2.3X faster
• Quicktime player has a brand new interface
• Safari 4 final version is released today
• Stacks handle lots of content better
• Safari is 7.8X faster at JavaScript than IE8
• Handwriting recognition in the trackpad
• Full Spotlight search of browser history

Full Story » | Written by Josh Holat for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

In the first of what will be plenty of WWDC announcements, Apple has released an update to their MacBook Pro lines that will be shipping starting today. The new line (15-inch and 17-inch) has a built in SD card slot as well as a better display, and the extended, revolutionary built-in battery that was currently only in the 17-inch MacBook Pro. Although this battery isn’t replaceable, Apple has said that it will get up to 1,000 charges, meaning that you won’t cause harm to the environment like other battery manufacturers (five year life). The backlit keyboard will now be standard, and there is a 13-inch model of the MacBook Pro as well. Most of the machines come with 4GB RAM standard.

Other surprising news from this announcement is that Apple is bringing back the FireWire 800 port that was missing in the previous models. There are price cuts across the entire line of MacBook Pros, making them much, much more affordable in this down economy. Apple is also claiming that they are even more green than the previous line of MacBooks.

Get continued coverage of this and other announcements at WWDC Keynote live blog.

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Here we are, the morning of the WWDC Keynote, and the Apple Store has been taken offline for a bit. What do you suppose will be in there when it comes back up? The iPhone Video? Snow Leopard? The fabled Apple Netbook? It won’t be long before we find out, and you can learn all about it right here at Appletell as it happens.

Appletell is running a live blog of the WWDC Keynote, during which we’ll be accepting entries into our Just Mobile giveaway. By simply commenting in our live blog to tell us which product you’d like to win—the Xtand for iPhone, Xtand for 2G iPod touch or Cooling Bar for Apple laptops, you’ll be entered into the random selection. Entries are only being accepted up until the end of the 2009 WWDC Keynote, so get that taken care of.

Products [Just Mobile]

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Technology just wouldn’t be the same without the rumor-mill behind each story, giving options and possibilities to every product launch. As we know, Apple is most definitely not an exception to this, and in true form, the rumors surrounding the next generation iPhone are in full swing ahead of this year’s WWDC.

Let’s imagine that every rumor came true. What sort of device, or should I say devices, would we have? A rumor released a while back suggested a range of iPhones from 4GB to 32GB models, some with 3G connectivity, and some without. These could be used in different parts of the world on various carriers, but I doubt whether Apple would release up to six versions of the phone. A couple—16GB and 32GB—is more plausible, with an option of black or white.

Rumors focusing on the design of the iPhone have stayed quite constant. There have been some brilliant efforts on Photoshop for iPhone Nanos or a possible Apple tablet using iPhone OS 3.0, but with regards to the next generation iPhone, they’ve followed similar thoughts. It seems Apple may be ditching the shiny plastic casing for a matte version, while other rumors lean towards a rubber back.

As a list of specification details goes, here’s what we could see, if rumors were fact:

• Quad-band EDGE
• Tri-band HSDPA
• OLED Screen
• 3.2 megapixel camera with Auto-Focus
• Video recording and calling (iChat)
• 256MB of RAM (up from 128MB)
• 4GB, 8GB, 16GB & 32GB Storage
• 600MHz CPU Speed (up from 400MHz)
• Enhanced battery life (to compensate for GPS & Push usage)
• FM transmitter
• True GPS
• Compass
• A illuminating Apple logo (similar to Apple’s laptop range)

Add the expected features of the iPhone OS 3.0, and that would be a very nice handheld device. An improved camera has been long awaited for the iPhone since its original release in June 2007. 3.2 megapixels would be a nice upgrade, and be adequate for recording video as well as shooting stills. With a faster processor, the iPhone may also be capable of video chats.

A software rumor that hasn’t had much attention takes a thought from iPhoto. Remember the iPHone facial recognition feature, part of iLife ‘09 released at the MacWorld Expo? It was a great addition to iPhoto, but has now become quite dormant as the fun dies. Could it be possible to use this technology in the iPhone? For images stored on the phone, or transfered across from iPhoto, it could use a similar tagging process seen in Facebook. It would be very cool if this then showed itself when taking photographs on the iPhone, showing people’s faces and their names in the live display. It’s a long shot, and almost random compared to other rumors, but it would still be interesting to see.

We also can’t forget the many rumors surrounding the iPhone nano. The main change here would be a smaller size, likely with also less memory (possibly the 4GB version), and, of course, a drop in the price. After using many mobile phones, the iPhone first seemed quite large and bulky. But now I quite like its form-factor. It fits nicely into your hand, with easy access to the entire screen. I’m not sure what space Apple could afford to loose without shrinking the screen-size too, which would make typing on the on-screen keyboard a nightmare.

Speaking of typing, with the new APIs in OS 3.0 allowing developers access to build accessories, could we see an external iPhone keyboard emerge for the device? It’s likely this would be left to third-party developers, but a keyboard with Apple’s aesthetics would look great.

As Apple is in the final stages of WWDC preparation, we’re left in suspense as to what we’ll see when Phil Schiller gives the keynote presentation. Will these rumors come true? Or will it be something completely different? Their main WWDC banner reads “One year later. Light-years ahead.” It’s certainly one year later, but they’ll really have to deliver amazing technology to be “light-years ahead” of their strong competition.

We’ll be here following reporting on it all with our WWDC keynote live-blog and up-to-the minute coverage of the event, so don’t forget to check back for the latest news from WWDC 09.

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Last minute leaked images before a keynote don’t always predict the future with 100% accuracy, but I tend to think they have a better track record than images that get “leaked” earlier. These images show what we’ve been seeing and hearing lately in rumors. Clearly, this image depicts the iPhone with a front facing camera used for video conferencing.  This begs the question that, if this is real, will we be able to video call people anywhere, or are we restricted to wifi like the Slingbox App since AT&T’s network can’t handle much of anything?

This image shows the supposed new Camera app, which now has a slider that enables video recording. Look out, Flip, you might have a new competitor (especially if Apple decides to put a video camera in a new iPod Touch).

Okay, I have one last idea/question. If the iPhone really will have two video enabled cameras, will I be able to take video with both of them at the same time? Imagine the things you could do with that. Interviews would be very fun to record. Okay, I’m going to stop thinking now, because I’m getting way to excited. Tomorrow’s keynote can’t come fast enough.

Read [Nowhere Else] Via [Gizmodo]

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The excitement continues to build for tomorrow’s WWDC keynote and the developer announcements that are sure to follow. Yesterday, we took a look at what to expect from iPhone OS 3.0, as well as at Apple’s strategy for rolling out updates and why they include (or, more importantly, don’t include) certain features in each iteration. Today, we’ll examine Snow Leopard, the next big update to Apple’s Macintosh operating system.

Mac OS X v10.6

The code name for this latest release of Mac OS X is Snow Leopard. The name is important not just because it’s another big cat ( like the other names they have used: Tiger, Panther, Jaguar, etc…) but that it is very similar to the code name for the current release of Mac OS X v10.5: Leopard. Snow Leopard will seem a lot like Leopard to most end users. Expect a few cosmetic changes and maybe some subtle differences, but the Snow Leopard release will be all about what’s under the hood.

When OS X was first released, it was a revolution for Macs and, in many ways, for the PC industry as a whole. It was a modern operating system that had been built on top of a proven Kernel, but was still very accessible to the average user. Once again, we see the themes of stability and security coming in to play, as most consumer operating systems were buggy, unreliable and virus-ridden. Apple released a sleek, fast, stable and secure OS that was easy to use and very powerful in what it could do. It appealed to consumers and power users alike. It was, and still is, the minority platform, but it quickly became the one to watch.

Now, with Snow Leopard, we have the 7th generation of this operating system (We started with 10.0, and not 10.1). It has come a long way since March of 2001, and has matured well over the years. However, every release has been packed full of new features to keep people buying the new OS. With Snow Leopard, Apple is taking a much needed break from new features and has spent the last year-and-a-half streamlining the OS and the apps they provide with it. This is a bold step because without a lot of new features, a large majority of their user base will not be motivated to upgrade until they buy new hardware. Certainly Apple recognizes this loss of revenue opportunites, but they’re staying true to their vision of security and stability in streamlining the OS. For this, Apple deserves our applause.

The reason this streamlining is necessary is because Apple pulled off an amazing transition a few years ago when they moved us from the PowerPC processors to today’s Intel processors. This was not an easy task, but they pulled it off very smoothly and with very few problems. To accomplish this, the OS had to make some compromises. Now that the transition is complete and far enough behind us, they can focus on building an OS that really takes advantage of this new architecture. This release will see better use of multi-core processors, more efficient memory access, and even the ability for developers to use the latent power of the graphics processors for non-graphic purposes. In short, it will be a more stable, secure and reliable OS that is easy to use and does not intimidate those who are attempting to use it.

Evolution of a revolution

Both the iPhone OS and Mac OS X were revolutionary operating systems when they first came out. They allowed us to do things that we weren’t able to do before. These two operating systems are the real jewels in Apple’s crown and the keys to their success. Millions of people have purchased, used and discussed these systems and the devices they power. They have changed the way we think about computers and mobile devices. The anticipated releases of the new systems are far more evolutionary than revolutionary, but every revolution needs to eventually mature and evolve into its full potential. We will see some new features for consumers, but I have a feeling that both platforms’ developers are very excited about this year’s WWDC because of the evolutionary changes to the revolution they first signed up for.

Welcome to the evolution.

Also see WWDC: Evolution of a revolution part 1 - iPhone OS 3.0.

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WWDC is upon us. That’s great news for all Macintosh, iPhone and iPod owners, but it can come with a tinge of sadness. After all, we can’t all upgrade to the new hardware that Apple is sure to announce. To cushion the blow, the fine folks at Just Mobile have offered us three products to give away to Appletell readers to help you feel a bit better about your current technology: the Xtand for iPod touch, the Xtand for iPhone, and the Cooling Bar for Apple laptops.

For your chance to win one of these products, join us Monday for our WWDC Keynote live blog. You first need to register with Appletell, if you haven’t already, and make sure you understand the Dabble LLC giveaway rules. Then, simply comment in the live blog to let us know which device you want. Feel free to comment as much as you like, of course, but you can only pick one device, and you’ll only be entered once. We will then randomly select one winner for each device from all entrants. Entries are being accepted from now up through the end of the Apple Keynote on Monday afternoon.

Be sure to check back with Appletell throughout the weekend for more news as we push towards WWDC 2009 Keynote address, and visit Just Mobile to learn more about these prizes and their other great iPhone and Macintosh related products.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

A fantastic week of E3 announcements and demonstrations is past us, and it’s now time turn our attention towards Apple’s 2009 WWDC. The event kicks off today at 10:00 PDT (1:00 p.m. EDT) from the Moscone Center in San Francisco, so bookmark us or just hang around until then.

If you haven’t already, make sure you enter to win your Xtand for iPhone, the Xtand for iPod touch, or Mobile Cooling Bar for Apple laptops form the fine folks at Just Mobile. Entry rules are here, but will you need to comment below in order to win.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) kicks off on Monday, and expectations are very high. Now that Apple has announced they will no longer be attending the Macworld expo, this is likely to become their premiere event to a non-press audience. Swirling around the web are lots of WWDC rumors guessing what Apple will do and anticipating with excitement the possible hardware announcement, but I want to spend a little time discussing what WWDC is really all about: Operating Systems.

It’s all about the OS

WWDC’s keynote has become in the last 10 years a platform for Apple to make announcements for all sorts of things, and it is likely to contain some surprises this year as well. However, it’s just the tip of the iceberg for WWDC, and it’s what you can’t see underneath that is some of the best stuff at the event. Keep in mind that this is a developer’s conference, and attendance is limited. Therefore, the entire conference is geared towards the people who make the applications for your Apple device that you love so much, and for the second year in a row, it’s a sellout. This means, unlike Macworld, this is not a product showcase, but a chance for some of the greatest minds of these platforms to get together and get a look under the hood of what is coming.

If you take a quick peak at WWDC’s conference schedule, you will quickly realize that almost all of the sessions are completely focused on the operating systems, only talking about the hardware when it interacts with the software that runs it. This year, like last year, there are two different but related operating systems to highlight. For the iPhone, we have the much anticipated release of iPhone OS 3.0 and for the Mac we have the much more quietly expected Mac OS X v10.6 (Snow Leopard). Both of these will be important releases that will likely occur soon after WWDC, if not at the conference itself. At the very least, we expect to find out more about when to expect these releases. Now, let’s look more critically into these releases and why they are important.

iPhone OS 3.0

iPhone OS 3.0, despite its name, will be the new OS for both the iPhone and the iPod touch, and will be available sometime this summer. This release brings some much anticipated features to the iPhone, including copy and paste, stereo Bluetooth, multimedia messaging (MMS), peer to peer (P2P) communication with nearby iPhone users and universal search. All of these features will be available to the current generation of iPhones, while features like MMS and stereo bluetooth are not expected to work with the first generation iPhone.

This is an important release for the iPhone OS not just for the features it will bring, but also for the maturity of the platform. Many see this release of the OS as the one that will finally fulfill the expectations for the original iPhone. Think of it as if iPhone OS 1.0 was the infant, 2.0 was the gangly teenage years, and 3.0 will finally be a mature, sophisticated adult. There will be a little flash on the surface, but the real substance will be underneath, as developers will now have more access to the resources the iPhone possesses.

Apps today live in a bubble. They can interact with things outside their bubble, but only in very limited ways. The bubble isn’t bursting, but it is getting a lot bigger. With 3.0, developers will be able to work more with Google Maps and the iPod multimedia library, and directly interface with hardware attached in the dock port (and possibly over bluetooth, as well). This means you could finally have an alarm on your iPhone that can use your iPod music as an alarm, not just the ringtones you have created. Or, an app that helps you find a local restaurant could have the map in the app instead of forcing you to switch out to the Maps app to see where it is. You may also get the chance to see all sorts of great (and probably not so great) hardware accessories that interact with your iPhone in some very cool ways. Suddenly, your iPhone can become the central hub for even more activity.

The question that needs to be asked here is, “Why?” Why has it taken so long for Apple to allow this kind of interaction? Isn’t this the sort of thing that computers and even mobile devices have always done? I can’t answer those questions authoritatively, but I can speculate on why I think it has taken so long. Apple’s answer to similar questions has always been that they limit things either because of stability, security or both. While this answer may be frustrating to the consumer, limiting for the sake of security and/or stability are core to Apple’s success with the iPhone as they evaluate where the iPhone is going and what it is doing. Ultimately, it is in the best interest of the consumer for Apple to be very intentional in their choices (albeit slow).

Coming soon, another piece will detail the smartphone’s evolution and its future, but for now, let’s just say that many smartphones that came before the iPhone were useful, but troublesome. If you wanted your smartphone to work like it did out of the box, you needed to leave it with the software that came with it out of the box. Sometimes, even then, it would still take a lot of time to make it do what you wanted it to do. Similarly, when Apple released the iPhone, that’s the way it worked. But they intended all along for Apps to be written and downloaded, starting first with only Apple approved Apps be on the device. With the release of “teen OS” 2.0, they allowed Apps to be written but highly restricted them to prevent third party apps from destabilizing the phone. For a mobile platform like the iPhone to succeed, it needed and needs to be as bulletproof and user-friendly as it can be. Smartphones had rarely appealed to the average consumer in the past because they were not easy to use. A consumer device needs to be—first and foremost—a stable, secure and reliable device that is easy to use and does not intimidate those who are attempting to use it.

So, iPhone OS 3.0 will usher in new features for the developer as well as the consumer, and it will finally unleash even more potential from the phone. This helps the platform to be more stable, secure and reliable. It also helps everyone—including consumers, press and developers—understand how Apple expects the platform to be used in the future. So, instead of throwing it at us all at once, we receive it in small, un-intimidating doses that are much easier to swallow. At the same time, Apple gets the chance to refine these systems even more to make sure they work correctly. In the end, with each step, Apple refines and reveals another piece of the puzzle, building the base to test things they ultimately want to do with the iPhone. Now they have the base and they will leverage that base to take the platform to even higher heights.

Check back with us tomorrow as we take a look at the importance of Mac OS X v10.6 (“Snow Leopard”).

Full Story » | Written by Ed McKell for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

If you’ve saved up both money and vacation time just to be able to purchase the next generation iPhone, then you’ll be excited to hear the name given to the object of your blind affection. According to an anonymous tip to TUAW, Apple’s next generation of iPhone will be named “iPhone Video.”

Along with the tip came the screenshot above of what appears to be an AT&T device support page. While it looks real, this is among the easiest of images to fake. Not only is it a picture of a computer screen instead of a screen grab, it isn’t even anything fancy. It’s just AT&T’s support page with a different set of options in a drop down box as seen through Safari. Did AT&T switch to Mac? This doesn’t even need to be ‘shopped; HTML skills are all it takes.

That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the real name. There have been enough rumors going around about the next iPhone supporting video. Whether that means just taking video, or streaming video iChat-style as well are two different questions. If it could do both, Apple would have done it again. And if they do, what does that mean for the next iPod Touch? Flip video killer? Hopefully we’ll find out before long.

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With the 2009 Worldwide Developers Conference less than a week away, there’s plenty of speculation of what new products Apple will announce (especially after the dud that was MacWorld Expo). Here’s a roundup of the latest speculation, along with the liklihood of it happening.

OS X v10.6 “Snow Leopard”:
This barely qualifies as a rumor. The next big iteration of the Mac operating system is a lock to be pre-released as a solid beta at Apple’s conference for developers. While some may have forgotten that Apple also makes computers, the Macintosh line is stronger than its ever been, thanks to Macbook sales. In addition to adding new some new features (note that its “Snow Leopard,” and not an entirely new big cat), a lot of attention will be paid to the notion that Apple will make it Intel-only, dumping PPC code to make it faster and more reliable on newer machines.

iPhone Update:
If Apple doesn’t release a new iPhone to go along with the new iPhone OS 3.0, expect them to get crucified in the press. But considering that AT&T was having a fire sale on 3G iPhones earlier this year, and that the signs at the WWDC have been touting the success of the iPhone store, the announcement of a new iPhone—even though the release may be months away—is a certainty.

Mac Netbook:
Consider that the white Macbook was Apple’s best-selling computer, and it was priced at under $1,000. Now, one way of thinking is that this means “people want cheap Macs,” so a Mac Netbook that’s even cheaper would seem to make a lot of sense. But consider what you got for a grand: an optical drive, Airport, Bluetooth, two USB ports, Ethernet, a mini video port, audio in and out, and the otherwise-abandoned Firewire 400. That’s a lot, and Apple was (presumably) still able to make a profit. While netbooks are a growing market, they’re also a very cheap one, and one thing Apple doesn’t do is “cheap.” Creating an ultra-small, ultra-light Mac laptop that doesn’t cost a lot would likely cannibalize sales from the Macbook, Macbook Air, and even the iPod touch line. Some people may want it, but it just doesn’t make sense for Apple.

Mac Tablet:
This already exists: it’s called the iPhone and iPod touch. Will we see a version with a larger screen? Maybe, but the iPhone can’t get much larger than it already is, or it’ll get unwieldy. Plus, Safari’s pinch interface has rather neatly solved the small screen size problem. So, a large, two-handed iTablet with an optical drive makes little sense: it’d be a pain to cart around, optical drives use a lot of power, and besides, Apple doesn’t want you to play DVDs: they want you to buy videos from the iTunes store. There were rumors that a Taiwanese manufacturer was making 10” touch screens for Apple, but I’m still calling this one very unlikely.

Stevenote:
Will Steve Jobs deliver part of the Keynote? Phil Schilller is the announced speaker, and if Steve showed up, it would steal the thunder of the announcements and focus all the attention on his health, and his stewardship of Apple. Since they’ve spent the last six months trying to get people to believe that Apple will survive even if Jobs isn’t the face of the company, having Jobs anywhere in the building would be a mistake. My guess is, Steve will take a pass.

To see how all of this pans out, join us Tuesday, June 9th, for our WWDC Keynote live blog.

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A week before the Apple keynote at WWDC, several banners have been spotted at the Moscone Center where the event will take place. An emphasis is certainly placed on the iPhone, with every sign and banner featuring icons from either popular apps or upcoming titles. Of course, there’s no obvious sign of a new iPhone itself, but it’s not like Apple to give away their secrets. A series of photographs have been posted to Flickr showing the banners and Moscone Center as it looks. Check out the other photographs.

The only possible link to a new iPhone, picked up by a user of Flickr, is the green icon on the left-hand-side, featuring a gas pump. The number on the pump reads “32” which could be related to a 32GB iPhone. While it’s very much possible that we will see a 32GB iPhone, whether that icon was placed on purpose to draw attention, or whether it relates directly to the application itself, is unknown.

The most interesting part of the main banner is the writing that appears. “One year later. Light-years ahead.” It’s one year since the iPhone 3G was released, so that’s another hint towards a new iPhone. Light-years ahead would suggest some new technology that could be, dare I say, more advanced than the Palm Pre. There could be a great enhancement to the hardware, but with iPhone 3.0 in the hands of developers, there have been no findings of brand new features, that we’re not already aware of. Unless Apple have held back some parts of the OS 3.0 beta until the launch, I find it hard to see what could be light-years ahead at this point. But please, surprise me, Apple.

I’ve been excited for this year’s WWDC for some time now, but seeing progress made to the event itself, and the banners revealing little information, the fan-boy inside me can’t wait for the keynote.

Is there something specific you’re hoping to see for the new iPhone, or as part of iPhone OS 3.0? We’ll be covering the event as usual, with the live blog, first looks, analysis and more.

Photo credit [Adam Jackson (Flickr)]

Full Story » | Written by Ed Parry for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

New photos hosted on a Chinese blog appear to show user interface images of the new iPhone that may be announced at WWDC. Although nobody can even say for sure that a new iPhone is coming, it is pretty well accepted that there will be one. The images, although blurry, appear to be legitimate, if you ask me. They showcase some of the features everyone was expecting to be in a new version of the hardware.

The image above shows a side by side comparison of the camera on the old iPhone(left) and the rumored camera (right).  As you can see, it is much sharper. Furthermore, the image below shows the new CPU Activity screen log. The main image included with this post shows the digital compass that many users were expecting. This could be very helpful with maps such as Google Maps or location based apps. If I had to make a choice, I would say these are real.

Via [AppleInsider]

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The latest press release from Apple has outlined a few details about what we’ll be seeing at this years World Wide Developers Conference. The event will begin with the usual keynote from Apple, with Phil Schiller on stage at the normal time of 10 a.m. PDT on June 8. He will give a preview of the latest developments on Mac OS X Snow Leopard. The final version for developers will be unveiled, too, which leads us to believe its official release isn’t too far around the corner.

We’ll also see the public release of iPhone OS 3.0, and there will be a lot of information for developers concerning the 1,000 new APIs available. I’ve personally been excited about OS 3.0 since it’s first mention—it will likely be the most useful update to my iPhone so far.

Even though iPhone OS 3.0 will appear, there are two more things we’d like to see. I am referring to the next generation iPhone, and, of course, Steve Jobs. Jobs has been on medical leave since January, with his return scheduled for next month. I very much doubt he didn’t want to appear at the keynote, to be leading from the front again, so questions appear as to why Phil Schiller is standing in. Is Jobs still not feeling his best? Does he still need more time away from Apple? I feel that if he spends even more time away, people will begin to move forward without him. Yes, he’ll play a big part in decisions at Apple for as long as he can, but they won’t keep him on medical leave for ever.

Or, maybe Steve Jobs is feeling alright, and is prepared for his return. Maybe there’s something planned around the event. Nothing cheesy though, that’s certainly not Apple’s nature. No sneaking on to the stage, or randomly appearing around the event. I think we’ll see Steve Jobs on stage at some point during the keynote.

Where would be the ideal section for his return then? I’d place my bet near the end. Have a listen to this:

Phil Schiller, with the help of some Apple executives, has gone through Snow Leopard, iPhone OS 3.0 and explained what’s coming next as regards to the event. But then, more often than not, there’s a final section to the keynote; a part more famously known as “One More Thing…” How great would it be for Phil to introduce none other than Steve Jobs to present the next generation of iPhone, to go along with the new and improved Jobs leading from the front again? That would be brilliant, and would re-assure many.

Maybe I’m completely wrong; we don’t know. Either way, if you weren’t able to get your ticket for this years WWDC, make sure you’re back here for the live blog and in-depth coverage of the keynote announcements and more.

Full Story » | Written by Ed Parry for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Think you’ve got the best iPhone app out there? Best Mac OS X program? Well, if you’re an Apple Developer Connection (ADC) member or registered iPhone developer, from now through May 4th you can now submit your app for consideration in the Apple Design Awards 2009. The “best designed applications” will be honored at this year’s WWDC, to be held June 8-12 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.

From Apple’s website:

The Apple Design Awards reward and celebrate technical excellence, innovation, and outstanding achievement in iPhone and Mac software development. Each year, winning products set new standards for usability, performance, technology integration and adoption. This year’s winners will raise the bar even higher.

iPhone awards will be presented to:

• Up to four winners who have designed applications using iPhone SDK for iPhone SDK 2.2.1 (applications must be released versions and available on the App Store).
• One winner who has designed an application using iPhone OS 3.0 beta (application must be a pre-release version).
• One student winner who has designed an application using iPhone SDK for iPhone SDK 2.2.1 (application must be a released version and available on the App Store).

Mac OS X awards will be presented to:

• Up to four winners who have designed applications using Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (applications must be released versions).
• One winner who has designed an application using Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (application must be a pre-release version).
• One student winner who has designed an application using Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (application must be a released version).

Prizes include MacBook Pros, Cinema Displays, iPhone, iPods and more. Almost makes me wish I’d spent my high school and college years learning to write code instead of learning to write novels about UFOs and pointless robots.

Apple Design Awards 2009 details and entry forms are available at developer.apple.com/wwdc/.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Each year, Apple holds an event for developers of Mac OS X and the iPhone OS. This event—The World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC)—is held in the summer months, and Apple have set the dates for this year’s conference as 8th - 12th June 2009.

The event draws hundreds of developers together, offering huge amounts of help and information, through presentations and one-to-one set-ups from some of Apple’s engineers. A lot of the event means nothing to a lot of people, unless you’re a part-time coder or have an interest in developing applications for Apple systems. But there’s also a presentation that the rest of the world looks in for. This presentation is Apple’s chance to tell us what they’re up to, usually regarding development. Obviously, Apple won’t confirm this just yet, but it’s quite a safe bet that we’ll finally get our hands on iPhone OS 3.0. Currently only available to users of Apple’s developer program, we learnt OS 3.0 would be finished for the summer—and what better time to release than WWDC?

For iPhone 1.0, we saw the original iPhone, of course. For iPhone 2.0, we saw the iPhone 3G. Got the pattern yet? Again, nothing set in stone here, but rumors suggest a third remake of the iPhone will follow OS 3.0 out of Apple HQ. AT&T have been preparing a 7.2MB access speed, which should be ready by the summer. Ready for the new iPhone? There’s also another rumor hinting at video recording capabilities, not a minute too soon. It’s thought that video recording wasn’t able for the iPhone 3G because the memory used is not quick enough for video frame rates to be read to the memory. It seems strange that watching video was perfectly fine, but not to record.

Moving to the computer, there’s also the latest version of Apple’s OS, Snow Leopard that is expected to make an appearance this year. The World Wide Developer Conference will most likely be used to show an official release, and to set a date for its release…hopefully within a few months of the event itself.

So, WWDC 2009. For developers, there’s a lot of information about what to expect and on how to book your space over at Apple’s developer site. For everyone else, stay tuned for more updates regarding the event and possible products that could emerge.

Full Story » | Written by Ed Parry for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone software updates and announcements for December 17, 2008.

• Retina-X Studios, LLC, announced today the immediate availability of Mobile Spy for the Apple iPhone. Using this groundbreaking iPhone spy technology, users can silently monitor incoming and outgoing text messages (SMS) and call information of children or employees even if activity logs are erased. Immediately after activities are logged, they are silently uploaded to the user’s private online account. Accounts can be checked online from any browser without needing further access to the phone.
• Ergonis Software has announced the release of Typinator 3.3, the latest version of its for auto-typing and auto-correction tool. Typinator 3.3 comes with a total of over 8,000 predefined snippets making it a guaranteed productivity booster right out of the box, even without defining any own snippets. The new set-specific options are great for customizing snippet sets—assign a custom expansion sound or add a common prefix to hundreds of snippets—all with just a few clicks.
• Ohanaware has announced the immediate availability of an update to their flagship product Funtastic Photos. Funtastic Photos is a non-permanent and easily reversible photo editor, with over 50 simple to use 1-Click Styles, Advanced Effects engine, direct sharing via Fun Cards, Cell Phone and popular photo sharing sites. Free to existing customers, this minor update features several important improvements to the printing aspect of Funtastic Photos.
• Tapping It is delighted to announce Memento Xmas 1.1, a free, lite version of their popular e-card creation and sending app for iPhone and iPod Touch. Developed specifically to leverage the iPhone’s unique abilities and interface, Memento offers a natural feel and ease-of-use. Compose a card by picking one of the beautiful built-in styles, add a favorite photo, enter personalized text, and email just the perfect postcard. Just in time for the holidays, version 1.1 includes new Christmas styles.
• Flick Bowling has just been updated to version 1.2. This version of the the popular bowling game now allows you to create your own custom bowling ball, using any image or logo.
• Shiny Development Ltd. has announced Charades 1.0 for the iPhone, a fun application for the holiday season that brings iPhone gaming into the living room for everyone to enjoy. Charades for iPhone is a digital assistant for the popular family game, instead of struggling to think of a film, play, book, song or musical to mime out - simply push the lever, a drumroll begins and the curtain is raised on a new Charades challenge.
• Drync, LLC has announced the release of Drync-Wine. Drync-Wine uses federated search to scour multiple databases of nearly 1 million wines in real time to identify the exact wine a user is drinking. See wine details, professional reviews, ratings, and pricing. Users may snap a photo, save the wine to their own virtual cellar, and add their own tasting notes, all from their mobile device.
• Sonoma Wire Works has released a free update for RiffWorks Standard recording software. Export, 32-bit recording and 32-bit mix make RiffWorks Standard the ideal DAW companion. With RiffWorks Standard you can record ideas at the moment of inspiration, create complete songs with drums and effects, collaborate online with musicians around the world, post tunes to the RiffWorld online community, and now export to any DAW for editing and mastering.
• Sonoma Wire Works’ FourTrack multitrack audio recorder for the iPhone has been updated to v1.2. FourTrack users can now import tracks, complete with pan and gain settings, directly into RiffWorks recording software for Mac and Windows. Songs can be instantly posted from RiffWorks to the RiffWorld community for comments, online collaboration, and contests. More tracks, effects, and drums can be added to songs using RiffWorks. All tracks can be exported as .wav files for use in any DAW.
• Debuting at Macworld in San Francisco in January 2009, the Wazabee 3DeeFlector an autostereoscopic overlay will fit over any 13.3-inch laptop screen, such as Apple’s MacBook Air, allowing you to view 3D images.
• Makayama Software has released new software for the iPhone called Television. The name says it all; this app lets you watch TV on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Watch 50 shows from 30 channels on demand. It’s not live TV, but the best pre-recorded content from the USA, UK, France and Germany. Get the latest news, sports and entertainment on your iPhone. Television allows you to watch TV whenever and wherever you like, with the touch of a finger, instantly and on-demand via WiFi.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone software updates and announcements for December 8, 2008:

• Strands is bringing Lifestreaming to the iPhone and iPod touch through the Apple Store. Strands.com has allowed their members to bring all of their digital life together in one place for the past four months, and now they’re going mobile. Their award winning mobile team has created web app versions for iPhone and Nokia phones, but this is their first actual iPhone application.
• No Thirst Software LLC today has introduced MoneyWell 1.4, a free upgrade to its popular personal finance software package. MoneyWell 1.4 has over 50 new enhancements and gives users the top features they have been asking for, including a one-button solution to download transactions from hundreds of financial institutions and a redesigned interface that’s cleaner, more compact, and more informative.
• Altomac has announced the release of Running Applications 2009, their application launching utility for Mac OS X Leopard. Running Applications conveniently lists all running applications in a small, floating palette on the users Desktop. A single click brings an application, including all its opened windows, to the front, facilitating switching among apps a breeze. Users can create “applications sets”, which allow them to simultaneously launch, close or hide multiple applications at a time.
• iWebTemplate has introduced SEO Tool Set, a web-based resource for Mac enterprise and web developers alike. Offered exclusively for click and mortar, website or online business, Search Engine Optimization Tools is a comprehensive, browser based collection of tools designed to help anyone get a better handle on their website’s SEO. The resource is completely free and offers many unique features.
• Boinx Software has introduced BoinxTV 1.1, an update to its live-video production software. BoinxTV 1.1 improves the stability and is strongly recommended for all BoinxTV users. BoinxTV 1.1 comes with additional layers and a new template for a shopping channel. The previous demo period has been extended from 5 to 30 days, giving users more time to explore all the fascinating possibilities of BoinxTV to create great looking shows.
• Fiery Ferret has announced Rebound 1.0, a new entertainment application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. A surprisingly simple concept combined with playful graphics, Rebound offers a fun distraction to fill spare moments. In Rebound, users can choose from one of four unique toys; a bouncy ball, a bright balloon, a spiky mace, or an annoyed cat. With the swipe of a finger, these toys are sent ricocheting across the screen.
• BravoBug Software has announced the release of EasyBatch 1.2, a simple but powerful batch image processor for Mac OS X. EasyBatch provides a powerful set of image processing tools, all packed into an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. Version 1.2 features over a dozen improvements, including a brand new interface, saturation and contrast filters, automatic folder creation, more free watermarks, enhanced error checking, and several bug fixes.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Macintosh and iPhone software updates and announcements for December 3, 2008:

• Helium Foot Software has announced the Highbrow 1.0 Public Beta, their Mac web browser management utility. Highbrow enables anyone to utilize each installed web browser more effectively on the Mac by eliminating the annoyances that arise from using multiple web browsers. With Highbrow, users will always get the browser that they want. Highbrow v1.0 public beta is available until December 15th, 2008. On December 15th, Highbrow v1.0 will be released.
• iRingPro, makers of sophisticated iPhone ringtones for professionals and advanced mobile users, has issued today an open call for submissions for “The Best Free Ringtone On Earth.” The company intends to curate a living list of the very best, legal, free ringtones in the world. Once the list has reached critical mass, iRingPro will open public voting and the best of the best will be officially crowned “The Best Free Ringtone On Earth.”
• QuickerTek has announced a new external battery that works for the 30 pin connector iPods, iTouch & 3G iPhone. Users get up to 30 hours of additional music, 6 hours of video and 3 hours of talk time and offers users far more flexibility in how and when they choose to use their iPods or 3G iPhones. This new external battery is a great accessory to keep handy and the external battery will be available through QuickerTek and resellers next week.
• Glu Mobile Inc. has announced the launch its third title for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Dark Knight: Batmobile Game, which will be co-published with Warner Bros, further Glu’s development and publishing strategy of bringing a wide range of titles to all mobile platforms and devices. The game is now available to iPhone and iPod Touch consumers via the App Store.
• Bitnotic has announced the release of Bitnotic chill 1.0 for Mac OS X. Chill is easy-to-use software that creates 100% computer-generated, user-adjustable ambient music. Though purely machine made, Chill’s music is both relaxing and listenable.
• SuperMegaUltraGroovy has announced the immediate availability of FuzzMeasure Pro 3.1, an update to the award-winning audio and acoustical signal-analysis software package for Mac OS X Leopard. FuzzMeasure Pro 3.1 contains many fixes, and some new features, requested by FuzzMeasure’s extensive user base. Among the new features are A- and C-weighted acoustical measurements, clipping indicators on the input level meters, and various improvements in the three bundled Plug-Ins.
• Scosche Industries has announced the availability of its new reviveLITE cordless charger for iPod and iPhone. The reviveLITE charges all docking iPod and iPhone models, including the iPhone 3G and the recently introduced iPod nano 4th generation and iPod touch 2nd generation. Users simply select the appropriate adapter (included) for their iPod or iPhone and plug the reviveLITE into a wall outlet to charge. The reviveLITE’s frosted nightlight automatically illuminates in low light, and can be manually turned off if desired. The unit also meets Energy Star performance standards.
• comiXology has announced that its native iPhone application will be on sale from the iTunes App Store Friday, December 5th. It will sell for $1 off, at $3.99, for the first week only. Never again wonder which comics are coming out! comiXology provides you all the shipping information and artwork for comics and merchandise, including covers, creator and story info—and many preview pages! You can even save what you want to buy and review the list later.
• Described by Apple itself as the “funnest” iPod ever, the iPod touch may now be the “useful-est,” too, thanks to free software—Truphone for iPod Touch—that effectively turns one into a mobile phone. Not only is the software free, but calls made using Truphone’s application for the iPod touch are also free—just in time to save precious cash when making those holiday calls to friends and family.
• bambooapps has announced the update of Keep Your Word for Mac OS X Leopard. Version 1.3 brings many new features, like support for images, that now can be included in the Flash Cards mode, many new grouping and classification options or a new website where users can share their dictionaries.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

“Apple Inc.‘s announcement last week of a new iPhone designed to be more enterprise-friendly provoked a mix of curiosity and concern among IT managers who are weighing whether their organizations should purchase the trendy handheld for business use. The verdict: Apple still has both hardware and software issues to work through before the iPhone is likely to be widely adopted in corporate environments,” writes Matt Hambien for ComputerWorld.

What are the main reasons, you might ask? Well, the article focuses on one, and mentions another in passing. So, these “issues” currently amount to two, one of which is entirely unfounded. I’m actually amazed this article was even published, given that simply by watching the keynote at WWDC 2008 (that’s called “research”) the entire premise of this article is knocked out from under it. But enough of that. What’s this big problem?

IT professionals are complaining that they will have to use iTunes to distribute apps. From the article:

“I don’t want to be carrier-locked [to AT&T], and I don’t want to be forced to distribute apps via iTunes,” wrote Manjit Singh, CIO at at Chiquita Brands International Inc. He added that needing permission from Apple to put an internally developed application on iTunes “won’t be realistic” for Chiquita, which uses BlackBerry devices and has no plans to test the iPhone.”

Newsflash: Steve Jobs specifically addressed that issue in his keynote, saying that the enterprise can authorize certain iPhones to run certain apps not distributed through iTunes, but rather through the company’s intranet. Now, how about complaining about real issues such as the AT&T carrier lock (which was briefly mentioned) or the outrageous data/voice plans associated with the iPhone? Or maybe how the iPhone is apparently being limited in terms of 3G speeds? These are the problems that should be considered for businesses, not ones that don’t exist.

Via [Computerworld]

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At WWDC earlier this month, Steve Jobs has some developers step onstage to demo their iPhone 3G software. Apparently, this is just a tiny taste of what’s to come. According to a Mercury News report, the iPhone is creating its own economy of developers scrambling to get their software to the iPhone 3G.

“I’m seeing an excitement among mobile developers that I’ve never seen before,” said Sam Altman, chief executive and co-founder of Mountain View-based Loopt, a location-based social networking service. “People who said they’d never start a mobile (applications) company because they didn’t want to rely on the carriers are now starting companies focused only on the iPhone.”

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes Apple could be creating a billion-dollar industry built around the iPhone. Munster said the applications were “more powerful and attractive” than anything he’d seen on a mobile device before.

Head on over to the Mercury News for the full report.

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

If the stories here at Appletell about the iPhone weren’t enough, 2,781 stories about the iPhone were submitted to Digg. There’s also been an additional 24,066 about the iPhone on Google News. 47 of the iPhone stories submitted to Digg hit the front page. We also saw about 24 “iPhone Killer” stories. Regarding price, 21 of those 2,781 stories were about the iPhone’s price. Another interesting stat, 121 images of the iPhone stories were posted, though none made the front page.

Does the iPhone deserve all this hype? There are still tons of features we didn’t get from the iPhone, such a frontside camera for video confrencing and a replaceable battery. Apple’s apparently the type of company that doesn’t have do a whole lot to grab a huge amount of free press.

Via [Popfail]

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At WWDC last week, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, announced that the 8GB model of the new iPhone 3G will sell for a maximum of $199* across the world in any carrier. What pricing did each carrier choose? AT&T maxed out and will be selling it at $199. Outside of the States, some carriers will be offering it at the bare minimum or close to nothing (with a calling plan). In Germany, T-Mobile will sell the iPhone for only 1 euro to the customers who select the top plan. Another carrier, O2, who carriers the phone 3G in the U.K., announced the iPhone will be free for all customers who sign up for one of the top plans.

So, let’s do some math; an iPhone with AT&T would cost $199 for the phone and $69.99 a month for a two year contract, for a total of $1,878.76. An iPhone with a two year contract on T-Mobile in Germany would be a whoping $3,265.54 02, and the UK has a pretty good price of $2,107.44, only 12% more than AT&T’s plan.

By reading the first paragraph, you’re hooked onto getting a phone with T-Mobile. A euro for an iPhone? Come on, why not? Then, it’s $136 a month with T-Mobile… and $87.81 a month with O2. European carriers know what they’re doing.

* Prices in USD

[Via Apple 2.0]

Full Story » | Written by Nicholas Montgomery for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Haven’t caught all of the Appletell news this week?  Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• WWDC Keynote live blog
  ” We’re inching ever closer to what should be a huge Keynote from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. If you’re…” MORE »
• Pre-WWDC rumor and speculation round-up
  “Well, folks, its this time of year again. Tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. EST/9:00 a.m. PST, Steve will be donning the blue jeans and black turtle neck and heading for the stage of the Moscone Center. As this year’s World Wide Developer Conference…” MORE »
• Is this the new iphone?
  ”  I know, we’ve seen that question a lot over the past couple of weeks. And since we’re less than 24 hours away from the expected announcement, posting newly “leaked” images is much ado about nothing. But, we received this…” MORE »
• Appletell to offer live coverage of WWDC keynote
  ” Starting today at around 9:45 a.m. PST (12:45 p.m. EST), Appletell will be running a live blog with commentary on the announcements coming out of the Moscone Center. We’ve covered the Mac OS X rumors, we’ve analyzed the MORE »
• 3G iPhone announced
  ”  Steve, calling it the phone that changed phones, praised the iPhone’s 90% customer satisfaction and 98% mobile browsing and overall greatness. What could come next? Steve talks about them running out of iPhones, and their next mountain to climb. It’s a big…” MORE »
• Digital Legends Entertainment on iPhone
  ”  Digital Legends Entertainment debuted a currently unnamed iphone game today at WWDC. Similar to God of War, the game features an action/fantasy genre with a the player controlling their character and tackling…” MORE »
• Weighing in the on the 3G iPhone
  “Literally. Although speculation on the size and appearance of the new iPhone was all over the place, the end result was just what seasoned Apple followers expected: a bit sleeker, and a bit shinier.  The 3G iPhone weighs…” MORE »
• Super Monkey Ball on the iPhone
  ”  Everyone’s favorite glass-encased-monkey game is coming to the iPhone. We had a quick glimpse of the game during the “iPhone Software Roadmap Event,” but Sega has released more details at the…” MORE »
• You and me and the WWDC
  ”  I absolutely love the WWDC. I’ve never been to one, most likely never will be to one, but I absolutely love it. I love it because it’s the future of the Macintosh and all things Apple.  I should point…” MORE »
• iPhone Apps Demoed
  ”  Today at WWDC, after the iPhone 2.0 demo, they demoed many many apps created using the iPhone SDK.  The first App demoed is by Sega. It’s Super Monkey Ball. Hey, we saw this already. But today they’re showing us the…” MORE »

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Every year, Apple gives out awards to some of the best designed and most innovative apps out there for their operating system, and this year was no different. Coming in from many different categories, there are a variety of apps on the list this year. The iLife has a complete gallery and live blog from the event. Here were some of the winners:

• Best iPhone Social Networking Application Winner: Twitterrific by The Iconfactory
• Best iPhone Game Winner: Enigmo by Pangea Software, Inc.
• Best iPhone Productivity Application Winner: OmniFocus by The Omni Group
• Best Mac OS X Leopard User Experience Winner: Macnification by Orbicule
• Best Mac OS X Leopard Application Winner: ScreenFlow by Vara Software Limited
• Best Leopard Student Product Winner: Squirrel by Axel Peju

It’s nice to see Apple giving something back to their developers and recognizing them for all their hard work. Without these people doing that they do, Apple’s operating system would not be nearly as functional as it is today. With so many different choices to solve every problem, these developers help make the Mac OS X and iPhone experiences a great one. Keep it up, guys, and keep developing; we love your work!

Via [The iLife]

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For those of you who’s attention was grabbed by the images above during the presentation of MobileMe by Phil Schiller, whatever was on the top of his iPhone is definitely not a front-facing camera. A front-facing camera was one of many features that missed the iPhone 3G boat, much to the dismay of many Apple fanboys and girls. At 1:18:28 in the stream of the Keynote, Phil Schiller is seen demonstrating MobileMe on the iPhone, when, strangely, some sort of gunk (I really don’t want to know what it actually is) appears on the top of Phil’s iPhone.  Many people jumped to the conclusion that this stuff was an effort to conceal front facing cameras on the 3G iPhone, but, sorry to burst everyone’s bubble, it definitely most certainly is not. Interestingly, the mysterious unnamed substance is only seen on the iPhone at that one time, so it could just be an error in the video, not an actual occurrence. Whatever it is, it is definitely not one of the missing features of iPhone 2.0.

Via [Engadget] 

Full Story » | Written by Mark Rowland for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Haven’t watched Monday’s WWDC keynote yet? You may want to check it out now—in glorious high-definition QuickTime video and audio. Apple has quietly added an option to stream the WWDC 2008 keynote in HD to the existing page. I’m not sure why this has been added two days later; perhaps it took more time to encode, or perhaps Apple just didn’t feel like serving HD video on the day they were receiving millions of consecutive hits.

Nonetheless, you can check out both the standard and high-definition streams here. Alternatively, you can download both versions in a video podcast format for those that don’t have a fast enough connection for streaming, or who would like to watch it on their iPod or iPhone. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy watching Steve unveil Apple’s plans for the next year.

Via [MacUser]

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Despite the screenshots we saw yesterday showing Universal applications running under the purported Mac OS X 10.6, LogicielMac today surfaced a screenshot of the 10.6 developer build’s accompanying PDF, which shows support for Intel only.

Keeping in mind that this is just a developer build and it is still far from finished, the Intel-only stipulation does make sense. No new consumer features are being added in, so people with 10.5 won’t be missing out on any new iChat effects (God forbid!) and it really makes no sense to continue optimization on a platform that has been dead for years. I think of 10.6 as an Intel-optimized 10.5, with new underlying technologies that wouldn’t have had any application on the single and at most dual-processor PowerPC machines. This will pave the way for Mac OS Touch, which, while having a new naming scheme, will have the same underlying components from OS X. Carbon, however, will be gone, as the UI will be based on Cocoa Touch.

For those who doubt me, just check this article...the night before the internet erupted about Snow Leopard.

Mac OS X 10.6 will be the last iteration of OS X if Apple has a good plan. Its crowning feature will likely be resolution independence, but, other than that, there won’t be many new features, just improvements.

Which reminds me…why didn’t they talk about resolution independence in OS X 10.6? Do they really have it up their sleeve to get it done by Leopard? Sound off in the comments.

Full Story » | Written by Adam Fisher-Cox for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, a WWDC attendee, decided to hang around after the keynote and survey a few developers about their work with the iPhone SDK.

One of the most interesting of Munster’s findings was the fact that a whopping 70% of developers interviewed said their apps will be free. Also, 50% of developers are making “Enterprise Apps,” with 15% using location based APIs, 20% writing video games and entertainment apps, and another 15% writing “Enterpirse-level apps.”

With only 30% of iPhone apps costing money, and with an average price of $2.29 for apps that actually charge money, it seems like not very many developers followed Apple’s advice about charging for apps no matter what. With most apps being free, and a majority of paid apps costing under $3, this really starts to bring the App Store’s profitability into question, and contradicts reports that the App store will be a huge area of large amounts of profit for Apple and 3rd party developers. 

What do you think of all this? Do you think 70% of apps will actually be free, or do you think Gene happened to mostly interview developers who will provide free apps? Sound off below in the comments.

Via [Apple Insider]

Full Story » | Written by Mark Rowland for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »