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Mike Beasley

Review: 60Hz 3.0 for iOS reimagines how you interact with your TV schedule

Mike Beasley Jan 17 2014 - 12:00 am PT

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: Collection view

: Episode detail view

If you watch a lot of TV, you may be familiar with a problem that plagues many TV lovers: you can never keep track of which shows come on which nights or which episodes you missed last week. Thankfully, there are a whole host of online services that can track this information for you.

I’ve tried a few different apps to keep track of my TV viewing habits, and today one of my favorite apps in this category, 60Hz, has been updated with a brand new design and a bunch of new features and tweaks.

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Google developing “Chromoting” remote desktop management app for iOS

Mike Beasley Jan 16 2014 - 8:27 pm PT

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Google has been working on a remote desktop management app for Android devices called “Chromoting” since last year, but today an entry in the Chromium issue tracker has revealed that an iOS version is also under developement. The issue, which was opened on Wednesday, indicates that the iOS version is still very much in the design stage, while its counterpart on Android is much further along in its development.

According to the post, the iOS version is is expected to be released much later than the Android client. The features of the app have mostly been kept under wraps, but it looks like a fairly straightforward piece of software that allows you to access and manipulate remote machines using Chrome as a condiut for the connection. The biggest advantage Chromoting would have over similiar solutions would be the low, low price of $0.00.

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Kickstarter: Paradock dual-dock concept for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices

Mike Beasley Jan 16 2014 - 1:00 am PT

5 Comments

[kickstarter url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swipecases/paradock-game-changing-dock-for-iphone55s5cipadand width=700]

A new Kickstarter campaign launched today to fund the Paradock, a new type of dock that can support multiple devices simultaneously, with or without cases.

The Paradock is made up of four parts. The largest part is the body, which houses everything. Any charging cable can be fed through the bottom of the body to the device, allowing compatibility with just about any mobile device, from iPhones and iPads to a variety of Android devices. The four main parts of the dock are held together magnetically for easy disassembly.

The front of the Paradock rotates to allow for landscape or portrait usage, and the heavy base allows the device to easily disconnect. The front also contains an acoustic amplifier to boost the volume of music and phone calls. There’s also a dual version that has a second dock on top of the body. The second dock is perfect for charging a tablet while your phone occupies the front slot. Like the front dock, the rear dock works with any charging cable.

The Paradock’s creator is looking for $27,000 to fully fund the production of the docks by February 7th.

Upcoming app will allow you to stream all 24 seasons of The Simpsons, but only through certain cable providers

Mike Beasley Jan 15 2014 - 8:20 pm PT

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Last year, FX sister site FXX landed the exclusive cable and video-on-demand rights to The Simpsons, and it looks like fans of the show will finally see a payoff soon. While the nearly $1 billion deal includes cable distribution rights, the big news is that FX will be launching a dedicated app that allows subscribers to stream the entire series (all 24 seasons and counting) legally from mobile devices and the web …
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Apple updates WWDC 2013 app with fix for video playback problems

Mike Beasley Jan 15 2014 - 6:29 pm PT

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Apple has just released an update for last year’s WWDC app to address an issue that has prevented developers from being able to watch session videos through the app for quite some time time. All of the videos are also available on the iOS developer portal, so the bug fix probably wasn’t very high on Apple’s priority list.

If you still want to use the WWDC app for some reason, it’s available for free on the App Store, but requires a paid developer login to view the videos.

[tweet https://twitter.com/PiersonBro/status/423640348804407297 align=’center’]

What’s New in Version 1.0.3

This release addresses an issue where developers were unable to log into the app to watch videos. Thank you for your bug reports and feedback.

Leaked images provide a first look at the new flagship Apple Store in Brisbane, Australia

Mike Beasley Jan 14 2014 - 4:50 pm PT

2 Comments

Apple is opening a new retail outlet in Brisbane this week, but you won’t have to wait until Friday to see the finished store. Images have leaked online from an anonymous source (via MacRumors). This will be Apple’s twenty-second store in the country, and one of the first few new stores opened in 2014.

We’ve included even more of the leaked shots below.

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Review: Evomail+ is not the Mail replacement it tries to be

Mike Beasley Jan 14 2014 - 8:00 am PT

5 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6l0_zwLrXA]

Evomail launched in 2013 as one of the many new contenders in the iPhone email client market. Today Evomail 2.0 (now branded “Evomail+”) has been released to the public. The update features a redesigned interface to blend in with iOS 7’s new aesthetic.

But is a redesign and an improved feature set enough to make you switch away from your current mail app? Keep reading to find out.

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Apple reportedly planning to bring back 8 GB iPhone 4 in India to combat slow sales

Mike Beasley Jan 13 2014 - 5:48 pm PT

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The Times of India reports that Apple is planning to re-introduce the 8 GB version of the iPhone 4 in India to combat its sluggish sales. The report states that the company hopes the even lower price of the device will help win back its share of the market, which is slipping away to competitors.

The phone would be available at a lower price than before, reportedly around ₹15,000 (about $240). Apple lost a large portion of its market share in India after phasing out the iPhone 4, which was previously one of the country’s top three phones.

In the US, Virgin Mobile has kept the venerable iPhone 4 8GB around, selling it for a measly $179 Off contract.

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Dropbox denies claims of a security breach, blames downtime on ‘internal maintenance’ issue (update: DDoS attack, no security breach)

Mike Beasley Jan 10 2014 - 7:00 pm PT

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Update 2: The attackers have admitted that the attack was a simple DDoS and that the database was not compromised. The leaked information was apparently fake.

Dropbox has gone offline due to what some are claiming is a breach of the company’s website. The company claims that the outage was caused by an issue that arose during routine maintenance.

We are aware of an issue currently affecting the Dropbox site. We have identified the cause, which was the result of an issue that arose during routine internal maintenance, and are working to fix this as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience.

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Apple drops 5.7% to fourth place or rises 28% in Q4 U.S. PC shipments, depending who you ask

Mike Beasley Jan 9 2014 - 3:13 pm PT

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IDC has announced preliminary PC shipment numbers for the fourth quarter of 2013, with Apple dropping from third to fourth place on the list. Apple shipped about 438,000 fewer machines than the same quarter in the previous year, allowing Lenovo to catch up and overtake them, despite Lenovo’s gain of only 163,000 shipped units.

HP, Dell, and Toshiba maintained the same positions as the previous year. While most companies lost a portion of their market share this year, Lenovo and Dell managed to claim most of the free space in the market. Overall the market saw a 1.6% drop over last year’s sales—about 285,000 shipments.

Gartner, on the other hand, reports that Apple actually gained quite a bit of market share. How these two numbers are so far apart is a mystery, but it’s possible that IDC included Surface-style tablets in its numbers, potentially skewing the results in comparison to Gartner’s numbers.
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Apple and Samsung agree to mediation in latest patent battle

Mike Beasley Jan 8 2014 - 6:23 pm PT

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Reuters reports that the CEOs of both Samsung and Apple have agreed to sit down with their lawyers and hash out a settlement in the latest of the never-ending patent suits between the two companies. Legal teams from both companies decided on this course of action earlier this week.

The meeting will take place some time next month, ahead of the actual court proceedings scheduled for March. If the two companies managed to reach a settlement, they could bypass the entire court process, saving both sides of the fight from financial and legal headaches.

Apple opens official online store through Chinese e-commerce site Tmall

Mike Beasley Jan 7 2014 - 8:37 pm PT

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Apple has launched a new online store through Tmall, a Chinese popular e-commerce site Tmall, reports the Wall Street Journal. Tmall, which is owned by the Alibaba Group, is already home to thousands of official retail outlets for other brands, such as Nike. The new storefront will not replace Apple’s own first-party store, but will instead complement it.

Like the store on Apple’s website, the Tmall store will be participating in Apple’s “Red Friday” sales event later this week. Unlike Apple’s eBay store in the United States, the Tmall site sells brand-new products rather than refurbished ones.

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Google updates YouTube for iOS 7 with improved search results and captions

Mike Beasley Jan 7 2014 - 5:23 pm PT

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The YouTube app for iOS has been updated with a new design for iOS 7, including the new keyboard and status bar, and a blurred sidebar design like that found in other apps.

The update also includes improved search results that include videos, playlists, and channels all on one screen. Finally, the new version introduces new settings for closed captioning and subtitles.

You can grab the free YouTube app on the iOS App Store.

Apogee announces JAM 96k guitar interface and MiC 96k microphone for iOS devices and Mac

Mike Beasley Jan 6 2014 - 6:59 pm PT

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Apogee has announced the new MiC 96k microphone and the JAM 96k guitar interface for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The full press releases can be found below.

Apogee Announces New MiC 96k – Professional Microphone for iPad, iPhone and Mac
Santa Monica, California, January 6, 2014 – Apogee Electronics is pleased to introduce MiC 96k, a professional digital microphone for iPad, iPhone and Mac. Use MiC 96k to record vocals, voice overs, acoustic guitar, piano, drums or anything in-between. Inspired by the most revered and classic microphones in history, MiC 96k is designed to sound amazing and be easy for anyone to use with their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac.
What’s new

Introduced in 2011, the original MiC has become the mobile microphone of choice for both aspiring and professional artists looking for that big-studio sound. The new MiC 96k, which features the same look and portable form factor as the original, now provides the ability to make higher fidelity recordings – up to 24-bit/96kHz – and includes an iOS Lighting cable as well as a microphone stand adapter in the box. Like its predecessor, MiC 96k also includes an iOS 30-pin cable, Mac USB cable, and table-top tripod stand.
About Apogee

Founded in 1985, Apogee Electronics designs and manufacturers award-winning audio recording solutions that are easy to use and sound amazing. Apogee products like Symphony I/O, Quartet, Duet, ONE, JAM and MiC have been instrumental in creating countless GRAMMY® and OSCAR® winning recordings by the world’s most successful music artists. For more information, please visit http://www.apogeedigital.com
MiC 96k Highlights

PureDIGITAL connection for pristine sound quality
Designed for voice and acoustic instrument recording
Studio quality cardioid condenser microphone
Up to 96kHz, 24-bit analog-to-digital recording
Works with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac
Includes iOS Lightning cable, iOS 30-pin cable, Mac USB cable
Simple setup, you can start recording in minutes
Apogee engineered microphone preamp with up to 40dB of gain
Control knob allows easy input level adjustment
Multicolor LED for status indication and input level monitoring
All metal construction
Microphone stand adapter included
No batteries or external power required
Compatible with GarageBand, Logic Pro and Pro Tools
Made in the U.S.A.

Price: $229 USD
Availability: Now Shipping Worldwide

Apogee Announces New JAM 96k – Professional Guitar Interface for iPad, iPhone and Mac
Santa Monica, California, January 6, 2014 – Apogee Electronics is pleased to introduce JAM 96k, a new professional guitar interface for iPad, iPhone and Mac. JAM 96k lets you easily connect your guitar to your iPhone, iPad or Mac, whether you’re on-the-go or in the most advanced recording studio. Its circuitry is designed to reproduce the unique interaction between guitar and tube amp, resulting in an authentic tone and responsive feel from any guitar or music creation app you choose. For beginners to the most seasoned guitar players, JAM 96k delivers an inspiring experience for practicing, recording, or just jamming.
The original pro guitar interface for iOS

JAM was first introduced in 2011 alongside iPad 2 and GarageBand for iPad as part of Apple’s keynote presentation, marking the start of the iOS music recording revolution. Since then, JAM has become the standard for both aspiring and professional musicians. Its design and studio-quality sound inspired many imitators to follow in the iOS recording market.
What’s new

The new JAM 96k features tube amp tone emulation and a beautiful nickel-plated finish. JAM 96k also provides the ability to make higher fidelity recordings – up to 24-bit/96kHz – and includes an iOS Lighting cable in the box. Like its predecessor, JAM 96k also includes an iOS 30-pin cable and Mac USB cable.
About Apogee

PureDIGITAL instrument connection delivers pristine sound quality
Designed for electric guitar, bass and acoustic instrument with a pickup
Discrete Class A Input stage emulates the tone and responsive feel of a classic guitar amp
Nickel plated finish
Up to 96kHz, 24-bit analog-to-digital recording
Works with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac
Includes iOS Lightning cable, iOS 30-pin cable, Mac USB cable
Simple setup, you can start recording in minutes
Control knob allows easy input level adjustment
Multicolor LED for status indication and input level monitoring
Studio quality instrument preamp with up to 40dB of gain
No batteries or external power required
Made in the U.S.A.

Price: $129 USD
Availability: Now Shipping Worldwide

Apple announces January 10th ‘Red Friday’ sale for its Asia online and physical stores

Mike Beasley Jan 6 2014 - 6:49 pm PT

1 Comment

Apple has announced its “Red Friday” sale for the Asian online and physical retail stores. The sale will offer one-day discounts on Apple products, much like “Black Friday” in the United States, to celebrate the new lunar year at the end of January.

Apple hasn’t specified exactly what specials will be offered, but price cuts on Macs and mobile devices is the usual for these sales.

Apple wraps up 12 Days of Gifts with free Rolling Stones live album

Mike Beasley Jan 6 2014 - 12:00 am PT

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Apple has released the 12th and final gift in its 12 Days of Gifts campaign. The last free item from the iTunes Store is a three-track live album from the Rolling Stones—Sweet Summer Sun, Live in Hyde Park 2013. The album was first released on New Years Day and features live performances of “Beast of Burden,” “Tumbling Dice,” and “Doom & Gloom.”

This marks the end of Apple’s campaign for this year, which was the first time the promotion has ever been available in the United States.

Siri is unimpressed with fictional virtual assistant’s performance in “Her”

Mike Beasley Jan 5 2014 - 2:07 pm PT

1 Comment

Images via BuzzFeed

Siri isn’t a fan of the new Spike Jonze movie Her, if her recently-spotted responses regarding the movie’s titular AI are any indication. The film centers on a lonely man who falls in love with his cell phone’s virtual assistant, which many viewers immediately recognized as an advanced version of Siri.

As BuzzFeed noticed today, asking Siri about the actually-artificial intelligence causes her to respond with a variety of disparaging lines that sometimes border on jealousy. The responses are separate from Siri’s movie knowledge, and asking for Her showtimes will still return the proper response, though Siri might start going through your contacts to see what other artificial intelligences you’ve been talking to recently.

[tweet https://twitter.com/aukermania/status/419961572560093184]

Peak iTunes? Digital music downloads decrease for the first time since the online store opened

Mike Beasley Jan 3 2014 - 10:14 pm PT

4 Comments

For the first time since the iTunes Store in 2003, digital music sales have declined over the past year, reports Billboard. Specifically, individual song downloads took the biggest hit, dropping to 1.26 billion—a 5.7% from the previous year’s total. Entire albums fared substantially better, with only a 0.1% drop overall from 2012.

So far there are no official numbers on streaming music, so it’s quite possible (and likely) that streaming solutions such as iTunes Radio have actually overtaken purchases as the preferred method of listening. In fact, shortly after iOS 7’s launch, Pandora reported in influx of new users, even as Apple moved many of its own users to its new streaming platform.

Digital downloasds aren’t the only thing that’s declined over the past year. Physical CD sales have also dropped 14.5%, although that hardly seems unexpected. What is unexpected is the fact that vinyl sales have actually increased by 31% in the past year. What’s old is new again…

And in case you’re wondering, Robin Thicke took the title of most-downloaded song of 2013 with his hit “Blurred Lines.” Second on the list was “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

Corning announces 3D-shaped Gorilla Glass variant for curved displays

Mike Beasley Jan 3 2014 - 2:03 pm PT

2 Comments

Gorilla Glass featured in action during product testing.

Corning, the company that makes the Gorilla Glass found in Apple’s iOS devices and many other mobile phones across the market, announced today that they have achieved “manufacturing readiness” for a 3D-shaped version of Gorilla Glass. This essentially means that the company has finished developing the process to create this new and improved glass and is ready to start manufacturing it for smartphone manufacturers and other companies.

The press release notes that “more than half of the top 10 smartphone manufacturers already market devices that incorporate cover glass with subtle curves.” Up until now, those phones have had to forego the super-durable display afforded by Corning and settle for something more pliable.

What this means in the long run is that phones with curved displays will become less of a compromise in quality for companies like Apple, which was rumored to be developing a curved-glass iPhone for some time in the near future, perhaps even next year.

Scanner Pro for iOS available for free as the first iTunes App of the Week in 2014

Mike Beasley Jan 2 2014 - 4:16 pm PT

4 Comments

Scanner Pro, the document-scanning app for iPhone and iPad created by Readdle, is available for free this week as part of Apple’s “App of the Week” promotion. The app uses an iOS device’s camera to scan documents, complete with real-time border detection for perfectly-sized scans, and stores them as PDFs in a variety of cloud services, including iCloud and Google Drive.

The app also supports outgoing faxes directly from the app, in case you need to fax a signed document back to someone. Outgoing fax credits are available as in-app purchases.

You can grab your free copy of Scanner Pro on the App Store for this week only. After that the price goes back to the regular $6.99.

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Here’s what’s inside Apple’s $340 Japanese Lucky Bags this year

Mike Beasley Jan 1 2014 - 9:41 pm PT

18 Comments

Apple’s 2014 Lucky Bags went on sale in Japan today. The sale is an annual tradition in which Apple sells bags full of assorted Apple products and accessories, with buyers not knowing what they’re actually getting until they look inside. This year’s bags cost ¥36,000, which comes out to around $340.

The bags this year come with one of a few different sets, as reported by Macotakara. Every bag includes an Incase City Collection Compact backpack, which costs $99.95 on its own. The backpack is a special edition that was apparently created for the Lucky Bag sale, and features accents that are the same red color as the actual bag.

Also included in most bags is a T-shirt like the one in the photo above. There are apparently a few different designs floating around. We don’t have an exact retail price for that shirt, but we’re going to go out on a limb and estimate that the majority of the bag’s value is not found in this shirt. The last of the common items is a Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation. Like the Incase backpack, the Juice Pack has been specially designed to match the Lucky Bags.

Then we get to the good stuff. There are four different kinds of Lucky Bag for sale, each with a different Apple product and a set of accessories to go with it. One of the bags contains an 11-inch MacBook Air, while another comes with a Wi-Fi-only iPad Air (presumably 16 GB).

The third type of bag includes a new Wi-Fi iPad mini (apparently not the Retina model), and a few accessories:

Jaybirds BlueBuds X Bluetooth headphones ($169.95)
Stem IZON app-controlled remote camera ($99.95)
Logitech Ultimate Ears Mobile Boombox ($89.99)
Square card reader ($9.99, or free when you sign up for Square)

The final bag being sold this year comes with an iPod nano and the following accessories:

Jaybirds BlueBuds X Bluetooth headphones ($169.95)
Logitech Ultimate Ears Mobile Boombox ($89.99)
Incase Sports Armband Pro for iPod nano (29.95)
Griffin Courier Clip for iPod nano ($24.95)

Tweetbot for iPhone adds support for viewing photos in direct messages

Mike Beasley Dec 30 2013 - 2:24 pm PT

1 Comment

Tweetbot for iPhone was updated today to add support for viewing photos send via the service’s direct messaging feature. Tweetbot is one of the first third-party apps for iOS to support the photo feature, which was introduced in the official Twitter client earlier this month.

Unfortunately Twitter does not allow third-party clients to send photos in direct messages, so you’ll still have to use the official Twitter app to send them. The update also includes miscellaneous bug fixes.

You can grab Tweetbot for iPhone for $4.99 on the iPhone App Store.

What’s New in Version 3.2.1

– Added support for viewing images in Direct Messages. Sending images in Direct Messages is not yet supported by the Twitter public API.
– Various bug fixes

Apple signage says new flagship Brisbane, Australia store opening soon

Mike Beasley Dec 29 2013 - 4:29 pm PT

5 Comments

Signage for a new Apple Store in Brisbane, Australia has started appearing. The store will be located in the MacArthur Chambers building. The store doesn’t have an official opening date yet, but the second week of January seems to be a pretty decent estimation.

[tweet https://twitter.com/ifostore/status/417444455042400256 align=’center’]

The new location will be the twenty-first Apple Store in the country. The new store will also help push forward Tim Cook’s vision of selling even more Apple devices through first-party retail stores.

[tweet https://twitter.com/AnJellyCue/status/417435253909639169 align=’center’]

Google launches new Google+ auto-backup utility for Mac with latest Picasa update

Mike Beasley Dec 29 2013 - 10:33 am PT

3 Comments

The latest version of Picasa includes an additional bit of software called Google+ Auto Backup, as reported by Google Operating System. The new software can be used to automatically backup photos and videos from user-selected directories to your Google+ account. Interestingly, the app has nothing to do with the Picasa service, even though it ships exclusively with the Picasa app.

The app can save unlimited 2048px photos to your account, or upload full-quality versions at the expense of Google Drive space. It can also intelligently copy media from storage cards and other devices that are attached to the system. Furthermore, the app can be configured to backup all media to a designated location on the local hard drive, putting all of your backed-up media in one convenient place.

You can get the Google+ Auto Backup app by downloading the latest version of Picasa.