Macgasm

Wolfram|Alpha, the computational knowledge engine, has recently launched a mobile counterpart in the Apple store. Much to the typical iPhone/iPod touch users’ surprise, though, the app was launched at $49.99. Some have claimed that the app itself is overpriced, especially in light of the fact that the majority of iPhone apps are $3.99 and under (with most being a mere 99 cents). John Gruber of Daring Fireball, on the other hand, has made a powerful statement as to why the cost should be set high:

There’s widespread consensus that the current race-to-the-bottom in App Store pricing discourages the development of deep, significant applications. If all anyone is buying are quick-hit apps, then all anyone will make are quick-hit apps. We can’t have it both ways, folks. By pricing the app at $50, Wolfram is clearly saying, “This app is significant.”

He’s right. But is the app significant? We took it for a test drive and we’re letting you know what we’ve found.

To answer the question, I’m inclined to say yes, Wolfram|Alpha is pretty darn significant. As a computational knowledge engine, they have a pretty lofty goal in an “ambitious, long-term project to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable by anyone. Enter your question or calculation and Wolfram|Alpha uses its built-in algorithms and a growing collection of data to compute the answer.” The app takes this online knowledge and presents it in a fashion that’s both fun and shareable (verbally, that is, and on Twitter). Compared to the web frontend itself (which is totally not optimized for mobile devices), the iPhone app presents data in an easy to read fashion, and you’re definitely asking for more.

Let’s take a look at a few of the queries that can be computed or discovered using Wolfram|Alpha. Can you tell which one was computed on the web interface? The app presentation is clearly much more powerful and aesthetically pleasing.

More than that, though, this app is great for knowledge discovery. I know I’m not done unleashing its potential. Thankfully, they even have a gallery to show me what I can potentially discover on the application.

So, is it worth the $50? That’s hard to say. In comparison with the pricing of the other apps in the store, it does sound like a bit much, especially since this information is mostly for knowledge enthusiasts but it’s not one of those apps or games you’d be using religiously. Truth be told, I don’t know how many people would buy it for such a high cost either. You can clearly tell that the significance of this app is there, though; there was a lot of hard work poured into the development of this application, but that’s not to say that other cheaper apps have had any lesser dedication put forth into their development. It’s a fun app to have, though, but unless you’re absolutely finding this data useful on a regular basis, it’s hard to justify the cost, at least right now in comparison to the other applications. If other app developers followed in Wolfram|Alpha LLC’s lead and raised the cost of their own applications, the cost of this app wouldn’t be so hard to swallow. Until then, though, it’s an expensive addition that might not provide more than an hour of utility — but that utility will be extremely powerful if taken advantage of.

That said, if you are a knowledge buff, BUY this app. You’ll absolutely love it. First, try out their search engine online and see what kind of potential it has (there’s a lot). Then see what you can harness in the palm of your hand. You’ll see how incredibly immersive it is to those of you knowledge aficionados. But if you’re not a knowledge buff, the web version (that is, on your computer, not your iPhone) will serve you just fine.

Like most websites, Macgasm has advertising. We have ads not only to keep the site up, but also so our writers can eventually become full-time contributors. Because we have ads, every drop of content that we provide has zero monetary cost to you. I believe this to be a lovely setup that benefits everyone. Josh, our Editor In Chief here at Macgasm, picks every ad by hand. We don’t cycle through randomly generated ads. We only display ads from partners that we trust. This means you never have to worry about clicking a link on any Macgasm.net page. You will never receive malware or experience phishing sites from any advertisement on our site.

That said, I want to explain how the editorial process works for me. First, I come up with a topic I want to write about. Then, I do any research that is required. Next, I write the post. I then submit the post to Trish, our editor, and she checks for spelling and grammatical errors. The post is then scheduled to show up on the main page. That is it. There is absolutely no tomfoolery. If I felt the urge to write a negative review of an application from an advertiser, I would do so with no delay. Advertising pressure is never — NEVER — an issue for me. I am completely free to write whatever I wish as long as it pertains to Apple.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment on this post, tweet me, or e-mail me.

Photo Credit: JasonRogersFotographie

If there’s one thing we can’t stay out of the echo chamber about it’s official Apple releases. 10.6.2 is out, and it’s coming in at a whopping 160MB.

That common Safari bug that messes up your UI for the App seems to have been patched according to their work log, and that pain in the butt four finger swipe bug has also gotten some attention. Most notable of the bunch is the guest account bug that was deleting random data has seen a patch, so all in all it sounds like a pretty effective patch.

You can get the full patch log here: Apple’s Website.

Via Software Update

There is a rumor circulating around the plans for Mac OS X 10.6.2, the nascent update for Snow Leopard. Supposedly, the upcoming update will kill all support for the Atom processor.

What does this entail for the ‘regular’ user, absolutely nothing. The Atom Processor has never been used in any Apple product. Therefore, anybody running any Apple sanctioned hardware should not have a problem. However, the Atom processors and related chipsets are heavily used within the hackintosh community.

The Atom processor is an Intel Processor that is heavily used by netbooks, and lower power desktops that are mainly used for everyday tasks, such as Facebook, Email, Reading Blogs (hopefully macgasm.net) and productivity applications like Word and Excel. They are not used within the main Apple line of products.

What is a hackintosh, you ask? Well it’s any non-apple hardware that runs Mac OS X. Many users have been lusting after an Apple netbook. In order to alleviate the lust many brave souls forge ahead and install Mac OS X on their netbooks with surprisingly good results. The practice of installing Mac OS X on non-apple hardware has been going on since the release of the first Intel Macs back in 2006.

What does this change mean for those with current hackintosh machines? Well, it means that they cannot update their installations of Mac OS X, which means no more security updates, no more iTunes updates, and no updates to any of their software that might depend on a later update.

This is a double-edged sword for Apple. They want to stop the hackintosh community and preserve the integrity of the experience. Yet, simultaneously by blocking access to software updates Apple has decided to leave these machines out in the open, with security vulnerabilities.

Some would claim that the type of users who are going to create a mackintosh are more sophisticated, and while that maybe the majority of the cause that is not the case global.

Remember, this is only a rumor, however the Apple rumor mill has been pretty much spot on lately. Therefore, there is no reason not to believe this rumor. As with all of the games that Apple has managed to play, the hackers will always find a way around this. It’s a never going to win scenario when Apple pits themselves against the more determined hackintoshers.

Once again, it is nearing my favorite time of year. Until December 25th, I will be posting tips on how you can use your Mac, iPod, or iPhone to make the holiday season a tiny bit merrier.

Cali Lewis, Geoff Smith, Paul Colligan, and Neal Campbell put together a 30-minute video of a yule log burning to the sweet sounds of Christmas music. They sell it in editions for your iPod, iPhone, Mac, and AppleTV for prices as low as $5. If that wasn’t cool enough, they also donate a portion of the profit to three different charities. For a very small price, you can do something nice for you, your family, and society on the whole. You can make everyone’s season brighter.

Photo Credit: Susan E Adams, iYule.tv

I’ve been using my Zune HD for over a month now and I use it almost exclusively for all audio. I do not watch much video on my Zune, but I never did watch much on any of my iPods and iPhoneOS devices much either.

Since getting my Zune I have noticed a rather apparent feature that I keep trying to duplicate with my iPhone that I do with my Zune. The , and I’m surprised that the iPhone OS does not have this, is the ability to swipe to get to the next song.

If you’re sitting listening to a bunch of songs and want to switch songs you can just swipe with your finger to the left or right. The gesture is such a natural one and is entirely intuitive. Yet, I wonder why the iPhone OS cannot do this.

Here is a video of the sliding to the next song.

Now I stated that I use it almost exclusively for audio. There are two types of audio that I tend to use my iPhone for more often; the two types both hinge on the same iPhoneOS feature. “Double-speed”.

the “Double-speed” which is actually only 1.5 speed. Maybe I should file a lawsuit about it. This is very useful when you have a long list of podcasts or an extremely long audiobook that you are listening to.

The more intriguing part of the whole thing is that when I listen to a podcast at “double-speed” I actually seem to understand it quite a bit more than at normal speed.

Overall I still enjoy the Zune HD, and I’m not sure if I will get another iPod in the future or not. So far it does not look as though I will be replacing the Zune.

There is one feature I’d like to see with the Zune 4.0 Software, Growl support. There is Growl for Windows, if the Zune Software supported Growl I could send the updates to my Mac, which could then update my Adium status with the current song Im listening to; but that’s probably just a pipe dream.

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Editor’s Note: Patrick Jordan is the founder of Just Another iPhone Blog. If there was ever a group that could turn us on to some great applications that we’ve never heard of before it would be these guys.  Patrick was kind enough to share some recommendations with us.

There’s An App for Finding Good iPhone Apps

Apple recently announced that the number of available apps in the iPhone App Store has passed 100,000. As the ginormous numbers associated with the App Store have grown and grown – tens of thousands of apps, billions of downloads and so on – I’ve started to feel a little numb to them.

The store’s a massive success, no doubt about it – and as the TV ads remind us, there’s an app for just about everything by now. As most of you likely know though, that does not mean that it’s easy to find a good app when you want or need one. Well, unless you’re a huge fan of ‘Put any word in front of bikini girls’ type apps that is. I run an iPhone apps-focused site, I follow RSS feeds devoted specifically to new apps – and even I still find I want some help finding ‘hidden gem’ type apps, bargain apps, and similar.

Luckily, as you may not be shocked at all to learn, there’s an app for this. In fact, there are quite a few apps for this. So when Joshua asked me to do a guest post here, I thought I’d share some thoughts on some of those as ways to discover good new iPhone apps.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the apps and services that I’ve used to help me find worthwhile iPhone apps (all of these are free):

Appsfire

An app recommendations service that offers a website, a native Mac app, and an iPhone app that make it easy to share your recommendations with friends, or anyone else you want to share with. Between the iPhone app and the site, you can share your sets of picks via email, website widget, or just via a direct link.

Pros: Easy to jump straight into – it sees all your apps and you just start sharing whichever ones you want. You can make as many sets of apps as you like – just one big list, or sets for Games, Productivity, Media and so on, however you like. Also offers a good Discover section – where you can browse lists like Global Top 15 Clicked Apps, Top 15 Grossing Apps, and ‘VIP’ selections from a number of web ‘experts’ (including yours
truly).

Cons: There’s no easy way to edit an existing list you’ve created. You pretty much have to just make a new one, but then titles become a little dodgy. Does not recognize jailbreak apps, and can be a bit thrown off in its display of all apps when your phone is jailbroken.

Bargain Bin

iPhone app that focuses on helping you find apps that have gone to free, are on sale, or have had price reductions.

Pros: Offers push notifications – so you can set a target price level on an app you fancy (say $6.99 for an pp currently at $9.99) and receive an alert when it hits your desired level; as well as getting alerts for all apps that go to free and similar. Filters that let you see just free apps, just sale apps, or all.

Cons: Not the nicest of UIs in my view – very busy.

AppMiner

Highlights apps on sale as well as new and top rated apps.

Pros: Lets you browse through all new apps / top rated apps / apps on sale, or look at each by category. Lets you choose which store (US or others) and which categories to include. Has a Watch List for apps you want to keep an eye on. Nice UI.

Cons: No push alerts yet.

Store Extend

Nearly identical focus as AppMiner has.

Pros: Very clean, nice UI.

Cons: No push alerts yet.

Chorus

A ‘social’ discovery app – that wants to have you sharing app recommendations with your friends from Facebook and Twitter and similar, and also within the app.

Pros: I didn’t use this one enough to get to know its advantages – see below for why. I my need to give it another shot at some point and allow the Twitter and Facebook elements.

Cons: Forces you to create an account with them as Step 1 before you can do anything at all with the app. That put me off right away to be honest. It then wants you to provide your Twitter and Facebook login details as well (I declined). Its initial recommendations for me (after taking time creating an account and answering a set of initial questions) were way out in left field.

Genius

Apple’s feature they added to a recent iPhone firmware update. Genius for music, applied to apps. If you haven’t already noticed this new feature, it is a tab on the Features tab within the App Store.

Pros: I was not super impressed the first few times I tried this out. It has definitely improved with time though, and when I last checked its recommendations a couple nights ago there were several very promising ones. As its built right into the App Store it certainly has a major leg up on learning your app preferences and buying habits.

Cons: No push alerts, does not do anything in the area of bargain or sale finding.