Macgasm

If there’s one thing mobile computing users want it’s the ability to stream their video content over the 3G network. We’ve seen a lot of innovative applications being held up because telcos were worried that streaming video and television shows to a mobile device would be too much pressure on an already ballooning network.

SlingMedia player was one of the companies that had managed to create a video streaming application on the iPhone only to be told that the application would not be allowed to stream over the 3G network. Today, in a move that many thought would never happen, the sole carrier of the iPhone in the US (AT&T) has announced that they’ve been working with SlingMedia to create an application that would enable video streaming over the 3G network.

My first thought is… hurray.
My second thought is… WTF

This is great news if you’re a SlingMedia fan, and it’s even better news if you’re the type of person who gets really annoyed over the lack of raw video streaming over the 3G network.

The WTF news is summed up in the following quote from Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets

“we look forward to collaborating with other developers so that mobile customers can access a wider, more bandwidth-sensitive, and powerful range of applications in the future”

Some of us have dedicated a fair amount of time trying to determine whether Apple or AT&T was responsible for some of these video related applications being yanked from the AppStore.  It’s been an arduous process, but it’s starting to look like  de la Vega might be giving us a valuable insight.  We’re reading between the line of the de la Vega quote, but it seems to me that he’s saying that companies who develop innovative applications might also have to work with AT&T in the future to ensure that applications meet the needs of the mobile networks they run on before they will get approval from Apple.

I’m not necessarily against the concept of optimizing an application to meet AT&T’s network needs, but I wonder what kind of precedent this might be setting for the future. The SlingPlayer Mobile app might be optimized for AT&T’s 3G network, but what happens if the device is moved to another network, or another country even? Will the application meet those companies standards as well? It’s doubtful.  It’s starting to seem like Apple might be sticking with AT&T as the sole iPhone provider for a while.

Anyone else excited for all the strife the iPad might bring to this lingering debate?

In this week’s episode we talk about some news from a couple of weeks ago. I know, I know, it’s old news, but Brennan’s still out in the working world, trying to get recognized. I keep telling him that no one ever recognizes the IT guy, but he just keeps on trying.

Anyway, we speculate about Apple changing the default Mobile Safari search engine to Bing. While we like the idea, we also think it’d work better on the iPad. We also chat about the OS X plugin called Afloat. It’s pretty cool, but Brennan also disagrees with me on this one. If you like what we’re doing make sure you subscribe in iTunes.

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I am a huge fan of the apple tv. Though most people tend to dislike it for it being locked down. Sadly though, apple treats this product like a red headed step child. There is a huge lack of software updates to the device, and it has been over two years since a hardware update. But according to a newly approved apple patent, the apple tv is not dead yet.

While the patent itself doesn’t provide a ton of info like some other patents we have seen, it does look like it is possible that the new version may be an actual HDTV. A majority of the focus looks to be on the IR Remote system and new abilities for it to work.

I personally would like to see apple allow an external Hard drive to be used to store media alongside the apple TV. For some one like myself, 160 GB is not enough room for my iTunes movies. Especially since when I do purchase a DVD or Blu-ray disc it has a digital copy. If apple does go the route of an actual HDTV, they will have to be more open with it. If they run it as a closed system and don’t allow people to connect their cable or an antenna to the tv, they will be killing their own product.

I will definitely be keeping an eye on this story. Maybe we will see a new apple tv by September when they announce the new line of iPods.

More Information: Apple Granted Patent for Next Generation Apple TV Technology

9to5Mac is reporting that Apple now has their own Twitter account. Problem is, this is what you see when visiting their page. (For those too lazy to check, the page does not exist.)

There is, however, a Twitter page for iTunes trailers.

Why the @apple page remains defunct is a mystery. Then again, what kinds of things would the most secretive technology company in the world Tweet about? “Working on something super-confidential, bbl”?

Another theory is that Apple has created the account to prevent a cybersquatter from masquerading, potentially sending fake Tweets (and false information) to thousands of people.

While waiting for Apple to utilize their Twitter account, us here at Macgasm put together a braintrust on ways Apple can improve their social media initiative. Here’s what we came up with:

• Use Facebook and Twitter for press releases. This can prevent Tweeps and other Internet denizens from dispelling false information.
• Create a Twitter account for every Apple product and post tips, tricks, and how-to’s. (Kind of like the ones displayed above the Genius Bar in Apple retail stores.) And with the advent of HootSuite, you only need one person for the job.
• Give Steve Jobs a formspring.me account. Kidding.
• Webcast their own media events, so more people can watch product announcements. It’ll make all those bloggers shut up and listen for once, too.
• Social media can be used to promote services and products most people haven’t heard of, such as their business team, MobileMe and in-store special events.

There’s a myriad of ways Apple can share info with their loyal fanbase and still maintain secrecy. They have received a lot of criticism for their lack of transparency, and becoming involved with social media would be a small gesture towards this.

But until that day, I’ll stick with Fake Steve Jobs.

As a huge Mac nerd, I tend to collect a lot of crap on my system. I’m constantly installing applications, downloading video, and moving things around. After about six months of non-stop clutter, I can’t take it anymore. I’ll go through and wipe as much crud off of my system as humanly possible. I just did a cleaning recently, so I’ll give you a few tips to make your Mac feel more organized.

Firstly, hard disk space is always at a premium. No matter how big your drive is, you’ll always end up filling it eventually. Sometimes I am at a complete loss for words when I see how much space I’m taking up. I’ve found the best way to find big files is by visualizing your hard drive. There is a great application called Disk Inventory X that will scan your entire hard drive, and then display a graphic that lays out all of your files. The disk hogs will become apparent immediately.

Secondly, desktops get messy very quickly. While you’re taking the time to cleanse your Mac, you might as well file away those documents you have flung about your desktop. Hey, if there is stuff that you don’t need, feel free to trash it. Truth be told, I take a perverse pleasure in trashing old projects.

Thirdly, clear off all of that crap on your dock. Little by little, a million apps will find their way onto my dock throughout the year. Do yourself a favor, and trim out all the icons you don’t use daily. It will make everything look much more tidy.

Lastly, go into the System Preferences. Go to the Accounts preference pane, and then click the Login Items tab. Skim through all of these applications that auto-launch when you login. If there are things you don’t use anymore, toss those suckers. You might just see better performance.

In sum, it is very important to take some time to tidy up your Mac every once in a while. It makes your experience substantially better. So, do you have any tips for cleansing your Mac? Comment on this post, or you can hit me up on Twitter.

Photo Credit: orphanjones

With Apple releasing iPhone OS 3.1.3, and closing the hole for jail breakers it got me onto the idea that Apple could actually win (well mostly win) against the jail breaking community. I have some ideas on how Apple could achieve converting some of the jail breakers over to the non-jailbreak side.

There are three groups, as I see it, of people whom I believe jail break. The first is the hardcore jail breakers. These are the types of people who want to run cracked version of software that is legally available on the iTunes App Store. There is no hope of Apple “converting” this group. This group also includes the ‘hard-core’ jail breakers. Those who use methods that most would never even contrive. These people like the famous “GeoHot” hardware hacks, and they are a group unto themselves. The second group is the tinkerers. These are the types of people who like to see what jail breaking has to offer, but they are willing to go back to the “sandbox” if something shiny catches their eye. These types of people are already converts. They just tend to slip away sometimes when they need to see what’s going on in the other playground. The final group is the customizers. These people are those who jail break just to customize the phone they way they want it. They like to change the backgrounds, colors, themes, and other glitzy items. They do not want to leave the sandbox, but they are forced to due to the restrictions in place. This last group is the ones that Apple should be going after.

These restrictions are arbitrary. Why can’t somebody set a background picture, much like the new iPad, as they please? Why can’t they change the background color of the ‘dock’ on their iPhone OS based device? On that note, why not a different background for each screen? That way, a user can easily differentiate between the screens. All of these ideas seem quite simple to implement given the complexity that already is the iPhone OS.

I know Apple loves to control all of the aspects and provide a “consistent” user experience, but these devices are ours to use and do with what we wish. Having the ability to customize certain aspects that mean very little to the overall “stability” of the platform is fully within reason. I really believe that Apple should bring these features to us in iPhone OS 4.0. Putting some trust in the user’s hands would come a long way in gaining users back.

Photo Credit: Ella’s Dad

Just recently, Apple released iPhone OS firmware 3.1.3. Our own Sofia Fontes wrote about the iPhone OS 3.1.3 being available, but I thought I would go into the details of the non-apparent bugs. In it contains fixes for both the iPhone and iPod Touch. For your convenience, here are they are:

There are 3 possible code execution bugs, and one that may load audio when remote loading is disabled, and one that may allow access to data. One in Core Audio that could result in code execution from a maliciously crafted mp4 file. One in ImageIO that could result in code execution from a maliciously crafted TIFF file. One when accessing a maliciously crafted FTP server that could result in arbitrary code execution. All three of these exploits can lead to a hacker running just about anything they want to on your phone. This includes, but is not limited to, reading all the data that traverses the network, sending out text messages that you did not intend to (including spam), running services, or simply rebooting your device.

The Audio loading bug is in the rendering engine. Mail.app may load some remote audio or video content despite your remote fetching configuration. That seriously spooks me. Not necessarily the worst thing on the planet, but it can really kill your data bandwidth cap, should you have one, while on 3G.

The ‘User Data Access Bug’ involves Recovery Mode. A user may be able to ‘access the user’s data’ by using a specially crafted USB control message. This one is not that serious, as it requires physical access to the device. This bug is the most serious for Jail-breakers. This was the method used to jailbreak your iPhone OS 3.1.2 device. Despite this hole being closed, I’m almost certain that the Jailbreakers will be happy to find yet another way around the restrictions to free their devices.

The updates for your iPhone OS Device can be obtained by plugging in your iPhone or iPod Touch and selecting ‘Check For Updates’. The update is free for all iPhone owners, it applies to all of the iPhones. If you’re an iPod Touch user, and you have already updated to 3.1 this update is also free. If you have an iPod Touch and are still on version 2.X, the update will cost your $4.95.

Source is from Apple.com.

Photo Credit: William Hook

Do you think the iPad will come with an iSight camera?  Would you like to see the iPad with an iSight?  Some people are saying that they are disappointed that the iSight is missing; while other’s don’t mind that the camera is not there.  I heard someone say on a podcast that if you hold the iPad in your lap, the camera would an unflattering upshot of your face. In any event, I think this would be a nice addition to see on the iPad.

Well, Cult of Mac has some good news for the iSight.  According to the article, when Steve Jobs first holds up the iPad, and the light hits it just right you can see the iSight.  Now don’t misinterpret this as Cult of Mac or myself saying that the iSight will be available when the iPad is released.  For me and everyone else that would like to see the iSight included, this would be great.  What’s funny about this whole piece is the way it’s explained.  With the light hitting it, and just at the right angle.  Well, you know were I’m going with this.  This will definitely bring out the Apple Conspiracy Theorists.

The article goes on to site that Mission Repair, a repair company that received iPad parts on Tuesday have physical evidence of the iSight camera hole in the iPad frame.

As you can see in the image above, the camera hole is placed where one would hold the iPad in portrait view.  If this is the case you wouldn’t necessarily be holding it in your lap. You could if you want, but it‘s more practical if it’s in a Dock. Maybe even in the Keyboard Dock that Apple will be selling as an accessory.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.  For me personally the end of March can’t come soon enough. I’m pretty sure we haven’t heard the last of the iSight rumors. Let’s hope this is true, and Apple doesn’t “Pull an iPod Touch” on us. You remember when at the last minute Apple decided to pull the camera from the iPod Touch, right? Good times.

Photo Credit: iPad Gallery Collection, Mission Repair

[via @Cult of Mac]