Macgasm

When I downloaded Line Up 2, I got all excited. I love these block-buster games, and LabPixies hasn’t let me down…until now. I’ve never downloaded or played Line Up version 1, but I can’t imagine how different it would be from the second. Typically, when a developer releases a sequel to an app, there are major upgrades made. Though…Line Up 2 doesn’t seem to have anything unique about it. Since I downloaded it, I have been on my iPod Touch quite a bit, but I had to force myself to play with it. Then when I did, I couldn’t bring myself to play for more than a few minutes.

Like any typical brick-breaker game, the object is to not let the screen fill up with blocks. You break groups of same-coloured blocks once they get to be 3+. At times the game will speed up and blocks will enter the screen quicker. There is the occasional laser-beam bomb and colour-buster block to make things slightly interesting. But only slightly.

There are only two modes: classic or unlimited. There is an option to post scores on Facebook, but aside from that there are no real challenges to either of the modes. The app is free, so the only thing you’re wasting is space on your device. I can assure you though that when I go to play a game on my iPod Touch, I won’t be going to Line Up 2 very often.

High Points.

I do like the user interface of Line Up 2. It’s clean and colourful, and visually appealing. It’s a fun game if you don’t like a challenge or change in the level of gaming.

Things that could be better.

More challenges or modes within the game! Different levels to beat, something to attain at the end – some sort of satisfaction. Give me a badge or something people. Make it interesting. Change the colours when I least expect it, throw a cement block at me, give me something unexpected – keep me on my toes! That will keep me coming back for more.

Woke up this morning to an interesting screenshot of the Kindle app that is going to be released on the iPad as well as other computing devices.  I have to say that I was pretty impressed by the screenshots that they’ve now included on their website.  Apparently e-books will be in color. I was pretty surprised to see the images because it marks an interesting shift in perspective for Amazon. Many have speculated that Amazon wouldn’t be abandoning their e-ink technology on their devices, but these screenshots have me questioning the pundits who’ve postulated those theories.

Keep in mind that these new screenshots are for the Kindle app on computers, including the iPad, and that there’s no mention of the technology being used in an upcoming Kindle model. However, possibilities are sure intriguing, and if Amazon decides that they’re going to release a Kindle that supports color e-books, Apple could be in some trouble.

Sure, e-ink might be easier on the eyes, but most of us already spend 8-10 hours a day in front of a backlit monitor, so what’s another two while we read a novel?

If Amazon wants to sell me a Kindle they need to take that image of their “fake” e-reader and make it a reality. I’d buy a kindle if it looked like that. Would you?

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article entitled “Just say NO to tethering!”.  In which I wrote about how a prospective iPad customer wrote to Steve Jobs and asked him if Apple will be allowing the tethering of the iPhone to the iPad.  Jobs’ response was a simple and to the point, “No.”.  Well, it appears that Jobs has received yet another inquiry on the unreleased iPad.  This time his brevity is extended to a full sentence.

Seth Weintraub of 9to5Mac, reports that Steve Jobs has received an email inquiring about supporting the Picasa format in iTunes.  Below is the email, and Steve Jobs’s response:

“Date: 20 March 2010 14:45

To: sjobs@apple.com

The iPad photo app looks incredible.  Are there any plans to
support Picasa’s faces and album’s in iTunes, so I can take full
advantage of the Photos application, since Photoshop Album is
long discontinued.  If not, please can you look into supporting
the Picasa library format?

Thanks,

———-

From: Steve Jobs <sjobs@apple.com>

Date: 20 March 2010 16:02

To:

No, but iPhoto on the Mac has much better Faces and Places
features.

Sent from my iPhone”

As I stated above, Steve Jobs’ response this time was a little longer than the one before.  The author of the email’s request is a legitimate question.  I personally use iPhoto for all of my photo needs.  The two latest iterations of iPhoto have come a long way from where Apple had started with it.  However, there is a majority of people out there that have adopted Google’s Picasa as their photo management application.  From what I understand it is just as good as iPhoto, plus it’s free.  Google has put a lot of thought into this application, so I think it might be hard for some people to switch from Picasa over to iPhoto, or even for them to switch to Aperture.

Some might say that this is just another example for the feud that is continuing to brew between Apple and Google.  There are rumors that Apple is dropping Google in lieu of Bing as their default search engine for the iPhone.  Whatever the case may be, I think the iPad is too new for Apple to throw in support for Google Picasa’s face and albums.  I think with more time this can likely be achieved with a plug-in to iPhoto or an importer tool.  As I write this article there are only plug-ins to move your iPhoto library to Picasa, not the other way around.  If any of our readers are aware of such a plug-in to import Picasa albums into iPhoto, feel free to let us know in our comments section below.

Photo Credit: Logo Picasa

Article Via 9to5Mac

I’m always on the lookout for great software for my kids to use on their iMacs.  I like to find stuff that will hold their attention, and keep them coming back to use the software.  My daughter likes to download trial games and educational software.  This is also another great way to see if she’s going to like it before we buy it.  As for my son, he tends to play Disney online games.  There are times that both my son and daughter find webapps or desktop software that they both enjoy.  This is great on two fronts.  One, they find something that they can interact with, and help each other out with. The second reason is, that it’s lighter on my wallet, which is always good.

Both of my kids enjoy coloring and being creative.  This is the beauty of what a computer can do for you.  It helps extend or enhance your creative side.  There’s one application that does this: Star Coloring.  Star Coloring has many different coloring books that can be used on your Mac or Windows computer.  Since we are a Mac household we used the Mac version.  When my wife saw Star Coloring she too was hooked on it.  It’s a sign of a good application when both parents and kids find it enjoyable to use.

My daughter loved mixing colors to get just the right look for the page that she was coloring.  My son had fun coloring the different animals, and making them any color his imagination could think of.  As for my wife she enjoyed herself, by comparing her artwork to the kids artwork.  Fun was had by the entire family.

Coloring books to choose from

Star Coloring has six different coloring books to choose from.  Below is an itemized list:

• Animals
• Flowers
• Buildings
• Fruits
• Vehicles
• Christmas

Each coloring book is it’s own download, and costs $19.95 each.  You get nine different coloring pages in every coloring book.  You also can download a trial version of any of the coloring books.  Each trial version allows you to color two pages.  If you like what your coloring, you can purchase it.  You’ll receive a serial key which will unlock the trial version.

Features

Star Coloring has a list of features that take it beyond a coloring book:

• We have clear and easy interface.
• You can get any color in the palette.
• 3D objects make a picture more real.
• Unique selection of topics in each coloring book
• With our Starcoloring your kid will never get dirty with the paint.
• We save our forests by not using the paper.
• The program has sounds and music.
• Starcoloring works with Windows and Mac OS X.

These features really define what Star Coloring is, from the easy interface to them being green.  When you first use Star Coloring you’re given a very detailed outline as to what all the buttons on the screen can do.  This is very helpful for any first time user of the software.

Room for Improvement

This software is very good, but there is always room for improvement.  When my wife was using it, she couldn’t find a true black. It was missing from the color palate.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t mix the colors to get black.  The other thing I found that was missing was a print option.  I know Star Coloring wants to be green and save paper.  However, my kids usually create artwork on the computer, and they print it out to put on the refrigerator, or for my wife and I to take to work to hang in our office.  These are really the only two things I see that can be improved upon in this app.

With that said, I would recommend this software to anyone who has kids.  It has a lot of replay value.  My kids love it, and no two coloring pages will be the same.  Like I said earlier, Star Coloring allows kids to use their imagination to create works of art.  If you would like to get started, and create your own works of art, click here to download one or all six of Star Coloring’s coloring books.  Have fun using your imagination!

Photo Credit: Star Coloring

In this week’s episode of the Macgasm videocast we talk about the drama surrounding the Adobe Flash show down on the blog. We also get a pretty sweet iTunes tip from Corey, and with finish it up by talking about Text to Speech in OS X.

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In this episode, we talk about schools monitoring their students.

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I was reading over the comments on my article Apple’s $40 Billion What to do: Big and Bold thoughts. There were 20 comments, which honestly is more than I expect on any of my articles. However, there were two particular comments that stuck out.

The first comment is from Federico. It states:

“Yeah, deprive the tax coffers of billions, just like those “philanthrophists” do, while their foundations play the markets.

Then they pretend and protest why their secretaries pay more in taxes than they do. I say pay the tax, then donate the money.”

While I respect Federico’s viewpoint on CEO’s finding any way possible to avoid paying taxes (I whole heartedly agree that it’s ridiculous that they pay less than most), I may not have been clear in what I was attempting to convey. So let me try again.

I wasn’t saying that Steve Jobs would be the head of this foundation, and that it would be him making the sole decisions. I meant, like most foundations, that there be a board of people who oversee the decisions that are being made.

I am not necessarily insinuating that Steve Jobs even really be involved, besides lending his name, or the Apple, Inc. name. I’m merely stating that he may initially fund the foundation, or Apple may, but that it be an entirely different entity from Apple Inc. itself.

The second comment is by Jose_X. He states:

“I would add to federico’s comment:

– Use the tax-free money (and other donors’ money) as the marketing muscle of your for-profit companies (helping spread freebies or subsidized products as necessary to hurt competition while promoting your for-profit products and even to helping meet revenue/sales goals).

– Use the organization to help lock-in lucrative government (and private) contracts for the for-profit businesses.

– Use the organization to help pass laws (and establish standards) that favor your for-profit companies.

– Use the organization to spread misleading lofty ideas about the (imaginary) value of patents (and other monopolies) in helping society and promoting progress, monopolies that ultimately help you gouge the public more easily.

– Do all of this while keeping a straight face.”

What Jose fails to realize is that this is no different from what the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has been doing since 2002. The BMGF has been giving software and hardware to libraries since 2002. It first started with Gateway Desktop computers, along with all of the FREE Microsoft software that goes along with that. Windows 2000, Office 2000, 5 Magic School Bus Games, Streets and Trips, Encarta, all of the language packs and more.

After that, they provided free upgrades to Windows XP, with Office XP, updated games, and all of the other software upgrades. This all propped up the continuation for libraries to use Microsoft products. But we’re not done yet kids, no.

The third go around was for Wireless Computer Labs. This came complete with carts, 12 laptops, antivirus, Windows XP, Office 2003, wireless access point, router and more.

Did the BMGF do this entirely out of pure generosity and desire to expand a library’s ability to provide computers for the Public? I don’t think so. I do believe it was mostly of a philanthropic nature and a desire to see library’s provide computers to their constituents; however, the BMGF used what they had, Microsoft Products, to accomplish this goal. For those libraries that have since replaced their computers how many of them decided to switch to Macs, not many. How many went with open source linux machines as replacements, probably a few. But for the most part they have stuck with Microsoft.

Why stick with Microsoft Products? Quite simple, you give them some stuff for free, but when it comes time to update instead of having to deal with the backlash from their users, they just go ahead and buy Microsoft products again because it’s what their users know. I do not see how Apple doing the same thing could be seen any differently than Microsoft’s approach.

Maybe I’m looking at the whole thing wrong, maybe I’m being naive. Maybe everybody is instantly bashing Apple just because they appear to be consumer unfriendly and do not care what they think. Well, they are a business and a public entity. They are responsible for reporting to the share holders. Share holders expect a profit.

If you have any thoughts on this, or any other article, please let us know in the comments.

Image source is Apple.com.

We originally asked for a ScreenGuardz, but a shipping mix-up afforded us the ability to try out NLU Products’  BodyGuardz instead. We’re glad they made the mix-up, because they gave us the opportunity to talk about the importance of protecting the glass on your iPhone.

Sure, a BodyGuardz protector isn’t going to protect you from everything that you toss at the screen, but it’s certainly going to minimize the effect pocket change has on your iPhone when it’s buried deeply in your Daddy Warbucks pockets.

Having a layer of protection will save your butt in the long run. Having to replace the glass on your device is not something you’ll want to do, nor is it something that’s cheap.

BodyGuardz come in three varieties. First, you can get a full body package that has a front and back piece so you’ll be protecting your entire iPhone. These sell for $24.95. You can also purchase either a front or back piece separately for $14.95 apiece.

BodyGuardz are really simple to install, and we highly recommend you pick one up.

One down side to these skins for your screen is that some of them lower the intensity of your screen colors a little, and affect the vibrance of your apps. The BodyGuardz we installed has been better than other iPhone protectors we’ve used in the past.

Here’s a video of Brennan installing a BodyGuardz on his iPhone screen.

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