Macgasm

Earlier today, we reported that Apple sent out a PR email telling the world that iOS 4.2 would be shipped today. The download has yet to go live, but we’re also now hearing that Apple TV will also be getting an update today (around 1PM PST).

It makes a lot of sense that Apple would drop an Apple TV update at the same times as iOS 4.2, since the Apple TV doesn’t fully support AirPlay yet. But, keep in mind that Apple made no mention of an Apple TV update in their PR note.

Macworld is reporting that iOS 4.1 for Apple TV will bring with it VoiceOver functionality that will be available from an accessibility menu, in addition to complete AirPlay integration.

It has also been noted that AirPlay will ship without password protection, but that users can customize access through password protection should they want it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty interested to see how this AirPlay technology plays out with my TV and iPad. This could be the beginning of apps on the Apple TV.

Article Via AppleInsider

Hard Candy’s iPad stylus, which sells for $34.95, goes in my “I-want-one-of-those” category, which does seem to be growing. This iPad accessory is said to be selling at a rate of 6,000 to 7,000 units a week on Amazon (reports the Hard Candy Cases CEO Tim Hickman).

The iPad stylus is stylish. It looks like a fashion accessory, and because it is also a pen, you will definitely get some use out of it. This stylus/pen has a chrome finish and has two functional ends to it. One end is a refillable ink pen, and the other is the stylus that you can use on the iPad, iPhone and the iPod touch.

The stylus is a beautiful looking item and would make a great Christmas present for that person who has everything. Some reviews are saying that it would be great if this pen had a clip so they could carry it easier. Also some find that having two lids is a bit of a nightmare, especially as they only fit the one end so you have to replace it correctly.

“We’re a fashion company,” Hickman went on to say regarding the aesthetics of the stylus. “Like a shoe company making 6-inch-high heels: it doesn’t always make sense. We just went with it. We made it big and shiny because its fashion.”

In addition to the above criticisms, there are far more positive reviews, reporting that the stylus really glides across the screen amazingly, and has a really nice weight to it, making it easy to use.

I did purchase a generic stylus, when they first came out, to try with some of the iPad drawing/writing apps, and for me the results just look far too thick. I can’t seem to be able to get any detail, so it won’t replace my paper notebooks just yet. I’m not sure how much refining they can do to get it far more detailed as the styluses all seem to have to be quite thick in order to make the right amount of contact.

There are a few areas where I can see this item really bringing added functionality. In addition to the touch screens on iOS devices, you can also use the stylus on the trackpad on your MacBook or with the Magic Trackpad that Apple brought out a short while ago. There are programs out there, such as Autograph, where this would come in handy to add a signature to documents, emails, etc. You could take that one step further still by using the stylus for something like Inklet, which enables you to create drawings.

Hard Candy’s iPad stylus is available from Amazon for $34.95.

Article Via Cult of Mac

It’s not every day that you can buy an action figure rocking a black mock turtle neck and blue jeans. Now that I think about it, it’s not every day that you see anyone wearing a turtle neck and jeans these days.

If you’re a toy collector, Apple fan, or Jobs stalker, you can now get your hands on a Steve Jobs action figure.

Sadly, the toy doesn’t come with its own reality distortion field or Gizmodo voodoo doll. I would have bought 10 of these if it came with the latter.

The toy comes in a $79.90 USD, and it now appears to be sold out, so keep your eye on the MIC Gadget website for availability updates.

San Diego State University’s College of Engineering has seen a huge increase in enrolment, and with the added students and extra classes, computer lab access has been severely restricted. The solution? Use your iPad (or iPhone, or Android). You can now access the central server and use the programs you need remotely. The iPad functions as a terminal to the main computer, and so the processing power of the device is not a factor.

The system was initially designed to deliver access to the server applications to student laptops and other computers not in the lab, but iPads can serve as client devices just as well. The pilot program supports 350 students in six classes, offering access to Microsoft Office, Matlab, ArcGIS, ProEngineer, Solid Works, AutoCad 2010, Cadence, Xilinx and SureTrak. Eventually they hope to expand to include all of their engineering design and simulation software.

The move has greatly relieved the constraints of dwindling computer lab time. Now students can work remotely, and in some cases receive instructor’s help more readily. The ability to display work wherever you are makes it easier to discuss and resolve any issues. “I had two students ask me homework questions regarding a problem they were having with ArcGIS and their data,” said Ed Beighley, who teaches civil engineering. “Within 10 seconds, I could see the problem and fix their project via their smart phone.”

“It opens up the entire educational package,” said Randall German, associate dean of the College of Engineering. “It makes education more accessible and more flexible. Now students who have childcare issues or have to be at a job, can do their work on their own time, rather than waiting in line for a computer in the lab. It really opens up opportunities for a new kind of student.”

The ability to access high end programs on a central server via a modestly performing remote terminal is not a new concept. Extending that metaphor to the iPad, however, is brilliant, because it eradicates the need for storage or heavy duty processing. All of the heavy lifting is done on the server side, leaving the students with a computer lab they can bring and use anywhere, anytime.

Article Via Cult of Mac
Photo Credit: SDSU NewsCenter

Apple’s press release:

Apple today announced that iOS 4.2, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, is available today for download for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. iOS 4.2 brings over 100 new features from iOS 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2 to iPad including Multitasking, Folders, Unified Inbox, Game Center, AirPlay and AirPrint.

“iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a completely new product, just in time for the holiday season,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Once again, the iPad with iOS 4.2 will define the target that other tablets will aspire to, but very few, if any, will ever be able to hit.”

iOS 4.2 is expected to be released at 10AM PST.

In addition to updating iOS, Apple is also making MobileMe’s “Find my iPhone” feature free for all iPad, iPhone 4 and 4th-gen iPod touch customers. Find my iPhone allows customers to locate their device from any web browser or iOS device using 3G or (the less-specific) Wi-Fi. In addition to locating the device on a map, the feature allows users to send a message to their device, lock it with a passcode or even wipe it remotely. In iOS 4.2, this can be setup by going into the “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” settings and adding a MobileMe account. The system will now allow for a regular AppleID to be used for Find my iPhone.

Much of the theatrical world is abuzz right now as the 7th feature film about Harry Potter and his adventures just hit the big screen.

I’m not going to pretend to know the characters, the spells, or even the purpose of the saga, but my 8 and 6 year old kids definitely gave me a schooling last night as we went to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.”

Hold tight everyone, there is an Apple technology angle coming, so keep reading…

The good folks at Screenlife, the creators of Scene It?, in my opinion, one of the coolest trivia games out right now, has just announced its new Scene It? Harry Potter app for iPhone and iPod touch as wells as an HD version for iPad. Brilliant timing, Screenlife!

Scene It? Harry Potter takes players on a journey with real movie clips, puzzles, mini-games and questions from the first six films from the Harry Potter series.

“We’re thrilled to add Harry Potter to our roster of Scene It? Apps,” said Steve Banfield, Senior Vice President of Production and Digital Strategy at Screenlife. “The Harry Potter license continues to grow in its overwhelming popularity, and is exactly the type of exciting license we seek when creating fun new games.”

The Scene It? Harry Potter app for iPhone and iPod touch features:

• 30 distinct quiz sets with 16 different trivia puzzle types and mini-games
• Numerous video and audio clips, and images pulled directly from the Harry Potter films
• Single-player mode and a head-to-head multiplayer mode that works over WiFi or Bluetooth (oooh, watch out Nintendo — the DS may have some worthy competition coming from Apple)

The Scene It? Harry Potter HD app for iPad includes all of the above features, plus:

• HD quality video clips, richer graphics and an upscaled user interface
• Dynamic motion backgrounds and animations
• Enhanced puzzles that utilize the iPad’s multi-touch interface
• Group play — up to four players may play at the same time

The Scene It? Harry Potter iPhone and iPod touch app is available for $1.99 on the App Store, and the HD iPad version is available for $4.99.

My take overall

After watching the latest film last night, I can completely see why people have been drawn into the Harry Potter franchise; there’s a lot of character building and a lot of depth to the storyline — good stuff overall.

For the true fan, those of you that have been wearing the round glasses and casting spells by yelling out Expecto patronum as you walk down the street, you’ll gladly pay for this app and find hours of entertainment from it.

If you’re unaware of what Expecto patronum means — then you’ll probably be frustrated as you won’t be able to answer many of the trivia questions and puzzles included with these apps.

Either way, Screenlife has definitely put their mark on another bit of entertainment that should be wildly successful for them.

After much waiting, Family Tree Maker is finally available for Mac OS X. Should you be excited? Perhaps. Let’s get into some nitty gritty before I tell you my thoughts on the software.

Compatibility

If you have a GEDCOM file, you’re fine. Family Tree Maker will work with the data from damn near every modern genealogy application or website. Also, you can import your data from your Windows version of Family Tree Maker just as easily. There’s no need for you to re-enter any of the information you’ve already completed in another app.

Places

On the navigation bar is a button labeled “Places.” When clicked, it takes you to a live map, powered by Bing, with the graphical representation of every location entered into your family tree. The strange thing, to me at least, is that the map has a toggle switch between 2D and 3D that doesn’t work for the Mac edition. When you click the 3D toggle, you get this error:
For all I know, this is Bing’s fault, but why have a toggle that DOESN’T WORK? If it’s planned for a later update, just put it in then. If it isn’t planned for a later update, then why taunt us? So strange.

Integration

Family Tree Maker was purchased by Ancestry.com a while back. It now has built-in integration with their services including Ancestry.com, Rootsweb.com, and Genealogy.com. In the “Web Search” tab, you’ll get an inline browser with a side bar to keep track of the search results you want to remember. It’s not perfectly implemented (No tab support, for example), but it is a nice that I don’t have to Cmd+Tab back and forth between FTM and a web browser.

Planning and Sources

One of the biggest problems for me with Genealogy is the feeling of being overwhelmed by the data. At any one time, I have thousands of names, dates, and citations I could be entering. To combat this, FTM has a planning tab. This is a way to make a prioritized to-do list for your family tree. It really shows that this is intended to be an all-in-one app for Genealogy. It goes beyond just a database interface.

Citations are very important to genealogists. Being able to show where you found your data is important when you need to go back to find more information. The sourcing tab of FTM is very robust, and it allows a variety of ways to annotate your sources any way you’d like. I appreciate that quite a bit. The content of the source isn’t always as important as the context, and I think the developers really understand that.

Media and Publishing

This is the section where I need to soap box for a moment. As a genealogist, I often get caught up in the names, dates, pedigrees, and records. I’m sure that is the case with any genealogist who researches on any sort of large scale. However, we need to remember that we’re dealing with real people that actually lived and breathed. We’re not just grinding through data here. Pictures, sound, and stories are very important for keeping the human element of genealogy alive. When I see a picture of my third-great grandfather next to his name, he suddenly becomes real to me. FTM accomplishes this well with its media management, but iPhoto or Picasa integration would have been a nice touch.

Gathering information shouldn’t be your only goal with genealogy either. Preservation and dissemination are also incredibly important. If nobody can experience the work you do, what’s the point? This is where publishing comes in. The “Publish” tab allows you to customize a layout that allows you to print your family tree. Also, you can order a printed copy of your family tree in a book. If you’re familiar with ordering stuff through iPhoto, this will be a no-brainer.

User Interface

My biggest complaint is with the user interface of the tree. Adding family members other than direct descendants or ancestors is a bit clunky. I’m constantly going back and forth between the display window and the navigation bar. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it is very clumsy. We’ll see this cleaned up in the next edition for sure.

Overall Thoughts

This is a pretty strong first release. We’re not on par with the Windows users yet, and that grinds my gears a little bit. With a couple of revisions, this is a product I might recommend highly. As of now, I’m on the fence. I’d be less hesitant if they offered a free trial, but unfortunately they don’t. For the time being, proceed only if you’re interested in syncing your offline content with Ancestry.com. Other than that, you’re better off with the freemium family tree webapps like Ancestry.com and Geni.com.

Disclosure: I have a working relationship with Geni.com. My opinions are my own, and they are not influenced at all by them. I purchased this software with my own money. I am a paying member of both Ancestry.com and Geni.com because I am a genealogy enthusiast.

Earlier this week we reported that a kid from Brooklyn managed to sell $130,000 worth of white iPhone 4 parts online. In the process, he also managed to gain the interest of a private investigator, who has now been identified as working for Apple.

Lam told reporters that he was getting the parts directly from inside sources at Foxconn. Foxconn is denying it today, through a statement to the Taiwanese stock exchange. Go figure.

I’m not surprised that Foxconn is denying it, and I’m not surprised that the private investigator was working for Apple. Hopefully Lam has a good lawyer and proof that he got the parts legitimately from Foxconn because this could get messy.

Poor kid.

Article Via TUAW