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South Korea rule change paves way for iPhone: “The Korean Communication Commission has issued an exemption for the iPhone from a rule that previously blocked the handset’s sale.




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(Via Macworld.)

First Look: Best Camera App for iPhone: “

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review

The first thing I normally do when someone names their application ‘The Best…’ is roll my eyes and delete the PR email. However, when I saw a press release about the Best Camera app for iPhone, I decided to take a look and I’m glad I did.

Best Camera [iTunes link] is a collaboration between professional photographer Chase Jarvis and iPhone dev firm Übermind. The app gets its name from Jarvis’s book ‘The Best Camera is The One That’s With You,’ a collection of photos taken all over the world by Jarvis with his iPhone.

The US$2.99 app features 14 useful filters and effects that can be stacked; in other words, you can take a photo with the iPhone camera, then apply several filters and/or effects before sharing your handiwork. The filters and effects are on a side-scrolling ‘dock’ at the bottom of the screen, and you apply them by simply tapping on the icons. Sharing includes saving the photo on your iPhone camera roll, sending it out via email, or blasting it to your Facebook or Twitter account.

There’s also one more place to share your photo. While filters and effects are nothing new, Jarvis has created a community at thebestcamera.com where photos that have been submitted are displayed on a constantly changing photo wall. These photos are also viewable in the app itself, and by tapping a photo in either location, you can view information about the photographer. On the website, the information also includes a list of the filers or effects that were used on the original photo so you can re-create photos that you find fascinating.

Check out the gallery below for some screenshots of the Best Camera app in action.

TUAWFirst Look: Best Camera App for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(Via TUAW.)

Apple releases updates for iTunes, Logic suites: “Apple Tuesday afternoon released updates for iTunes, Logic Pro, Logic Express, and Main Stage, bringing bug fixes, enhancements and stability improvements to the range of software.

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(Via AppleInsider.)

Snow Leopard changes the rules about opening files: “In Snow Leopard, you can no longer assume that double-clicking a document will open that document in its source application. Rob Griffiths discusses this change, and the implication for users, as well as a couple of workarounds and a suggested fix.




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(Via Macworld.)

A look inside Apple’s new App Store Resource Center: “Following a chorus of criticism for a perceived lack of communication on the iPhone App Store approval process, Apple recently unveiled its new Resource Center for developers, and AppleInsider offers a peek.

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(Via AppleInsider.)

New Garage Band Lessons include Rush, John Legend: “Apple’s added a trio of new artist lessons to its Garage Band Lesson Store, including a pair by Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson.




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(Via Macworld.)

Google releases Picasa 3.5: “Google’s new Picasa 3.5 software includes face tagging and geotagging features




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(Via Macworld.)

Push for Gmail: it’s here, it works, and it’s limited: “

Filed under: Internet Tools, iPhone

If you use Gmail, you have something to be excited about today, because you can finally have new email messages pushed directly to your iPhone when they arrive.

For many users, however, their first response is ‘it’s about time!’ and others have even gone as far as saying ‘it’s finally here, no thanks to Apple.’ This new feature, unveiled this morning by Google, has even been called a ‘workaround’ to Apple’s alleged refusal to support push email, but in reality this isn’t the case.

Push: What is it, and how does it work?

To understand why push services have not been available before, let’s first discuss what exactly push is. When a client (be it a mail program, Twitter client, or web browser) needs to notify a user when new content or information is available, it has to periodically connect to the server and check for changes.

This is the way email clients have worked for years: the client checks with the server at a defined interval (usually every 5-15 minutes), downloads any new messages, and notifies the user that new mail has arrived. Many other services, such as RSS feeds, Twitter, Facebook, and even the Gmail website work the same way; they just check the server more often, which gives the appearance of real-time notifications.

Other services, such as instant messaging clients, maintain a constant, active connection to the server at all times. When new information is available for the client, the server sends, or ‘pushes‘ the information directly to the client as soon as it is available. In corporate environments, mail services such as Microsoft Exchange have paved the way for push email, by having the mail client (usually Outlook, Entourage, or other clients that support Exchange) maintain an active connection to the mail server, which allows the server to notify the client immediately when new mail arrives.

Read on to find out how Gmail push works, and what you need to know to get it set up on your phone.

Continue reading Push for Gmail: it’s here, it works, and it’s limited

TUAWPush for Gmail: it’s here, it works, and it’s limited originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(Via TUAW.)

Three new iPhone ads make their debut on prime-time television: “

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Video, Odds and ends, Found Footage

Were you watching the two-hour season premiere of House last night on Fox? Maybe you were watching one of the other prime-time shows, but if you had your eyes on the screen during some of the commercial breaks, you probably saw at least one of the three new iPhone ads that hit the airwaves last night.

Each of the new ads highlights a total of six apps, up from the three that were formerly the focus of the older ads. The first ad I saw last night, ‘Dine,’ looks at Zagat to Go, QuickOffice, TripCase, New York Subway 09, Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List, and Gap Style Mixer. [Note: all app links will open the iTunes App Store]

The next ad I viewed was ‘Nature,’ featuring iXpenseIt, Daily Finance, Guitar Toolkit, Lonely Planet Mandarin Phrasebook, iBird Explorer Plus, and the ever-popular Pizza Hut app. I didn’t get a chance to see the third advertisement, ‘Pass,’ until I visited the Apple website this morning. It’s a 30-second quick look at Fandango, G-Park, VocabWiz College Vocabulary, 365 Crosswords, Classics, and ABC Animals.

I’m happy to see that Apple is maintaining focus on the number and variety of apps in the App Store, instead of resorting to the narcissistic, touchy-feely, celebrity-filled tripe that T-Mobile has been using for their Android-based MyTouch 3G ads.

TUAWThree new iPhone ads make their debut on prime-time television originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(Via TUAW.)

Aussie drivers: Buy a cradle, or no iPhone GPS for you: “

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, iPhone

Live in Australia? Have an iPhone? Do you use the iPhone’s built-in Maps app, Navigon, or TomTom [iTunes links] to navigate? If you answered yes to all three of those questions, then I have some bad news for you: under the Australian Road Rule 8th Amendment, all use of the iPhone in your car is soon to be banned unless you buy a cradle for it, including using it as a GPS navigator.

An article from the Sydney Morning Herald initially makes it sound as though you won’t be able to use such apps at all, especially after reading this quote from a spokesperson for VicRoads, the traffic authority for the Australian state of Victoria: ‘A phone will only be allowed to be used for its primary purpose. If it’s a phone, it’s a phone.’ But once you read farther down the article states, ‘Drivers will only be able to use mobile phones if they are placed in purpose-made cradles and operation is entirely hands-free.’ The language of the amendment itself also supports that interpretation.

So it’s not the end of the road for iPhone nav apps in Australia, but if you want to continue using your iPhone for said purpose, you’d better go buy a cradle for it, because the fine for getting caught using your iPhone in the car without one is heinously expensive: AU$234! Even TomTom’s iPhone cradle doesn’t cost that much.

So far the new rule is only confirmed to be rolling out in Victoria, and not until November 9. But don’t be surprised if other states and territories follow suit afterward.

New Zealand has a similar cellphone ban coming on November 1, but the NZ proposal is less draconian than the Australian version: the fine is only NZ$80, and the language in the proposal focuses on use of mobile phones for talking and texting, without making any mention of GPS or other uses.

The Australian law seems a bit of an overreach, but I fully support New Zealand’s upcoming ban on talking and texting while driving (especially texting – I can’t fathom why anyone would think it’s okay to text and drive at the same time). I can’t speak for Australia’s roads, but the roads in New Zealand definitely require one’s full attention. The iPhone in particular requires a lot of visual focus in order to use it as a phone unless you have a handsfree setup, and that kind of distraction from the task of driving could potentially lead to a fatal crash on our narrow, winding roads.

Of course there’s a question of just how enforceable these laws will be in either country. Unless you’re holding the phone up to the side of your head or using it at night, it’s unlikely that a passing police car is going to see that your eyes are focused on what’s in your hand rather than what’s on the road. That’s where common sense has to step in: is that phone call from your boss important enough to risk flying off the road? Probably not.

Thanks to reader Brian Rayner for sending this one in.

TUAWAussie drivers: Buy a cradle, or no iPhone GPS for you originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(Via TUAW.)