iOS 4.2 review (for iPad)
If you’re an iPad owner, you’ve probably been on pins and needles lately. That’s because back in September, Apple announced that a full-scale update to the tablet’s OS would be coming in the form of iOS 4.2, bringing a slew of new features to the device. Included in that laundry list is proper iOS 4-style multitasking, folders, major mail improvements, Game Center integration, and Safari enhancements (like find-in-page text searches). Besides those features, the company has been touting two other big changes that could cause a major shift in the way you use your iPad — namely, AirPrint and AirPlay. Both additions leverage your WiFi network, certain connected printers, and the new Apple TV in an attempt to make the company’s slate less like a distraction and more like the center of your digital life.
When the update was originally announced, we took you on a walkthrough of the early developer beta. Though 4.2 will roll out to the iPhone and iPod touch, we wanted to focus on the iPad version, as it represents a major change for the platform. We’ve had a chance to spend time with the final version of the OS (which is actually 4.2.1 now), and put it through its paces. We’ve updated our original guide and given the finished product a critical once over, so read on for our full review!
Gallery: iOS 4.2 for iPad
Continue reading iOS 4.2 review (for iPad)
iOS 4.2 review (for iPad) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hands on: iPad printing with 4.2 and AirPrint, a limited menu
If AirPlay’s first-generation limitations have disappointed a lot of would-be iPhone video mavens who had dreamed of quickly sharing their clips to the big screen, you can just imagine how irate everyone is about AirPrint.
The universal shared printer solution for iPhone and iPad was kneecapped in late builds of Mac OS X 10.6.5 for reasons yet to be revealed, and the result is that a big-ticket feature has shipped with very little real-world applicability — at least, out of the box.
Fortunately, if you’re willing to do a little bit of finagling or lay out a small amount of cash, you can quickly gain back the AirPrint functionality you were promised, and more. Let’s take a quick look at what’s in the ‘vanilla’ version of AirPrint, then move on to the expanded remix edition.
Continue reading Hands on: iPad printing with 4.2 and AirPrint, a limited menu
Hands on: iPad printing with 4.2 and AirPrint, a limited menu originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hands on: iPad printing with 4.2 and AirPrint, a limited menu originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Great GPS navigation deals for holiday travelers
As the holidays approach we’re seeing some very tempting prices on navigation apps for the iPhone. Here are some deals worth considering if you’ve been waiting for price drops.
My favorite app, from Navigon is on sale Black Friday only. The USA version drops to $29.99 from the regular $49.99. The MyRegion versions, giving you a choice of the US East or West Coast, or the central states drops $10.00 to $19.99. I’ve consistently recommended the Navigon app because of it’s many features, excellent voice directions, and easy GUI.
I’d also point our readers to the CoPilot Live app which is on sale this week only. The North American version, which contains maps of both the US and Canada is now $9.99. A high resolution version for the iPad is now on sale for $19.99. Those prices are 50% off the regular cost. If you’d like to see what CoPilot Live can do, watch this video demo.
We’ve already reported that the Magellan Roadmate app is also on sale for $34.99 until December 1, so no more excuses and stop getting lost on those road trips.
Great GPS navigation deals for holiday travelers originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Great GPS navigation deals for holiday travelers originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tether your iPhone with the Nexaria BC2 router
The Nexaria BC2 router is a rather ugly 802.11b/g/n router that will allow tethering on the iPhone 3, 3GS and 4. Unfortunately, you must plug the thing into an outlet to power it up, providing somewhat limited use. Typical use case for tethering is using your phone as a modem and connecting to your Mac on the go. Here, you are chained to your desk. But if you’re willing to uglify your work space, the router will grab that bandwidth from your iPhone (using your data allotment from AT&T) and beam it around your room via Wi-Fi for the low price of $189. Ideal? Hardly, but it works for what it does.
Tether your iPhone with the Nexaria BC2 router originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tether your iPhone with the Nexaria BC2 router originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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New birthday icon for Calendar in iOS 4.2
The release of iOS 4.2 has brought us a nice little surprise in the form of the new icon shown in this post. If you’re tracking birthdays in your Contacts application, those birthdays will appear in your iCal calendar with a little gift package icon. It’s a nice little touch to the friendly organizer application, and it helps you visually spot that special day for your loved ones.
No one’s made a big deal about this being a new feature in iOS 4.2, of course, since it’s such a small detail (much as the new Voice Memos icon is a small detail). But for those of us who rank reaching out to loved ones to say “Happy Birthday” as a priority in our to-do list, this little touch might be a favorite change in iOS 4.2.
In order to set up this functionality, pull up the Contacts record for the person whose birthday you want to track. Select Edit in the upper right hand corner, scroll to the bottom and tap “add field.” Then enter the birthday, and the date will show up in your calendar app.
Updated to correct iCal/Calendar app mixup.
Thanks to Ryan for the tip!
New birthday icon for Calendar in iOS 4.2 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
New birthday icon for Calendar in iOS 4.2 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Easily fix "vanishing" iPhone music in iOS 4.2.1
Some iPhone users are reporting that their iPhones are unable to play music after upgrading to iOS 4.2.1. Fortunately, the fix is simple (for most). In fact, all you must do is re-sync your iPhone.
If you receive a message that the iPod app is unable to play your music after updating (you’ll see a message that says something like, “There is no content on this device”), just connect it to your Mac and sync with iTunes as usual. Yes, that’s it.
There seems to be additional trouble for those who are manually managing their music. One thread poster notes that he has to launch the iPod app, play a song and then sync every time new content is added, or the problem returns.
What has your experience been? Please share a fix if you’ve found it and help some folks out.
Easily fix “vanishing” iPhone music in iOS 4.2.1 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Easily fix “vanishing” iPhone music in iOS 4.2.1 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TUAW’s Daily App: Astronut
You may have already heard about the Iconfactory’s new game Astronut, but just in case you haven’t, we’ll happily be the ones to tell you. From the makers of Ramp Champ and Twitterrific comes a game that’s sort of a mashup between Dizzypad, Captain Ludwig and Doodle Jump. You play a little astronaut bouncing from planet to planet and trying to make his way up the screen, all while avoiding aliens and other traps and troubles along the way. Astronut’s a little more forgiving than most of the other “jump”-style games. Not only are there three sections of your heart to go through, you can pick up more hearts, shields and other items along the way. You also get a “boost” that allows you to invincibly fly past any number of bad guys or enemies (as long as you’re pointed in the right direction).
As a result, the game is a whole lot of fun to play. Rather than trying to time out each jump perfectly, you constantly bounce around the map, ascending and sometimes even landing huge jumps for bonus points. There’s Game Center integration in the form of leaderboards and achievements as well, so there’s quite a bit of game here to play.
There are 24 levels total, and the first four are included in a free download that comes more than recommended — it’s a lot of fun. If you like it, you can buy the rest of the game for US$1.99 via an in-app purchase. The Iconfactory never disappoints when it comes to well-executed, solid designs, and Astronut is another great app in their growing library of quality App Store titles.
TUAW’s Daily App: Astronut originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
TUAW’s Daily App: Astronut originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Edible iPhone birthday cake
And you thought that store-bought $10 cake you got for your birthday was cool. Sure to be the envy of Apple fanboys everywhere, Chris Samuels — an independent iPhone and iPad developer — received this detailed iPhone cake for his birthday from his wife Cath.
Everything on (and inside) the cake is edible, with the icons carefully made from frosting and food coloring. With all the work that must have gone into this cake it would almost be sad to eat it. Almost.
This certainly isn’t the first Apple device made in cake form. Check out this iPhone wedding cake, these icon cupcakes and this tasty chocolate Apple I cake.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Samuels. We look forward to seeing what Cath makes for you next year. Maybe a chocolate-covered iPad? Some iChocolates? Be sure to let us know!
Edible iPhone birthday cake originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Edible iPhone birthday cake originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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World of Goo coming to iPad, Gunstar Heroes out now
Here are two good pieces of news for iOS gamers. First up, World of Goo, the practically classic indie game that has you building little structures out of blobs of goo, is headed to the App Store just as soon as Apple approves the app for iPad. The app will feature one-screen multiplayer, with up to 11 fingers building up and drawing goo paths out on the screen. There’s no iPhone version yet, but it’s not outside the range of reason, as long as 2D Boy can make it run “buttery smooth.”
And Sega’s classic side-scroller Gunstar Heroes is now out on the iPhone as a US$2.99 app. Early word on the game is that it’s an excellent port of the much-loved Genesis title. As with most ports, the controls simply consist of on-screen buttons, which can sometimes get in the way of the action. But if you’re a Gunstar Heroes fan, you’ve probably headed over to the App Store to download the game anyway — it’s got quite a rabid following.
And finally, if you are an iOS gamer, stay tuned later on this week. I’m expecting to see some gigantic sales on the App Store for Black Friday, and we’ll be covering and collecting as many of them as possible. Be sure to follow us over on Twitter as well — sometimes we’ll fit in even more quick sales over there.
World of Goo coming to iPad, Gunstar Heroes out now originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
World of Goo coming to iPad, Gunstar Heroes out now originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple reportedly abandons supposed push for integrated SIMs in theoretical European iPhones
This one was all rather rumory to begin with, but play along if you don’t mind a pile of unconfirmed reports to start the day. A few weeks back it was said that Apple was working with Gemalto to create a non-removable, software-reconfigurable SIM that would be built right into European iPhones, saving a number of headaches for users and, more importantly, for Apple. This decidedly unconfirmed report was supposedly enough to get European carriers all worked up in a tizzy, angry that, among other things, customers would never need to actually interact with those carriers themselves — all actions, including activation, could be handled right through the App Store. Now, for the final layer of unconfirmed reporting in this delectably speculative layer cake, we have word from The Daily Telegraph that Apple has apparently given up on this plan and will continue to ship hardware to Europe with honest to gosh SIM cards, just like it always has. In other words: carry on, nothing to see here.
Apple reportedly abandons supposed push for integrated SIMs in theoretical European iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 07:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.