Now that widespread connectivity means you’re rarely without a web connection, the Internet has become a huge part of the way in which we use our computers. Out of the box, your Mac is a powerful machine for making the most of everything the Internet has to offer, but there are a few tweaks, plugins ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleLink

Now that widespread connectivity means you’re rarely without a web connection, the Internet has become a huge part of the way in which we use our computers. Out of the box, your Mac is a powerful machine for making the most of everything the Internet has to offer, but there are a few tweaks, plugins and applications that can make it go a little bit further.

Today I’ll be taking a look at 35 different plugins and applications that will help improve your web browsing experience. Both Safari and Firefox will be covered, along with a few tools relating to networking, search, bookmarking, and – of course – taking a break from the Internet…

http://mac.appstorm.net

I got a great question the other day from Josh Tilton who wanted to dump his Dish and go with internet only for TV and Movies. Josh I envy you sir. I have wanted to dump U-Verse for awhile now. It has nothing to do with the service. U-Verse is awesome, but I find myself ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleHome Theater

I got a great question the other day from Josh Tilton who wanted to dump his Dish and go with internet only for TV and Movies. Josh I envy you sir. I have wanted to dump U-Verse for awhile now. It has nothing to do with the service. U-Verse is awesome, but I find myself more and more getting my video content from the web. Not to mention the cost benefits you can gain buy dumping your service provider.

Josh’s question was if anyone had got Boxee running on a 360:

Hi!

Thanks for posting this article! It’s been helpful in my quest to get rid of Dish Network and only use internet tv. Are you going to cover the steps/software needed to get boxee to run from my mac to my xbox360? If I could get hulu on my TV… All would be perfect! I’m open to any suggestions!

Thanks!

Josh

Boxee Options

It looks like Josh will need a standalone unit to get Boxee to his TV. There are lots of ways to get Boxee up and running on many different systems. In my experience its easiest on the Mac however Boxee supports Windows and Ubuntu as well.

Boxee on the 360?

I know that it is technically possible through hacking, however not many people hack their 360 as MS bans most people who hack their system from using LIVE. Live is by far the best service for playing games with your friends, so it’s hard to give up. There have been discussion on the Boxee forums discussing this however I don’t think the Boxee developers are in a hurry to get hacks running on the 360. They are fully busy adding features to the supported system now. You never know, Xbox may just support Hulu in the future. They already have Netflix up and running so why not add Hulu (if the moneys right).

Get a PC

Wow, I typically never say those words. I usually say "get a Mac" however depending on your situation a PC might be just what the doctor ordered.

Old PC

If you have an old PC lying around you can put it to good use instead of putting it in a landfill. Install Ubuntu on it and then install Boxee. This is possibly the most cost effective solution depending on the condition of your old system and what it may take to get Boxee up and running. I have had good success with old Dell dimension systems. Note that just because you can get it up and running doesn’t mean you can get it up and running well. Your video card and processor will determine whether or not HD video will play well or not at all. If you system is too underpowered Boxee my not install or may crash. Check the Boxee forums for help with your setup. Connect your VGA or DVI to your TV and Rock It!

Buy a PC

You can go two different routes with this one. You can go for awesome specs and really turn it into a full fledged HTPC or gaming rig, or you can go with more cost effective route and get a system that will run HD with now problems while still begin affordable. I go for the cheaper option, but if you are a gamer, well nuf said. Pick up a powerful rig. For cheaper methods you can find desktop for cheap on TigerDirect and Newegg. I personally suggest at least a core 2 duo however a nice Pentium could work well. I wouldn’t spend over $400 as your starting to get into a different category. Want to go ever cheaper build one. If you have the knowledge, and a free weekend you can put together an awesome system on the cheap. With any of these routes you should be able to install Boxee no problem. I suggest running Ubuntu over Windows as the Boxee version is more robust and stable on Ubuntu. Or better yet make it a hackentosh!

Apple Options

Of course you can go the Apple way, which of course would be my first choice. Apple has several different routes and in my experience is the most straight forward. At the same time Apple products can be a bit more expensive at the lower end. Let’s take a look.

AppleTV

Yup Boxee can run on the AppleTV. All you need is a thumb-drive and atvusb-creator. It’s actually really easy to do however I do want to let you know that the AppleTV is not a powerful Mac. It’s actually perfectly specked for what it does and it does it well. Boxee runs much better on a more powerful system. With that begin said Boxee adds the extra functionality that makes this a dynamite combo. You can also run everything from the apple remote which is super simple and easy for anyone to understand. If you’re interested here’s a quick video on getting it installed.

Mac Mini

Ahh, my favorite solution. However this solution can be a little more expensive depending on what you want. Best option for a standalone unit is by far the Mac Mini. Also since this is a real computer you can do infinitely more. If you pick up a little app called RemoteBuddy it will let access and navigate ever application on your Mac by using only your remote. Talk about added functionality. If this interests you check out the HDTV Podcast over using a Mac Mini as a video server.

MacBook or MacBook Pro

This is an option that I use. If you are looking to switching to a Mac why not just get yourself a Laptop? When you want to run Boxee or FrontRow, just plug in your laptop to the TV and your set. You can do the same things with a laptop that you can do with your Mac Mini. Add an apple remote or program your harmony to control your laptop and your set.

Boxee Extras

If you have an iPhone you have to check out the Boxee remote app. It is a much better way to navigate than using a traditional remote. And since it uses Wi-Fi you don’t need line of sight. Change songs, podcasts, or movies all from the other room. It takes a bit to get used to but is really worth it once you get the hang out it.

In this run down I am going to go over what it takes to share this content freely through my house with no fuss. If you didn’t check out my post on the nuts and bolts of my system, check that out first. That post explains the wiring and how everything is ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleHome TheaterReviews

The Basics

In this run down I am going to go over what it takes to share this content freely through my house with no fuss. If you didn’t check out my post on the nuts and bolts of my system, check that out first. That post explains the wiring and how everything is connected. This post will tackle the software.

What I’m Streaming

Content gets distributed through network. The content I am sharing is pretty standard, its HD videos, photos, and music. I access this content via two different methods. The first method being the Xbox360 & PS3, and the second being Boxee.

The Nitty Gritty

We are an all Mac household, so If you’re on a PC you’re 360 connection solutions should be much easier. Since Xbox 360 is built by Microsoft it is set up out of the box to play nice with Windows, not the Mac. The 360 does not connect to my Macs by default. Thus lies the first problem with streaming video content from the Mac to the 360.

Connect360

Connect 360 is a third party app that makes the 360 play nice with my Mac. It is a very simple application that only makes minutes to set up (depending on your network configuration). I have also heard many people mention Rivet (but I have never tried them myself). If you’re using a PS3 try out Medialink. All these applications get us about halfway there, as you should be able to see the media on your 360 now and access it.

The Content

This next section mainly concerning video content as music these days is mostly DRM free and should play just fine on your 360. I’ll assume you already have video content on your computer. If you’re looking for content ideas stay tuned for part 3. Sharing video files can be a bag of hurt if you have the wrong file type, codec, bit rate, etc. These are the settings I use to get my stuff up and running on my 360′s. The 360′s should be able to stream H.264, DIVX, XVID, MOV, AVI, WMV, ASF. Check the Xbox support site for more details and limitations on each file type. If your video doesn’t meet the specific criteria for playback, you will have to get all fancy pants and convert your video files. If you have a video format other than MKV skip to the Visualhub section, else keep reading or (If (videoFormat != MKV) { $(‘.VisualHub’).show(); } else { $(‘.nextSection’).show(); }; //he he he).

MKV Files

MKV files were the trickiest files for me to wrap my head around. MKV files, like most video types, are just wrappers for your standard video and audio files. These MKV files are not supported by the 360 and will not play by default. You will need to convert your content to one of the supported formats listed above to play it on the 360. I use awesome application called MKVtools. It takes the guess work out of converting your files for the 360. Select the device: "Xbox 360", video: "Pass Thru", and audio: acc. I use "Pass Thru" to give me the original video quality. The conversion is fast and works pretty much without a hitch. If you buy the full version MKVtools allows batch conversion, which is a really great feature. However, if you’re trying to convert a movie you’ll be out of luck with this application. MKVtools has trouble with files longer than an hour or more.

VisualHub

VisualHub is the Swiss army knife for video conversion. Unfortunately VisualHub is no longer supported or sold. If you don’t have a copy check out VideoMonkey which is trying to become the Open Source answer for VisualHub as it uses much of the same source code. Another option is HandBreak to which I speak to below. For those of us lucky to still have VisualHub: you can simply drop your movie into the queue, select MP4, select "go nuts", go to advanced options, select at max bit-rate of "3600", and convert away. I have found this is the optimal settings for streaming movies to the 360. It is a fine science however, so you may have to tweak the settings every now and again for certain encodes. I use "3600" as my bit-rate as anything higher seems to cause major problems for the stream and in some cases won’t even play.

HandBrake

HandBrake was originally a DVD ripper/converter. It would take your DVD and rip it to many different formats. Today it’s the same program but now it has built in presets to help you convert easier. Also you can now load videos such as 3GP, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOD, MOV, MP4, MPG, and WMV. Select the 360 preset and start converting. Even with the presets selected you can still muddle around with the settings to get optimal performance. I love this program. It is heavily supported and they add stability and features with every update.

Video Exhaustion

Getting your content to the 360 can be more than a little time consuming. However, with the right tools you can view almost any video on your 360. I have a wired gigabit connection from my computer to my 360′s so it makes streaming HD video a breeze. If you are new to this whole video from the internet idea you will be interested in part 3 which will deal with getting content on your computer.

Lately it seems like everyone I know is switching to the Mac. I actually kind of miss the days where I was the lone Mac evangelist in the room. However I suppose it will be a good thing in the long run that Mac adoption is up. More Mac users mean more people developing great ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

Lately it seems like everyone I know is switching to the Mac. I actually kind of miss the days where I was the lone Mac evangelist in the room. However I suppose it will be a good thing in the long run that Mac adoption is up. More Mac users mean more people developing great applications for the Mac.

In the mean time many of these new Mac owners are experiencing the joys of switching to a new OS. Several noob Mac owners have asked me the same questions lately, how do I ____, and what are some of the best Mac applications. A good place to start with how to questions is at Apple’s find out how site. They will answer most of the how to questions, but what about a run down of the best apps for your new Mac. That list is here, broken down by categories:

• Apps for everybody
• Video
• Web Development
• The World Wide Web

Apps for everybody

AppZapper

AppZapper touts itself as the uninstaller Apple forgot, and in my opinion they are correct. The idea behind OSX is that you really don’t need and uninstaller. Most of the time you can just drag the application to the trash and be done with it. However this does not always remove preference files and other hidden application files from your system. AppZapper does. Just open AppZapper select the application or drag it into AppZapper, then select zap. Then you will be greeted by a ray gun sound as the app is swiftly removed from your system. This is a must for any Mac owner from the start. AppZapper is not free, but it may be the best 12.95 you will spend on an application.

Quicksilver

“Act without doing.” Quicksilver is an app that is hard to explain in depth. They say its “A unified, extensible interface for working with applications, contacts, music, and other data.” Most users however use it as an application launcher, or as a replacement for a spotlight search. Press control space and quicksilver pops open. Then start typing the application or file you want. The results appear almost immediately. Let me give you an example. Control+Space+F+Enter opens Firefox on my computer. That would have taken me a little longer to find and open the application from the application menu or in the dock. Bottom line, this application saves you time. Quicksilver doesn’t stop at an app launcher, it can be set up to control most of your system. Check out their docs. I also use it to control iTunes with a couple of key presses. Quicksilver is free and should be on every system.

Disc Inventory X

Are you starting to run out of disc space? If your like me you ask yourself, where is all of this space going. It can be tough to figure out what is eating up space on your system, luckily Disc Inventory X makes it easy. Disc Inventory X visually displays a representation of the space taken up on your hard drive. It displays this information in little color coded boxes. Each color represents a different type of file. For example clicking on the red cube may represent an application on your system. You can click on the larger cubes to figure out what it taking up the most space. Then you can figure out if it is something you can part with. On my drive most of the space it taken up with video. I sometimes forget to delete videos I am not longer using, and Disc Inventory X makes it easy for me to find the unwanted videos and remove them. Disc Inventory X is another free app to check it out.

Carbon Copy Cloner

Carbon Copy Cloner is another app that has to do with your hard drive. If you are a good little Apple fanboy/girl then you are using Time machine on a regular basis and have no worries in the world. But what if you do do regular backups or your Time Machine backup fails? What if you want to reinstall your OS and want to make a bootable backup of your current drive? Carbon Copy Cloner can help you with all of these. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a drive start failing on me where Carbon Copy Cloner saved my life. Carbon Copy Cloner can make a perfect clone of your drive. “Clone, synchronize, backup. Schedule and forget it. Try it ’til you trust it.” Great news about it is, Carbon Copy Cloner is free.

Stuff It Expander

By default Mac OSX comes with it’s own zip/unzip software built right in. But there will come a time that you will run across an extension that you will not be able to unarchive. Trust me you will need it so go ahead and get it. StuffIt Expander can decompress files and folders in many compressed file formats, such as .rar, .sitx, .sit, .tar, .tgz, .zip and more StuffIt Expander free edition is really the one you need. If you find you need other formats and more features they offer an deluxe edition at a cost.

Video

VLC

VLC or Video LAN Client. VLC media player is a cross-platform media player and streaming server. VLC will play just about anything you though at it. It easily plays VIDEO_TS & VOB files, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, and stranger formats like MKV files. I use it all the time to play video files in formats that wont play in QuickTime. It has a very good de-interlace and well as surround sound decoder. VLC is free so get it on all your systems.

VisualHub

VisualHub is the "universal video converter for the Macintosh." Visual hub can convert just about any video file you through at it. For example I mentioned earlier I receive MKV files from time to time. If I want to stream these files to my 360 they need to be in a format that the 360 can understand. VisualHub perfectly converts these files while keeping the quality as well as the HD resolution. VisualHub also has presets built in that make it easy to convert your video into the format you need. You can also select the option to stitch several videos together so they play as one video file. I use VisualHub daily. If you want to try out the small version for iPod check out iSquint. iSquint is free and will give you a taste of what VisualHub can do. VisualHub is $23.32 and for me has been worth the money time and time again.

Handbrake

Want to convert any DVD into a portable format. Handbrake is the application you need. Insert your DVD of home movies. Select the quality and settings you need and press start, and you will be off to the races. Just like VisualHub, Handbrake contains presets that are already configured to give you the best quality for whatever you will be viewing the video on. Some of my favorite presets are AppleTV, Xbox360, and the PSP. I recently took a trip to Hawaii, in which I converted several home movies to be played on my PSP. I have to say that the quality was amazing on the PSP. Even better than applications specifically made for the PSP. Handbreak is free and a great app.

Perian

Perian, is a great app that makes QuickTime even more useful. They call it the swiss-army knife for QuickTime. Lets face it QuickTime is a great media player, but it can’t handle all the formats and codec’s you through at it. For example DivX wont play by default in QuickTime. Perian add the ability to play more codec’s in QuickTime. Actually it is very rare that I have a video that wont play in QuickTime with the help of Perian. In those case I use VLC. Perian is a free preference pane and is something I add to every one of my Macs.

Web Development

MAMP

MAMP is the One-click-solution for setting up your personal webserver. The abbreviation MAMP stands for: Macintosh, Apache, Mysql and PHP. I use it for any WordPress local install. I have used similar systems on Windows and I have to say that MAMP is much more trouble free.With just a few mouse-clicks, you can install Apache, PHP and MySQL for Mac OS X. MAMP is free.

CSSEdit

MacRabbit, the makers of CSSEdit, make incrediable applications. If you are anything like me, a CSS nut, you will love CSSEdit. CSSEdit is by far the best CSS editor on ANY platform. I give lots of credit to CSSEdit as this program is one of the major reasons I learned CSS. The program made it easy to grab any website and play around with the CSS, and see how they did it. This way of learning helped make me the CSS guy I am today. However this program is not just for CSS noobs. It has many featured that Dreamweaver can’t hold a candle to. I have talked about it before on previous posts, the XRay and Inspector tool makes it easy to find the element you want to update and quickly edit it in real time. The preview uses web kit to give you not only a preview, but how it will actually look in Safari. CSSEdit is roughly $46.00 and is very much worth the price. Also check out Espresso coming soon from MacRabbit as well.

Cyberduck

Now that your have your site ready to go your need a great FTP client. Cyberduck is my favorite FTP/SFTP solution on the mac. Cyberduck is a powerful open source FTP and SFTP client with an easy to use interface. If you can find your way around the finder, Cyberduck should be a breeze for you. I like its easy drag and drop functionality. Cyberduck includes support for multiple FTP connections, resume-able downloads, recursive transfers, bookmarks, and folder synchronizations. It is solid and always works great for me. I recommend Cyberduck to anyone. Cyberduck again is free, one of my favorite words.

The World Wide Web

Firefox

Safari is great. It is fast and comes already on your system. However, if you want more from your web browser, try out Firefox. Firefox extensions alone are a reason enough to make the switch. The extensions give you the ability to add rich features to the browser, and customized how you like it. Firefox has extended support for key shortcuts, such as switching between tabs, live bookmarks and as well as getting a nice speed bump with each version. I did a very popular post last year about my favorite Firefox extensions that is worth a look. Firefox is free and worth a try.

NetNewsWire

Looking for an easy-to-use RSS reader for your Mac? NetNewsWire is the mac daddy of RSS feed readers. NetNewsWire has a familiar three-paned interface. The best part about NetNewsWire is that you can sync your feeds for free using NewsGator. This is great if your like me and am always on a different computer. The interface is clean and simple and comes with several themes built right in. If you want to control your look a bit more, you can create your own theme or download themes others have created from across the net. If you find yourself on a PC (heaven forbid) they have a version for that too. Keep track of all your feeds on whatever system your on. NetNewsWire is free.

Adium

Adium is all your instant messaging needs rolled up into one nice package. If you’ve used Trillian you will love Adium. Adium is an instant messaging application that can connect to AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, Jabber, ICQ, iChat, Google Talk, and more. Adium has a very simple and sleek interface. If you like to chat with several people at once, you’ll like Adium’s tabbed messaging feature. A single window can contain several conversations in separate tabs, kinda like Firefox or Safari. You can also update Adium’s functionality and appearance as there are a library of add-ons. Did I mention Adium is free?

You guys can’t get enough of these iPhone apps, and neither can I. There are so many great apps available in the app store, too many actually. To be honest, there is just not enough time in the day to cover every app, so I am reviewing the best of the best. If you didn’t ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

You guys can’t get enough of these iPhone apps, and neither can I. There are so many great apps available in the app store, too many actually. To be honest, there is just not enough time in the day to cover every app, so I am reviewing the best of the best. If you didn’t catch part 1, or part 2, start there first.The apps I’m highlighting today are:

• Movies
• Pandora
• Yelp
• LastFM
• Sports Tap

Movies

Attention all movie lovers out there. You have got to pick up Movies from the app store. Here is a description from the publisher:

Movies lets you find show times, buy tickets, watch trailers & get maps to your local theaters…FAST & FREE!

Do you remember the days of movie phone, Ahh I do? Waiting through previews you didn’t care about, it could take about 10 minutes to find your movie and actually match it up with the theater of your choice. With Movies those days are long gone.

You can easily find out what playing this weekend at your local theater. You can view top box office leaders, new movies opening this weekend, and upcoming flicks. You can get ratings of the movies provided by Flixster. I also love that you can view the trailer all from inside this app. Apparently you can order tickets through the app as well, however I was not able to find that feature. Definitely worth getting as it is free.

Pandora

Pandora is one of the best ways to set up a personalized radio station of the music you like and then stream it to your phone. Brilliant! Here is a description from the publisher:

Pandora Radio is your own FREE personalized radio now available to stream music on your iPhone. Just start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs or classical composers and Pandora will create a “station” that plays their music and more music like it.

Already a Pandora user? Even easier. Just log in. Pandora on the iPhone is fully integrated with Pandora on the web. Enjoy all your existing stations – and create new ones right from your iPhone or iPod Touch.

For current Pandora users it is a very simple process of signing in and having access to all of the radio stations you have already set up. If you’re not already a Pandora user then the process is slightly more difficult to get started and involves authorizing your mobile device on Pandora’s web page. But it was not too difficult. I was still able to do the whole thing through my iPhone.

With Pandora you can easily create stations around a particular artist or around a particular song you like. The interface is very simple and easy to use. While you’re listening to a song you can give it thumbs up or thumbs down. This helps customize your radio station to your match your personal preferences. You can also skip songs you don’t like, or bookmark the songs you do like. You can also purchase a song immediately through the iTunes store.

I used it while driving, and if you have 3G the service seems to run great. However, if you find yourself with edge only coverage, the service is spotty. All in all this is a great app, and hopefully with more polish it will be a favorite of many iPhone users. This app is free.

Yelp

Yelp is a great resource for finding dining and entertainment close to you. Here is a description from the publisher:

Looking for a burrito joint open now? An Irish pub nearby? A Gas station you can drive by before your tank is empty? Yelp for your iPhone is here to help. Use us to search for places to eat, shop, drink, relax, and play then read reviews from an active community of locals in the know.

I have used Yelp many times when out and about and I needed to find out what Mexican food restaurants were around. Yelp makes it very easy to do this. Just search for the type of restaurant you’re looking for and you will be provide with results. You an also switch to a Google maps view directly within the application, to show you exactly where the restaurant is located. Getting turn by turn directions however, is not that easy.

The application also provides reviews from normal people like you and me. I find the reviews to be sparse here in Dallas but as more and more people become familiar with the service the reviews should grow. Each restaurant is rated using a 5 star rating system. Yelp also provides the price, hours and phone number in most cases.

Yelp also provides information about the nearest bars and clubs, coffee & tea joints, banks, gas stations, and drugstores. When you compare the Where and the Yelp applications it a very close call. I would probably give it to Where, but they are both free so download them both and make up your own mind.

LastFM

Last.fm is very much like Pandora, with a couple more featured thrown in. Here is a description from the publisher:

Listen to more than 5 Million tracks for free with Last.fm on your iPhone. Create personal radio stations based on any artists or genres, and listen to commercial free music for hours. With Last.fm on the iPhone you can check out artist bios and concert information and share your favorite tracks with your friends using the iPhone contact list. The more you listen, the more Last.fm learns what you like and recommends new music based on your taste.

With Last.fm you have basically the same features you have available in Pandora. You can easily create stations around a particular. You can skip, ban, or love a song.  The more you listen the more Last.fm recognizes your music tastes. You can also purchase a song immediately through the iTunes store.

There are several things you can do in Last.fm that you can’t do in Pandora. You can view and artist bios, check out a list of similar artists, start a station by tags, and check out the top listeners of a particular artist. All of these features help you discover new Music. Last.fm is also set up like a social network. You can friend other listeners with similar tastes and compare music compatibility. Last.fm also tracks all of your listening habits and displays information about your actual favorite artist, album, and track based on how many times you listened to it.

For me Last.fm beats Pandora hands down. There are some who would argue that Pandora has a better learning algorithm; however the extra features I get in Last.fm is what makes it a winner in my book. If they ever get a chance to add mobile scrobbling to Last.fm I would be a very happy person. Last.fm is free in the app store.

Sports Tap

SportsTap is your one stop shop for all your sporting news. Think Sportscenter for your iPhone. Here is a description from the publisher:

SportsTap is the ultimate sports iPhone portal. Access all the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, Formula One, IndyCar, AFL, PGA, LPGA, ATP, WTA, MLS, English Premier League and UEFA Leagues scores and stats on the iPhone or iPod touch wherever you are. SportsTap provides detailed box scores with in-depth team and player statistics as well as season statistics and transactions for many leagues

SportsTap is Real-time iPhone updates for any sport. You can select the sport you’re interested in, and watch individual game updates or score updates. This I great if you are somewhere with limited access to a computer or ESPN. I love getting updates about NBA & NFL instantly being able to follow teams that are not generally on my radar. The UI needs to be tweeked, as some of the buttons are very small. The user interface kind of feels like a Windows Mobile app. However it works surprisingly well, despite the look of it. The best part is that it is completely free.

Bonus App – Jailberak Required

Boss Prefs

Turn off what you don’t need easily. Toggle your services on or off right from one location. It also gives you a customizable dock at the bottom.

By far the the most popular postsI have written have been the posts that cover iPhone applications. I started last week highlighting some of the best app’s that have come out for this product. I have already identified about 80 app’s that are worth a look at. I will continue to posts these app each ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

By far the the most popular postsI have written have been the posts that cover iPhone applications. I started last week highlighting some of the best app’s that have come out for this product. I have already identified about 80 app’s that are worth a look at. I will continue to posts these app each week because 1 single post with with all the app’s wont work. If you didn’t catch part 1, start there first.The apps I’m highlighting today are:

• WordPress
• JerboBreak
• Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D
• Labyrinth
• Check Please

WordPress

Well I downloaded the iPhone WordPress app. This app contains support for WordPress blogs and self-installed WordPress blogs (version 2.5.1 and higher). I got to say for quick blog posts and more of a micro blogging mindset, the application is amazing. But if you are more of a long form blogger like me, this app won’t really do the job. Here is a description from the publisher:

Robust but simple to use, the WordPress for iPhone Open Source application allows you to create and edit content on your WordPress blog(s) with support for offline use.

If you want a good WordPress post editor this app is great for that. It is really easy to edit and preview your changes before going live. Maybe I will start trying to write more frequently with shorter posts. If I did that I could see myself using this app a lot. Who knows, with added features this app could turn out to be something amazing.

You can currently add and manage multiple blogs, preview post through embedded Safari. WordPress app has full support for tags and categories, the ability to password-protect a post, save as draft, or mark for later review. There is also an auto-recovery feature that recovers posts interrupted by phone calls.

You will be able to add photos with photo support for both camera pics and library photos. I also was able to get HTML to work too. Not too shabby. I hope this app continues to get better and better especially since its open source. Again this app is free, so if you’re a WordPress blogger, go get it.

JerboBreak

If you are looking for a fun Breakout clone, there are at least half a dozen to choose from in the app store. However, if you’re looking for a free version Jirbo Break is the winner. Here is a description from the publisher:

Brickbreaker for iPhone, but 10 times better

One of my favorite things about this app is the touch tracking for the paddle, and JirboBreak’s touch controls work surprisingly well. The bounce paddle tracks your finger easily and accurately as you drag it across the bottom of the screen. This is definitely a waiting room game as it won’t give you hours of game play; however it will kill some time and provide re-playability. The power-ups you get in this game help make it fun and interesting every time. This game is free so go get it.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D

If you liked Mario Cart chances are you will like Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D (Crash Kart). Here is a description from the publisher:

The richest 3D kart racing experience! Speed your way through 12 thrilling tracks and multiple environments! Race and battle against zany opponents and turn them to dust with 8 devastating weapons. Tilt and twist your iPhone for truly "Nitro" driving sensations.

The nefarious Nitrous Oxide has joined forces with evil genius Dr. Cortex and his demented side-kick Ripper Roo, in a plot to beat the Bandicoots into submission once and for all, and at long last clear the way for world domination. In order to lure Crash and his gang out in the open, they stage a Kart tournament. The winners will be crowned "Kings Of Kart Racing For All Eternity", the losers will be banished from N. Sanity Island. – Via Touch Arcade

The controls are pretty straightforward. You touch the screen to start the game, tilt the iPhone left and right to steer your kart, and tilt the iPhone forward and backward to speed-up and down. Crash Kart has four cups to beat. Each cup has four tracks associated with it. You can get power-ups during the races witch help you beat the other racers. Some of these power-ups include nitro boost,, and rockets.

This game is a lot of fun. The accelerometer makes it surprisingly easy to control without traditional analog controls. When you first try it out you may feel a bit out of control, but after a few races you will not miss a traditional controller. I can’t wait for more revolutionary games like this are released for the iPhone. This game is $9.99 and in my opinion worth every penny.

Labyrinth

I think the iPhone is the perfect device for maze games. If you’re anything like me when you were younger, you’ve probably toyed with a puzzle maze game that featured a steel ball you have to roll through a wooden maze. You would tilt the maze game up and down to move the ball using little dials on the side of the box. This is that game, just digitally. Here is a description from the publisher:

The classic labyrinth game where you control a steel ball by tilting a wooden labyrinth. Download and play over 500 levels and more as they are created by the community.

Using simple graphics paired with the iPhone’s accelerometer, Labyrinth is a highly fun an addictive game. It’s a perfect waiting room game. There is a light/free version available and the full version is $7.00. This will be one of the first games you show off to your friends.

Check Please

Yet another tip calculator. Hey, but I use these almost every time I got out to eat. I want to make sure I am giving enough tip. Here is a description from the publisher:

A simple tip calculator for calculating the tip or for splitting the bill evenly among multiple people.

Enough said. Like I said there are tons of tip calculators available in the app store, however this one is free. It has a nice UI and is instantly easy to use. Worth the price so go out and get it.

Bonus App – Jailberak Required

aMaze!

Classic wooden balance labyrinth where players guide a steel ball through a maze to the finish.
aMaze! Is very much like labyrinth for the app store but it’s free and contains almost 100 levels from the start.

It has been a while since I first got my iPhone 3G. Since first getting it I have downloaded a great amount of applications. Some of these applications have been awesome, or very useful, others have been stinkers. I started jotting down my favorite iPhone applications, the types of applications that are really rock. The ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviewsVideo Games

It has been a while since I first got my iPhone 3G. Since first getting it I have downloaded a great amount of applications. Some of these applications have been awesome, or very useful, others have been stinkers. I started jotting down my favorite iPhone applications, the types of applications that are really rock. The apps I’m highlighting today are:

• Toy Bot Diaries
• Aurora Feint
• Where
• Dizzy Bee
• Twitterriffic

Toy Bot Diaries

I’ve got to say that Toy Bot Diaries is my favorite iPhone game to date. It makes the best use I’ve seen of the iPhone’s touch controls in association with the built in accelerometer. Here is a brief description of the game.

Tiny Toy Bot has awakened within a strange machine and now he needs your help! Use Toy Bot’s handy grappling hook and magnet boots to navigate him through environments teeming with physics-based challenges as he plunges into an unfamiliar world. Search for Toy Bot’s lost datapads to recover his memory and guide him on his top secret mission.

A lot of the iPhone games that have come out have tended to be ports of other games that have worked on other systems. While I really like that these games have come out, they really weren’t built from the ground up with the iPhone in mind. Toy Bot Diaries is not one of these games. I believe, It is the first game to realize what iPhone gaming is about.

Toy Bot Diaries is a swing and cling platformer. You will navigate through the level using the robots electro grappling hook, magnetic boots and expert swinging skills.You will navigate three complete levels and one special boss level.

The gameplay is what amazes you, but the graphics are bad either. Everything seemed polished and finished. The sound also was very good, especially compared to other games for sale in the app store. I really can’t wait until the other episodes are released. At 3.99 this is a must have for any iPhone owner.

Aurora Feint

I have heard this game as being compared to Pokemon Puzzle League where the basic game play is to arrange three blocks in a row, either vertical or horizontal. I would categorize it as Bejeweled on steroids. Here is a description from the publisher:

Compete with your friends in an epic fantasy world. Play exciting puzzle games, level up your character, and collect magical items! Experience the world of Aurora Feint the Beginning is the first episode in what will become an MMO exclusively for the iPhone.

The unique part of Aurora Feint is the Role Playing elements. The game includes a World of Warcraft-esk character creator and allows you to level-up to useful skills such as "Time Stopper" and "Strategist". These level-ups help in the game play and keep you playing. I have to admit I haven’t gotten very far, but I have really enjoyed what I have seen thus far. This is a game I will definitely try my best to level-up to the highest I can. The best part of the game is it is absolutely free!

Where

Where is the perfect application to find out what around you when your out an about. Where plug into to great services to provide you with the information you want from what around you. Where uses: Eventful, Yelp, GasBuddy, Zipcar, ShopLocal, Starbucks, & Buddy Beacon. Here is a description from the publisher:

WHERE™ is a location-based application chock-full of widgets that deliver essential information about what’s around you. Are you looking for the hottest restaurants, jonesing for your next coffee fix, or running dangerously low on gas and need a cheap fill-up? WHERE delivers the best in local information from Eventful, Yelp, GasBuddy, Zipcar, ShopLocal, Starbucks, Buddy Beacon® and more.

I have used the Starbucks finder and Yelp with-in where. It really is nice to have all of this location information within one application. With rising gas prices I am probably going to use gas buddy very soon as well. The app is totally free, so give it a shot.

Dizzy Bee

Dizzy bee is a very fun accelerometer based tilt game. This game functions much like speed race, amaze or labyrinth however the game play becomes much more interesting after enemies are introduced. Here is a description from the publisher:

Guide a friendly bee by tilting and turning the iPhone or iPod touch. Lead him through windmills, bumpy bumpers, avoid the baddies, rescue the fruits and bring them to safety.

You soon realize you’ll have to watch the enemies’ movements, which are also affected by the same tilting/gravity you use to control your dizzy bee. There is a free version of this game available. It has limited levels, but still packs a lot of fun. The full version is $2.99.

Twitterriffic

I have reviewed Twitter applications for the iPhone before, but I think my favorite now is Twitterriffic. Here is a description from the publisher:

A fun application that lets you read and publish posts (called "tweets") on the Twitter social network. Stay connected with friends, family, and co-workers through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

First off Twitterriffic looks gorgeous. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a glossy black interface. What I like about Twitterriffic is the readability of everything. The tweets are big and easy to read. Furthermore there is an item view mode that allows you to view tweets one at a time. This makes it really easy to read long tweets. Links will open directly in the application saving you the frustration of having to open Safari.

Well I downloaded the iPhone WordPress app. I gotta say for quick blog posts and more of a micro blogging mindset, the application is amazing. But if you are more of a long form blogger like me, this app won’t really do the ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

This is a quick blog post. A full post is coming later today.

Well I downloaded the iPhone WordPress app. I gotta say for quick blog posts and more of a micro blogging mindset, the application is amazing. But if you are more of a long form blogger like me, this app won’t really do the job.

If you want a good WordPress post editor this app is great for that. It is really easy to edit and preview your changes before going live. Maybe I will start trying to write more frequently with shorter posts. If I did that I could see myself using this app a lot. Who knows, with added features this app could turn out to be something amazing.

There were many problems and disappointments on iPhone 3G launch day. Many people who stood in line day one were turned away at the last minute. Some because they had business accounts which couldn’t be process at an Apple store, others had credit check problems, or shared a line with someone who ... Read more]]> Posted in AppleReviews

There were many problems and disappointments on iPhone 3G launch day. Many people who stood in line day one were turned away at the last minute. Some because they had business accounts which couldn’t be process at an Apple store, others had credit check problems, or shared a line with someone who wasn’t present. In the end they all were turned away. Those of us who were lucky enough to get a new iPhone 3G at launch still have quite a story to tell. Here is mine.

Review of the iPhone 2.0 software

First off let me preface with the fact that I had a perfectly working jailbroken iPhone before the software came out. I was almost reluctant to upgrade because I had a wonder experience with my jailbroken iPhone. I decided to try it out mainly because I really wanted to try out Super Monkey Ball.

The Upgrade

The upgrade to 2.0 took forever. I was late to work because I didn’t realize how long the update process would actually take. Previous firmware updates did not take that long. Once I had the software I started downloading the top 25 that were free. I won’t go into what are the great iPhone apps as I’m planning a comprehensive roundup of the best iPhone apps for a future post.

The App Store

I’ve got to say, overall the app store works pretty good. I really like the top 25, but wish they would add a recently added section. It worked so great in installer.app. I would almost check daily to see what new apps were available. Installing an app is not that obvious. You basically tap the price button and it turns into an install button. Would it kill you to put a standalone download button? As soon as you hit the download button you are prompted for your password. This is annoying as you have to do this every time you download or update an app.

The next thing is does is kick you back to the main screen. What if I wasn’t done looking at the app store. Again, this is very annoying. I also found out there is no reason to position my apps where I want them, as every time I do an update it repositions the updated apps wherever it wants. This is partially because I like to leave the second to bottom row empty. Still, I should be able to arrange my icons how I like.

2.0 Tips

I do have a couple of tips to chare with you. If you are a two iPhone family like me you will want to share some of those paid apps with your other phone. Basically all you need to do is login to iTunes on the user’s computer you wish to share with, and download the apps. Here is a more detailed description. Another little tip I found useful if you find your iPhone crashing a lot when running certain programs. Maybe the mail application is getting mail at the same time or some other unknown process is happening. Kill it by holding down the home button. Very handy.

iPhone Backup Process

The biggest complaint I have with the new software is not on the phone, but rather with iTunes. Every time I plug in my phone to my computer, iTunes wants to perform a full backup of my iPhone. This sounds great, as we don’t have to worry about loosing any applications or data if the phone suddenly gets dropped in the lake. The band news is that this process can take a long time. I have lots of applications, and backup usually takes about 20 minutes on my Quad Core Mac Pro. This is ridiculous. If you want to stop this from happening there is a way, however it requires that you play around in the terminal. It is reversible and has not caused any problem for me yet, so try it out.

Other than the app store nothing much has changed. There is now support for exchange email and contacts, but I haven’t tried these out yet. The big feature of 2.0 is the actual apps, which I will talk about very soon.

Review of the iPhone 3G

3G

Well to be honest, the iPhone 3G is not that much different than the iPhone V1. It even doesn’t look that much different. First let me speak to 3G. 3G is fast. Apple says it is about twice as fast as Edge, and it really feels like it. Since I use the crap out of the internet connection on my phone, 3G has been a big hit. Luckily I am in an area where there is 3G coverage everywhere. However you think with this fast connection we would finally get support for flash on the iPhone. Crazy huh?

iPhone GPS

Up next is GPS. I have never gotten the nice little blue GPS dot that is supposed to show when you have a GPS fixed on your position. It’s so funny to watch the demonstration videos and it shows how fast everything is. I guess reality wouldn’t be as glamorous. I cannot even tell my iPhone has GPS as I seem to get the same results on my old iPhone. I tried to use the GPS on a recent road trip, on a road in the middle of nowhere. The iPhone basically said it couldn’t locate me. I had no cell service, but that should not have affected the GPS. Meanwhile my Garmin Nuvi knew exactly where I was at.

I’ll wrap all the other features into one. I got the black one because I thought the white one looked girly. Now I wish I would have gotten the white version as you really can’t tell I have a new iPhone unless you really notice the back. I do have the 16GB version now, so I am loving the extra space. The new speakers seem to be a little louder, which I like. Also I notice that the camera and screen seem to be a bit better. I have heard that the new iPhone screen is now at a different color temperature, sharper, and more contrast, but I haven’t heard anything about the camera. It could be that my old camera was scratched up as it was older. Who knows?

PWNING Your 3G 2.0

I got only one thing to say "do it". You get all of the great functionality on the iPhone, but now with every app every released for the iPhone. I am using it because I really missed mobile scribbler, and themes. However please note that the jailbreak software is unstable at the moment. It took me several tries before it actually worked. Plus you always run the risk of bricking your phone, so do so at your own risk. Just know that I have not had any problems yet.