Mac OS X Lion launches July 20

Just confirmed from the earnings call: OS X Lion will launch tomorrow, July 20. This was an unusual way to announce the launch, but it confirms the week's rumors.

Lion will be available exclusively via the Mac App Store. There's no word yet whether it will be a rolling international launch across time zones (beginning in New Zealand and ending in Hawaii) or if the launch will occur simultaneously worldwide. Of note, it is already July 20 on half of Earth, but Lion is still not available.
We'll update this post later if we get more information.

Mac OS X Lion launches July 20 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iOS 5 Beta 3 introduces new gestures that bypass the home button

Apple has today released the latest version of the iOS 5 beta, bringing along a host of bug fixes and some new features. One of those new features, as detailed by Chris Oldroyd over at TiPB, is a new gesture system that is part of iOS 5′s Accessibility features.
The gesture system is a control panel, enabled inside AssistiveTouch that allows you to assign gestures to the functions of all of the existing hardware buttons, thereby removing any need, aside from emergencies, for the home, power or volume buttons on the iPhone and iPad.

The feature places a tappable zone in the bottom corner of the screen that opens the control panel. The resulting panel allows you to trigger the home button, pick from multi-finger gestures or create your own to perform actions. As you create gestures, you can find them under the Favorites section allowing you to see them on-screen as an overlay.



The Device menu lets you perform some operations that you’d normally use buttons for like locking the screen and increasing or decreasing volume. These controls are already available in the multitasking drawer, but this would be a great way to get at them if the iPad was being used in a display environment or in a rack that covered the home button. Think public displays in museums or mounted in a cockpit.

There are also a couple of controls like screen rotation and shake that emulate motion triggers of the accelerometers inside the device. You can see them in action via this video created by 9to5Mac:



When multitouch gestures that enabled app switching, closing and access to the multitasking drawer appeared in iOS 4.3.3, people were quick to jump on it as evidence that Apple might be doing away with the home button. It would be tempting to see something like this as another telltale sign. But the fact that it’s located in the Accessibility menu should tell you how Apple thinks about these features.

They should be looked at as one more way that Apple excels at offering incredibly good accessibility features to the impaired user, an area in which it is tremendously better than almost any other mobile device on the market. This feature could also be used in special use cases where the hardware buttons would be made inaccessible due to obstruction or perhaps security concerns.TiPB

New iPhone commercials feature FaceTime and AirPlay

Apple has aired two new iPhone commercials. The first features the capabilities of FaceTime on the iPhone. It shows users video chatting via FaceTime iPhone to iPhone, iPhone to MacBook Air, and iPhone to iPad.

The second iPhone commercial showcases the iPhone's AirPlay features. The commercial shows a user streaming music from an iPhone to their stereo, and pictures and video to their TV. The ads are part of Apple's 'If you don't have an iPhone' series. Both commercials can be view below and are also available on Apple's YouTube channel.

New iPhone commercials feature FaceTime and AirPlay originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 22:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Replace your Mac’s dock with Tab Launcher

Tab Launcher, a brand new app available for download from the Mac App Store, doesn’t try to position itself as an alternative to the Mac’s native dock. But that is exactly what the handy little app is.

The free app is a great way to maximize your Macbook’s screen real estate, and with rumours of the new Macbook Air on its way this month, this is probably going to want to be one of the first apps you install on your new laptop.

Tab Launcher is a small menu bar consisting of a series of tabs or folders. After installing it, you can choose where to position it on your screen by dragging and dropping the menu. It can be placed at the bottom of the screen, or to the right or left.



Tab Launcher is fully customizable. You can change the theme, the tab colours, as well as add, delete and rename tabs. You can also adjust the transparency of the menu both when it is open and closed.



The default setup for Tab Launcher comes with three labels – Main, Net and Tools, giving you an idea of how the menu can be used to keep your apps organized, without using up too much screen real estate. To get the most out of Tab Launcher, try to categorize the list of apps that you use on a regular basis and create tabs based on those categories. Then simply drag and drop the apps into their tabs. Before you know it, you may never use your Mac’s dock ever again.

Air Display extends your Mac display across devices

Air Display is a handy app that makes extending your display on one computer over to other computers or iOS devices easy.

Air Display is a product of software development company Avatron, and there are Mac, iOS and Windows versions of the app. Avatron specialize in apps that make iOS more useful on your home network — Print Sharing allows users to print on a networked printer from the iPhone or iPad, and Air Sharing turns your iPhone into an external drive of sorts.

But Air Display is by far their coolest creation.

I’ve got an iMac, a Macbook Pro, an iPad and an iPhone — all of which have situational uses (if they didn’t, I wouldn’t have bought them). But here’s the thing: on any given workday, three of those devices are sitting around watching with great jealousy as I spend the day on my iMac.

And while I may on occasion find that having two Macs is a useful thing when I’m tying up the processor on one of them a little too much, in most cases the obvious way to make use of these extra devices is to extend my screen space.

I’m a big fan of multiple displays. My current setup is a fairly pedestrian one — a 27″ Benq monitor in addition to my 27″ iMac — but it has come a long way since two gargantuan 15″ CRT monitors fought for space on my desk years ago.

In the past, I’ve been able to make use of extra machines with Synergy, an app that acts as a virtual KVM switch, using the network to allow you to control multiple computers with one keyboard and mouse. But what I really wanted was the ability to extend one computer’s display, not control multiple computers. And that’s where Air Display comes in.

While my two main displays are covered in browser windows and tabs that contain half-finished articles, research, apps like Gmail and various other things, I can fill my Macbook Pro’s screen up with Echofon and our team backend app, Convofy.

Even small screens like the iPhone and iPad can make life easier. As Avatron suggest on Air Display’s product page, I can make apps that are normally only manageable on the desktop more bearable on the Macbook Pro — by putting palettes and layers in Photoshop on my iPad screen, for instance.

Air Display costs $19.99 for the Mac, and $9.99 for iOS devices. That’s really quite a reasonable price — even if all you’ll be able to fit on the iPhone screen is a notifier or two.

Are Samsung’s Mobile Designs Really That Similar to Apple’s? [PICS]

Apple has amended and expanded its intellectual property right complaint against Samsung to include more products and more patents.
In April, Apple filed suit against the Korean giant, alleging that products like the Galaxy S series of smartphones and the original Galaxy Tab copied the look and feel of Apple products, violating the Cupertino company’s patents and intellectual property.
In the amended complaint, Apple has added a number of handsets — including Droid Charge 4G (which Mashable recently reviewed) and the Galaxy S II.
We decided to take a look at some of the Samsung products Apple claims violate its intellectual property to see just how similar the design and UI aesthetic is to the big fruit.

The Original iPhone

Apple released the first iPhone in June 2007. The mobile world was turned on its head and the aesthetics and designs of mobile phones and operating systems was forever changed.

Samsung BlackJack 2

This is the smartphone Samsung was selling in 2007, the BlackJack 2.

Samsung Galaxy S

This is the Samsung Galaxy S, which debuted in 2010.
Look like anything you've seen before?

The iPhone 3G

Released in 2008, the iPhone 3G differed only slightly from its predecessor but had a slightly different back/side-housing.

Samsung Showcase i500

The Samsung Showcase i500 was released in 2011 and shares similarities with the form factor and aesthetic of the iPhone 3G.

The iPhone 3GS

Released in 2009, the iPhone 3GS looks identical to the iPhone 3G, but was significantly faster under the hood.

Verizon Droid Charge

Apple recently amended its lawsuit against Samsung to include the recently released Droid Charge in the list of infringing devices.

Sprint Epic 4G

Sprint's version of the Galaxy S was the only version to include a slide-out keyboard. Nevertheless, Apple still included the Epic 4G in its list of infringing devices.

The Nexus S 4G

Google's Nexus S and Nexus S 4G devices have a curved glass screen but also share a similar shape and icon layout as the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS series.

Galaxy S Captivate

The application bar in the TouchWiz interface in the Galaxy S Captivate from AT&T bears more than a passing resemblance to Apple's iOS.

Galaxy S 4G

T-Mobile's Galaxy S 4G shares lots of similarities with earlier iPhone devices
.

Galaxy S Vibrant

T-Mobile's first Galaxy S device, the Vibrant, also shares a similar body style as the iPhone 3GS.

iPhone 4

Apple released the iPhone 4 in June 2010. It's industrial design was unlike anything else on the market.

Galaxy S II

The Galaxy S II is starting to hit stores in Europe and Asia and the well-reviewed smartphone looks very similar to the iPhone 4.

AT&T Infuse 4G

Likewise, AT&T's Infuse 4G looks very similar to the body style and button layout as the iPhone 4.

The iPad

The iPad was first released in March 2010 and managed to reboot the entire tablet PC market.
The design, which many criticized as simply being an oversized iPod touch, was unlike any other tablet computer on the market.

Galaxy Tab 4G

Samsung's Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Tab 4G was originally released in a 7' form factor.
Slower than expected sales convinced Samsung to reconsider their size strategy.

iPad 2

The iPad 2 was released in March 2011 and has managed to sell out in every market.
Thinner than its predecessor, while still retaining the same beautiful screen, the devices is currently dominating the tablet market.

Galaxy Tab 10.1

Samsung went back to the drawing board and re-designed the Galaxy Tab 10.1 after showing it off at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, 2011.
The final version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is thin -- Samsung claims it's thinner than the iPad 2 -- and it certainly looks similar to the Apple device.
[via MacRumors]

Shazam Encore updated with lyrics, how about iTunes?

Shazam has released another update for its paid Encore app, this one adding full lyrics of over 25,000 songs on the service from provider LyricPlay. It lets you stream the lyrics in real-time as the song plays, so you can sing (or even just read) along. It's not exactly a reason to shell out for the US$5.99 app -- I'm still using the free version to identify music that I listen to, and it works just fine for that purpose. But it's a nice addition to the Encore functionality, and it's good to see that someone has worked out how to make song lyrics available to listeners in a simple and easy way.
In fact, this makes us wonder just where iTunes is on this issue. We've seen rumors for a long time that iTunes has been trying to add a lyrics feature (and there are plenty of ways to just do it yourself if you'd like to do that). But especially now that Apple has figured out something as complicated as iTunes Match, surely lyrics shouldn't be that hard to do, right?
Unfortunately, the RIAA is still against it, and they've actually shut down any relatively easy solutions for quickly bringing lyrics into iTunes. It's a real shame -- especially for any music purchased from the iTunes Store (and because of the way iTunes Match works, all of your music will probably come from the App Store soon), we should really have access to the lyrics as the songs play.

Shazam Encore updated with lyrics, how about iTunes? originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Slacker Radio Launches Slacker Premium On The iPad

Hot on the heels of rival Pandora’s IPO yesterday, Slacker Radio has its own offering for the public: Slacker Premium radio for its iPad app. The app brings all three levels of Slacker service to the iPad – Slacker Basic Radio, the ad-free Slacker Radio Plus, and now, Slacker Premium, which offers music on-demand.
Of course, listening to music on the iPad app isn’t too different from listening to music on Slacker’s iPhone app, but the iPad’s larger screen definitely makes browsing through artist bios, album reviews, artist pics and album art a much more pleasant experience.
A new feature also made its way onto both the iPad and iPhone versions of the app. From now on, you’ll be able to create Pandora-esque custom stations by choosing multiple songs or artists. Plus, Slacker promises to bring ESPN Radio content to the mix soon. The Slacker Radio iPad app is available now as a free download from the Apple App Store.

Insert Coin: Air Guitar Move for iPhone (video)

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with 'Insert Coin' as the subject line.





We're not sure proper air guitarists would ever consider adding a bonafide pick to their cherished imaginary pastime, but what if a petite plastic plectrum could turn those strokes into stringed acoustics that more than just you can hear? That's the idea behind Air Guitar Move, a $50 motion-sensing guitar pick that pairs with a dedicated iPhone app using a single dock-connected string. The minds behind Move aren't new to product design -- Colin Karpfinger created Thumbies, a suction cup-based gaming control accessory for iPhone, and Ronald Mannak has launched other freestyle electronic toys, including the V-Beat AirDrums and AirGuitar -- so if they meet their $25,000 funding goal, we imagine that we'll have a very solid iPhone accessory on our hands.



A $39 pledge gets you a single Move with a 20 percent discount, and a pledge of $49 will net you a pick from the first shipment, so you'll be strumming away a month before folks in the first group. The creators have yet to commit to a ship date, but head over to Kickstarter if you'd like to make a pledge, or jump past the break for the intro video and an update on our last featured product, ZionEyez.
Continue reading Insert Coin: Air Guitar Move for iPhone (video)

The Dot lets you capture 360 degree video with your iPhone 4

Original: The Dot lets you capture 360 degree video with your iPhone 4

The Dot is a sweet Kickstarter project that’s been funded 4 times its goal. It’s a stylish, durable and pocket-sized 360º panoramic lens attachment and app for the iPhone 4. The device is made by Kogeto, the world’s most advanced panoramic video camera. The Dot lets you capture fully navigable, panoramic video in realtime and share your content with your friends on your social networks or stream it online using Koget.

The Koget guys are excited: “We’d rather put down the camera and enjoy the party. We’re making a bet you will too…Our secret beta testers have already had a lot of fun taking it to concerts, the park, on moped rides in Italy, and showing cramped apartments to mothers halfway around the world… We’ve spent the past few months researching, designing, prototyping and coding. This means we have working hardware and software prototypes.”

Watch a video of The Dot in action here:



Dot:360° Prototype Test from Christian Mazza on Vimeo.

The Kickstarter project has raised over $80,000, which is 4 times its goal amount of $20,000. So it looks like we’ll have the cutting-edge (read: magical) panoramic technology soon!

Preorder it here ($98). notcot

Dropp for iPhone reminds, warns and sends love letters by location

Original: Dropp for iPhone reminds, warns and sends love letters by location


Many of the things that we have to remind ourselves to do, or bring with us, throughout the day are tied up in a place as well as a time. Dropp [Free, App Store] is a unique app that functions as a location-based reminder app that will trigger when you enter an area. But it also has a cool secondary use as a personalized messaging service that allows you to drop text or picture messages in an area that will be picked up by friends or family automatically.

To set up a ‘dropp’, you launch the app, tap the drop button and add a text or picture message. You can set a dropp at any location, including your current one. There are several use cases right off the bat that make it a cool tool to have to remind yourself to do things. Being able to set a message at work will allow you to remind yourself to do something as soon as you get there. A picture message could be used to remind you to get milk at the store and indicate the exact type and brand with a shot from your fridge.



If you know that you’re the kind of person who is going to forget to ask a date how her mom is doing you could set up a dropp for yourself at the place where you’re going to meet. When you get there, a note will pop up that you have a dropp, tapping the notification will launch the app and unlock the message because you’re in the area.

The best things about Dropp for me though, are the possibilities for communication once you start using it with friends and family and not just yourself. If you want to send your wife a nice little note that unlocks when she gets to the office, just set up a dropp for her work address. Add a picture or text message wishing her hugs and kisses (or whatever, something more manly perhaps) and send it off. When she gets there Dropp will send her a notification that she has unlocked it and she’ll get a nice surprise to start her work day off right.



In addition to private dropps, you can also leave public messages for anyone on your friends list, which you can populate several ways including Twitter, to find. Dropp’s creator Richard Felix says that they plan on expanding this, allowing you to find and unlock sponsored caches that may deliver a promotional message or discount to you if you choose to open it.

If you’re interested in seeing what dropps have been left in your area you can simply fire up Dropp and get a list. You can then tap on them to see where you need to be to unlock them.



On top of this cool mechanic is a very nicely designed UI that uses completely custom elements. Its simple and smart and offers just the right amount of graphical flair without getting too complicated for its own good. Even the standard map view is tweaked just slightly with a grid pattern to make it more unique. The tabs give easy access to the map, friends, activity and new dropp buttons. The icon is also very well designed, its got a very, well, iconic look. High marks across the board for the look and feel of Dropp.

The concept of Dropp is a simple but clever one, private or public messages with text or pictures attached that are unlocked by visiting a location. It’s such a clever idea that some basic version of this functionality is included in Apple’s Reminders app in iOS 5. The execution of the feature is much nicer in Dropp than the Reminders app however and the ability to attach an image to a dropp is super fun.

If you’re intrigued by the idea of being able to send yourself, or your loved ones, messages that are unlocked by location then you owe it to yourself to check out Dropp. It’s easily the best implementation I’ve seen of the concept so far and the UI is gorgeous. You can snag it now on the App Store.

Steve Jobs' comic book bio coming to stores in August

Original: Steve Jobs' comic book bio coming to stores in August

Steve Jobs' official biography comes out next March, but those who don't want to wait that long to read about iSteve can grab a comic book biography from Bluewater Productions.


The 32-page comic book Steve Jobs: Co-Founder of Apple highlights the important moments in the life and career of Steve Jobs. For better or worse. The book will examine Jobs both as a 'visionary and a genius' and an 'egomaniac and a corporate pirate.'


It's available for pre-order now from Amazon for US$3.99 and can be picked up your local comic book store when it launches this coming August. It'll also be available online from Barnes & Noble and Borders.


Bluewater may be name familiar to some as it is well-known for its comic book biographies. In the past, the publishing company has covered Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, Sarah Palin and, most recently, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

Steve Jobs' comic book bio coming to stores in August originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple starts selling unlocked iPhone 4 for $649

Original: Apple starts selling unlocked iPhone 4 for $649

Not that it'll do you much good in the US -- an unlocked iPhone 4 will still only work on AT&T's 3G bands -- but Apple has just started selling its prized smartphone without any carrier partiality on its US online store. The big attraction is, of course, being able to take the phone abroad and switch MicroSIMs to your heart's content, an experience that most other nations are already well accustomed to. Additionally, though the $649 (16GB) and $749 (32GB) levies may seem rather steep for American buyers, they're quite a bit more affordable than the unlocked pricing elsewhere. You can have yours within three business days if black's your color, or three to five if you're after the snow white one.