If you've already downloaded the latest iPhone 1.1.3 software update, then you know you can bookmark your favorite sites on your iPhone/iPod Touch's home screen. Unfortunately, since this is a still a new feature, most site owners are not sure how to create those glossy web clips that appear when you bookmark a site on the iPhone's homepage. Lucky for you, I came across Apple's iPhone Dev Center where they've posted step-by-step instructions on how to do this. Those familiar with favicons should have no problem creating an iPhone web clip, since the process is very similar.
If you're a site owner, I recommend you take a few minutes to create a web clip for your site. It's extremely easy to do, and your visitors will love your for it. Here's how to get started:
Open your image editing program, such as Photoshop, and create an image that's 57 x 57 pixels. Safari will crop larger images, so you can create one slightly larger if you want.
Save the icon in your computer as an 8-bit PNG file, and name it "apple-touch-icon.png."
Upload the image to your site's root directory, just like you would save a favicon image.
Now open up your site on your iPhone/iPod Touch, tap the plus sign at the bottom of the screen, and select 'Add to Home Screen.' Rename site if necessary.
Hit the home button, and admire your new shiny icon.
You can also reorganize and delete icons on your home screen by:
Clicking and holding one of the icons until they start to wiggle
To move icons, hold and drag them to the desired position
To delete an icon, simply tap the "X" next to each icon
Click the home button when you're satisfied 
Thursday, January 24, 2008
iPhone Webclip for your Website
iPhone remote for your iMac
There is this super scary web based applicaiton that lets you control every aspect of your computer.
It's called Remote Buddy http://www.iospirit.com/index.php?&sid=5406295Gda4f2adf882fb9be
Download and tell me your impressions.
iPhone Rumors
I head fourth hand that there will be a 3G iPhone coming out in June with 16GB capacity.
It is unconfirmed but I wanted to see if anyone else heard the same thing.
iPhone Last.FM
A few days ago we sent out some cryptic invitations to a press conference in New York that Felix and Martin are presiding over. We’ve had fun in the office reading the rumors and speculation, but it’s time to spill the beans:
As of today, you can play full-length tracks and entire albums for free on the Last.fm website.
Something we’ve wanted for years—for people who visit Last.fm to be able to play any track for free—is now possible. With the support of the folks behind EMI, Sony BMG, Universal and Warner—and the artists they work with—plus thousands of independent artists and labels, we’ve made the biggest legal collection of music available to play online for free, the way we believe it should be.
Full-length tracks are now available in the US, UK, and Germany, and we’re hard at work broadening our coverage into other countries. During this initial public beta period, each track can be played up to 3 times for free before a notice appears telling you about our upcoming subscription service. The soon-to-be announced subscription service will give you unlimited plays and some other useful things. We’re also working on bringing full-length tracks to the desktop client and beyond.
Free full-length tracks are obviously great news for listeners, but also great for artists and labels, who get paid every time someone streams a song. Music on Last.fm is perpetually monetized. This is good because artists get paid based on how popular a song is with their fans, instead of a fixed amount.
We will be paying artists directly.
We already have licenses with the various royalty collection societies, but now unsigned artists can put their music on Last.fm and be paid directly for every song played. This helps to level the playing-field—now you can make music, upload it to Last.fm and earn money for each play. If you make music, you can sign up to participate for free.
We’re not printing money to pay for this—but the business model is simple enough: we are paying artists and labels a share of advertising revenue from the website.
Today we’re redesigning the music economy. There are already millions of tracks available, and we’re adding more every day. We will continue to work hard to bring this to everyone in the world.
Macbook Air Impressions
After evaluating the state of the ultraportable market historically (poor) and the specs Apple is doling out with this device, it seems almost too obvious that very few people will be willing to buy this junker.
Let's face it -- the MacBook Air is nothing more than a gimmick to make people believe Apple is a trendsetter that knows the best way to bring "cool" products to the masses. But what everyone seems to forget is that this company already has a slew of "cool" products and there's no need for something that's underpowered and overpriced.
Suffice it to say, the MacBook Air is nothing more than a toy that has no promise and will flounder in stores. Why you ask? It's simple.
First off, let's look at Apple's current stable of notebooks. The company offers the MacBook, which is slim and small in its own right and features the same size screen as the Air. Not only that, but it sports far superior specs and is only 0.32-inches thicker than the Air when comparing them at their thickest points. Oh, and let's not forget that it only weighs 2 pounds more and starts at $1099, compared to the Air's $1799 pricetag.
On the other side of things, Apple's MacBook Pro is built with the power user in mind and although it's much bigger than the Air, its entry-level price is just $200 more.
So let me get this straight -- I can have a Mac that's barely thinner than its brother, underpowered, but admittedly "cooler" for an additional $700? Now let's be honest -- who in their right mind would spend an additional $700 on a device just because it looks nicer?
Now, I know that some Apple zealots are screaming right now saying that it's all about portability and it's not meant to be the workhorse the other MacBooks are, but if you're telling me that you can't carry a MacBook around because it's too big and too heavy, you might want to see a doctor.
Another problem that Steve Jobs failed to address during his keynote speech is, who in the world is going to buy this toy? My guess: the diehard Apple fanboy and people with enough money in the bank that they don't mind spending $1799 on a product they'll use in their car or at coffee shops.
Beyond those two groups, who else is really buying this thing? Can anyone honestly say that the average consumer will run down to their local Apple store, excited to get their hands on their first Mac, and choose the Air over the MacBook if they're looking for something small?
I can hear it now: "Hold on, so what you're saying is that I can get a much faster and better-equipped computer that's barely larger for $700 less? Where's the cash register?"
And while I don't think the lack of an optical drive is a big deal by any means, think of the average person just looking to get their hands on a Mac and listening to others tell them how it "just works." How will they feel when they get the Air home, try to install Office and realize the optical drive is missing? Sure, they can go through the trouble of connecting to another computer in the home and pop the disc into that drive, but doesn't it significantly reduce the allure of having a device that "just works"?
Of course, it doesn't quite end there. So far, ultraportable sales have been flat, to say the least, and aside from a few bursts in sales every now and then, the ultraportable market is not the best to enter if a company is looking to increase its market share and turn a profit.
So why did Apple decide to get in on the ultraportable game? More than likely, it's because the company thinks it can do no wrong. And who can tell Steve he can? Not only has the iPod been an unbridled success, but the iPhone is selling extremely well and Mac sales have never been stronger.
But for the first time in years, Jobs and company has committed a blunder that could have enormous consequences. Not only is the MacBook Air a glorified toy that won't be used by the vast majority of consumers, it's overpriced and lacking any significant benefit of ownership other than its looks and multi-touch trackpad.
If you're looking for portability, save $700 and buy the MacBook. If you're looking to spend money, go the extra mile and find yourself a MacBook Pro. Suffice it to say, there's no need for the MacBook Air.
iPhone hacks for 1.1.3 could it be?
The folks behind the two hacks to Jailbreak the iPhone and iPod Touch 1.1.3 firmware have been in a dilemma. Release now and risk having the hack broken again when Apple ships its official software development kit for the iPhone, or sit on the hacks and release them after the next Apple update.
According to iPhone Atlas, there may be a third way. One of the two jailbreak methods will be released today, and the other held back until after the SDK is launched. A nice workaround in theory, but it seems that the hack we'll get might include some hardware modification, which will put it out of most user's abilities.
Also, many current third party applications won't work on 1.1.3. Apple tightened security on the iPhone by making all applications run as a regular user instead of the root, or super user. Apparently the NES emulator has already been updated to work, with other programmers hard at work on their own applications.
Macbook Air Stack up
We can all agree that the MacBook Air is a slick-looking little laptop. It's so thin! You can't argue with that! But if you're in the market for a small, high-performance laptop, is it the best option? I pored over specs for four similarly positioned and more-or-less similarly priced laptops to see if you'll get your $1,800 worth out of the Air. Let's go to the chart, shall we?
It turns out that, surprise surprise, you pay a premium for a tiny form factor. The MacBook Air is seriously expensive for the guts you get inside, but Apple isn't the only company guilty of charging insane amounts for smaller computers. Just look at the Sony Vaio TZ150N, for example. $2,100 for a 1.06 GHz processor? Are you kidding me? I don't care how small, it's still a rip-off.
The best deal—if you don't mind an extra pound of weight and half-inch of thickness—is the Dell XPS M1330. It bests the MacBook Air in nearly every single category, delivering about 30% more processing power, 50% more memory, over 300% more hard drive space, plus a dedicated graphics card. All of this, for $300 less. But also, two hours less of battery life, thanks to the new smaller and more efficient Core 2 Duo processor in the MacBook Air.
But it's really no surprise that a form factor as striking as the MacBook Air's warrants a premium price. Super-slim and light laptops as a category have yet to come down from the stratosphere, dollar-wise. It's a form factor that SSD just makes loads of sense for, lightening them up and cutting down on battery life, but that drives the price up even further for the time being. Chips are still getting smaller and screen technology keeps improving. In a couple of years, these form factors will be reasonably priced with great specs, but until then, prepare to pay a huge chunk more for a bit less power, just so you can brag about having the thinnest computer on the
Youtube on your iPhone just got a little better
YouTube first dipped its toe in the mobile world in November of 2006 with a deal to deliver some video clips through the VCast service of Verizon Wireless. Last year it created a mobile Web site accessible on many Sprint and AT&T phones. But the site only carried a small slice of YouTube content. And it has another subset on the iPhone.
Today, the company is unveiling a new mobile at m.youtube.com that it said will carry most of YouTube’s catalog, or tens of millions of videos. The site will also have personalization and community features that it lacked before, so users will be able to log in and subscribe to certain channels or have easy access to their favorite videos. And they’ll be able to upload videos directly from their mobile devices.
“The mobile experience will be much closer to the Web experience,” said Hunter Walk, a YouTube product manager.
For now, the new site will have no impact on Google’s bottom line, as it will be free of ads. Mr. Walk said the new site is intended to get existing users of YouTube mobile to spend more time on the site and to grow the YouTube mobile audience. “We want more and more people try mobile video for the first time,” he said.
Watching videos on mobile phones remains a niche activity. YouTube said its mobile site will be accessible from devices that are capable of streaming video and that run on 3G networks. According to the company, that’s about 100 million devices worldwide, a small fraction of the more than 3 billion cell phones in use around the world. What’s more, many of those devices, especially overseas, run on limited data plans, so watching videos can prove expensive, as YouTube notes on its mobile Web site: “YouTube Mobile is a data intensive application. We highly recommend that you upgrade to an unlimited data plan with your mobile service provider to avoid additional charges.”
MacBook to buy or not to buy, that is the question
As the Macintosh guru in my group of friends and colleagues, the question on everyone's mind over the past week (other than what happened to Apple's stock price!?) is "what do I think of the MacBook Air? - and should I buy one?" Rather than answer everyone separately, let me share my pre-1st hand knowledge/thoughts. Keep in mind, I've been called an Apple Fanboy enough times for me to think it might be true....
The MacBook Air is an amazing piece of machinery. It is ahead of its time on a lot of fronts. However, some details certainly are cause for concern.
The processor. Intel is late on their delivery of their ultra-low 45nm laptop chips. Clearly, the MacBook Air is the exact computer that these types of chips belong in. So Apple and Intel spun it as going out of their way to do something special. That something special was jimmy-ing a 65nm chip onto a board that was made for a 45nm one. The 45 nm chips will be arriving by mid-year and will likely be put in rev 2 of the MacBook Air. They will use less power per CPU cycle and that five hour battery life could easily turn into six - and with the reduced power consumption, they might be able to crank the processor speed up to and beyond 2 Ghz or maybe even fit in some more wireless options..
Wireless. I am not talking about Wifi which the Air has the best money can buy, I am talking about 3G/WiMAX here. It isn't built in. For the road warriors that this device is made for, having 3G Internet access is almost a prerequisite. Of course you can get a decidedly unsexy USB 3G "dongle", but Apple is going to eventually have to cave to pressure and start including these things in its products. Dell, HP and others have included this functionality for years! Apple could even partner with their iPhone buddies, AT&T on this and offer a seamless package. Or how about WiMAX with Intel? Intel is building WiMAX into its next round of CPUs. Again. Rev 2
As much as I hate to say it about Apple - or any company - Rev 1 parts are glitchy - especially the first ones off of the assembly line. I pre-ordered/picked up one of the first MacBook Pros out of the factory a few years ago. Over the course of that first year, nearly every part on it had to be replaced (Motherboard, HD, battery, etc). It is almost a whole new machine after all of the part swaps. That doesn't mean Apple wasn't quick and happy to replace everything - and it is still a solid machine: I am typing on it now as a matter of fact. However, it was a pain to lose it for a few days at a time and my early impressions of it shot my confidence in its quality. These MacBook Airs are going to be going to the people who don't really have that much patience and desire to send it back to Apple for a few days while they swap defective parts - especially at the price premiums.
Option 1: 80Gb Hard Drive. I've booted my MacBook Pro from an iPod before. It isn't fast - I wouldn't want to have to do this on a regular basis - especially on a brand new, expensive machine. Apple may have added a few tricks, but the bottom line is that the 80Gb hard drive is still a 1.8 inch 4200 rpm iPod hard drive - which is not only significantly slower than 2.5 inch drives at 7200RPM but also more prone to damage from shock. The early reviewers also didn't get the hard drive version of the MacBook Air to review - so we won't know how fast/slow it is until it hits the streets. Apparently there is not enough room in there for the 160Gb iPod hard drive either - it isn't an option. That is tight! The next round of 1.8 inch drives will be faster, smaller and store more information. Me? I don't want to be using an iPod drive on my laptop - which leads to...
Option 2: That $1000 64Gb SSD drive. It is the top of the line, fastest 1.8 inch form factor solid state drive out there. But this is an area that is growing by leaps and bounds. Soon there will be 128Gb (or 96GB - there is a 48Gb SSD drive afterall) sized drives available for this thing. By midyear or earlier they should be hitting the same price points at the current 64Gb SSDs. Meanwhile the 64Gb drives will cost about half of what they do now. Those price points seem a lot more digestable to me.
Docks. Right now there isn't much in the way of docking stations for this thing. With the exception of Kensington's USB dock not much comes close. This is definitely a problem in need of a solution. I'd like to see something that plugs into the MicroDVI port as well - and include a superdrive in a sexy package - these laptops aren't going to the aesthetically challenged.
Overall speed. The specs of the MacBook Air pretty much line up with a last generation (Rev B) Mac Mini or 1st generation Rev A MacBooks. Some specs are lower, some are higher. So you'd expect a similar experience from this machine. For the high-end target market to which this is obviously aimed, that speed may not sit well.
Expandability. Everyone has been talking about the lack of expandability of the MacBook Air - which overall I think is unfair, concessions had to be made. However, some things do stick out. RAM. It doesn't take up much space and I want as much as possible. Apple, make a 4 GB option! Street prices say this should be $300 more (Rev 2?) but Apple charges 2-5 times more than street costs. Realistically, pricing details this small won't matter to high end users. Battery. There have to be more options. I am sure someone will make a MagSafe adaptable external battery/crank/solar charger - but until then, once you use your 4-5 hours, you are SOL until an AC/DC outlet avails itself. Think ten hour overseas flights without power - believe me, they exist.
Size. "Thin! thin! thin!" If Apple had its way, that is all you'd hear about. Well that isn't the only dimension that matters. The truth is that this is hardly an utraportable. It has roughly the same footprint as a MacBook - with the same wasted space around the edges of the screen and keyboard. As such, it won't fit in a standard purse like a Sony TZ and won't open as comfortably on a tight airplane ride as a true ultra-portable. Think about it as a MacBook sliced in half. Perhaps Apple will offer a 14 inch screen in Rev 2 that actually goes to the edges of the device or shrink the footprint to the edges of the screen/keyboard. Here is the MAcBook Air compared to a full sized MacBook Pro.
Price drops. As this is an Apple/early adopter device, the price will drop significantly for the next round. We saw this in the iPhone and we see it every time Apple astounds us with new products. It isn't just component costs - which will be significant - it's also the ramp up of production numbers which will bring prices way down. This could easily be late 2008 or 2009's MacBook.
But for a lot of people, these things - or anything else - don't matter..You know who I am talking about. The person who:
saw the machine and said "I have to have it" without needing to hear any of the details
has virtually unlimited discretionary spending money
cares much less about the specs and more about aesthetics
is spending most of his/her time on the web and email - who needs more of something to show off than a real workhorse.
Not to mention that these people will probably be the first ones to get the Rev 2's anyway.
Truthfully, there are a lot of legitimate reasons to snap up one of these beauties - and as they said in the earnings call last week, Apple is getting lots of orders for these things. But they obviously are only for the select few who can justify its unique characteristics.
For the rest of us, it might take some consideration.
iPhone enjoys free AT&T Wifi
Free. It's a great word.
And now you can use free and your other favorite word -- iPhone -- in the same sentence, as long as you subscribe to AT&T's broadband service.
According to the Associated Press and CNN, AT&T said Wednesday that will be make its 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots free to almost all broadband Internet customers starting next week.
Until now, that access was reserved for subscribers to the company's premium broadband services.
I'm one of the lucky ones in this case and I've had the free Wi-Fi for a while now because I have AT&T broadband. I must say that I don't use it all that often; the only place that's really close by is the McDonald's in the base of my apartment building.
But when I really want to use Wi-Fi in my lobby, I order a side salad and log in. The log-in process is cumbersome and takes about 5 minutes. But once you are in, it works just fine.
