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July 17, 2007

Happy iCal Day!

iCal from AppleIn case you haven't noticed, it's July 17 today. This means that today, for a full twenty-four hours, the iCal dock icon on your Mac will be correct. That's right, while the iPhone's calendar icon may update to show the current date, the desktop iCal application's icon stays frozen on the 17th of July as a tribute to the day that iCal was released: July 17th, 2002. So happy iCal day everyone, and I hope you are enjoying seeing an accurate iCal icon in your dock.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 02:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 07, 2007

iPhone Trivia

IphonetriviaA few hours after getting my iPhone, I was hit with a sudden idea for an iPhone-optimized web app. The result of this idea and the subsequent quick bit of coding that I did to get it ready is iPhone Trivia, an iPhone app that asks multiple-choice trivia questions and keeps track of your score.

I am hosting the app here: http://everythingdigital.org/itrivia

The trivia questions come from an RSS feed that I put together here, and I will be adding new questions frequently. If you want to submit questions for inclusion in the RSS feed, make sure you follow the item/prompt/answer/correct format that the feed currently uses.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 06:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

WoW on My iPhone


After having finally gotten an iPhone yesterday after much hassle in tracking one down, I discovered Telekinesis, a wonderful app that runs on your Mac and provides a web gateway for controlling it through an iPhone-friendly interface.

Naturally, I tried running a variety of applications using my iPhone as a controller and screen for my Mac, but the most impressive was World of Warcraft. While performance was hardly smooth, I could control several actions in WoW through the iPhone interface. Most notably, I could read and respond to in-game chat without too much of a problem.

I recorded the experience and posted a video here on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.

To clarify, WoW is running on the MacBook Pro that you see in the beginning. The iPhone just serves as a separate screen and controller connected over the internet. The iPhone's CPU is NOT running the game.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 11:18 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

June 29, 2007

iPhone World Premier

iPhone PremierWell, the technology world has gone nuts these past few days in anticipation of the iPhone's debut today. I stopped by my local Apple Store today to see what the line was like and I was astounded. I would guess there were about three or four hundred people waiting in line (and this is at the smaller of the two San Diego Apple Stores).

What amazed me the most about the line waiters was that they were far from the typical Apple fan crowd that can usually be seen lining up outside Apple Stores for OS X releases or other events. The people there ranged from babies to the elderly and came from all sorts of diverse backgrounds and fields. It looks like the iPhone has struck a chord with a much greater audience than typical Apple users, which is certainly a large part of Apple's goal for the product.

I have posted a couple pictures from the event on flickr here just to give you an idea of the scene here at the San Diego Apple Store.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 07:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 15, 2007

Experiments in Quartz Composer

Lately I have been experimenting with Apple's Quartz Composer software, and have found it to be really limitless in its possibilities. I'm still working on getting it to recognize enclosures properly in RSS feeds that it downloads, but everything else has been quite easy and intuitive. Here is a sample of one of the experiments I have been working on that uses microphone input to change the size of a particle generator: .qtz file, .mov file

If you're on a Mac, you should be able to download and open it in quicktime player or as a screensaver.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 07:33 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 09, 2007

The iPhone is Amazing

Apple iPhone (Courtesy of Apple)After years of rumors building up expectations for the Apple iPhone to a level that could never have possibly been met in reality, Apple has finally announced the product and it is as good, if not better, than the rumors predicted.

This device has everything. No really. Everything. Take the functionality of a conventional phone, add a stripped-down version of Mac OS X, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, audio and video playback, web-browsing, Google Maps, widgets, a 2.0-megapixel digital camera that can process video too, and a 3.5-inch multi-touch display. Wrap all this in an 11.6mm super-sleek case composed of pure Apple-ness and you've got the iPhone (tech specs here).

Now, to decompress a bit from my iPhone-induced Apple fanboy state, there are a couple things that the device is lacking. The most notable of these is expandable memory, followed by true 3G wireless data rates (through EVDO or something similar), and finally the ability to purchase and download iTunes Store content to the iPhone directly via Wi-Fi.

That said, the iPhone is really an incredible milestone in mobile technology. Check out some of these photos as well as some of the ones on Apple's site if you don't believe me. As an added bonus, take a look at this graph of Apple, RIM, and Palm stock prices today... notice a trend?

The iPhone will be Cingular-exclusive and retail at $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for the 8GB model. Unfortunately, it looks like we're going to have to wait until June for it to arrive in the U.S., but at least there's the Apple TV and new iTunes Paramount content to look forward to for now.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 09:07 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 30, 2006

Marmite + .Mac

Amazon Marmite + .MacI saw this on TUAW today. Apparently Amazon's recommendation engine found the need to pair British yeast extract product Marmite with Apple's .Mac service in one killer bundle deal. That's right, you can get both the Marmite 12-pot pack and .Mac service together for only $108.84! At that price, they are almost certainly "Better Together."

Posted by Alan Joyce at 03:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 12, 2006

TUAW Giving Away MacHeist Invites

Better get on this quickly, because for 24 hours only, TUAW is offering MacHeist invites to its readers. All you have to do is click the link they give you and sign up for the ARG (alternate-reality game). I'm working on the first mission now and can't seem to get Billy Hull (billyhull.com) to give me any information about the iPhone...

1passwd was one of the rewards, and it is part of the process to post about it, so we'll see if this works.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 11:24 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 12, 2006

"It's Showtime"

IpodnanoremasteredIf you haven't already had a look at Apple's website today, you should probably head over there to check it out. Today's "It's Showtime" event left us with more than a few new products to digest, along with a Woz + Segway appearance and the marked absence of a widescreen iPod.

First up, we've got iTunes 7, and along with it a name change for the iTunes Music Store, now to be called simply the "iTunes Store." This name change is the result of Apple's decision to sell movie downloads through the store, with back-catalog flicks going for $9.99 and new releases priced at $14.99. Currently the store has around 75 feature-length films available by various Disney subsidiaries, although it's no secret that if these sell well other studios will be hopping on the bandwagon.

Films on the iTMS iTS will be available the day that they are released on DVD at "near-DVD" quality (640 x 480, or VGA). There are no rental/subscription fees, and the movies never expire, very similar to Apple's model for selling music.

To accompany this new movie download capability, Apple has announced a Wi-Fi media streaming device, code-named "iTV," which will sell for $300 in the first quarter of 2007. iTV is shaped like a thin Mac mini, and sports analog video/audio out ports as well as a high-definition HDMI output. This means that users can place an iTV in their living room and browse their computer's stored media through an interface on their TV by using an Apple remote control.

Back on the topic of iTunes 7, several new features have been introduced to the application itself, including a new retro blue icon. One of the major features is "Album Flow," a new way to browse your music, using a 3-dimensional wheel of album covers that you can spin back and forth to find what you're looking for. iTunes 7 also features a significant update to iPod management, combining iPod-related options, iPod software updates/restores, and disk usage statistics into one panel in iTunes, rather than spread out across multiple preference panes and helper applications.

As if that all wasn't enough, Apple also made major revisions to their nano and shuffle lines, and minor changes to the standard iPod. New iPod nanos feature aluminum cases in a variety of colors, and capacities of 2, 4, and 8 GB for $150, $200, and $250 respectively. The standard iPod is now available in 30 and 60 GB ($250 and $350), and implements a new search function allowing users to enter queries letter-by-letter, as well as support for games downloaded from the iTunes Store. Both the iPod nano and standard iPod now come with 60% brighter screens and have significantly improved battery lives.

Last up is the iPod shuffle, which received a significant overhaul in Apple's round of updates. The new shuffle is contained within a one-inch square aluminum case featuring an integrated clip for easily attaching it on-the-go.

All of the products Apple announced will be available today, excluding the iPod shuffle (ETA: October), and the iTV device (Q1 2007). Now just one major question remains: Buy an iPod now with their new capacities, features, and price points? Or hold off just a little bit longer for that widescreen iPod that you know just has to get here before the holidays...

Posted by Alan Joyce at 10:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 06, 2006

OS X and Longhorn Developers Panel

I was reading David Pogue's weblog and he pointed out a very interesting recap of a panel at South by Southwest. The panel consisted of an Apple OS X and a Microsoft Longhorn design team leader sharing insights into the development process for each system. It's amazing to see the vast differences in the creative processes of Apple and Microsoft, and the recap is definitely worth a read.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 03:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 21, 2006

Pics and Video of New MBP

My New MacBook Pro
I've uploaded some pictures of my new MacBook Pro 17" to my flickr account and a video of it using an iTunes plugin to have the keyboard backlight flicker to the music. Check them out if you get a chance, and download the backlight visualizer plugin here.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 06:24 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

June 17, 2006

17" MacBook Pro Has Arrived

MacBook Pro 17" (Courtesy of Apple)Well, my brand new 17" MacBook Pro was delivered yesterday and I couldn't be happier with it so far. The screen is gorgeous, and the processor is incredibly fast (enough to run an HD video, a game, and Adium without coming close to dropping a frame).

The heat is tolerable, although a bit excessive during processor-intensive activities. I think I have at least some sort of whine, although I don't know if it is THE whine. It's still much quieter than my iBook G3 so I'm fine with it.

Stay tuned for a full and re-worked EverythingDigital Podcast about the MBP along with some other tech news. Now that I've got GarageBand 3 podcasting should be much easier so expect a return of more frequent EDP shows.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 03:07 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 31, 2006

Essential Apps for Mac OS X

I was asked by a friend, who is about to buy a new Mac, to recommend some good software for OS X that I find useful. I decided to make a post here as my response with a top list of essential software. In no particular order, here we go...

(programs in green are free to download)

Posted by Alan Joyce at 10:55 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 07, 2005

iTunes Music Store Adds NBC, USA, and Sci-Fi

iPod 5G (Courtesy of AppleIf you haven't already noticed, the iTunes Music Store is now offering content from NBC (including what they call "Vintage NBC" content), USA, and Sci-Fi in addition to the ABC and Disney Channel content that they already had in the TV show section of the store.

The new content includes several current NBC shows (The Office, Law & Order, etc.) as well as vintage shows like Dragnet and Knight Rider. USA has provided iTunes with episodes of Monk and Sci-Fi has done the same with Battlestar Galactica.

Although there are still many other shows and many other networks that would be nice to have on the iTunes Music Store, this is definitely a big boost for Apple in terms of branching out into the portable video market. The only problem is, they may be branching out at a price point that's a bit over what most consumers would expect.

This new price model means that a one hour episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien will set you back $9.99 while you can get 5-15 min. clips for $1.99. The Tonight Show offers the same types of short clips for $1.99 and leaves it at that. Other than these two oddly-priced additions, most of the new content is sold for the usual $1.99/video model, which is a relief considering that at $9.99 an episode you could be paying for TiVo service several times over and forgetting iTunes altogether.

So, overall, what does this mean for the consumer? It means the future of downloadable video content and portable video media is going to cost a whole lot more than ever expected if the networks have their say.

My advice is to buy what is reasonable for you. If the convenience of one hour of Conan delivered straight to your iPod is worth $9.99 to you, then go ahead and make the purchase. However, if you're like most people and think that this price point is just a little too high for the content that is being offered, simply refrain from buying, wait for Apple to let NBC know that their show has been downloaded a grand total of five times globally, and let the situation attend to itself.

Posted by Alan Joyce at 07:26 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

November 20, 2005

Steve Jobs Parody on SNL

Found this on TUAW earlier today. Looks like Saturday Night Live worked Steve Jobs and the iPod into the Weekend Update last night. He even got a chance to talk about some of the new iPod models that you will be seeing in the coming months. I must say, I am extremely impressed with the iPod invisi. How do they make 'em so small?

Watch Movie

Posted by Alan Joyce at 11:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 19, 2005

New PowerMacs and PowerBooks

In what could be one of their last updates before the switch to Intel, Apple's PowerMac and PowerBook lineups are now a little more powerful. Here are the major changes:

PowerBook G4 (Courtesy of Apple)PowerBooks

PowerMac G5 Displays (Courtesy of Apple)PowerMacs