Federico Viticci

10876 posts on MacStories since April 2009

Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about portable gaming and the handheld revolution.
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@viticci.macstories.net
viticci@macstories.net

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iPad 2: HDMI Out, Smart Cover with Magnetic Grasp

Apple just announced the iPad 2 will do HDMI out with a $39 cable accessory that provides 1080p output in every app. Also, the iPad 2 won’t get a case – rather, Apple is launching “Smart Covers”, a set of covers available in multiple colors that automatically attach and align to the iPad 2 and can wake the screen when they are removed (as previously reported).

They grasp it, and auto-align it. I’ll show you a little video. It’s so cool. You can remove it in a second. It adds minimal weight and thickness. It’s got a microfiber cloth that cleans the screen.

Poly cases are available at $39, leather $69. Oh, and they seem to work as stands, too.

This Is The iPad 2: White Version Available, Same Price of iPad 1 [Update: Photos, Videos]

Finally, it’s here. At Apple’s media event at the Yerba Buena Center, Steve Jobs just unveiled the second generation iPad. It’s called iPad 2. It features an all-new design, it’s faster, it’s got an Apple A5 processor with dual core CPU, faster graphics. Two cameras, rear and front facing ones. A gyroscope, perfect for gaming. It looks very similar to the leaked mockups we’ve seen in the past weeks.

iPad 2 is 33% thinner than the original one, 3.4mm to 8.8mm. It’s got tapered edges and it’s even thinner than the iPhone 4. It comes in a new white design, it’s got the same 10 hours of battery life. Same prices of iPad 1. Available both in WiFi and 3G versions for AT&T and Verizon.

Other iPad 2 coverage today:

Pictures courtesy of Engadget. More details below, and look for a detailed roundup of iPad 2 in a few minutes on MacStories.

Update: First hands-on pictures below as well. Read more

Another Angry Birds Seasons Update Coming: St. Patrick’s Day Version

The iPad 2 is just around the corner now, but the Angry Birds news just won’t stop coming in. After thanking Apple for all their efforts to build the App Store system that allowed Angry Birds to sell millions of copies, Rovio CEO Peter Vesterbacka confirmed at a GDC panel that another update for Angry Birds Seasons is coming, and this time will feature special levels for St. Patrick’s Day.

What’s St. Patrick’s Day, you ask? It’s an Irish holiday for the patron saint, where people wear green (the national color of Ireland) and, well, usually drink a lot of beer. Should we expect green-based levels? Maybe. Drunken birds and beer kegs? We have our doubts about that.

But hey, you never know what to expect from Rovio. The update will be available before St. Patrick’s Day, which is on March 17. It’ll be free for all existing Angry Birds Seasons customers. [via DownloadSquad]

Push Browser: An App That Sends Webpages from iOS to OS X

Two weeks ago I realized I needed a way to send a webpage not only from my Mac browser to an iOS device, but from the iPhone or iPad to my Mac browser as well. The reason is simple: I find an interesting link on my iPhone I don’t want to bookmark or Instapaper, yet I want to simply check out later on the desktop. There’s no easy way to do it. So with the help from a friend and support from my Twitter followers, I created a folder action script for OS X that receives links shared from iOS through Dropbox and opens them in a new tab in the system’s browser. The method still works for me and it’s a really easy (yet powerful) way to save just about any link for later desktop usage, but I saw many had trouble trying to make the script work or integrate it with Dropbox. So here comes an app for that. Read more

Simple iOS Photo Editing with Crop and Straighten

Crop and Straighten by Fingertips is the photo editing app for iOS Apple should have built into their operating system. It’s a simple, fast, minimal solution to change the aspect ratio of your photos and crop them, on the iPhone and iPad. That’s it.

You fire up the app, and you’re asked to import a photo from your camera roll. Choose one, and you’re ready to edit. You can pinch to zoom and focus on a specific detail, or rotate the photo with the usual two-finger gesture and adjust it taking a look at the grid that appears on screen. Very simple. If you want to change the aspect ratio, tap the button in the toolbar and you can choose between 1:2, 2:3, 3:4, 6:7 and 1:1.

If you need an app to quickly crop your photos (especially on the iPhone), Crop and Straighten is highly recommended. Go download it here.

Volkswagen’s Bulli Concept Brings Microbus Back, Supports iPad

Some things never die. Other things, the ones we don’t really care about or feel affection towards, are easily dismissible after a few years. Like gadgets, video game consoles, or clothes. But what about cars? Many say you are the car you drive. While we’d prefer to pass on discussing this very specific philosophy, there’s no doubt a car is something people usually keep for several years, as it ends up holding memories of friends, family, loved ones.

So here’s what German automaker Volkswagen is doing: they’re bringing back the memories of the mythical Microbus with their latest Bulli concept, a modern re-imagination of the legendary car that made history in Volkswagen’s portfolio. The best part, design aside? It’s got built-in support for the iPad as a control station for music and other information:

Of course, the full slate of new-age technology is on hand, including an Apple iPad that controls all infotainment functions, mated to a Fender USA-designed premium audio system. The Bulli uses a lithium-ion battery pack to drive a 113-horsepower electric motor and interestingly enough, Volkswagen says that the van can be fully charged in less than one hour. Good stuff.

Now: is it too much to hope Volkswagen doesn’t leave this a concept? [via Autoblog]

Verizon iPhone Unlimited Data Plan Could Be Discontinued This Summer

That sweet $30 unlimited data plan you currently have on your shiny new Verizon iPhone? Verizon may be planning to discontinue it as soon as this summer, and by summer that could mean anytime from June to September. In theory, 5 months after its introduction. Bloomberg, in fact, reports the following comments from Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo:

Verizon Communications Inc. will stop offering unlimited data plans on the Apple Inc. iPhone as soon as this summer, Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said.

The carrier, which began selling the iPhone last month, now offers a $30 unlimited data plan on the device. Such plans on the handset are “not a long-term solution,” Shammo said on a conference call at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference today.

This doesn’t come as a surprise, however, as Verizon clearly stated back in late January that the unlimited plan was a temporary offer to help AT&T users switch to Big Red’s network:

But you’d better act fast. Speaking later Tuesday morning, Mr. McAdam said the iPhone unlimited plan will be a temporary offer and that the carrier will follow AT&T’s move to tiered pricing in the not too distant future.

So: Verizon iPhones are moving to tiered data plans in the near future. AT&T made a similar move last year, and that didn’t exactly please a lot of customers. Questions remains how will Verizon iPhone users react to the news, and how many of them did actually read on the news blogs that this was a temporary offer. [via Bloomberg]

Financial Times Says iPad App Can Go “Somewhere Else”

The executives over at the Financial Times don’t like Apple’s new terms for app subscriptions. Even with an iPad app that’s generating 20% of the publication’s subscribers and millions in revenue, Financial Times owner Pearson expressed his concerns about Apple’s policy in a way that suggest the Financial Times may soon launch its app on other tablets and abandon the iPad, the Guardian reports.

It is unclear how their proposal is going to work, we are still talking to them,” said Scardino. “The important thing to remember is there are many, many tablets coming out and multiple devices … [from] Kindle to mobiles. If indeed Apple are not happy to give us customer data then maybe we will get it somewhere else.

Chief executive Scardino argues that as competition to Apple’s iPad increases over time, there will be no need for publishers to only consider the App Store ecosystem. Admittedly, Apple’s new terms with a 30% fee on every transaction and the impossibility to just link an external web store inside an app are turning out to be quite problematic for newspapers and magazines. Only a few of them have implemented the new subscription technology (which handles everything, from recurring payments to customers’ data, through iTunes), and with a deadline set by June it will be interesting to see which ones will stay on board, and those who will prefer Android tablets instead. For those looking for a reminder of Apple’s new rules:

Publishers who use Apple’s subscription service in their app can also leverage other methods for acquiring digital subscribers outside of the app. For example, publishers can sell digital subscriptions on their web sites, or can choose to provide free access to existing subscribers. Since Apple is not involved in these transactions, there is no revenue sharing or exchange of customer information with Apple. Publishers must provide their own authentication process inside the app for subscribers that have signed up outside of the app. However, Apple does require that if a publisher chooses to sell a digital subscription separately outside of the app, that same subscription offer must be made available, at the same price or less, to customers who wish to subscribe from within the app. In addition, publishers may no longer provide links in their apps (to a web site, for example) which allow the customer to purchase content or subscriptions outside of the app.

Antitrust enforces have been rumored to be “looking at” Apple’s new subscriptions for apps as well.