This app has been around for months, yet I’ve come to use it only a few weeks ago when several readers pointed out on Twitter that it was a better alternative to Remote Conductor. Rowmote Pro, which is a universal app for iPhone and iPad that requires a server component to be running on your Mac, is an elegant multitouch trackpad that comes with other functionalities such as quick volume / pause / next shortcuts, an app launcher and a virtual keyboard. Rowmote Pro won’t display the screen of your Mac computer on your iPhones and iPads, but it provides access to a plethora of commands that can come quite in handy if you’re controlling your Mac from the couch, watching a movie or listening to some music. Read more
Google Launches Official Translate App for iPhone
A few minutes ago Google announced the availability of the official Translate app for iPhone. Built on top of the HTML5 webapp that’s been around for quite some time now, the native application allows you to “speak to translate” in 15 different languages with output translation supported up to 50 languages. You can listen to your own translations spoken out loud by the app , enable full-screen mode to get a larger view of the translated text (that’s quite useful) and even check on single words dictionary entries from within the app. The interface design resembles most of Google’s apps for iOS – nothing exceptional to note there. It’s got a clean and minimal UI.
Google Translate for iPhone is a better version of the popular mobile-optimized webpage packed into a useful package for iOS that comes with a few additional features. It’s a free download in the App Store. Full list of supported languages below. Read more
Spotify Looking Forward To U.S. Launch “In The Coming Months”
European-based music streaming service Spotify is once again looking forward to a successful launch in the United States “over the coming months”. An email posted by All Things Digital reveals that the company told customers in the U.S. who happen to have a Spotify test account that they’re going to have to start paying for the service sooner or later.
Hello from Spotify!
You are one of only a few people who has access to a Spotify promotional test account in the USA, and we hope you’re enjoying listening to Spotify through our Premium or Unlimited service.
We are really looking forward to launching the service in full in the USA over the coming months, and hope that you will continue to use the service and be one of our key advocates.
We need to make some small system changes to our payment system for our USA launch, and so in order to make the transition for you as smooth as possible, we have credited your Spotify account with 1 month worth of FREE Spotify Premium/ Unlimited!
Apparently, Spotify provided thousands of people in the music industry, bloggers and VIP with unlimited, free test accounts with full access to the Spotify library, no-ads and mobile iPhone app which, if you know how Spotify works, isn’t really a “plan”. Spotify offers a Premium subscription free of ads and compatible with mobile applications, but it will cost you around $13.
The service has been reportedly in talks with EMI and Universal to close deals for US music distribution, although so far the company has only got Sony on board. In the past, reports suggested Apple may have interfered with Spotify’s plans to launch in the United States by trying to convince music labels that iTunes has a better business model than Spotify. At the moment, Spotify has native Mac and iPhone apps to bring music streaming to the desktop and mobile devices.
This iPhone App Takes Pictures With The Microphone
Back in December we saw Apple approved an app called Quick Snap that allowed users to take pictures with the iPhone using the volume buttons instead of the regular camera icon on screen. As you know, Apple doesn’t really like applications that re-purpose hardware elements of the iPhone to perform specific tasks inside an app – just like, again, volume buttons used to snap pictures.
But it looks like they did it again, although we’re not sure whether or not Camera Mic violates Apple’s iOS guidelines. Basically, this app can take photos using the iPhone’s internal microphone; the app’s camera shutter can be triggered by a spike in volume caused by a quick tap on the mic or (this is the option I like the most) a quick whistle or a word like “click” or “go”. The app doesn’t offer much besides this functionality which, after a few tests, I have to say really works as advertised. You say something or tap on the mic, and the app snaps a photo. Of course, the downside is that if people are talking around you the results might not be so effective. But, and here’s another neat feature, it also supports the iPhone’s headphone cord, which can become a remote trigger cable so you don’t have to touch the iPhone’s screen when, say, the device is on a tripod.
There’s the possibility Apple will pull this app soon. So go download it here if you’re into this kind of things, while it’s still available at $0.99.
Update: As noted by our friend Jonatan Castro, Camera Genius offers a similar functionality inside the Settings. I have tested the feature in Camera Genius and it works similarly to Camera Mic, although I got better results with “tap on microphone” with Gamblus’ app. A few readers suggested using the mic’s audio to trigger the camera isn’t breaking any rules, as I wrote above. Still, this is an interesting (and curious) way to take pictures with an iPhone.
iControlpad Game Controller for iPhone Finally Shipping Next Week
Over the past years we’ve been keeping an eye on the iControlpad, a Bluetooth controller for a variety of phones which, among other things, will support the iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch. With a few adjustments and padding when needed, the iControlpad will provide an alternative (we can’t judge on comfortable from pictures) way to control iOS games, or any other device that supports Bluetooth.
As noted by Engadget, the iControlpad has left the vaporware stage and is now accepting orders with shipments starting next week. The design has been finalized and it looks pretty good although, admittedly, it will add bulkiness to your iOS device. That’s the price to pay for classic game controls on a 3.5-inch screen, I guess.
The question remains whether or not in the multitouch era buttons are needed at all. Most iOS games are perfectly playable and meant for multitouch controls. Some of them, however, could take serious advantage of the configuration offered by the iControlpad, like first-person shooters and arcade games based on virtual buttons on screen. We also wonder if it will be possible for developers to officially support the iControlpad in their apps by offering a way to entirely get rid of interface elements on screen, although maybe we’re just dreaming too much.
In the meantime, go check out the iControlpad here and take a look at your iOS game collection to see if the gadget would come in handy for you.
Another Apple Patent, Further Details on Touch Bezels
A few weeks ago, I published an article about the idea of “smart bezels” in iOS devices to avoid conflicts with third-party applications using multitouch gestures. With Apple playing around with the concept of “multitasking gestures” in the latest iOS 4.3 betas, it has become an issue for developers to find a way to enable 3,4 or 5 finger gestures without interfering with Apple’s own implementation:
The problem with the new gestures is that Apple decided to make them system-wide, activated with a preference panel in the Settings app. Once gestures are enabled, they override any other four or five finger gesture developers may have implemented in applications. Personally, in fact, I have experienced issues trying to use multi-touch gestures in Edovia’s Screens or other piano apps — software that makes extensive use of gestures above two and three fingers. Apple’s implementation overrides options set by developers, and there is no way to let the iPad know whether a user wants to perform an app-specific gesture or a system one, like “open the multitasking tray”.
Desktop Curtain Removes Clutter, Gets You Better Screenshots
Desktop Curtain, a $1.99 app available in the Mac App Store, has become one of my most used utilities these past few days. The concept is simple, and fits with one my most performed tasks on the Mac: screenshots. Desktop Curtain hides the clutter on your desktop, isolates the app you’re currently using and lets you focus on that app with no files, folders or other distractions around it. For me, this is incredibly handy as I can pick the app I need to capture in a screenshot for MacStories and avoid additional modifications in Acorn or Preview. Read more
iPod Classic Stock Running Low, Refresh Imminent?
As noted by AppleBitch, it appears that iPod Classic stock is running low and several retailers (including Amazon and Apple Reseller J&R) have the device backordered or out of stock. Amazon’s page for the iPod Classic says the unit will ship in 2-4 weeks, and Target shows similar shipping times. The Apple online Store went through some changes last week as well:
The Apple Store shows that the silver iPod Classic now ships in 1-3 days, down from 24 hours last week. In addition, Best Buy has updated their website to say that the device is backordered for 1-2 weeks (last week it was shipped in 1 day) and Target also has it backordered for 2-4 weeks. Currently the shortage only seems to be affecting the silver colored model, the dark colored version appears relatively unaffected.
It is worth noting that the iPod Classic line was last updated in September 2009; several tech pundits predicted Apple would discontinue the product due to the lack of any announcement at last September’s music event (where Apple refreshed the entire iPod family except for the Classic). Recent reports also suggested Toshiba’s new 1.8” drives may bump the capacity of the Classic to 220 GB up from 160 GB, although it is unclear whether Apple may still be planning on using hard drives for its mobile devices instead of widely-used flash memory.
NewsRack RSS Reader Now Available In The Mac App Store
NewsRack is a RSS feed reader for iPhone and iPad that’s very popular among iOS users and used to be many people’s favorite choice in the App Store before Reeder came out. Especially in the early iPad days, I remember using NewsRack to stay up to date with Google Reader; the app is fast, stable and provides an elegant approach to RSS feeds. Silvio Rizzi eventually released Reeder for iPad, but I’m pretty sure NewsRack still has a loyal user base out there.
Last night, omz:software released a new version of NewsRack in the Mac App Store. The app is new to the Mac platform, and exclusively available in the Store at $6.99. NewsRack for OS X is very similar to its iOS counterpart: native interface with a sidebar for feed and folder management; unread articles in a middle panel and feed preview in the right column. The app has got a tabbed interface à la NetNewsWire to navigate between websites easily with tabs that sit on the top of the main window. NewsRack syncs with Google Reader but you can also import your feeds manually, although I wonder if there’s anyone who’s still doing that - especially considering cross-platform RSS syncing between OS X and iOS.
The app supports drag & drop for feed management, keyboard shortcuts for tabs and refresh, thumbnail previews for feeds – which should come in handy if you’re subscribed to several photo blogs and you want to quickly skim through their latest entries. Overall, the design looks really polished and based on usual OS X interface guidelines.
Personally, I don’t think I will move away from using Reeder just yet. Silvio Rizzi’s app is still in beta, but we’re pretty confident it will find its way to the Mac App Store soon. If you’re looking for a good alternative though, NewsRack in the Mac App Store is a great choice for now.