Federico Viticci

10779 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

MyWi “On Demand” Now Available, Brings Smart Hotspot to iOS

MyWi, a popular app available in Cydia that allows users to turn their 3G-capable devices into mobile hotspots for internet tethering, was updated today to include a new functionality the Intelliborn developers call “On Demand”. The new feature, which can be unlocked for $4.99 following the $19.99 app purchase, allows iPhones and iPads to “understand” when the mobile hotspot feature needs to be activated, or disabled.

A problem with mobile hotspots on the iPhone, in fact, is that you can’t specify settings for when a WiFi connection becomes available and you can stop tethering to other devices. The new MyWi On Demand connects when you need it, and shuts down when you don’t. After the usual pairing session between the hotspot device (say, the iPhone) and a non-3G device like your iPad WiFi, the iPad will automatically join the internet connection shared by MyWi when no other option is available, and disconnect from MyWi when another connection is found (your home wireless connection, for example). The system is pretty smart and useful, especially considering that it easily lets you save dozens of MBs of data.

More details on MyWi On Demand can be found here, and you can check out the promo video below. Apple’s next major update to iOS, version 4.3, will introduce a similar functionality called “Personal Hotspot” that enables users to turn their iPhones into portable hotspots to share an internet connection. Read more

How To Create, Manage and Renew iTunes App Subscriptions

With the launch of The Daily this morning, Apple also introduced the long-rumored subscriptions for apps, which allow you to automatically get an app’s new content as long as you pay a weekly or annual fee. At least that’s how it works with The Daily, and we have collected all the details about News Corp’s subscription implementation here.

I was curious to see how subscriptions worked on Apple’s end though, so I tried to manually activate a new 7-day subscription in The Daily to see what would happen in my iTunes account. At first I couldn’t activate a new subscription (besides the two-week free trial period offered by Verizon Wireless), so I waited a couple of hours and tried again. Inside The Daily, you can access subscription management through the Settings. Choose your subscription, confirm that you’re willing to give out your personal information like zip code, name and email to “the publisher” (in our case, The Daily Holdings), enter your Apple ID password and tap Done. In the current version of The Daily, there is no confirmation of a successful subscription. Read more

Verizon iPhone Coming to Best Buy On February 10

Best Buy just issued a statement confirming that the Verizon iPhone will be available in their stores on Feb. 10:

Best Buy today announced that the iPhone 4 from Apple on the Verizon Wireless network will be available in Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile specialty stores across the country beginning Feb. 10, the first day the device is available to the public.

The iPhone 4 is an important device for Best Buy and we are excited to help Apple and Verizon Wireless bring it to even more consumers,” said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. “Our customers have come to expect Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores to carry the best selection of mobile phones anywhere, and offering the iPhone 4 on Verizon’s network is our latest effort to deliver on that promise.

Pre-orders of the device will start tomorrow. [via All Things Digital]

This Is What The Daily Looks Like [Updating]

Live from The Daily announcement, here’s what The Daily looks like. First screenshots below and after the break.

The app features lots of photographs and videos, social integration with Facebook and Twitter feeds inside the articles, breaking news during the day. One  cool feature that was demoed on stage was “360 photography”, which allows you to move around a scene with your fingers – it looked very impressive and immersive at the same time. The Daily comes with several sections accessible through a “carousel” interface, which is a mix of Apple’s Cover Flow and the classic bookshelf. Online video can play inline the carousel, and the process of scrolling through the sections looks very smooth.

The app is now live in the App Store. Check for our first impressions in a few minutes.

Read more

The Daily Launch Event Will Be Live Streamed, App Launches Today

It looks like The Daily’s launch will be live streamed on the app’s official website:

Watch at 11 a.m. Eastern Time today as News Corporation unveils The Daily, featuring special guest Eddy Cue, vice president of Internet Services from Apple. Check back later today for our full web site. The Daily will be available on the App Store starting at 12 p.m. EST.

The app will also be available later today in the App Store. Check for updates on MacStories as the launch happens. In the meantime, enjoy the countdown on thedaily.com.

Apple Confirms Verizon iPhone Available for Pre-Order Tomorrow

Press release just went out confirming that the Verizon iPhone 4 will be available for pre-order tomorrow on first come, first served basis through Apple’s online store and Verizon’s store. The Verizon iPhone 4 will be sold at $199 for the 16 GB model, $299 for the 32 GB model with a two-year contract. Sales in Apple retail stores and 2,000 Verizon Wireless stores will begin on Thursday, February 10th and 7 AM – just like AT&T did for the iPhone 4 last year.

We have seen iPhone accessories have started appearing on Verizon Wireless’ website last week, and the February 3rd pre-order date was previously reported as well.

Press release embedded below.

Read more

QNAP’s NAS Streams Media To iOS via WiFi and 3G

If streaming music and movies remotely to iOS devices is your thing, QNAP’s latest NAS offering is something to keep an eye on. The new series, which will be available for sale later this month, comes with up to 8 TB of storage, 1.2 GHz CPU and 256 MB of RAM. Other than these interesting specs, the TS-x12 model can stream all kinds of media to iOS devices via WiFi or 3G, or to your PS3 and Xbox 360 with UPnP. Sounds pretty cool.

The Mac platform doesn’t lack media centers that through mobile companion apps can stream content to the iPhone and iPad. But if you don’t want to install apps like Plex on your Mac and you prefer having a solution like a full-featured NAS, QNAP’s upcoming products might just be what you need. [via Gizmodo]

Third Build of OS X 10.6.7 Seeded to Developers

A new build of Mac OS X 10.6.7 hit the Developer Center last night, the third one since Apple started seeding 10.6.7 to developers three weeks ago. Build 10J850 mentions, again, Mac App Store, AirPort, Bonjour, SMB and Graphics Drivers as focus areas for developers to test.

The second build of 10.6.7 was released on January 25th, and it appears that Apple is quickly issuing new builds with the same focus areas and no “known issues”.

Angry Birds’ Next Level: The Super Bowl

It finally happened: Angry Birds is officially going mainstream. And not in yet another TV show that briefly mentions the app – in a Super Bowl commercial. As reported by AdAge, 20th Century Fox has teamed up with Rovio, makers of Angry Birds, to launch a commercial about the upcoming animated film Rio which will feature Angry Birds and a code to enable a secret level in the game. Fox and Rovio will also launch a special version of the popular iOS app called “Angry Birds Rio” in March, where characters of the movie and the game will merge into a single storyline.

The code that will be given in the Super Bowl ad will grant access to a level that, once completed, will further enable users to enter a contest to attend the premiere of the movie “Rio” in Rio de Janeiro on March 22nd. AdAge also reports about the spot:

Fox said the spot will be the first Super Bowl ad that requires viewers to pause the spot and watch frame-by-frame to capture an embedded code. Other marketers are adopting somewhat similar tactics, however, in their Super Bowl ads this year.

The Angry Birds social phenomenon looks unstoppable and, frankly, it seems like it’s moving even too fast for a game that was nothing a year ago. Still, what Rovio is doing is impressive marketing-wise, but I hope the infamous birds won’t end up on McDonald’s happy meals anytime soon.  Rovio is also rumored to be working on a real sequel to the original game, which should feature a “pigs point of view” and a brand new gameplay.