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

Mac App Store Preview: WordCrasher

Coming tomorrow for the Mac App Store launch, WordCrasher is an addictive game already available on the iPhone and iPod touch which is based on a simple concept: create words out of letters falling from the top of the screen. Yes, it sounds a lot like Tetris’ bricks, only you have letters and you have to combine them to create words and empty the screen. As the screen is filled up with blocks, it’s game over.

The Mac version of WordCrasher will take the iOS experience and add some new features to make suitable for the desktop. Together with redesigned graphics and new sounds, Mac users will be able to create words not just by catching letters with the trackpad: you can use the keyboard for fast typing and gaming.

WordCrasher will be available tomorrow and I believe it will be one of the many iOS games ported to the Mac platform. Whether or not this will turn out to be a great or terrible idea, we’ll find out in less than 24 hours.

Mac App Store Preview: Todolicious, The Simple To Do App

Of all the new apps that are coming out tomorrow in the Mac App Store, Todolicious by Mustacheware is among those we’re most excited about. Created by our friend Steve Streza, who also happens to be the guy behind the great iPhone webapp Swearch.me, Todolicious wants you to stop wasting time organizing your to dos and tasks. Todolicious is a simple app that’s also customizable, and it’s aimed at those people who just want an app to quickly write down the things they need to do. No projects, tags or contexts. Todolicious is a sexy, digital version of the classic sticky notes.

Without giving away all the details just yet (you should be able to play with the app in less than 24 hours), I want to focus on the single most intriguing aspect of the app: the new to do entry field. Instead of displaying a popup window with dozens of options, text fields and buttons, Todolicious provides a simple panel that asks you “What do you need to do?”. It reminds me of Alfred’s straightforward search interface, and you can assign a system-wide shortcut to it so you can enter new to dos no matter what you’re doing with your Mac.

Todolicious will be available tomorrow at $4.99 in the Mac App Store. It’s a simple app we’re really excited about, and we bet that thousands of Mac users who don’t need the functionalities of Things or OmniFocus will give Todolicious a try. Check out the website here, or follow @todolicious for updates.

The iPad Dock That’s Also A Projector

We have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of simple or original stands and dock stations for the iPad. From those that just hold your iPad upright while charging it, to the more sophisticated units that come with additional ports and connections, there’s wide range of possibilities to consider. If you’re looking for an iPad dock that also happens to be a Pico projector, though, you might just consider the WowWee Cinemin Slice.

It’s a dock, but it’s got a projector built in. As you put the iPad in there, the Cinemin Slice will take care of projecting your iPad’s screen wherever you like. Available for pre-order at $429, WowWee says it’s perfect for media and for small groups of friends, where TVs can’t go. The unit has mini-HDMI and AV ports for media players and a VGA ports for PCs and laptops. It supports the 16:9 aspect ratio and it has a resolution of 854 x480. An infrared remote control is included in the package, together with 5 docking trays for iOS devices.

If you’re thinking about getting one, head over WowWee’s website. [Gizmodo via WowWee]

iPad 2 Mockup Spotted at CES

Our friends at Engadget spotted something really interesting while walking around CES booths: another case designed for the rumored iPad 2, with an actual iPad 2 mockup inside, made of aluminum. The case, created by Dexim and admittedly also looking good with its leather and detachable Bluetooth keyboard, sports the usual features we’ve been hearing in the rumors: front and rear-facing cameras, thinner design, bigger speaker. There are some curious new details to be noted as well.

First off, the iPad 2 mockup inside the case has the home button closer to the edge of the unit, and it’s got a flat back. It’s also got tapered edges as we heard last week, and when trying to put a current generation iPad in the case, Engadget was told that it wouldn’t fit because of its size. Accessory makers seem to be pretty sure that the next-generation iPad will be thinner, with a flat back and two cameras – clearly someone in China saw, or at least heard something, about the new iPad and told these manufacturers to follow certain guidelines.

Check out more iPad 2 mockup photos below and the full gallery on Engadget. Read more

Huge Canabalt Update: Game Center, Retina Display, 60fps

If you enjoyed playing Canabalt on your iPhones and iPads before, I think it’s time you give the app another try. Because, frankly, you didn’t really break any records. You can do better, and you know it. Most of all, the latest 1.6 update that just showed up in iTunes adds true Retina-ready graphics to the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4th gen, 60fps on all Retina devices (that means it’s now super-smooth in all its pixel glory), Game Center integration (for leaderboards, I guess) and various tweaks and bug fixes. The update is free for all existing owners of the recently open-sourced game.

It’s the same Canabalt you know and love, only a lot smoother, faster and beautiful. Available at $0.99 for iPhone and iPad. You can’t miss this.

Apple Releases Updates for GarageBand and iMovie

A few minutes ago Apple released an update to iMovie and GarageBand, which reach version 9.0.1 and 6.0.1, respectively. The GarageBand update improves the overall stability and performances of the app, removes latency on certain guitar tracks and fixes issues related to Flex Time edits. It is a recommended update for all GarageBand users and it’s a 47.5 MB available in Software Update now or on Apple’s website.

iMovie 9.0.1 fixes an issue with stabilization not applying correctly to videos shot on the iPhone and iPod touch, improves performances in the Project library and improves compatibility with cameras that record videos in multiple formats. It’s a 27.5 MB update available in Software Update or on Apple’s website.

Full changelogs embedded below. Read more

The Japanese Government Wants Apple To Add Filters To The iPhone

The iPhone is becoming one of Japan’s best selling smartphones – something quite strange for a country that’s not usually huge on products coming from the States, or Europe – and now the Japanese government is asking Apple and Softbank, the iPhone carrier in the land of the Rising Sun, to add content filters on the iPhone by default. To prevent teenagers from accessing “harmful” web content (can we have a guess? porn) and, generally, stuff they shouldn’t be able to see on a smartphone, the National Police Agency requires handsets markers to ship devices with this kind of filtering.

As you can imagine, this isn’t going to be easy for the Japanese government and Softbank, who’s just the middle man between Cupertino and the Japanese folks lining up to buy iPhones every day. Softbank can’t install proprietary code on the iPhone – they should open an iPhone first and find a way to give it to customers with some filtering software enabled. But we know iOS doesn’t allow for these kinds of software to be installed. So it’s all on Apple now, which has to evaluate whether or not they should follow the Japanese government’s request.

The way I see it, Japan will have to wait for filters to come on their iPhones for a long time. [via TUAW]

Mac App Store Preview: Lyrica

Lyrica is an upcoming new Mac app created by 17 year-old German developer Florian Zand which has been submitted to Apple for approval and should be available on the Mac App Store on January 6. As the name suggests, the app is aimed at fetching and displaying song lyrics – which is a pretty common task, although Lyrica has a few tricks up its sleeve that should grant it a relevant position in the new App Store. First off, the app queries 6 different lyric databases to find the most appropriate lyrics for the songs you’re listening to. Of course, Lyrica automatically takes the music that’s playing in iTunes and contacts the servers on its own. You just have to fire it up and wait a few seconds for the lyrics to show up on screen.

Lyrica can change from a classic OS X grey window to a more unobtrusive translucent black panel that can easily sit on top of any app without getting in the way. If lyrics for a song can’t be found, you can add them manually from the app itself. In addition for “now playing” capabilities, the app can also add lyrics to a specific playlist or your entire iTunes library – that will take a few minutes though, as it’ll have to tag your whole music collection.

We look forward to seeing Lyrica available in the Mac App Store on January 6. More information about the app will be available on the developer’s website here.

Remote Conductor: All-in-One OS X Controller for iPad

If you’re that kind of user who has set up a home entertainment system based on a machine running OS X, then probably you’re always looking for the next big thing in remote control. Several users, instead of buying a dedicated set-top box like an Apple TV or a Roku Player, prefer to get a relatively entry-level machine like a Mac Mini and route all their music, movies and photos through it. Because entertainment aside, the thing also happens to be a computer that can backup itself on a daily basis and serve content to other computers or iOS devices in the house. Just think of all the iTunes libraries or Plex installations shared through Mac Minis or, at best, Mac Pros that are powerful enough to be both desktop machines and entertainment systems for when the work is done and all you need is a good movie. A Mac computer set for such tasks, however, needs a good remote control system because, frankly, you just can’t use a mouse and keyboard on your couch.

Sure, you could use an Apple Remote and get most of your things done without having to lift a finger, but what about all those times when you want to use the stuff a computer also comes with – you know, like a web browser and high-def Youtube videos scaled to take all your TV screen? After all, even if geared towards home entertainment purposes, it’s a computer. And it needs to be remotely controlled. You could buy a VNC app like Screens for your iPhone and iPad, and control the computer that’s running on the TV in front of you with the comfort of also having it in your hands, in a portable app. Perhaps, though, you don’t need to have its screen mirrored on an iOS device and you just want a remote app that acts like a touchpad and lets you quickly launch and quit apps, and check on running ones.

Remote Conductor, a new iPad app by m3me, aims at reinventing the “remote controlling” app genre by combining in a single package features like a touchpad, multi-touch gestures support and some sort of application launcher and OS X-like Exposè to let you easily and effortlessly control your Mac’s screen from anywhere in your room using an iPad. Read more