Federico Viticci

10781 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

The Cartographer Brings Beautiful Vintage Maps To The iPhone

They say art is about the details, and geeks say the same about Apple’s products. Are Apple’s gadgets and computers a new form of art then? I don’t know, but sure they are an example of excellent industrial design that meets consumers’ tastes and needs. So what could ever happen if art as we know it joined Apple’s design as an app for the iPhone?

I’m pretty sure something like The Cartographer for iPhone would happen. A simple app that turns Google Maps into a beautiful experience based on the maps that once were. Read more

Finally: Cydia Tweak Brings AirPlay’s Video Streaming To Every App

Looks like jailbreakers are giving users yet another reason to jailbreak their iPhones and iPads by activating what Apple leaves behind. So after the hack that turns the mute switch back to an orientation lock button, here comes AirVideo Enabler, which brings AirPlay for Video support to any app: Safari and 3rd partys apps.

You’ll be able to stream video from your device to the Apple TV no matter what, and I guess it’s based on Erica Sadun’s method.

This simple and must-have tweak is available in the following repository:

http://cydia.zone-mr.net

So if you have an Apple TV and have been missing the possibility to stream from Safari, AirVideo app or StreamToMe – go download it right now.

PhotoFast’s AP1000 Will Bring AirPlay To Your Car

With AirPlay finally available to iOS users (although not exactly in the way many of us wanted), I knew it wouldn’t take long before some third party accessory maker would come up with a solution to enable AirPlay’s streaming system in every car. The PhotoFast AP1000 (still looking for a distributor outside of Japan) is aimed at allowing you to easily enable WiFi in your car and connect your current audio system to any iOS device via AirPlay.

The device is a little black box that supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi and has to be wired to your car’s audio in order to show up in the list of AirPlay-enabled devices on the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The setup seems to be fairly simple for any user, you just have to make sure you have enough space in your car to fit the AP1000.

You can see more details in the preview video below. [via TUAW] Read more

WiFi Connection Issues Still Affecting iOS 4.2.1 for iPad?

On November 12th we reported Apple was planning to “delay” the release of iOS 4.2 due to the WiFi connection issues reported by several users running the GM build seeded to developers on November 1st. Indeed, the plan was to release iOS 4.2 on November 12th but Apple decided to release a second GM build for iPad to address the WiFi issues instead.

Eventually Apple released another GM build of iOS 4.2 to address other minor issues, which is the iOS 4.2.1 version that’s currently shipping to users – even if Apple simply calls it “iOS 4.2”. We did a little research on Apple’s discussion boards and MacRumors forums though, and we found out that, actually, WiFi issues are still being widely reported by users who have recently upgraded to iOS 4.2.1. Read more

DisplayOut and FullForce Now iOS 4.2.1 Compatible | Cydia

As tweeted by developer Ryan Petrich a few hours ago, popular Cydia tweaks FullForce (which allows you to scale iPhone apps for the iPad’s larger screen, something we covered when the first iPad jailbreak came out) and DisplayOut (which mirrors the iPhone’s screen on a TV using a VGA cable) have been updated to support iOS 4.2.1.

DisplayOut is available at $2.99 in the Cydia Store. We highly recommend it as it’s the best tweak currently available to, say, show off an iPhone app on a bigger screen or external monitor.

iPad Snow Globe Makes An Appearance At Apple Stores

Apple is getting ready for the holiday season and, Black Friday sale aside, they have started decorating Apple Stores with  giant iPad snow globes. Oh, and some Beatles stuff, too.

As spotted by TiPB, the giant iPad is set to play a video containing iBooks and the Gourmet Live app for the holidays – which undoubtedly is a good move to tout the tablet as the go-to device for people looking to enrich their cooking skills with some geek love this year. As for the Beatles, we’re not really surprised. They’re part of a huge marketing campaign from Apple aimed at promoting both iTunes and the band, so putting some promo material in Apple stores was the most logical step.

Check out the iPad snow globe video below. Read more

Apple Kills The Steve Jobs Action Figure

Last week Mic Gadget posted shots of a pretty realistic Steve Jobs action figure: slightly taller than an iPhone 4 and representing Apple CEO with his blue Levi jeans and black turtleneck, it’s no wonder the action figure made the rounds. It looked really well realized.

Too bad it’ll never see the light of day and if you hoped you could put SJ on your desk in a few week, well I’m sorry for you. A law firm representing Apple, Inc apparently sent a letter to Mic Gadget:

Unauthorized use of a person’s name and/or likeness constitutes a violation of California Civil Code Section 3344, which prohibits the use of any person’s name, photograph or likeness in a product without that person’s prior consent.

Too bad. It looked nice.