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iPad Getting Exclusive 9/11 Memorial App on September 1st

Author/Filmmaker Steve Rosenbaum has created and curated a documentary and transformed it into an iPad app called The 9/11 Memorial: Past, Present and Future. The 9/11 Memorial App is the first multi-media app that allows users to explore the history of the site, the day of the attacks, and the opening of The National Memorial. The app is a journey that you can take at your own pace; a rich tapestry of more than 40 original videos and 400 powerful still images. This app provides an intimate, personal, self-directed exploration.

The app features:

  • An interactive timeline from 2001 - present and will be updated as construction continues.
  • Never before seen video of the attacks on The World Trade Center.
  • Exclusive interview with the creator of the Memorial, along with his sketches and photographs.
  • More than 40 videos, over an hour of original content, site tours, museum updates, and animations.
  • Over 400 high-resolution photographs, including large artifacts at Hanger 17, rare site construction images, and the landscaping of an urban forest with 400 white swamp oak trees.
  • Links to share, post, and connect with the National September 11th Memorial Museum site.
  • Scenes from Rosenbaum’s award-winning documentary “7 Days in September” are included as well.

Rosenbaum decided to make this project iPad-only because it is the best device to display it. “I wanted it to be more of an immersive experience,” he said. “The nature of the photographs are so powerful, so to render them in anything but full color seemed wrong to me. And I didn’t want it to be viewed on a phone. I wanted it to be big and glossy.” Apple loved the idea, and it was approved in only a day and a half, which is very fast. He was expecting a few weeks so he submitted it early.

Rosenbaum is looking for app promotion and since the App Store has so many apps, it could easily be overlooked but we at MacStories think it’s an app worthy to promote and something like this means so much to people as well. The free introductory price is nice but we hope people will also consider buying it for $9.99 once it increases to give Steve a little something back for all his hard work and dedication. Here’s what he said about iPad exclusivity for The 9/11 Memorial - “The iPad is the single fastest selling consumer device in the history of consumer electronics,” he said. “There are 30 million now on the market. What’s more limited? A beautiful glossy photo book that sits in Barnes & Noble, or something that’s free and on a device that lots of people have?” I don’t think Steve Jobs could have said it better himself.

The 9/11 Memorial App will be available and free between September 1 and September 12 and thereafter the price will be for $9.99. You can check out more info on the app’s official site to see more screens, read more about the app and learn about the author.

[via The Observer via Daring Fireball]

LaunchpadCleaner 2 Gives You Proper Control Over Lion’s Launchpad

Launchpad is somewhat of a controversial feature addition in Lion, it is arguably the most blatant example of iOS’ influence on OS X (and some would say the worst example of iOS’ influence). A lot of the criticism stems from the fact it displays every application that is located on your Mac - you really don’t want to have an Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office because Launchpad will display icons from every app contained in those software packages.

Earlier this month we wrote about Launchpad-Control, which allowed you to hide applications from Launchpad (without deleting or uninstalling the application) using a simple checkbox list of all your apps. Hiding apps from Launchpad is about as far as Launchpad-Control goes and whilst that will be enough for many, some may be wanting some more control of Launchpad to properly utilise its potential. Enter LaunchpadCleaner 2, which allows you to hide apps from Launchpad, organise them, rename them and quite a bit more.

A good analogy of LaunchpadCleaner 2 would be that it works in a simple way to how iTunes can organise an iOS device’s homescreen but for Launchpad on your Mac. Some of the more advanced features of LaunchpadCleaner 2 include the ability to make a backup of your layout, transfer a Launchpad layout to other Macs and the ability to simply restore to the default Launchpad layout. The only real negatives of LaunchpadCleaner 2 that I experienced was that it was a little slow at times, which may be related to the fact that it is an Adobe Air application. The other downside is that you can’t drag the application icons to rearrange them in a specific order - although this isn’t too problematic because Launchpad itself can do this task easily.

LaunchpadCleaner 2 is available for $4.99 from Zoltan Borne, however he has kindly offered MacStories readers a promo code to get the app for free. The first 20 readers that will use the code “MACSTORIESNET” (without quotes) from the app’s Buy window will be upgraded to the Pro version for free. To do so, download the app, click on Buy, then click on “Do you have a Promotional Code?” and enter the promo code. Zoltan also offers a free version of LaunchpadCleaner 2, although there are a few limitations with this version.

Sleipnir Beta Comes To OS X with Group Tab Management and Sync

In the past months, I’ve reviewed several alternative browsers for iOS, and eventually settled with Grazing 2.0 because of its great multitouch support and push features that allow me to effortlessly and reliably share webpages across the Mac, iPhone and iPad through push notifications. However, amidst the plethora of shameless Safari copycats and relatively clever iPad browsers, there was Sleipnir, an iPhone app developed by Japanese studio Fenrir that impressed me with an innovative interface, and group tab management aimed at enhancing the iPhone’s browsing experience with the possibility of grouping tabs/websites by context through large thumbnail previews. Months later, Sleipnir came to the iPad, bringing an overhauled interface with bigger previews, and a new navigation system specifically built for the tablet. And now a beta of Sleipnir is available on the Mac, porting many of the functionalities seen on iOS to the desktop.

Sleipnir for Mac is in beta, and much is expected to change before the final release. The app is already compatible with OS X Lion, though it doesn’t support native full-screen mode in this first beta version, and some features like bookmark import are not working on my machine. In spite of the app being a little rough around the edges, Sleipnir for Mac is already pretty solid, and with free bookmark sync through the Fenrir Pass service it provides and interesting solution to use a non-default browser (like Safari) or more popular browsers like Google Chrome on iOS or the Mac.

On the Mac, Sleipnir displays tabs as mini-thumbnails in an address bar-free toolbar, which also contains a search field, a new tab button, and, optionally, your bookmarks. In spite of the lack of an address bar by default, Sleipnir lets you manually type in an address with the standard CMD+L shortcut (it will slide in the address bar), and it enables you to keep an eye on the currently opened webpage by visualizing its domain in the upper right corner (something that Mozilla has also been experimenting with in Firefox). The selected tab is constantly marked by an indicator that runs through the toolbar as you switch between pages, whilst tabs can be closed by clicking on the “x” button, or by using the CMD+W shortcut.

The biggest feature of Sleipnir is always been tab management through groups, and this has been ported to the Mac as well. Groups on the Mac are accessible from a window called “TiledTab”,  which displays large previews on a linen background, with groups in the bottom section of the page. You can move thumbnails between groups, search for tabs and rename groups, though I couldn’t find an option to delete existing groups or create new ones in this beta. Tab groups are useful if you usually keep a lot of tabs open and have been looking for ways to link related webpages together – furthermore, you can move between groups from the TiledTab UI with a two-finger swipe.

In the Preferences, Sleipnir lets you setup free bookmark sync using Fenrir Pass, and as we’ve seen before on the iPhone and iPad, Sleipnir’s implementation of bookmarks include things like an archive button, ribbons, and labels for deeper organization of saved webpages.

Sleipnir for Mac won’t replace the Safaris and Chromes of this world, but it’s got the feature set and ideas to become an alternative browser that you might want to use outside of your main browsing environment – say for research purposes (groups are great for that) or just to keep a different set of bookmarks always in sync between OS X and iOS.

You can download Sleipnir for Mac beta here, and get the universal iOS app for free on the App Store.

New Logitech Fold-Up Keyboard and Joystick For The iPad Coming Soon

Logitech currently offers two fairly basic iPad keyboard accessories, but come September they’re launching two more accessories that are a little bit more unique. The first is another keyboard but with a little bit of a twist (literally), offering an iPad stand in conjunction with a foldable keyboard. The second is an attachable joystick for playing games on the iPad - similar to the Fling which was released earlier this year.

The new keyboard accessory is a full-sized bluetooth keyboard that cleverly turns off automatically when it is folded away and turns on when snapped open. It also charges through USB so there is no need for replacing batteries every few weeks. TechCrunch (which got some hands on time with both devices) does however note that the accessory is fairly bulky which is disappointing given that it is coupled with the very sleek iPad 2.

The Logitech Joystick for iPad on the other hand doesn’t share the bulkiness of the Fold-Up Keyboard and is very light, simply attaching to the iPad’s screen via suction cups. TechCrunch writes that the “thumb pad always returns to the center position, finally offering some tactile feedback on the iPad”.

The Logitech Fold-Up Keyboard for iPad 2 will launch in the US and Europe next month for US$129.99 whilst the Logitech Joystick for iPad will also launch next month in the US and Europe for US$19.99.

[Via TechCrunch]

WSJ: iPhone 5 in mid-October On Verizon, AT&T, And Sprint

According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, initially quoted by Business Insider, U.S. carrier Sprint will sell the iPhone 5 once the device becomes available in October.

Sprint Nextel Corp. will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October, people familiar with the matter said, closing a huge hole in the No. 3 U.S. carrier’s lineup and giving Apple Inc. another channel for selling its popular phone.

The timing, however, indicates Apple’s new iPhone will hit the market later than expected and too late to contribute to sales in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ends in September. Most observers had expected the device to arrive next month.

Much speculation has surrounded the release of the next-generation iPhone, which was expected to debut during the summer as every previous iPhone, though the launch didn’t materialize and Apple decided to focus the WWDC (the iPhone’s typical announcement stage) on software instead. Since then, rumors have failed to pinpoint an exact release date for the iPhone, with different sources claiming a September or October launch. It is not clear whether Apple would use its typical media event in September only to launch the device in October – what seems fairly certain is that the iPhone 5 will come equipped with a new version of iOS, which is currently being tested by registered developers. Last, according to other rumors, Apple may be gearing up to release two different versions of the iPhone this fall, one aimed at pre-paid markets with a cheaper iPhone 4-like construction, and a brand new one that should indeed be the long-awaited “iPhone 5”. Confusion around alleged prototypes running a new A5 chip (the same of the iPad 2) on older iPhone 4 bodies has also contributed to making it difficult to predict the next iPhone’s form factor, leading to contradicting reports about a faster “iPhone 4S”, a completely redesigned iPhone 5, or a mix of both. Most recent rumors and case leaks from manufacturers seem to indicate the new device will feature a thinner design with tapered edges.

Amidst speculation, a few interesting reports in the past months detailed how the next-generation iPhone could end up being sold on more than two carriers in the US. Currently, the iPhone 4 is sold in two colors on two carriers, AT&T and Verizon. The CDMA iPhone, built specifically for Verizon, was also rumored to be set for an expansion to other CDMA markets, such as Asia. Back in April, BGR showed what they claimed to be a prototype iPhone running on T-Mobile’s network – AT&T later announced its plans to acquire T-Mobile and it’s unclear now whether Apple could really release a T-Mobile iPhone in late 2011 with the acquisition expected to be approved and take full action by 2012.

Rumors of a Sprint iPhone arose in mid-2010 and were reinforced earlier this year by analysts’ claims of an iPhone for Sprint during the holidays, and a job posting appeared on Apple’s website. Sprint currently has 52 million subscribers and it’s the third largest mobile operator in the United States. The WSJ also briefly mentions some hardware details of the iPhone 5:

The new iPhone is expected to be similar to the current iPhone 4, but thinner and lighter with an improved digital camera and a new more sophisticated operating system.

According to the WSJ, AT&T and Verizon will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October, too. TiPB was first to report the news of a likely October 7 launch date for the iPhone 5 two weeks ago, a rumor that was also corroborated by other blogs. The iPhone 5 is said to be a “world phone” as well, with an integrated system to work both on GSM and CDMA radio channels.

Apple Updates Lion To 10.7.1 On The Mac App Store

The first update to OS X Lion, version 10.7.1, was released exactly one week ago, yet unlike the operating system’s public release in July, Apple didn’t decide to make the update immediately available through the Mac App Store. Rather, Apple published 10.7.1, a minor delta update, using Software Update, a standalone desktop control panel that has historically taken care of updating Apple’s system apps. The fact that an update for Lion wasn’t showing up on the Mac App Store left some wondering whether that was the best way to approach new customers already getting used to Apple’s new purchase and update mechanism for apps. As usual, the company also made the update available on its website as direct download.

Earlier today, Apple has updated the Lion installer from the Mac App Store – that is, where you buy the “app” at $29.99 – to version 10.7.1, allowing customers to download a version of Lion already up-to-date with what’s being pushed to customers of OS X Lion via Software Update. Lion now reports “Updated on August 23, 2011” on the Mac App Store, though we can’t confirm at this point whether the Mac App Store directly updates the OS (thus eliminating the need for Software Update), or it’s simply a way for new downloaders to get the latest version of Lion.

Apple has also recently released an OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive, and seeded OS X 10.7.2 to developers for testing purposes.

Update: according to several reports we’ve received, 10.7.1 shows up as a new version in Software Update, but not on the Mac App Store. Therefore, it appears Apple is keeping the Store as a way to buy the latest version, and Software Update as the preferred way to download & install new updates.

Update #2: Dan Frakes reports 10.7.1 is now showing up in the Updates tab of the Mac App Store.

Samsung Uses “2001: A Space Odyssey” Movie As Evidence Against Apple’s iPad Design→

Samsung Uses “2001: A Space Odyssey” Movie As Evidence Against Apple’s iPad Design

Florian Mueller at FOSS Patents reports on Samsung’s latest documents filed against Apple’s motion for preliminary injunction in the United States:

Ever since Apple started to assert the design of the iPad against other manufacturers, many people have been wondering whether there’s actually prior art for the general design of the iPad in some futuristic devices shown in sci-fi movies and TV series. And indeed, Samsung’s lawyers make this claim now in their defense against Apple’s motion for a preliminary injunction.

These newly provided documents include a screen grab of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 movie “2001: A Space Odyssey”, which shows two “tablet devices” on a table. Samsung’s lawyers write:

As with the design claimed by the D’889 Patent, the tablet disclosed in the clip has an overall rectangular shape with a dominant display screen, narrow borders, a predominately flat front surface, a flat back surface (which is evident because the tablets are lying flat on the table’s surface), and a thin form factor.

The ongoing series of lawsuits between Apple and Samsung is getting really complex and difficult to follow, and this is the first example of something interesting Samsung will likely pursue in the coming weeks: providing prior art as evidence that Apple didn’t really invent anything new with the iPad’s design. I wonder if Samsung will use Pixar’s “The Incredibles” too?

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