You can Totally Snap iPhone Photos with your Headphones

I still take photographs the old fashioned way, but photographers with a tripod and mount will love this tip. From the Why Didn’t I Try This department, OS X Hints shares that you can use the volume up button on the included Apple headphones to snap a picture. Photographers who don’t want to be hands on with their iPhones when taking photographs will appreciate having free remote bundled in with their iPhones — those headphones don’t need to be in your ear after all.

Perhaps the best part is that this can be paired with Bluetooth devices! I’m not sure if every headset with volume controls will work (as the buttons need to map correctly to the iPhone), but if a Bluetooth headset can increase the iPhone’s volume it should work.

You can turn your bluetooth headset into an instant wireless remote.

A steady photograph is ultimately a cleaner photograph. You can reduce a lot of camera noise, improve the quality of the picture, and take better night photographs by simply steadying your iPhone. If you have the kit available to prop your iPhone for photographs, then getting even more hands off will really help make the different between a good photograph and a great one. The iPhone 4S camera is among the best in class for smartphones, and what better way to utilize as a semi-professional device than to use what we already have available as a remote shutter release? It’s an excellent tip, and if you hadn’t already tried this, consider it a worthy addition to your knowledge noggin.

Quick note: Camera+ recently got its volume-snap back, and it works here too. Don’t forget about the GLIF (shown above) for easy iPhone mounting to your favorite tripod.

[OS X Tips via Macgasm]

Note: We published this tip in our initial iOS 5 tips roundup, but none-the-less it’s a great reminder for new iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S owners.

Alfred 1.0 Now Available With Enhanced Global Hotkeys

The public release of Alfred 1.0 is now available and brings with it a multitude of new features as well as improvements to existing ones. For most software developers reaching version 1.0 is a special milestone. I had the opportunity to speak with Andrew Pepperrell, the developer of Alfred, about his thoughts regarding this release and this is what he had to say:

Alfred 1.0 is a meaningful release; it’s more than just the new features. Version 1.0 marks Alfred’s maturity in my own mind, and users will no longer see him as unfinished. To be honest, 0.9 should have been 1.0… maybe even 0.8

I think that sums it up extremely well considering the last couple of updates have dramatically changed the way we use Alfred. The recent addition of extensions was certainly a game changer in my opinion. Now lets take a closer look at this version and see what it has to offer.

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How to Get Apple’s Black Friday Prices All Year Long→

How to Get Apple’s Black Friday Prices All Year Long

The Apple Store’s refurb section features an inexact and unreliable supply. You never know when it’s going to be flush with a bunch of desirable models and when it’s going to be mostly barren. But even so, it can be a lot like hunting for exactly what you want on Craigslist, except with AppleCare backing you up instead of a search for a well-lit, public drop zone. Patience pays dividends, especially if you can’t afford full price—and you can set up an email alert for when new products are added to the store.

Gizmodo’s got good advice. If you want to save a good chunk of cash on a new Macintosh, you won’t be shorted by purchasing a refurbished model. You won’t get the same pretty white box (you’ll get cardboard bulk packaging in its place), but you will get a Mac with often brand new guts and the same warranty you’d get with buying a new computer off the shelf online or at an Apple Retail Store. As explained on podcasts like Mac Geek Gab, Apple is pretty generous when it comes to swapping out parts for new — this applies for repairs and of course the refurbished Macs sold online through Apple. It’s a good thing to keep in mind and share with relatives who’re looking for additional savings if they’re planning on purchasing a Mac as a gift or getting one themselves for the holidays. When it comes time to purchase my next Mac, this is probably the route I’ll take.

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References To Unreleased iPhone, iPad And Apple TV Found In iOS 5.1 Beta

Late yesterday Apple released the first beta of iOS 5.1 to developers and over the past few hours a number of people have been digging around to see whats new. A few readers and contributors to 9to5 Mac have found that the new beta includes references to a new Apple TV, a new iPhone and a new iPad.

The unreleased Apple TV that is referenced in iOS 5.1 features an identifier of “3,1” and a codename of “J33”. As for the iPhone, a new identifier of “5,1” has been found - that if it comes to fruition, would suggest a new iPhone with major internal changes. Finally, two new identifiers have been found for new iPad models. First there is a “2,4” model, one that 9to5 Mac suggests could be for a WiMAX Sprint iPad or potentially a TD-LTE model for China. The other new identifier is “3,3”, which follows on from previous discoveries of the iPad “3,1” and “3,2” identifiers that have been found earlier this year.

Whilst these references are added purposively, it is important to remember that not all the references will correspond to a device that Apple actually launches in the future. Furthermore, little if any information is revealed about the potential devices by these identifiers - except for the fact they exist to some degree within Apple.

[Via 9to5 Mac (1) (2) (3)]

iA Writer for iPad and Mac Updated with iCloud

Sometimes you kids ask me about what writing app is shown off in my iPad screenshots or photos. More often than not it’s iA Writer, and it’s an awesome little thing.

If you can’t live without iA Writer, you should start checking both the iOS and Mac App Stores for an available update that includes improved Dropbox integration, and now iCloud support that works between Mac and iOS.

Here’s how it works. On the iPad side you can save a document to iCloud. Saving and managing documents is a completely enhanced experience: You can move documents between the local iPad, any Dropbox folder of your choice, or iCloud for shared and cloud storage.

When you open up iA Writer on the Mac, a new iCloud submenu appears under the file menu. You can pull your documents from the cloud. Just so we’re being clear — these documents are copied to your Mac in the library folder, but they’re not available in your documents folder. You’ll get a good idea about how iCloud sandboxing works here.

If you want to save a document to iCloud from your Mac, you need to save your document somewhere first. Only afterwards can you move it to the iCloud, where it will be moved out of its original location and into your Library. So technically you’re not supposed to know where these documents exist, but everything works as advertised.

iA Writer is a custom text editor that features FocusMode and a barebones writing environment with a giant blue cursor. Currently, iA Writer is 50% for both iPad and Mac versions — if you want the app, now would be a really good time to pick it up since you can get the suite for around $10.

App Store: iA Writer for the iPad | iA Writer for Mac

Apple Releases iOS 5.1 Beta

Just when you thought it was going to be a relaxing Cyber Monday, Apple has made the iOS 5.1 beta available for download. Developers will find a new Xcode 4.3 developer preview waiting for download as well. The (9B5117b) builds weigh in at 700 MB to 800 MB depending on the iPad or iPhone versions. The 5.1 beta has lots of bugs noted, so we’d recommend holding off if you just want a peek otherwise.

Developers can download the beta in the iOS dev center.

Now back to your scheduled evening dose of online shopping and hot chocolate.

So How Does Apple Know You’re in the Store?

Long story short: An Apple employee at the Apple Store in Palo Alto, California, spills the beans on how they track customers in their stores. Employees armed with iPod touches get notified when customers enter the stores with their location-aware iPhones (for services like in-store pickup or an appointment), or when customers request help using in-store iPads. All the employee has to do is select a customer in a queue, get their position on an in-store map, and voilà! An an employee walks up to the customer and assists them.

While new Apple Store customers may be dazed by the busy store’s atmosphere and integration with technology, experienced shoppers can take advantage of a unique shopping experience tailored for the customer.

We’re basically seeing the map-side of Apple’s in-store toys like Concierge, Scout, iQueue, etc. This isn’t new technology, but as geeks it’s nice to get behind the scenes sometimes.

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The MacLegion Winter Bundle 2011

I stumbled onto MacLegion earlier this year when they offered their first bundle back in April. They offer very good bundles with quality Mac apps at great bundled prices. Their new bundle is just as great. The MacLegion Winter Bundle 2011 consists of 10 quality Mac apps for $49.99 (a $480 value). We’ve seen a lot of bundles similar to this price point, but this one stands out above many of the others.

As always, MacLegion bundles focus on quality, practical and every-day apps that people enjoy using. The hand-picked line-up ensures that all applications featured within it are the latest versions each developer has to offer. Read more

Game on Santa: Best Buy Wants to Put Apple Products Under your Tree this Holiday Season

Apple Store? What Apple Store? You only need to visit your local Best Buy, America’s most well known consumer electronics store and Apple authorized reseller. Best Buy is going all out this Holiday Season with their “Game on Santa” commercials, this one in particular featuring mom as she shops for the latest Apple products. The latest in the series features FaceTime on the iPad 2 along with a variety of other products on one Best Buy’s Apple tables, with an employee reminding the viewer that they’re a one-stop shop for iMacs, MacBooks, and just about anything else you’d find in one of those fancy Apple Stores. We sell Apple stuff too!

The scene then cuts to Christmas Eve as Santa drops in, mom decidedly looking victorious having beat Santa at his own game. If Best Buy’s representation of a good Christmas is accurate, there’s going to be some seriously happy kids come Christmas morning.

Best Buy can’t give you Apple’s self-checkout shopping experience or expertise from someone at the Genius Bar, but if a jam-packed Apple Store isn’t a good idea of your good time, then Best Buy makes an OK pit-stop to pick up Apple accessories. At the very least, the Game on Santa commercials are entertaining, and you can catch Best Buy’s Apple focused promotion after the break. Gifts Under $100 isn’t bad either.

[AppleInsider via TUAW]

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