Get Android’s App Launcher on Your iPhone via Jailbreak

One thing I’ve always liked about the Android operating system, native Cloud Player and Music Beta apps aside, is the possibility to list all your apps and some favorite ones in the app launcher, a vertical window overlaying the “home screen” that can be opened at any time without having to move between pages. iOS allows you to organize apps in different screens and folders, the multitasking tray gives you access to recently used and paused apps, but I’d like to see a way to quickly get ahold of apps that I use a lot, are not on the first home screen, and aren’t suitable for a folder. Similarly, it’d be nice to have a way to see more apps in a single screen, avoiding being forced to constantly switch between pages. Those who decided to jailbreak their 4.3.3 iPhones might find a good solution in AndroidLoader, a $2.99 tweak from ModMyi’s repository that activates and Android-like app launcher window listing all the apps installed on your device. The launcher can display apps in alphabetical order, it can be scrolled vertically and all you have to do to open it is tap on a small icon placed in the middle of the standard iOS dock. The interface looks rather simple and the tweak is said to be very lightweight with minimal memory footprint.

Check out the demo video after the break. AndroidLoader is available now in the Cydia Store at $2.99. [via iSpazio]
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Kickoff For Mac Aims To Simplify Teamwork

Working and communicating effectively in a group for a project can be quite painful and difficult, but Kickoff is a new group collaboration tool that aims to make it much easier for Mac users.

Designed for small teams of people, Kickoff gives users three integral features required for effective teamwork – chat, file management and to-do’s/notes. What makes Kickoff look really interesting is that each of these core functionalities are fully featured and thought through. For example it doesn’t just store files, because it also has built-in versioning and transfers within chat, whilst to-do’s can be allocated to certain people and a dashboard provides an overall glance at everything in the project.

It syncs everything over the air in real-time and because it’s a Mac app you can easily drag files, use Quick Look on files and receive dock notifications. Unfortunately pricing will probably be a bit prohibitive for many, starting at 20€ a month for up to three users, whilst for up to 15 users it is 50€ per month, although there is a two week free trial. Jump the break for some more screenshots.

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Merriam-Webster Dictionary Hits The iPad

The comprehensive and appreciated Merriam-Webster dictionary is now available in an official iPad optimized app for free. The iPad app, built upon their iPhone app, has been redesigned to take advantage of the iPad’s screen and brings a few new features.

The main new feature is a scrolling index which, when the iPad is orientated in landscape, appears on the left of the screen, and lets you scroll the entire dictionary in alphabetical order. It is largely pointless, but pretty cool – did you know the word turmeric is the immediate word before turmoil in the dictionary?

Just like the iPhone app it has voice search powered by Nuance, synonyms and antonym support, audio pronunciations, example history and pretty much everything else that a dictionary app needs. The app does have banner ads at the bottom of the screen, but they are fairly unobtrusive and considering you get an entire dictionary for free, it is well worth it.

A Lunch At Apple Changed Square’s Name and Design→

A Lunch At Apple Changed Square’s Name and Design

The name Squirrel was known even before Square’s official announcement in December of 2009. As was the fact that the dongle was acorn shaped. The information that a lunch at Apple changed the design of the Square dongle so drastically and was the reason behind the name change is new, as far as I can tell.

I can just imagine that lunch in the Apple cafeteria with Steve Jobs telling Dorsey to drop the woodsy Acorn look and go with something white, minimal and squared off. Hey, it worked for Apple right?

The Next Web reports Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder and Square CEO, gave out interesting tidbits on the origins of Square when accepting the 21st Century Visionary award in San Francisco last night. In particular, Square was originally called Squirrel and the reader was wooden and acorn shaped. That was, until a lunch at Apple, quite possibly with Scott Forstall, magically changed the design to a squared off white reader named Square.

Furthermore, it really seems like Apple is a major source of inspiration for Square. From the design of the card reader and the website, to the skeuomorphic attention to detail in the new Card Case app and the whole style of Jack Dorsey’s presentation earlier this week, the simplicity and elegance of Square are certainly well-suited for Apple’s retail stores.

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New Rumor Claims Apple Is Considering AMOLED For iPad 3

According to a report by The Korea Herald, in a recent visit to South Korea Apple COO (and temporary CEO) Tim Cook has discussed with Samsung the possibility of implementing AMOLED displays in the next-generation iPad, dubbed iPad 3. The “industry sources” cited by The Korea Herald claim that Apple would be interested in the technology for an “upgraded version” of the iPad 2, with the website also relaying an old rumor that suggested Apple could release another iPad model later this year.

Apple wants to tap into Samsung’s AMOLED technology for an upgraded version of the iPad 2, considered as many by the iPad 3 that is likely to be launched toward the end of this year,” a source told The Korea Herald on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

Tim Cook is not only the COO, but also acting CEO of Apple. During Cook’s trip last week, Apple seems to have offered Samsung an advance for the AMOLED displays, the source said.

Apple’s rumor timeline in regards to AMOLED displays produced by Samsung goes a long way back to 2009: various reports from last year indicated the company had considered AMOLED screens for the iPhone 3GS, but couldn’t implement them due to production capacity issues, high costs and the PenTile technology used by Samsung at the time.  Also last year, when Apple was rumored to be working on a new iPad, speculation surrounding the supply chain in Asia claimed Apple was negotiating with Samsung over the usage of AMOLED displays, which didn’t happen as the company preferred standard LCDs with IPS technology produced by LG, among others. Manufacturing issues with LG displays that allegedly caused problems with iPad 2 shipments in the last quarter might lead the company to choose another supplier for the next-generation iPad, though The Korea Herald is also claiming Apple is considering a major shift in the technology being used and an early launch later this year.

Samsung’s AMOLED technology is said to have dramatically improved over the past months to be suitable for tablets, sport brighter colors and deeper blacks, better behavior in direct sunlight and low power consumption. Samsung is currently using AMOLED in its Galaxy S smartphones, and it’s also rumored to use the displays in future tablets running Android. Samsung is currently facing a lawsuit from Apple, whose claims of patent infringement for the design of the iPhone and iOS copied by Samsung’s Galaxy devices and TouchWiz UI have led the tech press to believe future collaborations between the two companies may not go as smoothly as before. [The Korea Herald via 9to5mac]

Miro 4.0 Available Now, Miro For iPad Coming Soon

Miro, the open source media player and organiser, was today updated to version 4 and it heralds in some significant improvements and feature additions. Most notably it has taken on the role of being iTunes for Android devices, challenging others such as DoubleTwist with its media syncing capabilities.

It allows Android users sync the typical music, movies and podcasts but will even allow them to download Android apps from either the Google Android Market or from Amazon’s Android app store. The other significant addition is a home sharing feature for content stored in Miro. Using the iTunes DAAP protocol, it lets users stream their Miro Library to any other DAAP or vice versa, letting you play content from other DAAP clients, even a NAS drive on your network.

The New York Times is also reporting that the Miro developers, the non-profit group The Participatory Culture Foundation, have also been hard at work developing a Miro app for the iPad, which will launch within three weeks. The app will likely support the streaming features introduced in Miro 4.0 as well as focusing on podcasts, which was the original appeal for Miro.

[Via The New York Times]

New Apple Stores Set To Open In Florence and Madrid

The trusted source on new Apple Store openings, ifoAppleStore, is today reporting on two new Apple stores in Spain and Italy that are currently undergoing construction. The new Italy store is expected to be opened in the I Gigli suburban shopping center in Florence, located on the ground floor and facing a large circular courtyard. Based on documents that were posted on the traditional black barricade, the stores construction will be completed in August, suggesting an early September opening.

The third Apple store in Spain, is set to be a spectacle, occupying all seven levels of the historic building at #1 Puerta del Sol in Madrid, overlooking the large city plaza (pictured above). The historic 1863 building is currently being restored and renovated. The retail store is then expected to operate on at least two levels and the basement. As for the other levels, ifoAppleStore speculates that they may be used as administrative offices for Apple, meeting rooms or training space. Madrid’s mayor revealed the plans last week when he confirmed to reporters that Apple was leasing the entire building. The building, which has an iconic “Tio Pepe” electronic sign will be returned to the building after renovations are complete. The store will most likely open early next year, with significant construction work still to be completed.

Pioneer Introduces AppRadio with Powerful iOS Integration

Initially surfaced last month through some FCC filings and rumored to be the first in-car radio to sport full iOS integration with iPhone apps and iPod out music controls, Pioneer officially announced the AppRadio today, with a dedicated iPhone app already available on the App Store for free. With a 800 x 400 6.1-inch multitouch capacitive display, Bluetooth connectivity and possibility to plug directly into an iPhone or iPod touch 4th gen running Pioneer’s software, the AppRadio will not only get usual access to your music library with album artwork and song information visualized on screen (BMW apparently already does that), it will also be capable of letting you interact with iOS calendars, maps, contacts and photos using the touchscreen device. It seems like Pioneer went all out to enable deep iOS integration, so much that certain applications available on the App Store, like Pandora and Rdio, have already announced AppRadio-specific versions with controls meant for the bigger display. On top of that, the AppRadio features a nice digital clock, an on-screen week calendar, a mic, external GPS antenna and a price tag below $500 when it goes on sale at the end of June.

From the press release:

Pioneer is rethinking connectivity by tapping into the power of the smartphone, while simultaneously providing a solution that safely merges the consumer’s connected lifestyle into the vehicle,” said Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for the car electronics division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “AppRadio fully embraces the iPhone, which has become the window to our mobile connectivity and provides a comprehensive and safer way to use apps in the car.

There’s more: the AppRadio recognizes multitouch gestures like swipes, pinch and zoom, and the companion iPhone app will alert you of new AppRadio-compatible 3rd party apps as they’re released. iOS 4.2 or later will be required for the AppRadio to work with an iPhone or iPod touch. [via Engadget]

Sparrow 1.2 Now Available

Teased earlier today at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York City, Sparrow 1.2 is now available for download on the Mac App Store. As previously reported, the new version adds a number of bug fixes and improvements, most notably enabling Facebook integration through Facebook Connect to automatically add profile pictures to contacts found in your social graph. Facebook support in Sparrow 1.2 is very straightforward: upon first run, you’ll be asked to connect with your Facebook account so Sparrow will be able to fetch your friends’ profile photos; according to the release notes, Sparrow 1.2 is also capable of letting you add new friends within the application, though I haven’t been able to test the new feature just yet. In the Settings, a new Facebook panel will allow you to disconnect from the service at any time and see friends that are also using the app.

Sparrow 1.2 brings many other functionalities such as a revamped dock icon that lets you write a new message with a right-click, new font options in the compose window and an overall interface refresh that’s quite welcome. Taking clues from Lion and other Mac apps like Twitter, Sparrow sports iOS-like scrollbars and free resizing on the message list. As I mentioned today, there’s a new Unified Inbox option that, just like iOS, allows you to see all your incoming messages from all accounts in a single tab; if you’re accustomed to this feature on your iPhone or iPad, you’ll feel right at home using Sparrow 1.2. Alongside these new options, bug fixes and localization in 8 more languages, Sparrow 1.2 brings the following changes as well:

  • Gravatar support
  • Threading by subject
  • Preference to hide Inbox selection bar
  • Account names appear faster on hover

With Twitter and LinkedIn support coming in the near future and new email functionalities likely in the works, Sparrow is shaping up to be a very interesting client for OS X that has a chance deeply change the way we think of social communication on our desktops. Go download the update here.