Fast PDF 2.0 Offers A Solid Alternative To iBooks

When I reviewed the first version of Fast PDF (universal, $2.99) in late June, I called it “what iBooks for PDFs should be”. It was a few days after Apple released an updated version of iBooks with PDF support, which many – including us – didn’t really like. That version of iBooks (1.1) had poor PDF support as it didn’t let you highlight words, flip through pages or organize documents in collections. iBooks 1.2, released last week, still doesn’t let you highlight or flip through, but at least it’s got the long-requested collection feature. Plus, Apple optimized the engine to make opening large PDF files faster. I noticed that last week.

A few days ago the App Store saw the release of Fast PDF 2.0 as well. A major new version of the app I reviewed in June and used as the default PDF reader on my iPad for months. How does it compare to iBooks 1.2? What’s new? Read more

FolderEnhancer for iPad Makes Folders Faster, Bigger

FolderEnhancer is one of my favorite Cydia tweaks for the iPhone which brings several additional functionalities to Apple’s implementation of folders in iOS 4.x. It makes opening folders faster, full-screen (above the dock) and allows for infinite apps inside each folders. You can also enable scrolling and pagination.

FolderEnhancer was updated to support the iPad a few days ago, but it’s not quite ready yet. Most of all, the tweak won’t let you put more than 22 apps in a folder (otherwise, the iPad will crash) and the landscape view isn’t ready. Pagination and scrolling haven’t been updated for the tablet, either. Still, the tweak in portrait mode makes opening folders a breeze, and I like the larger view that it offers. I usually put a lot of apps in a folder, so having a bigger view for “just a few icons” is not a problem to me.

FolderEnhancer for iPhone and iPad is available at $2.49 in the Cydia Store.

Meet Hikari, The iPad Controlled Robot [Video]

Some say the iPad is a device for content consumption, many iPad owners are firmly convinced it can be used for content creation, too. After watching the following video, you’ll be wondering if, actually, the tablet was meant for content disruption.

Without getting too technical, there’s a robot controlled from an iPad which uses an app (TouchOSC) to send commands to a PC. The robot is connected to the Windows machine and can be controlled through the Open Sound Control (OSC) supported by the aforementioned app. It’s quite complex, but it works. Hikari – the robot – can walk and stand up, move and even attack. On the author’s Youtube channel, there are other videos when Hikari even learns to dance.

Check out the video below. [via TUAW]

Does The iPad Make You Less Masculine?→

Does The iPad Make You Less Masculine?

From a piece on The New York Times:

Call it the male iPad dilemma: too large to slip into a pants pocket, too stiff to be curled up like a magazine and too precious to leave unprotected. With its rigid tablet shape, Apple’s iPad has raised an awkward consideration for many men: how to carry it in a manner that is practical and yet, well, masculine.

Perhaps it’s a cultural difference, but I didn’t have any problems carrying my iPad inside a Tom Bihn Ristretto here in Italy. It’s actually pretty cool.

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Classic Mac Icons Come To Life Again As Prints

Susan Kare is a well known designer who created many of the icons and interface elements for the original Apple Macintosh in the 80’s. After Apple, she worked at NeXT and Facebook. I guess there’s the chance you’ve seen one of her icons somewhere.

Now you can get the classic Mac icons in print edition. Available for purchase over at Kare Prints, you can choose from various sizes and have a personal inscription on larger prints.

Smiling Computer is a must-have. [via Gizmodo]

Rage HD Update: Game Center, Gyroscope, Play It On Your TV

Together with Epic’s Infinity Blade, John Carmack’s Rage HD is the app that really shows what gaming on iOS devices has become: an experience that, technically speaking, is at the same level of consoles such as the Wii or the PlayStation 2. Rage is impressive, and the latest update (1.11, approved last night) adds a lot of new features to make it even better.

First off, you can now play Rage on your TV (or an external monitor) using an iPhone or iPad as a controller. You can output the game at 480p with the official Apple Component cable (Amazon) or 720p with the official Apple VGA cable (Amazon). This is neat, and reminds me of The Incident, which added a similar TV out functionality in its last update. Rage HD on a TV must be fantastic.

The app now comes with Game Center integration, but there’s no online multiplayer option. Instead, the developers implemented leaderboards and achievements. If you feel like unlocking them all, you have 50 new achievements to add to your list.

Other features include gyroscope controls for iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4th gen, mirror mode and (finally) a Museum Mode to explore the levels without mutants.

Rage HD 1.11 is a great update. As the app description says, “the update you’ve been waiting for”. Go download it here.

First Unofficial WikiLeaks App

You can think Julian Assange should have been TIME’s person of the year or not – we’re not here to discuss Assange’s (and his team’s) actions. There’s an unofficial WikiLeaks iPhone and iPad app in the App Store, and it was released earlier today. It’s available now at $1.99.

The app sports a nice and clean interface design, and allows you to check on the latest WikiLeaks’ updates from Twitter or the organization’s website. Both the tweets and the website are formatted for the iPhone and iPad. WikiLeaks App can automatically forward to the latest mirror and access the CableGate page.

WikiLeaks App for iPhone and iPad is available here at $1.99.

iWork Out of Stock, iWork 11 Shows Up On Apple.com

Here’s an interesting tidbit from 9to5mac: according to an Apple Store employee “there is no iWork on the shelves, no iWork in Stock and none on the way”. iWork 09 seems to be out of stock at Apple retail stores and Amazon, although family packs are available on Amazon and Apple.com says the suite is available, but with a curious “New” label next to it.

According to previous rumors, the new version of iWork has been ready for some months and it’s simply awaiting a Mac App Store debut. The new Store will open on January 6th.

Now, is Apple going to make iWork 11 available in retail stores as well? If so, are we going to get the physical box before the Mac App Store downloads?

Also: is iWork.com ever going to get new features?

Backflip Games: 20 Million Monthly Active Users

Backflip Studios is a profitable game development team. In the past two years they pulled out hits like Paper Toss and NinJump, and they’re making half a million dollars per month through in-game advertising. That’s a remarkable result, especially considering that when the app’s free, most developers struggle to find a sustainable business model.

Clearly that’s not the case with Backflip which, according to a report from Mobile Ent, has now ninjumped to 20 million active users per month. Active users, not just people who open the App Store to download apps.

Mobile game developer Backflip Studios says it has now racked up more than 65 million downloads of its games across iOS and Android.

The company had more than 20 million monthly active users last month, and more than two million daily active users.

Backflip isn’t stopping anytime soon. The company has recently started porting its portfolio of iPhone games to Android devices, with NinJump already available in the Marketplace. Backflip released another game today, Backflip Slots, which is another take on the classic slot machine game with fancy graphics and the usual Backflip style.

Who’s going to buy Backflip Studios?