iPhone Maps Icon: Close to Apple’s Heart

post from TheAppleBlog on 24 September 2009 11:00:00 AM. © TheAppleBlog

iphone-maps

Apparently, as far as the folks at Apple are concerned, all roads lead to Cupertino.

Toying with your latest Apple purchase, it’s not unusual to marvel at the visual joys of the Cupertino company’s product design — gorgeous electronic objects one and all, whether it be the pristine sheen of a brand new Unibody Mac Book Pro or the iconic form factor of an iPod classic.

Dazzled by these aesthetically excellent devices, it’s sometimes easy to forget the software. You might still get that warm glow as you swipe your finger across your brand new iPhone’s oleophobic screen, but did you ever stop to consider any of those lovely looking icons speeding past your extended index digit?

An icon that’s certainly worth a moment of your time is the one that Apple created for Maps. Grab your iPhone now and took a good look at it — notice anything familiar? Try looking a little closer.

maps_location

Just in case you’re not familiar with that address – 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA — it’s precisely where the magic happens, the place where dreams are made: the location of Apple’s headquarters in California.

It’s not coincidental that the iPhone Maps icons references Apple’s headquarters. The Address Book application for OS X features the very same address for Apple’s HQ, and the Cupertino folks certainly aren’t strangers to incorporating curious details and other such Easter Eggs in their product designs.

If you’ve discovered any other interesting Apple Easter Eggs, let us know!

Read The Full Article:
http://theappleblog.com/2009/09/24/iphone-maps-icon-close-to-apples-heart/

Digg this

Only minority of iPhone, iPod owners using 3.1
firmware

post from Macnn | The Macintosh News Network on 24 September 2009 10:55:00 AM. © Macnn | The Macintosh News Network

A relatively small number of iPhone and iPod touch owners are actually using the latest firmware, sa...

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=16c35ab360c1ee8604cefb1c1b27e09e

Digg this

Intel set-top chip decodes dual 1080p, handles 3D

post from Macnn | The Macintosh News Network on 24 September 2009 10:25:00 AM. © Macnn | The Macintosh News Network

Intel at its third-day IDF keynote unveiled a new media system-on-a-chip (SoC) that should bring adv...

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=6fdc1d746cc737376bcb35c2c605dc99

Digg this

NetNewsWire for OS X and iPhone Officially
Released

post from TheAppleBlog on 24 September 2009 10:11:00 AM. © TheAppleBlog

NewsGator released todayNetNewsWire 3.2 for OS X. At the end of July, NewsGator announced the ending of its news feed subscription service and released a beta version of NetNewsWire 3.2 with Google Reader synchronization.

The way NewsGator handled the ending of its service and migration to Google Reader left a lot to be desired. After sending out an email advising people to immediately switch to the beta, it received many complaints due to the numerous bugs and the large embedded ad in the bottom left of the window.

The ad was removed for remaining betas — until today, when it was brought back at half the previous size. To remove the ad you must purchase a license for $10. I’m not sure if this is a special introductory price or not, but for me $10 is a great deal and buying a license was a no-brainer.

As well as many bug fixes and speed optimizations, the official release restores the much-loved Clippings functionality that was missing from the initial beta. On the OS X platform there are now a few options brewing for native Google Reader support, providing healthy competition in this area, from which we all benefit.

NetNewsWire-2-iPhone Also released today was the long-awaited NetNewsWire 2.0 for iPhoneOS. In a similar manner to its desktop brother, there are now two versions of NetNewsWire for the handheld devices. The free version (iTunes link) remains available with full functionality but now contains ads. To remove the ads, NetNewsWire Premium (iTunes link) can be purchased. This premium version is available for an introductory price of $1.99 until October, at which point it will go up to $4.99.

As well as the obvious synchronization with Google Reader, version 2 contains Twitter and Instapaper integration. This is a complete rewrite of the application; it contains a new UI and is much faster than version 1.0. It does require iPhone OS 3.0, but I wonder who’s still on 2.2 these days? The ability to forward an article by email without leaving the app is great and I wish all apps would be updated to do that (I’m looking at you, Byline).

The biggest missing feature, which is a deal-breaker for me, is being able to set an article’s status as unread. In the FAQ, they recommend using the ’star’ function to flag the article instead of a ‘mark as unread’ function, but that doesn’t suit my workflow. While I’m impressed with the improvements, until I can set articles back to unread I need to stick with Byline for my Google Reader syncing. I think Byline is still faster, too. But as I said before, competition is a good thing.

Read The Full Article:
http://theappleblog.com/2009/09/24/netnewswire-for-os-x-and-iphone-officially-rel
eased/

Digg this

Redesigned iMacs due as soon as next week

post from Macnn | The Macintosh News Network on 24 September 2009 09:50:00 AM. © Macnn | The Macintosh News Network

Apple could be on the verge of launching its increasingly rumored redesigned iMacs as early as n...

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=6915afb3dd190311aa15e9e98acfe80f

Digg this

The Dream Apps releases Involer 1.4 for Mac OS X

post from prMac on 24 September 2009 09:30:00 AM. © prMac

The Dream Apps today released Involer 1.4, an update to its flagship financial application for Mac OS X. Involer allows users to create, print, export and track the status of their invoices within a single, easy to use interface. Version 1.4 includes compatibility with Snow Leopard, among a new interface, better invoice creation, bug fixes and new features. This release also starts us rolling on invoice themes and templates, which will be introduced in the next version of Involer.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-7672.htm

Digg this

Layers 1.3 Brings Multiple Canvas Sizes,
Performance Improvements

post from prMac on 24 September 2009 09:30:00 AM. © prMac

Gotow.net today is pleased to announce Layers 1.3 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Layers takes natural media painting to the next level. Add up to five layers to your drawings and create a masterpiece with ten high-quality brushes. Version 1.3 allows you to select between multiple canvas sizes and includes several bug fixes and performance improvements. Layers is the only painting app to export in the PSD file format, allowing you to move your drawings to the desktop with layers intact.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-7675.htm

Digg this

muulu Launches with 95% Off All Electronics - 1
in 5 People Win Products

muulu is a new online bidding website that allows it's members to bid on products for very low cost. muulu has just launched and has added a wide range of Apple iPods, and desktops to the mix for extremely low costs to celebrate. Every day muulu sells brand new, top-name products at incredibly low prices in auctions due to it being pay per bid. Some users are winning items at 95% off, and winning around 3-5 items per day.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-7677.htm

Digg this

Shutterfly 2.0 expands sharing, account options

Shutterfly has released v2.0 of its self-titled iPhone application. The software is tied to the com...

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=5e5793ffbb9cd644c306a61828d0462e

Digg this

VolnaTech releases NimbleKit SDK - Software
Development for iPhone

VolnaTech has just released NimbleKit SDK, an update to their software development kit for the iPhone platform. NimbleKit allows to develop iPhone applications much quicker using just HTML and Javascript. You have good ideas for iPhone software but you don't know Objective-C? No need to spend time learning how to use complicated tools, just start development from a template. NimbleKit is well documented and sample code is available.

Read The Full Article:
http://prmac.com/release-id-7688.htm

Digg this