Archivi Blog
Paper: the iPad sketchbook app from the brains of Courier (video)
Go figure — Microsoft’s Courier project lives again… as an exclusive app on Apple’s iPad. FiftyThree, a company that features folks who previously worked on the aforesaid Courier initiative, has just put forth a monumental effort dubbed Paper. The app, which is available for free in the App Store, is a sophisticated sketchbook with a highly unique user interface that’s seemingly designed with the budding artist in mind. Put simply, the company feels that this app is “where ideas begin,” enabling users to capture mental light bulbs as sketches, diagrams, illustrations, notes or drawings before sharing them across the web.
Of course, “free” only gets you in the door; in-app purchases ($2 per brush, for example) keeps the creators in business, but it’s unclear at this point if a paid edition will be offered for those who aren’t much on cherry-picking what they do and don’t want to pony up for. Not surprisingly, the app ships with native support for the new iPad’s Retina display, and while fingers are welcome, a capacitive stylus is recommended. Eager to see more? Peek the video just after the break, and get your download on in the source link.
The iPad gets a Facebook app, finally
Kind of like eating a peanut butter sandwich with no jelly, the most obvious app missing from the iPad has been Facebook — until today. The New York Times reports that the site has finally confirmed the app’s availability just in time for eager social networkers to like, subscribe and stalk from their slates. According to software engineer Leon Dubinsky, the app will highlight the multitouch awesomeness of the iPad, something that’s unavailable from the website alone even from a touchscreen device. The folks at FB also added that some of the newly released features will be integrated into the iPhone app as well, making it a win / win for iOS fanatics. Consider it liked. Check out the brief PR after the break.
Rdio's iPad app gets approved by Apple, we go eyes-on
Were you excited to try Spotify, only to be dismayed by the lack of native iPad support? Enter Rdio’s latest update to its iOS app, now with gratuitous support for Cupertino’s sweetheart. Just like its iPhone and iPod touch forebearer, slate fans can now stream music, cache songs, futz with playlists, all while being “social” with friends on the service. Like the company’s other mobile apps (on iOS, Android or Blackberry) — and its cross-Atlantic Swedish rival — one has to spring for the pricier $9 monthly sub to unshackle from web-only streaming and enjoy portable bliss. In our quick run-through, we found the app to be slick and fast, and searching for obscure music was painless. With most of our friends strewn across other streaming platforms, the community features fell on deaf ears — so clearly your mileage will vary. Rdio’s offering a week-long trial gratis, so go-on and give it a whirl yourself.
Facebook just released a dedicated iPad app, except it didn't
Mark Zuckerberg ruffled some feathers when he said the iPad “isn’t mobile” enough to deserve a dedicated Facebook app. But now it’s U-turn time. TechCrunch just revealed that not only has Facebook created a fully-fledged iPad app, they’ve even released it — albeit in secret. The code lies buried in yesterday’s update to the iPhone app and it’s entirely executable on jailbroken tablets. What’s the software like? Well, TechCrunchreckons the left-sided navigation system and use of overlay menus is “great,” as is the ability to chat with buddies while simultaneously doing other Facebook tasks in landscape mode. There’s also a ton of screen grabs at the source link which tell much of the story. However, it surely won’t be long before we can make our own minds up.
HBO Go mobile app hands-on (video)
HBO Go has been live on the iTunes App Store and Android Market for just a few short hours, but we’ve already put it through the paces, poking and prodding on our iPad and iPhone, to see what all the hubbub’s about. We’re pleased with the hefty amount of video that HBO’s offering up here, and the interface is pretty intuitive as well. Still, browsing through the myriad content on the iPad’s larger screen is definitely a bit more leisurely than on the iPhone’s 3.5-inch counterpart. Both apps sport the same feature set, so searching for content, saving things to watch later, and blasting updates to Facebook and Twitter will work well on whichever device you choose. To make the deal even sweeter, it’s free for current subscribers, so there’s really no reason to not check it out for yourself — unless you don’t have HBO, in which case we have a video walkthrough embedded after the break.
NewSight Japan uses film, software to give the iPad a 3D display… sort of (video)
Given Apple’s track record of adopting newfangled technologies — you know, like SD slots — we’re going to go ahead and assume Steve Jobs & Co. aren’t planning on adding a 3D display to the iPad anytime soon. Now that you’ve swallowed that distasteful dose of reality, NewSight Japan is inviting you to mod it yourself in a way thankfully doesn’t involve performing open-heart surgery on your magical slate. The solution — whose name we can’t decipher on the company’s Japanese website — combines software with a film placed over the display (not to worry, this won’t impede mulltitouch gestures). Unfortunately, it doesn’t flip 2D images to 3D, so those operating sans a 3D-enabled camera or conversion software are apt to be sorely disappointed. That said, it’d fit right into a utopian universe where 3D movie downloads were the norm.
Time Warner Cable takes Viacom to court over its TWCable TV iPad app; Viacom responds
While there’s been a lot of talk about whether or not Time Warner has the right to include feeds of cable channels it carries in the new TWCable TV app, besides the company’s voluntary removal of several networks there’s been very little action until now. Time Warner Cable announced this afternoon it has filed a request in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for a declaratory judgement regarding Viacom’s cable networks. Time Warner continues to maintain its carriage agreements give it the right to allow subscribers access on any screen in their home, not just the TV and is apparently ready to prove that in court — or at least drive Viacom, Discovery, Fox and other complaining networks towards more favorable negotiations. The app added seven more channels earlier today, while we wait for Viacom’s side of the story you can check out the press release after the break or Time Warner’s official blog to understand its stance in full.
Time Warner removes channels from iPad app while Cablevision prepares one of its own
Time Warner Cable was the first party to blink in the battle with programmers over its new live TV streaming TWCable TV iPad app, removing channels from Viacom, Fox and Discovery. The company’s official statement indicates its merely choosing to focus on the “enlightened programmers” who support its cause and that it will provide replacement channels (maybe BBC America, since it’s in all the screenshots) ASAP, possibly as soon as tomorrow. Expect the legal fight to continue to heat up between Time Warner, which believes it has obtained all the rights necessary to provide these channels on any screen in a customer’s home, and the programmers, that think it hasn’t.
Leggi il resto di questa voce
Adobe demonstrates legitimate Photoshop capabilities on iPad, deems it but a concept (video)
So, here’s a thought. Why, if you were a dutiful Adobe employee, would you waste countless days and weeks creating what could very well be the next big iPad app, only to deem it a concept and never actually promise a real release? Exactly. During the 2011 edition of Photoshop World, a bigwig from the company took the stage in order to showcase what could soon be possible with Photoshop on-the-go, and if you’ve been wowed by the powers of Photoshop Express, you’ll be utterly floored by what Adobe has been able to do here. The wildest part, in our estimation, is the absence of stuttering when manipulating multiple images and applying filters, but then again, they may be working with a pixel-optimized set of shots (versus a full-size RAW, for example) in this particular demo. As we said, no one’s even confirming that this has any hope of breaching reality, but we’re going ahead and making the outlandish assumption that Adobe’s not just wasting our (and its own) time by showcasing this in public. Video’s below, bub.
iPad gets Flash yet again with iSwifter app, Android version coming soon (hands-on)
Ever since Skyfire brought Flash to the iPad with its server-side solution, we’ve had a feeling that others would try to emulate the experience and satisfy the general public’s desire for the venerable format on Apple’s tablet. iSwifter is another entrant to the space, and its app claims to allow access to any Flash content on the web — a lofty claim indeed. Oh, and did we mention it’s coming to Android versions above 2.2 as well? We’ve given the iPad app a brief rundown, so head past the break for a breakdown of the positives and negatives.
