Dan Miller at Macworld has some great tips for using the keyboard on the iPad. I knew a fair number of these already, like tapping and holding most keys for extra stuff (which also works on the iPhone). I did not know that you could simply swipe up on a key to expose those extras ever faster. That's something I'd like on the iPhone, frankly.
Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac is on a roll today with iOS 6 related news, as he noted that Apple (briefly) had a beta site for iCloud up that showed the Notes and Reminders icons. He also updated with a reader tip that the beta is likely tied to iOS 6, and that there are references to an iCloud developer site.
It’s plain to see that iCloud is one of the biggest things going on at Apple right now. I’d even venture to say that it is and will continue to be bigger than OS X and iOS. And that’s why we’re going to see leaps and bounds of improvements to it, especially if Apple launches a developer program for iCloud.
I suppose it is close enough to WWDC for the rumor mill to start swirling with iOS 6 leaks and rumors. Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac reports that Apple will be dropping Google Maps as their backend for the Maps app in iOS 6, in favor of an in-house backend.
This doesn’t surprise me, and I pointed out a couple months ago that it makes sense for Apple to sever ties with Google regarding the iOS Maps app.
Adobe has released Lightroom 4 on the Mac App Store. Not only is this Adobe's first foray into releasing a truly professional app on the Mac App Store, but it is also their first foray into a non-archaic installation process.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t follow-up with some caveats to buying Lightroom 4 on the Mac App Store. Head over to The Loop, where Jim Dalrymple lays them out.
Speaking of Louie Mantia, I’m reminded of his fantastic S.H.I.E.L.D. wallpaper. If you’ve been to The Avengers, you owe it to yourself to make your device a little more awesome.
Louie Mantia, on PC manufacturer’s futile attempts to make compelling computers:
You can call it a notebook, a netbook, an ultrabook or a sleekbook… but it’s never ever going to be the MacBook that people want.
— Louie Mantia (@mantia) May 10, 2012
Wolfenstein 3D Classic is free for a limited time for iOS, in honor of the game’s 20th anniversary. It has 60-levels, and fits in 19 MB. 19 MB was about half of the hard drive on the Mac Classic my parents owned in 1992.
Get it on the App Store.
Apple released OS X 10.7.4 and Safari 5.1.7 today. The OS X update fixes some under the hood stuff and a big password security hole in the original FileVault system, which only affects FileVault users that upgraded to Lion from Snow Leopard. Lion’s FileVault 2 system didn’t have this security problem.
The Safari update will disable Adobe Flash Player if the currently installed version is outdated. It then will prompt you to download the latest version of Flash straight from Adobe.
So, go hit up Software Update from the Apple menu.
I’ve written in the past about Verifone’s malevolent tendencies toward my favorite payment processor, Square. Now, Verifone has come out with their own card reader that works with iOS and Android devices via the headphone jack, and they call it Sail.
This thing looks like they took Square’s handsome reader and added a giant dingus on the back. I carry my Square reader in the little coin pocket of my jeans. I have no idea where I would carry this turd from Verifone. Also, their screenshots of their digital receipts look almost identical to Square’s.
It looks like the percentage per transaction is the same as Square’s, but Verifone also offers a lower 1.95% if you pay $10/month. Maybe that will be attractive to some folks. I wonder if Verifone still requires a merchant account? Square never has.
All in all, this move tells me that Square has been eating a significant portion of Verifone’s lunch, and Verifone is scared that it will go a little hungry.
An update to iOS is now available via iTunes or, more preferably, the Software Update feature on your device, found within the Settings app.
Here’s the changelog:
This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:
- Improves reliability of using HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut
- Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks
- Fixes bugs that affected AirPlay video playback in some circumstances
- Improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List
- Fixes an issue where ‘Unable to purchase’ alert could be displayed after successful purchase
For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:
I know I experienced the camera locking up with HDR on when using the lock screen shortcut, and I’ve had run-ins with AirPlay video and the ‘Unable to Purchase’ dialog. So I am pretty pleased with this update. It weighs in around 43-55 MB, depending on your device.
