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Look who's talking: The birth of the video phone
The videophone was always the obvious next step in the evolution of the telephone. It's a concept that has spent decades in development. And when it finally arrived, it looked a bit different than had always been imagined. Follow along, as we explore the bumpy road that led to those FaceTime and Google Hangout sessions you enjoy on your device of choice today.
Misbehaving iMessage and a potential fix
If you repeatedly have a problem receiving iMessages on your iPhone, then you should try this fix from Brian X. Chen of the New York Times. In a recent Gadgetwise column, Chen explains how he missed appointments because his iMessages were often delayed. He complained on Twitter and was counseled to uninstall Messages Beta for the Mac. Apple hasn't said anything about a potential problem with iMessages for iOS and Messages beta for the Mac, but it's an easy thing to try if you're having trouble with iOS Messaging service.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Can I turn off Messages logging?
Dear Aunt TUAW, Ever since I started using Messages, it appears to be logging everything it does. Can this be disabled, or can the log file be moved to somewhere out of the ~/Documents folder? Your darling nephew Tommy Dear Tommy, Auntie's tending to the spring turnover of the vegetable garden, so she asked Uncle Mike to chime in on this question. The beta of Messages, like its predecessor iChat, has a feature that automatically saves chat transcripts (including transferred files or images, which can get out of control pretty quickly if you're not minding it). Unlike iChat's setting, however, in Messages there's no way to turn the logging off. Be sure to let Apple know that you'd like to see this changed before Mountain Lion ships! With regard to the second half of your question, the answer is absolutely yes; you can go into Messages' preferences, click the Messages icon in the top bar, and then adjust the "Save chat transcripts to:" folder however you like. Since you can't disable the logs, the next best thing would be a way to clear them out periodically -- once an hour, once a day, once a week, whatever. There are scores of approaches to scheduling repeating tasks on your Mac, ranging from the UNIX-savvy one-liners (cron, launchd etc.) to capable and flexible commercial applications (Auntie's terribly fond of Noodlesoft's Hazel). For something like this, though, if you want to clear out the logs once a week, you might give OS X's built-in Automator utility a try. Automator lets you set up a workflow to run when triggered by an iCal event, so it's straightforward to set up a repeating "silent reminder" that simply goes into the logs folder, grabs what's there and tosses it into the Trash. Here's what the workflow would look like: Each step in the workflow passes its results along to the next step, letting us zero in on what we actually want to throw out. This workflow starts by identifying a specific folder (in this case, the iChats log folder), then getting the contents of that folder, and finally moving those items to the Trash. When you save an iCal alarm workflow, it gets dropped right into your calendar. You can then adjust the repeating schedule to make it run at whatever frequency you like. The log files will end up neatly in the Trash; no muss, no fuss... which is more than Uncle Mike can say for Auntie's rows of sugar snap peas. This same technique can be used for any folder that tends to accumulate things you don't actually need to keep. Toodles, UM
Messages to replace iChat in OS X Mountain Lion, public beta available today (Updated)
Apple on Thursday released a public beta of Messages, its next-generation messaging app for the Mac that will be a part of Mac OS X Mountain Lion. It lets you send and receive iMessages, just like iOS devices running iOS 5. Now you can "text" chat via iMessage with the iPhones, iPads and iPod touches in your life. Note that when installed, Messages replaces iChat, but not its functionality. You'll still have chat support for your AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, and Jabber accounts. As with iOS, Messages lets you see when your partner is typing via an ellipsis animation. Messages also supports drag-and-drop support for sharing photos and videos. This is a beta build, so expect changes before the final version is released. Lion users can try it out. Note that it requires Mac OS 10.7.3. Have fun! Update: The beta release seems to be temporarily unavailable. Apple notes: "Our apologies but there was an unexpected error with the application. This problem has been noted, and an email has been sent to the administrators. Please check back in a few hours to try the download again." Update 2: It's back. You will have to reboot after installing.
Daily Update for November 17, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
iOS code hints iChat functionality coming to mobile
Developer John Heaton found some code in the latest version of iOS that hints iChat functionality could finally be coming to the mobile operating system. The code mentions various chat services like Jabber and AIM, and while it doesn't specifically mention iChat, there's certainly some strings in there that aren't yet included in any of Apple's standard apps. We've heard rumors of something like this before -- the revamped iMessage in iOS 5 is essentially iChat for iOS, though it still doesn't directly connect to the IM services mentioned in this code. Apple may not bother calling it iChat, but it's clear that at some point, the company was at least testing more functionality on mobile. We'll have to see -- it would be nice to have the messaging app on the iPhone send messages out to a number of different services, but obviously Apple hasn't announced any of this just yet.
Latest Lion build features iCal, iChat redesign
The latest Lion Developer Preview (released yesterday) features some cool new redesigns of a few of Mac OS X's built-in apps. First up is a completely redesigned iCal. The new iCal now closely resembles the Calendar app that you find on the iPad. It sports a leather header, complete with strips of torn away calendars. The overall look and feel of the new iCal, like its iPad counterpart, now closely resembles a physical desktop calender. Another redesign, though less noticeable than the new iCal UI, is an updated iChat UI that combines AIM, Jabber and Bonjour contacts together in one window. This is a welcome tweak, as iChat previously separated all your different contacts into separate windows. With the above changes, and the fact that Address Book in OS X Lion already got a similar overhaul so that it closely matches the Address Book app on the iPad, I wouldn't think it's too much to hope that Game Center for the Mac App Store and iBooks for OS X is too far off. [via 9to5Mac]
Apple patent frenzy: TV set-top box, Cinema Display, iChat, liquid metal
According to Patently Apple, this week Apple's been granted a storm of patents. The patents include: 1. An advanced set-top box that sounds like the superhero offspring of the current Apple TV and a TiVo set. What's new and exciting in this patent is a multiple search engine implementation that would allow programming data to come from multiple providers. The patent also describes a system of searching for "advanced metadata" for shows, which, if found, could include the types of special features that DVD aficionados have grown used to over the past decade. Being able to download, for instance, a director's commentary track for the movie you're watching on HBO would be pretty sweet. 2. A design patent for the Cinema Display. Other than the overall design of the display, there doesn't appear to be much else to this patent; this seems mostly aimed at ensuring that other companies don't copy Apple's design shamelessly. 3. An iChat patent related to audio processing in multi-participant video conferences. This covers the stereo effects seen in multi-participant video chat sessions, ensuring that audio signals are mixed according to the position of the participant's onscreen image. 4. Another iChat patent, this time covering the multi-participant video chat user interface itself. This patent appears to be very specific to iChat's UI rather than a generalized patent, so Skype likely has little to fear from this patent. 5. The final patent is the one I find most interesting, and the one which could have the most far-reaching implications. Apple and Liquidmetal Technologies entered into a Master Transaction Agreement in August of last year, and this patent relates to building a collector plate from a "solidifying amorphous alloy" -- i.e., liquid metal. Patently Apple notes this invention is related to fuel cells, which could mean Apple is looking at developing its own in-house method of deploying next-gen, miniaturized fuel cell technology in its portable products. Even if Apple is developing this technology, it'll likely be years before it deploys in shipping products... but once it does, MacBooks, iPhones, iPods and iPads will run for pretty much forever compared to the running time they get on current lithium ion batteries. The usual caveats apply: any patents granted for products Apple hasn't shipped yet may never actually find their way to the market (or your living room). In this case, though, let's all hope they do.
Logitech's HD Pro Webcam C910 now ready for Photo Booth, iChat and FaceTime
Although Apple includes an iSight or FaceTime webcam in almost every Mac, the low resolution (640 x 480 pixels for most machines, 1280 x 960 resampled to 640 x 480 for new MacBook Pros) of the cameras has lagged behind the webcams available from other computer manufacturers. Logitech markets a large number of HD webcams, but few of them have been compatible with Mac OS X. Until now, that is. Logitech has announced a software update for the HD Pro Webcam C910, which is a 1080p-capable HD camera. Although the APIs used for Mac apps such as Photo Booth, iChat and FaceTime currently support only 640 x 480 streaming regardless of the camera used, the new Logitech software provides video capture in both 720p and 1080p. The software is also capable of capturing still photos at 10-megapixel resolution, and includes Logitech's proprietary Vid HD video calling capability. The software allows integration with iPhoto and iMovie, and enables the C910 webcam to be used with Skype, Yahoo! Messenger and Gmail Voice and Video Chat. The HD Pro Webcam C910 has a suggested retail price of US$100 and is available at online retailers for around $20 less. If you already own one of these webcams and just need the software, it's available for download from Logitech. The release notes for the Mac software say that it will be updated to support other Logitech webcams in the near future.
Apple wins patents to MacBook Air, iChat, iPhone compass icon, more
Macsimum news reports that Apple has received a number of patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. These patents include: iChat, involving its video conferencing A stereo-windowing system with translucent window support involving Quartz Extreme A news-feed viewer A portable power source Two MacBook Air-related patents A patent design for the iPhone compass icon As with all patents, these designs might never appear in actual shipping products (except the iPhone's compass icon, of course). Then again, we may see evidence of some of them in today's "Back to the Mac" announcements, especially if the MacBook Air does get updated.
Rumor: FaceTime on the way for iChat and Windows
Ever since the FaceTime announcement as an 'open platform,' the question's been hanging over us: when do we expect desktop support for the new videoconferencing approach? "Soon," is what French website Mac4ever is reporting today. They have a pretty good track record, so the prediction is worth noting. The article says Apple will soon release a version of iChat that will allow Apple desktop and laptop owners to video chat to iOS devices with FaceTime. Further, the speculation is that Apple will do the same thing for Windows users wanting to talk to FaceTime users either on Macs or iPhones. Apple has stated that it expects to see FaceTime protocols widely used. If the rumor is correct, that goal should be well on the way to being fulfilled. I can't wait. [via 9to5Mac]
FaceTime video conferencing coming to the iPhone
At today's WWDC keynote, a new feature of the iOS 4 operating system called FaceTime was announced and demonstrated, bringing iChat like video conferencing to the iPhone. FaceTime requires no set up or configuration and will work with either the front or back facing camera on the iPhone 4, but the front facing camera has been "tuned" for FaceTime allowing you to hold the camera at arm's length to get a perfect picture. It works in both landscape and portrait orientation, and allows anyone running iOS 4, if the hardware supports it, to seamlessly video chat with anyone also running iOS 4 on another iPhone. There will be a FaceTime button in the Contacts app and on on the Phone screen. Tapping it is all you need to do to initiate a video chat, even if you're already on a voice call. The recipient will get a message saying that a FaceTime session has been requested which can be accepted or rejected. Accept it, and you are video chatting.
FaceTime video calling added to iPhone 4... and it's WiFi-only
That front-facing camera on the new iPhone 4 and a flood of leaks were a dead giveaway -- the new FaceTime app brings video calling to the iPhone. Unfortunately, it's WiFi-only at the moment, as Steve says Apple needs to work with carriers to support it on 3G. The FaceTime app is pretty cool -- you can flip the image between the front and rear cameras and between portrait and landscape orientation, and the video call system is built on open standards like SIP, H.264, and AAC so it'll work with other video calling apps as well.%Gallery-94599% Check out more from WWDC 2010 in our liveblog!
iPhone image metadata hints at more cameras on the next iPhone
Well, this is interesting. Our twitter follower @chenks points out that, hidden in the metadata of a picture taken with his OS 4.0-enabled iPhone, there is a title stating that the picture came from the phone's "Back Camera." Of course, if the phone currently has a back camera, there's a possibility that it could, in the future, have a "Side Camera," or more appropriately, a "Front Camera." We're being facetious, of course. This certainly seems like yet another hint that the next version of the iPhone (expected sometime next month) will have a front facing camera; that's not only a long-awaited feature for the iPhone faithful, but it was also seen on that lost iPhone prototype not long ago. So, at this point, it's more or less a terribly-kept secret that the next iPhone will finally have a front facing camera. The question is: will you use it? I'd rather not have my ugly mug going out across the wires every time someone calls me, but I suppose there are a few applications (possibly including an official iChat Mobile application) where it might come in handy.
Apple previews icon of iPhone video chat app? Probably not.
On their Worldwide Developers Conference 2010 page, Apple has posted a series of icons, one of which looks like it could be the new icon for the rumored iChat video conferencing app that will be used to take advantage of the 4G iPhone's front facing camera. As you can see from the series of twelve icons above, only four of them are definitively app icons (Maps, Calendar, Photos, and Messages), four are icons for new iPhone OS 4.0 services or features (multitasking, iAd, Game Center, and Enterprise), while the last known three are standerd developer icons (the lock, the x-ray applications icon, and the iPhone pref file). Of course, it's likely that the remaining camera icon is just referencing the access developers have to the iPhone's video recording software and hardware. We've gotten quite a few emails about this, though, so we are posting this in the interest of pure speculation only.
iPhone OS 4 to integrate with Facebook
Developers have done a little more poking around with iPhone OS 4.0, and it looks like Apple is set to get much more social with the next version of the iPhone. Not only will the new OS include the new gaming network Game Center, but apparently the OS will also integrate Facebook contacts directly into apps on the phone. An options file in the system details Apple trying to include Facebook as one of the choices in the "Add Account" window (where you'd currently hook up your Gmail or Yahoo! account), and apparently Facebook contacts would then be connected into the Contacts list, with things like Events or Photos automatically synced to their own locations on the iPhone. And lest you worry (like I would) that your Contacts would suddenly be inundated with friends-of-friends or random acquaintances, it looks like Apple is ahead of you -- one of the options hints that Facebook contacts would be marked as a separate "type" of contact on the phone -- "Friends," or something like that, as opposed to business or family contacts. AppleInsider also has news of a unified contact view as well, so presumably even if the same person is listed in two different types of contacts, you could connect them up. And AI also reiterates what we've heard about iChat being on the phone, so it's possible that you could even Facebook chat from directly within a forthcoming mobile iChat app. Looks like Apple is realizing more and more the power of social connections. [via Engadget]
Numerous new iChat clues found iPhone OS 4
We don't really know why Apple wouldn't have mentioned iChat at its "tentpole"-filled keynote if it was all ready to go on it, but the eternal optimists within us would like to believe that the merest glimpse of the app would instantly reveal a front facing camera on whatever new iPhone hardware is in the works, therefore relegating the app to secrecy. Still, the evidence does indeed seem to be mounting for the software's inclusion in the OS. Outside of the iChatAgent process that was spotted last week, 9 to 5 Mac has pulled the covers off references within the SDK to moderators, chat rooms, encrypted video conferences, and more. They even uncovered the same notification noises that the desktop iChat application uses. Sure, this could all be one big misunderstanding, but hopefully these breadcrumbs actually do point to a long-overdue, well-integrated IM experience on the device, video or no. [Thanks, Maj0]
iChat video with front facing camera evidence mounts in iPhone OS 4
Of the 1,500 or so new developer APIs and over 100 new user features mentioned by Steve and Co. yesterday, only a handful were covered in any detail. As usual, Apple was careful not to reveal anything about the next generation iPhone hardware expected to launch this summer. Fortunately we can spelunk the iPhone OS 4 SDK developer preview for hints of what's to come. TUAW found a new "iChatAgent" process running on OS 4 devices -- purpose, unknown -- but surely an indicator that Apple's finally set to launch a mobile iChat app. The fact that Apple hasn't already is one of those great iPhone / iPad / iPod touch mysteries. We've also peeled back the SDK to find evidence supporting those rumors of a front-facing camera (AVCaptureDevicePositionFront), flash (AVCaptureFlashModeOn/Off/auto), and torch/flashlight (AVCaptureTorchModeOn/Off/Auto) all declared in the AVCaptureDevice.h. Who cares, right? Front-facing video cameras have been implemented on a variety of mobile devices for years. Trouble is, how many people actually use them to video conference? And if Apple's late contribution to copy and paste can be used as a guide for setting expectations (and it can), then we expect Apple's iChat implementation to be done with the same grace and ease of use -- something that should have its carrier partners a bit worried if it's allowed to function over 3G data. [Thanks, Anonymous]
iChatAgent process shows up in iPhone OS 4.0 -- video conferencing coming?
As expected, Apple didn't introduce any new iPhone hardware today; knowing Steve Jobs & co., they still want to save some surprises when they unveil the 4G iPhone later this summer. Could one of those surprises be a front-facing camera with iChat support? Close TUAW reader AW sent us this screen shot that shows an iChatAgent process showing up in iStat ($0.99 in the App Store) on an iPhone running the new iPhone OS 4.0 SDK. The process is new to iPhone OS 4.0 and it suggests that Apple plans to implement iChat on the phone in some form. It seems unlikely that Apple would merely introduce an instant messaging app without support for video conferencing. Although a front-facing camera on the iPhone has been rumored from time to time and it's one of the most requested hardware features for the iPhone, battery drain during video conferencing is always a concern on a mobile device. If Apple has found a way to support multitasking without significant battery drain, it's possible that mobile video conferencing battery drain has been overcome as well. UPDATE: another screen shot from within Activity Monitor (sent to us by reader Mr. X) after the break.
Sixteen new Apple patents, from CoverFlow to iDVD
The USPTO published a whole slew of new patent applications from Apple today, covering everything from iChat to some CoverFlow animation. Patently Apple has the whole writeup as usual. Probably the most interesting thing among them is a "virtual keyboard for media players" that uses a modified QWERTY keyboard, with more than one letter on each key. That doesn't seem like an idea that Apple will ever use, but maybe that was one of the prototypes that was originally being worked on for the iPhone. There are also some more technical patents for iChat video encoding and error adjustments on touchscreens, as well as overall patents for the MacBook Air SuperDrive and iDVD. It seems like the USPTO is just cleaning out Apple's old patents -- most of these were filed back in 2007. Now, maybe they can set the legal patent team up on newer accomplishments.
