David Winograd
Articles by David Winograd
Peekaboo! Guess Who? an inviting game for the smallest of iPad users
Peekaboo! Guess Who? (US$1.99) from Bacciz Apps is a lovely little educational iPad game for toddlers and young children. It teaches kids to identify the sounds animals make. Gameplay is simple and features both a "Kids Mode" for very young players and a "2+ Mode." First, kids choose a setting -- Farm, Ocean, Jungle or Circus -- and are guided to the appropriate screen. Players next hear a sound made by a hidden animal (in 2+ Mode, the animal is briefly displayed at the start of the turn). Next, three animals appear in circles and the player taps their choice of who made the sound. If correct, the circle changes to a smiley face and the child is rewarded with a big "Yay!" or "Yippee!" The animal's name is displayed as it emerges from behind a curtain, barn door pile of leaves or forest of seaweed, depending on the level being played. If the wrong animal is chosen, the face frowns and another choice can be made. The game also fosters independent play. For example, kids are prompted through gameplay by a dopey, Wallace Shawn-sounding voice. Also, if a player hesitates for a certain amount of time, a hand appears and points out the hidden animal's location. Finally, you can switch between Kid Mode and 2+ Mode at anytime with a tap. %Gallery-124643%
iPad 2 production may not be affected by explosion at Foxconn plant
Asian tech industry blog Digitimes has reported on two seemingly contradictory stories regarding how Friday's tragic explosion at the Foxconn plant in Chengdu China will affect iPad 2 production. In one post, Digitimes states that production has been suspended at the Chengdu plant. Although the Chengdu plant produces less than 30 percent of iPad 2s, the production suspension report has caused concerns over availability constraints in the near future. The majority of the devices are manufactured at a plant in Shenzhen. However, Digitimes has also posted that, according to Commercial Times (a Chinese-language financial newspaper), the disaster will not affect iPad 2 assembly lines since the explosion and subsequent fire occurred at a location used to store chemicals and coatings, leaving the assembly lines unscathed. Foxconn has stated that iPad 2 production will continue as previously planned. This may be Foxconn PR spin to try to put the brakes on the 5 percent drop in its stock last night during Asian trading. It may also be due to Foxconn's intention to ramp up assembly at its Shenzhen facility, which is expected to increase production from 2 million units per month to 4-5 million units per month in the second quarter. The manufacturer hopes to raise output to 9-10 million units per month in the second half of the year. It's too early to tell how this will play out, but our collective hearts and prayers go out to the victims of this horrible tragedy. [via 9to5 Mac]
RiffSync for Mac perfects RiffTrax from the MST3K gang
RiffSync (US$9.99) in the Mac App Store has found very clever way to perfect RiffTrax, ... but before I get to the Riffsync app, you might need a little background about RiffTrax. If the names Gypsy, Tom Servo, Cambot and Crow T. Robot sound familiar, you know about Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). The premise was that Joel Robinson was trapped in space on the Satellite of Love by Dr. Clayton Forester and was forced to watch horribly bad movies, mostly science fiction stinkers. With the assistance of four robot pals, Joel (later replaced by the show's head writer, Michael J. Nelson) and the robots provided running commentary as the movie played. A large cult grew around the show. After the show was canceled, some of the MST3K gang created RiffTrax. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett and a host of guest riffers sell audio tracks (usually about $3.99 each) to be synced with movies, bringing the MST3K experience to a huge catalog of current films. By running the film in the DVD Player application, VLC, iTunes or a physical DVD player, and simultaneously playing the MP3 RiffTrax in iTunes or QuickTime Player (if iTunes is playing the film), the guys recreated the art of skewering movies for the current generation of bad movie enthusiasts. Though the results are hilarious, syncing the RiffTrax to the movie is a challenge. RiffTrax tries its best to help by giving you a chapter listing of how the RiffTrax relates to the film. They even give you a DisembAudio robot narrator that repeats a line in the film every so often to help sync. This can be tricky when you're trying to figure out whether the movie or the RiffTrax is slower. If you want to pause the movie, you have to pause the film and the RiffTrax audio separately. RiffSync solves this audio-sync problem and gives a few additional options to improve the movie experience. Read on for a full review of RiffSync.
Scott's Submarine adds some new twists to interactive children's books
The field of interactive children's books for iOS has become pretty staid as publishers have gotten used to using engines created for their first book and just plugging in new content. But Scott's Submarine (US$2.99), the first entry from Square Igloo, adds some great interactive touches that I haven't seen, and it adds new levels of interactivity to the genre. The story is a simple one. Scott and his friend Aiko explore the ocean in a small submarine and discover the wonders of undersea life. But the story isn't what makes this book special; it's the host of options and new features that make this universal app really stand out. Among the many options are the ability to turn the voice and word display on or off, adjusting the ambient sound volume, and language choices (English, Spanish, French or Japanese) that appear textually on all screens and can be heard as narration. You can also set the story's complexity level, ranging from a simple abbreviated narrative to a more complex story that offers much more color and detail. %Gallery-123672%
CrowdOptic could raise the bar for augmented reality apps
Augmented reality may be taking the next giant step forward with CrowdOptic, an app that will provide a graphic data overlay for live events. If you are at a concert (with the system in place), point the app at the stage and you'll get details like those in the picture above. Point it at a player in a sporting event, and real-time statistics about the player and the play will be displayed. In fact, point it at anything at a live event and take a picture; the details and context will be saved and can be shared through social networking sites. Once the CrowdOptic system is installed at a concert or sports venue, the magic happens through triangulation. At least two people need to be pointing their iPhones at the same thing, at the same time, and the GPS location, compass direction and time of day will be used to figure out the most likely image being viewed and display information on exactly that. The accuracy is dependent upon how many people are looking at the same thing. CrowdOptic has raised US$1 million to build the business and negotiate deals with professional sports and premier event concerns. Apps similar to this that work by focusing on static objects are in development, but according to CEO Jon Fisher, as reported to vatornews, "No technology can affect the pictures of these moving objects until now." As noted by Fast Company, CrowdOptic is aiming at concert, sporting and other live event promoters and advertisers who will pay dearly to display real-time information. CrowdOptic has already made a deal with a major (but undisclosed) sports management agency to use its services. Another deal was struck with Moon Express, a privately funded lunar transportation company which used it to track and tag altitude information for the April 9th launch of the Eureka Airship, proving that any moving object can be tracked. CrowdOptic intends to beta test the app at the Women's Tennis Association Tournament this summer. The service is being targeted as providing profitable analytics to promoters and marketers. CrowdOptic boasts that through tagging and photo-sharing pictures with hidden metadata embedded in each shot, campaigns originating with fans can provide a "social graph" of live events and how they went viral. Venues can display ticket discounts, along with merchandise and concession promotions. Sponsors can also display offers, such as free trials and test drives. This seems like a win-win for everyone involved. It's reasonable to assume the CrowdOptic app will be free to users, with the venues or organizers footing the bill. This looks like it will offer a valuable service for the user while harvesting useful and profitable data to the paying concerns. Keep your eye on this one. [via IBM A Smarter Planet]
Another smash and grab at the Crocker Park Apple Store in Westlake, OH
On Friday morning, a smash-and-grab robbery of yet another Apple Store took place at the Crocker Park Apple Store in Westlake, Ohio, an upscale suburb of Cleveland. Around 4:30 AM, three burglars smashed in the front window activating the burglar alarm as well as the store's security cameras, which caught it all on tape. The well-organized thieves were in and out in thirty seconds after stealing twenty-four notebooks and one iPod touch. The culprits, wearing all black, left no apparent trail, and so far, the Westlake police have no disclosed leads. This comes quickly on the heels of other such incidents. Just last month, the San Diego, CA store was hit resulting in one burglar being shot and killed by a security guard. Also in April, a thief was shot during a heist at the Chula Vista, Calif. store along with the Chestnut Street San Francisco store being hit without fatalities. Earlier, it was the Pittsburgh, Pa. store, which had been broken into twice. This follows a rash of break-ins at other Apple Stores and resellers throughout 2009-2010. In all, over twelve Apple Stores have been robbed. After the break, you can see the video as posted by WKYC News 3.
HMH Fuse and the future of K-12 mobile education on the iPad
Last September we wrote about a fascinating project that, if successful, may ring in the future of digital curricula for K-12 education. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a major publisher of textbooks with an abiding interest in technology, embarked upon a large scale pilot project in digital education. As soon as their new Holt McDougal Algebra 1 textbook was finished, it was decided to re-imagine it as an iPad app named HMH Fuse Algebra 1. The app would include exactly the same content as the 950-page book, but it would also contain over 400 videos, animations, a graphing calculator, multiple presentation methods and numerous other features. John Sipe, the general sales manager of HMH, blueprinted what he wanted the app to be and worked with developers to bring it to fruition. The free app, which weighs in at 141 MB, only gives you a taste of how it all works, but it doesn't include any course content. Seeing that requires a US$59.95 in-app purchase. Loading all the content takes up a whopping 4-6 GB of space, but chapters and videos can be downloaded, erased and reloaded at any time. HMH took this quite seriously and poured some major money into a full-year pilot project; four California school districts were chosen, and teachers were asked to volunteer to teach a number of classes using the textbook and other classes using the app for the entire school year. HMH wanted to measure if students tested better using the app over the textbook and explore attitudinal changes in both teachers and students. All classrooms using the app needed to be Wi-Fi enabled. There was no intention of replacing teachers or turning them into mere facilitators in the HMH Fuse classes. Sipe and HMH wanted to see if delivery methods affected learning, and if so, how?
HBO GO for iOS lets you play over 1400 programs from just about anywhere
HBO GO allows an HBO subscriber to stream over 1400 programs on a computer with a Flash-enabled browser, but just last week, a few days ahead of the scheduled May 2nd release, HBO released the HBO GO iOS app. This free universal app is pretty amazing. If you are an HBO subscriber and your provider is among the favored ones (AT&T U-verse, Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Suddenlink, Verizon FIOS or some flavors of Comcast), you now have the ability to stream a world of HBO content to your iPad, iPhone (3GS or iPhone 4) or iPod Touch (4th generation) away from your home, as long as a WiFi or 3G connection is available. Given the size of the iPad screen and the design of the app, the experience of navigation and viewing is far more enjoyable on an iPad than other iOS devices when using HBO GO. On the iPad, the app works in both landscape and portrait mode, but on anything else navigation can only be done in portrait mode, while programming plays in landscape mode.
NMA explains Locationgate in animated form
Those wild and crazy guys from Taiwan's Next Media Animation have weighed in on the Locationgate blow-up, and as usual, they haven't let the facts get in their way. The video states that the location information is sent to Apple's servers for all sorts of nefarious purposes -- but of course, it was made before Apple's announcement today. As we posted earlier, the data is used to help your phone zero in on its own location as quickly as possible, and it may represent cell towers that could be 100 miles away. Take a peek and see what you think. The video is a little bit NSFW, so think before you click.
iPhoto 9.1.2 released
Along with the Snow Leopard Font Upgrade, iPhoto 9.1.2 has just shown up in Software Update. Outside of the usual bug squashing, it brings a few new features and tweaks including new card themes and some enhancements to making photo books. Here's what you'll find in this sizable update: • Addresses an issue that prevented the Zoom slider from being accessible in Magnify (1-Up) view • Fixes an issue where Toolbars were not auto-hiding in Full Screen view • Search field now correctly performs an "includes" search when searching by text string • Fixes minor formatting issues with book, card and calendar themes • Message Size of emails now correctly updates when changes are made using the Photo Size menu • Addresses an issue that prevented some iPhoto 5 libraries from upgrading correctly • Multiple book pages can now be drag-selected when in All Pages view • Design tools in print project panels are now accessible via separate Layout and Options buttons • Photo backgrounds applied to a book are now preserved when book type is changed • Tab key can now be used to navigate through all text fields in a book project The update is recommended for all all users of iPhoto '11, whether you bought it with iLife '11, or got it with a new Mac. It can be downloaded either here or through Software Update.
South Park introduces the HUMANCENTiPad
South Park is starting its 15th season on Wednesday, and Apple will be there. Comedy Central has posted a very short clip of Steve Jobs presenting the newest iThingy, which seems to be a mash-up of an iPad and The Human Centipede. The latter is a movie so bad that it garnered a Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 29 percent. The clip is slightly NSFW (Not Suitable For Work), so be forewarned. Thanks to Keith M. for the tip
Art of the iPad brings out the creativity of toddlers and tots
Jonathan Gay works as a project manager for a pre-school in Newton, PA and has created a project he named Art of the iPad. He wanted to see how creative very young kids could be using new technology without the usual prerequisite of training. Not wanting to use any of the existing art apps for children, Jonathan decided on using ArtRage (US $6.99), a fully featured painting app with a simple interface that includes pencils, brushes, rollers, spray paint and other tools that can create quite realistic painting effects with a swipe of the finger. ArtRage3 is far more than a coloring book and is not geared to use by kids. In turn, each child, who was given next to no instruction, had a go to see what they could come up with. Jonathan watched the first child. "I watched him scan up and down the device and I watched as a sudden spark lit up the room as soon as the student touched the screen for the first time." The child was amazed as "all of a sudden, his finger became a burgundy crayon that produced a line across the page." The class took to the iPad with no trouble at all and quickly adapted to the idea that their fingers can create. Children used different tools. They mixed paints to come up with new colors, some layered paint to build textures, and one even used the eraser to create white lines. Art, on a simple level, seemed to transcend age as the children used techniques and styles not usually attributed to their age group. %Gallery-122122%
Mumbai surgeons perform knee surgery replacements using an iPod touch
The newest winner in the "there's an app for that" sweepstakes has to go to the DASH app and its supporting system. It's putting the iPod touch at the heart of a system that allows surgeons to make it easier to do hip and knee replacement surgery. This medical system, developed by Smith & Nephew along with Brainlab, has allowed doctors at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai to effectively perform three knee replacement surgeries. The system comes in a rolling box with a precision camera and everything needed to take exact measurements and landmark registrations critical to such an operation. The iPod touch is slipped into a case and the software does the measuring and computing. Without this assistance, highly trained surgeons would have to "eyeball" measurements that the DASH does for them. This is said to reduce the learning curve and, at least in India, lessens the certification process for surgeons performing replacement procedures. Operating times are also reduced. This system is currently awaiting FDA approval in the US. You can download the free DASH iOS app, which provides movies covering specific functions and operations of the DASH system, or watch the remarkable video on the next page that demonstrates the entire process. [via onlygizmos.com]
FindOne for iOS helps you get your hands on an iPad 2
After being introduced to the US market on March 11, it's still not easy to get your hands on an iPad 2. D.L. Horton decided to do something about it, which lead to FindOne, a free iOS app that checks the online inventory of Target and Walmart to see what they have in stock. Depending upon your criteria -- such as AT&T or Verizon, color, storage capacity or Wi-Fi only -- you enter your zip code and up pops a listing of what's in stock, along with addresses and phone numbers of the stores. Since inventory levels change minute by minute, you are strongly advised to call the stores and find out if the results are accurate and perhaps to reserve an iPad 2. I called a few stores and found the app to be fairly accurate. It's not perfect by a long shot, but it's a great way to start your search. I live in a heavily populated area and got a lot of results, some of them as far as 45 miles away and some as close as only 4 miles. The site mentions that Best Buy inventory will soon be added to the app. Yes, it would be nice if the app contained all vendors of iPad 2s, but first, it's free (ad-supported), and second, it's anyone's guess whether the other vendors have an online inventory system that FindOne can tap into. It's basic, but I think that FindOne has the potential of helping out some frustrated would-be buyers. %Gallery-121645%
iTunes 10.2.2 now available
iTunes 10.2.2 has just appeared in Software Update for both Mac and Windows. The update seems to include some important bug fixes, but possibly no new features. Here's what's under the hood. • Addresses an issue where iTunes may become unresponsive when syncing an iPad. • Resolves an issue which may cause syncing photos with iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to take longer than necessary. • Fixes a problem where video previews on the iTunes Store may skip while playing. • Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance. iTunes 10.2.2 is available either through the ever-popular Software Update, or it can be grabbed directly here. The software update also references a KB document on security issues, but there's nothing to be found specific to this update. Get it while it's hot.
iOS Home Sharing bug found while using multiple Macs
iOS 4.3 brought us Home Sharing, which allows you to share iTunes libraries on up to five authorized computers on the same network and also have them show up on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. But if you have more than one Mac with a library to share, you may be in the same boat I found myself in. I have three Macs, but Home Sharing would only bring up one library on both my iPhone and iPad. It wasn't always the same library; the one that appeared was totally random and often changed. I could never get more than one library to show up at once, so I called Apple. I was told that they would sort it out and get back to me. After two weeks with no response, I called again and went up three levels of senior tech support. During the call, they were easily able to replicate the problem and told me this was the first time they had heard of it. They said it was a definite bug in the iOS software, thanked me for finding it and said they would contact me regarding when it would be corrected.
Intel announces USB 3.0 in "Ivy Bridge" and will support Thunderbolt
"Intel is going to support USB 3.0 in the 2012 client platform. We're going to support Thunderbolt capability. We believe that they're complementary." CNET reported this remark from Kirk Sakaugen, a VP of the Intel Architecture group, in a presentation streamed from the Intel Developer Conference in Beijing. This dual-I/O support will arrive in the first half of 2012 with the rollout of the "Ivy Bridge" processor, which will be the next generation after the "Sandy Bridge" technology currently built into the the newest MacBook Pros. This is the first time in ten years that Intel has built the most current USB technology into its processors. Currently Intel uses USB 3.0 in a small number of high-end motherboards, sourcing a component from NEC to make it work. USB 3.0 is ten times quicker than USB 2.0, topping out at a theoretical speed of 4.8 Gbps. Thunderbolt, in turn, beats out USB 3.0 easily; it allows transfers of data and DisplayPort video simultaneously at speeds of up to 10 Gbps on one cable. Although nothing specific has been said about when Intel will integrate Thunderbolt technology, The Inquirer notes that the January launch of "Sandy Bridge" would have been the perfect time for Intel to build USB 3.0 into its silicon. By dragging its heels, the company may be promoting the integration of Thunderbolt. Currently Apple is the only computer maker using Thunderbolt, but AMD as well as Intel have said they will eventually include Thunderbolt support.
iPads to be made in Brazil?
Reuters reports that Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics giant that produces iPods, iPhones and iPads in China, is in ongoing talks to invest US$12 billion in building manufacturing facilities in Brazil. Dilma Rousseff, the Brazilian president, reportedly said that this is under consideration, and she has said that she considers tablet computing as a viable option to inexpensively bring the internet to the lower-middle class of Brazil (around 80 million people). However, a rough translation from Digital&Midia suggests that it's a done deal and that iPads will be coming out of Brazil by the end of November. That report should be taken with a large grain of salt. We don't have a Portuguese speaker in the house, unfortunately, so we'd welcome a more direct translation. It's easy to spot some pitfalls in Brazil for Foxconn. The manufacturer is in the business of finding the cheapest cost of production; Brazil has one of the highest import tariffs in South America and is considered to be quite an expensive place to do business, due to such factors as heavy taxes, poor labor laws and a possibly overvalued currency. So at first blush, Foxconn doing business in Brazil doesn't seem to make sense. On the other hand, if it were to happen, import tariffs would be avoided, allowing Apple to step into the highly taxed Brazilian market at lower cost. Right now the cheapest iPad in Brazil sells for $860 while the US price of the lowest end iPad 2 is $499. If iPads were manufactured in Brazil, the selling cost would drop locally and in neighboring South American countries. So will it happen? Talks have been progressing for three months according to Aloizio Mercadante, who serves as Brazil's Science and Technology minister, and there are ongoing negotiations with other technology manufacturing companies at the same time. This leads us to question the Digital&Midia story saying that a deal has been struck. We'll be keeping an eye to the south for more news soon.
iOS 4.3.2 rumored to arrive within two weeks
On the heels of the March 25 iOS 4.3.1 release, BGR suggests that another update is on the way. iOS 4.3.2 is rumored to be released within the next two weeks for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. There's not much information yet, but it's expected to fix some security issues, add a few enhancements and squash some bugs that have bitten users. Do I smell a battery life fix coming?
iPhone use by teens at a record high and growing
Piper Jaffray has been polling US teens on their iPhone adoption rates twice a year, and the current bi-annual report was released yesterday. In the survey, 4500 teens were asked about the iPhones that they already own or plan to purchase over the next six months. Of those surveyed, 17 percent responded that they already own an iPhone, and a full 37 percent told Piper Jaffray that they plan to buy one (or have their parents buy it for them) over the next six months. If this sample is any indication, the future looks great for Apple in the teen segment. I thought the six month time frame was telling, since even the most conservative of pundits believe the iPhone 5 will be out six months from now. Apple still owns the MP3 market with 80 percent saying they own such a device, and out of that, 86 percent own some flavor of iPod with everyone else being left in the dust. This is not all hearts and flowers though, since in the poll taken last spring, 92 percent of teens owned an iPod, with total MP3 adoption of 86 percent. It may mean that more teens are using iPhones to listen to music, with over half reporting that they listen to music on their cell phone, the highest number reported for that stat. Though it's not specifically stated, I don't think it would be a stretch to say that more teens are listening to music on Apple devices than any other brands in the category. In a question about tablet sales, 22 percent of teens say they already have one, with another 20 percent planning to buy one in the next six months. I think that we can all agree that the lion's share of those purchases will be iPads as well. [via Apple 2.0]