David Winograd
Articles by David Winograd
DropPhox wirelessly connects your iOS camera with Dropbox
DropPhox (US$1.99) from DaVinciWare Inc. is a little gem that everyone using an iOS device with a camera (and Dropbox) should go out and buy. This app allows you to snap pictures or videos, and have them wirelessly transfer to your Dropbox account via either 3G or Wi-Fi. We love Dropbox around here and use it for just about everything. The first thing you'll do is link DropPhox to your Dropbox account. By default, a folder will be created in Dropbox -- named, not surprisingly, DropPhox, but you can change it if you'd like. Once you take a picture, if there is a connection, the pictures or videos will transfer. If no connection exists, transfer will be put on hold and resume as soon as DropPhox detects one. That's it. It works seamlessly, perfectly and every time. There are a number of things you can set either in DropPhox, or in the Settings app to tailor things to your liking. The first one is the size of the image. I don't have an iPhone 4, but on my 3GS, I can choose between, original, 1200x600, 960x1280 or 600x800. This is important, since an original resolution shot can be over 3 MB large, and sometimes you don't need the higher resolution image in Dropbox. In the Settings app, there are also options to enable or disable saving to your camera roll, choose a date format (all the shots are named starting with the date, so this may come in handy) and a few other settings. In the DropPhox app, you can provide the needed Dropbox settings, select a saving directory and turn Geotagging on or off. %Gallery-117536%
SRS iWow 3D really improves the sound of any iPod or iOS device
I've been a fan of the SRS iWow audio adapter for my iPod Classic for a number of years. What this dongle did is make iTunes audio sound dramatically better. It tightened the bass, improved the treble and added a good deal of presence to my music with the largest difference being heard in acoustic or orchestral tracks. It also punched up the audio of videos to an extent. This wasn't done by just increasing the volume, which would be the easy way. Instead, it added proprietary post processing to improve the sound. The downsides were that there were no settings outside of on or off, it was rather big and clunky, and it reduced iPod battery life by 26 percent. At Macworld 2011, I met with Shawn Kamal, an engineer turned product marketing manager, who introduced me to the next generation -- now made smaller, totally redone and retitled the SRS iWow 3D (US $59.95). The product is now shipping in black, and there is also a bundle for $79.95 that adds four snap on color face plates -- the colors used are those of the majority of iPhone cases -- and a pair of ear buds that are nothing special. Comparing the old and the new I was very interested to compare the older iWow with the iWow 3D and hear if it was worth buying again, since there will be no special upgrade price for the new unit. The answer is an unqualified yes. The bass is tighter, the treble clearer, and the soundfield is much wider -- usually sounding like it's a few feet to the left and right of your head. The 3D effect is less than precise, but it is there and does make a big difference, particularly when listening to sound coming from a video -- especially an action movie. I couldn't hear specific sounds behind me, but the holographic effect was dramatic. In fact, I'd go so far as saying that it will make your headphones or speakers plugged into the iWow 3D sound twice as good as they do now. %Gallery-116456%
The TabGrip Stand for the iPad, a decent stand with a major problem
At Macworld 2011, I was shown the TabGrip (US$39.99), which looked and felt like a great iPad stand; I didn't realize that it had a major problem until I got it home and installed it. It's a stand that works in either landscape or portrait orientation. It consists of four riveted hard plastic sides connected by a soft and pliable rubber backing that allows you to stretch it so that each side snaps onto each of the four sides of the iPad. The four riveted sides contain a hinged foot that allows you to stand your iPad just about any way you'd like. It is very uncomfortable on your lap, but it's meant to be stood on a table, so no problem there. The feet don't lock, so you really can't exert too much pressure on it before the feet slide down, but it's really not meant for use in that manner. For typing or viewing, the feet are sturdy enough. With the feet folded against the iPad, holding it feels great. It seems to make the iPad more rigid and adds very little weight. When you hold it, it makes the unit feel very sturdy, and the rubberized grips feel just about perfect. Holding the iPad by the top and sides can add a lot to gaming or just about anything else, and since it doesn't block any of the screen, the TabGrip adds a bit of well designed lightweight heft in any position. The grips are of a size that won't let the iPad touch the ground, either from the front or back, since they are slightly thicker than the tablet. When I held it in the TabGrip booth, I immediately noticed that it felt perfect and didn't let your fingers slide around due to the texture of the grips. In short -- I was quite impressed and thought that it was a great design that really improved the user experience of holding or standing an iPad any way you could imagine. At least until I got it home and installed it.
AAPL hits another all time high
Once again, Apple stock (AAPL) has hit a new intra-day high, and this time it's a really good one. This is the first time Apple has broken into the lofty US$350s. Things are moving quickly, but when I started this post, AAPL was up 6.66 points to $353.17 on moderately high volume of about ten million shares, and no one knows where it will wind up for the day. Although the market is having quite a good day, this would indicate to me that much of the bad news and emotion based on the medical leave of Steve Jobs has been filtered out. It might also have something to do with the first delivery of the Verizon iPhone 4. In other news, Philip Elmer-Dewitt of Fortune's Apple 2.0 has noted that Susquehanna has upped its target price for AAPL to $465. There seems to be a bandwagon mentality that analysts are jumping onto. He goes on to say that Charles Wolf of the Needem Funds raised his estimate to $450, a jump of $75. Meanwhile, Brian White of Ticonderoga kept firm on his price target of $550. This is most likely based on AAPL breaking out of a trading range with support at $326 and resistance at $345.60 causing everyone to reshuffle their estimates. [via TradersHuddle.com]
Macworld 2011: Wigglehop, a new kind of movie app
We've all seen the ton of movie apps and probably have a bunch of them already on our iOS devices, but today I saw something different. I spoke with Tyler Young, the designer of a free universal app called Wigglehop from Plastic Trophy. Wigglehop is a movie planning app that differs from the usual movie look-up app. Wigglehop, using auto-location or by inputting a starting place or zip code, finds the closest 25 theaters. It not only tells you what's playing, it tells you how many new movies have opened today along with the times of the movies for the next few days. You can choose as many as you like and have them saved to an attractive list that can be as long or short as you like. Each movie you choose shows a paragraph on what the movie is about, the ratings and the playing time. Next, it tells you how much time you have until each show starts. A neat bit is that your listing page updates itself. According to Jason: "You can make you plans in the morning and check in them in the evening when you're out and about and might actually want to see a movie." So, if there's a particular movie you want to see, you'll be able to figure out which theater has the most convenient time. If you have a favorite theater, you'll know when you need to get there for the show. Each selected movie has a countdown for all the shows of the day. If you're going with some friends, you can zap that information into Twitter, Facebook, SMS or email. Each email contains a link to your movie and time list so that your friends get the same page as you see in the app. Of course the email with timing doesn't update. The app is ad-supported, but the ads didn't seem to be intrusive since they are movie related. Wigglehop only came out a few days ago, and it already looks great -- but movie trailers are planned, along with more social networking features. I can see this becoming my go-to app for movies. Knowing what's playing is one thing, but planning your options is another. Check it out. It's free, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I know that I was in the few minutes I had to play with Wigglehop.
Macworld Expo 2011: iFixit wields their magic in person
On stage at Macworld 2011, two of our friends from iFixit, Kyle Weins and Luke Soules, attempted to fix broken Apple stuff right in front of an audience. The session was moderated by Chris Breen, who asked the audience to bring up their broken gear in the hope that it could be fixed right on the spot. iFixit, for those that don't know, is a firm that not only posts teardowns of popular Apple products, but strongly believes in empowering users with the ability to fix their own Apple equipment, and sells replacement parts and tool kits to allow people to do it. As Luke attempted repairs, Kyle described exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, they weren't successful at any repairs during the session, but they were working under some impossible conditions. People in the audience had a lot of different broken things, and iFixit was only able to bring in two boxes of parts, which limited them dramatically.
Macworld 2011: eyeSKY brings a security system to iOS
Only a few things have impressed me on the show floor this year, but I ran into something that's pretty amazing. The only problem is that, as with most of these kinds of solutions, it's also very expensive. eyeSKY Technologies, an American distributor for a German security company named Mobotix Corp, has been showing its Hemispheric IP Video Door Station. What this thing does is provide a customizable security system for the well-heeled. The unit is a Unix-based computer with a flash card memory reader installed at the door that saves to an internal DVR and/or allows you to watch the camera stream live. A 32 or 64 GB flash card can be used that gives you a few days of storage. There is a 3.1 megapixel 360 degree camera that Scott Winslow, the CEO, told me about: "Mobotix uses a proprietary codec, which is a cross between h.264 compression and motion JPEG. They call it an MXJPEG that allows these images to be transferred over the internet." Typically, this sort of transfer is a bandwidth killer, but using this codec, you get a clear and fluid compressed stream. When someone comes to your door and rings the doorbell, or gets near it using a customizable motion sensor (anything bigger than an errant dog will set it off), a number of things can happen. An email, text message, or when the universal app for iOS and just about every other mobile platform is released, a push notification will be sent to your device. It can be set to play a canned message saying that you're busy, or you can remotely talk to the person at the door using VoIP. An internal light turns on, and it's also wired to the usual light over your door, as the DVR starts recording. This can be important if some shady character shows up and you want to show the video to the police.
Macworld 2011: Kanex brings full HDMI capability to Macs
This morning I spoke with Jessica Cole from Kanex, a two-year-old company which offers many products that add HDMI capability to your Mac. The current generation of their line adds audio pass-through via HDMI. The offerings range between the iAdapt HDMI V2 (US$29.95), a small box that plugs into Mini DisplayPort and allows you to plug in an HDMI cable, giving you audio support and 1080p video to a TV, projector or anything else with an HDMI input. I was shown the Mini DisplayPort to HDMI 10-foot cable ($44.95), which is sold exclusively at Apple stores and contains a 10-foot HDMI cable so that you don't have to buy and plug in your own. "We're very excited to have our product as an Apple Store exclusive," said Jessica (whose favorite three apps are Facebook, Pandora and Facegoo). The most interesting product that I found was the Kanex XD ($149.99), a magical box that gives you the ability to connect the HDMI output of a Blu-Ray player, PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 and have resolution of up to 1920x1200 appear on your iMac 27". This lets you use your 27" iMac display as a full HD display device. The Kanex HD is controlled by the iMac keyboard. A press of Command-F2 switches the display between the computer and the HDMI device, and both sound and brightness are controlled with the usual keys on the Apple Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard.
Macworld 2011: Expressive helps the speech impaired learn and communicate
Speech therapist Barbrara Fernandez founded Smarty-Ears apps last January and has since created over 15 apps for the field. I spoke to her about Expressive (US$29.95) an augmentative-alternative communication (AAC) app that at first seems similar to the much more expensive Proloquo2Go, but it serves two purposes. Like most AAC apps or devices, it allows those without the power of speech due to Autism, Downs Syndrome or even temporary verbal problems to communicate. Tapping on categorized symbols allow one to build phrases that are spoken. The app contains 450 pre-set symbols and more can be added. The second purpose of the app is to teach language and the relationship between symbols and words. Many children have a limited vocabulary and too many unfamiliar symbols would be confusing and overwhelming. "You can start out and delete everything and slowly build the vocabulary and specifically design the application to meet the needs of a student. I think that's the main concept here." Expressive helps with "limited expressive language communication skills," so it's appropriate for all levels of communication disorders. Expressive is meant to be used by speech therapists in conjunction with parents to build a child's vocabulary and communication skills. In its simplest iteration, you would start with a noun. When that has been learned, an instructor can add modifying words and build up from there. Although it may sound simple, seeing a picture of a ball and understanding that it represents all balls may not be obvious for some. There is an edit mode where symbols can be added or deleted and a user mode that doesn't allow changes. Without this, a child could inadvertently delete everything.
Sinbad gives the keynote at Macworld 2011
Long time Apple devotee Sinbad delivered a very funny keynote address this afternoon at Macworld, talking for about 20 minutes and then taking questions from the audience. He has been coming to Macworld since 1991 and talked about everything from his first Mac, which was a Macintosh 512K that he said had so little memory that putting in his password maxed it out. He joked about Steve Jobs designing the Mac for the dumbest, silliest person in the world. Steve brought some of them into a room and asked them, what can you do? They told him they could click, and that's how it all started. He thought it funny that whenever someone talks about what will be the next iPhone killer, iPad killer, iAnything killer, everyone gets really interested. However, if you ask what will be the next Android killer -- who cares? Someone in the audience asked what interesting feature will the next iPhone have, and without a beat he said "reception." With the current iPhone, Sinbad noted, "I can shoot movies, solve science problems, but I can't call my Momma." When asked when the government will switch to Macs, he said "Never, cause it would work, and that would be very dark times." He talked a lot about creativity and that you can do just about anything on an iPad and iPhone. All you need to build a recording studio is a Blue Mikey Mic, a four track app and an iPhone. Friend of his are recording music on just that. As for Sinbad's favorite apps, he listed 1stVideo, Guitar World Lick of the Day and other apps from Vericorder Technologies. So take it from Sinbad and go out and create something.
Macworld 2011: DriveSavers talks about SSD recovery
I spoke with Chris Bross of DriveSavers about recovery of data from SSD (solid-state drive) storage at their booth. Currently, SSDs are in their third generation with reliability improving all the time. An SSD is comprised of two parts -- the NAND memory and the controller. The NAND is more or less a commodity, so the real work is done by the controller. Controllers are made by a handful of companies, and according to Chris, controllers have to get smarter. The MacBook Air uses Toshiba SSDs, which are considered in the market to be middle of the road -- consistent for Apple storage. A main difference between SSDs and hard drives are that before data can be written to an SSD, the block of NAND memory is erased, making data recovery of what was written before impossible. This is different from a hard drive where nothing gets erased if there is free space. Companies that use TRIM technology (like the SandForce driven Other World Computing SSDs) advance erase blocks, which makes them faster than others that do this just before they are written. The biggest challenge in recovering data from an SSD is encryption. Although all hard drive companies offer encryption, it's used by a minority of users, but SSDs are almost always encrypted. Outside of security issues, encryption helps SSDs balance data distribution. DriveSavers can recover data from SSDs due to physical failure, trauma or firmware corruption, but that's only half the problem. If they can't get past the encryption, there's little they can do to help. Fortunately, controller manufacturers are working in conjunction with DriveSavers on failure analysis engineering since it's in everyone's best interest to make data recovery feasible. DriveSavers has already been recovering data from SSDs for three years, and although they don't state success rates, they have recovered quite a bit of data. Chris tells me that SSDs have only achieved market saturation of two percent to date, but he expects that to increase to fifteen percent by 2015 as more computer manufacturers offer them and as prices continue to drop. When disaster occurs, DriveSavers is there to help, with pricing based on capacity. But according to Chris, and everyone else for that matter, the best advice is to back up. It's always better to be proactive than to need to rely on a reactive service like DriveSavers.
Macworld Industry Forum: John Gruber talks about web apps vs. the web
News from Macworld Expo, all week at TUAW. This afternoon at the Macworld 2011 Industry forum, the founding editor of Daring Fireball, John Gruber, talked about the web vs. web apps. He likened the difference to that between the Newton and the iPhone, as the Newton was only able to hold information entered manually, while the web-enabled iPhone provides endless content. That's the main reason the iPhone hit big and the Newton didn't. John made a distinction between HTML, a markup language, and HTTP, which is a protocol that allows programs to use the internet. Without HTTP there would be no App Store. In that sense, Apple is a web company. The best browsers today are Safari and Google Chrome, both of which are based on Webkit, an open-source web engine introduced at Macworld Expo seven years ago. Gruber believes WebKit is the best framework to build a browser upon. Most mobile browsers are now using WebKit, including Android. The reason Apple created WebKit was not only to enhance Safari, before which there was no great Mac browser. Rather, it was to encourage the adoption of the web as a baseline common-denominator platform that people could build upon. When Windows was the baseline for the web, Apple was left out. With WebKit, Apple has the advantage of creating this new paradigm and letting others catch up. Most video plays on HTML5 devices in H.264, which uses the same format as Flash, but Flash is closed and proprietary software from Adobe (if it breaks, Adobe is the only one who can fix it), while HTML5 is open and has become an industry format that any mobile device manufacturer can use. The App Store is totally closed, and some think that it will extinguish the web, which is under no-one's control, in favor of the market being controlled by one company. This is a false fear. People want both the web and web apps, with one not precluding the other. Apple's apps use the best parts of the web and enhance the experience with enhanced functionality, which benefits everyone. This is not a real competition with another company, it's a competition with the idea that the web is all you need. Gruber's main wrap-up was that people like both the web and web apps, and this will improve both instead of being an either/or proposition.
Macworld Industry Forum: Jason Snell on how Apple does it
News from Macworld Expo, all week at TUAW. At the Macworld 2011 industry forum this morning, Jason Snell, the editorial director of Macworld magazine, talked about "how Apple does it." His first point was that Apple is not just Steve Jobs. Steve created a great management team that just doesn't get enough press. Regardless of what happens with Steve, Snell says, Apple will do fine. Apple has an uncanny sense of timing. It doesn't get everything first but, when it does, it does it right. The Rio was one of the first MP3 players, but it wasn't until the introduction of the iPod that the market took off. Apple knows to get rid of things when their time is past, like floppy drives, FireWire in some devices and optical discs (now on the way out, see the MacBook Air). A lot of people don't like these decisions when they happen, but Apple really doesn't care; the leadership of the company feels so strongly about it that it continues to make those moves anyway.
Macworld Industry Forum: Bill Atkinson on Interface Design
News from Macworld Expo, all week long from TUAW. Bill Atkinson, the developer of HyperCard and MacPaint (among others), spoke about interface design this morning at the Macworld Industry Conference. Not so long ago, Atkinson noted, users were quite separate from the computing experience. UI design evolved to the now familiar desktop metaphor, then stopped. This is going to change with mobile devices. Today, we edge closer to integrating the computer with ourselves, Atkinson said. "Pinch and zoom" is only a beginning, as physical contact with content increases, spawning good and bad ideas. For example, augmented reality fills your screen with boxes, and visual goggles suggest future wearable computers. We're far off from the "floating displays" of Minority Report and Avatar. Atkinson went on to discuss what he calls a "memory prosthesis," or the idea of a wearable earpiece that communicates with, for instance, an iPhone. The piece could work with a Virtual Personal Assistant that accepts data from the user's conversational speech. In fact, this assistant hears, sees, speaks and records everything you hear, storing that data in the cloud. That information could later be retrieved by asking questions of the virtual assistant. Of course, this hinges on natural language recognition, which has been the holy grail for some time. We'll get to see a good test of a computer responding to question-and-answer processing on February 24. That's when the IBM Deep QUA Project Watson computer (the same one that beat Kasparov at chess) will compete against champions on the TV show Jeopardy. It will spur the imagination of natural language work and put it in the spotlight. Atkinson believes this will be the nature of future mobile phone interface, probably between 2 and 10 years from now. It's inevitable though since he considers it the natural progression of the mobile device market with the device doing very little and the heavy lifting being done in the cloud. It sounds like the Knowledge Navigator is getting closer to reality, at least according to Atkinson.
Bloggers and analysts predict Apple's Q1 2011 performance
Independent financial bloggers have traditionally been closer to the mark in predicting AAPL revenue and earnings than professional analysts, and one day away from the Apple earnings call, the differences are quite large -- about $2 billion dollars large. The professional analyst word on the street expects Apple to report earnings of US$5.38 per share for the first fiscal quarter of 2011, up from $3.67 per share for the same quarter last year. Revenue is expected to increase by a whopping 55 percent to $24.3 billion, with an increase in growth across the board on all Apple products except the iPod. This time the gap is the largest difference on record according to Fortune's Apple 2.0. In a survey of 10 amateurs and 44 professional analysts, the difference is quite dramatic. The consensus of the amateurs prognosticates that Apple will come in with revenues of $26.4 billion, a gap of $2.1 billion dollars or 8.6 percent. The difference in earnings per share (EPS) is even larger; it's forecasted by the bloggers as $1, or a full 18 percent higher than street estimates. Our old friend Gene Munster, senior analyst for Piper Jaffray, comes in on the low end, predicting that revenue will be reported to be $23.3 billion with an EPS of $5.06. It's not inconsequential to note: in light of Steve Jobs' medical leave of absence (get well soon, Steve), none of this has anything to do with Apple stock price tomorrow since I would expect the price to jump all over the place. This is despite German AAPL trading down 6 percent on the unfortunate news. A down opening of AAPL is expected by all, but by how much is anyone's guess. Please join us tomorrow at 5 PM Eastern for our live blog of the earnings call. Note: The author is an Apple shareholder, and this post should not be construed as financial advice.
Verizon discontinues 'New Every Two' policy in the wake of the iPhone
Without much fanfare, Verizon Wireless has discontinued "New Every Two," a long-running promotion where anyone completing a two-year contract was eligible for a new or discounted phone if they signed on for another two-year contract. As of January 16, a few weeks before pre-orders would be accepted for Verizon iPhones, Verizon has changed its policy. Previously, anyone completing a contract would be eligible for either a new low-end phone or a credit ranging between US$30 and $100 toward the purchase of a new phone. Verizon has also changed its early termination policy, which once allowed customers with a two-year contract to bail after around 13 months. This has now been raised to 20 months. It's true that Apple mobile products rarely, if ever, enjoyed this perk on AT&T, but the timing of this policy change is a bit of a slap in the face for the 26 percent of current iPhone users expected to switch to Verizon once the iPhone becomes available. According to a ChangeWave survey, 41 percent of those potential switchers plan to switch to Verizon within the first three months of the iPhone 4's release on that network, and another 31 percent plan on switching within the first year. If you are an existing Verizon Wireless customer at present, you will be grandfathered in to the "New Every Two" program, but it seems that the timing is calculated to make sure that any switchers from AT&T will not have the opportunity for any sort of discounted phone. This and the fact that the Verizon iPhone will not be able to use the internet while talking on the phone may dismay people who are intent on switching -- me included -- but I'm sure that Verizon Wireless considers this a minor inconvenience for customers looking forward to using an iPhone on a network that (theoretically) will offer better performance than AT&T. We'll keep an eye out for other "gotchas" that Verizon may announce.
Apple stock rises to over $342 intra-day
On a day where the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down by US$38.20 and the Nasdaq composite is nearly flat, once again, AAPL is bucking the trend and going straight up. At this writing, Apple stock is at $342.05, (a new intra-day high) and bouncing. So far the stock is up $5.93 or 1.76 percent on moderate volume. I'm sure that this is at least partially due to the anticipated Verizon (VZW) announcement tomorrow. Surprisingly enough, Verizon is about flat for the day, trading at $36.01 or up only $0.08 so far. If the Verizon announcement goes as we all hope, I can see this continuing, but who knows? So if you've got 'em, hold 'em.
Realmac talks about the future of the Mac App Store and reduces pricing
In anticipation of tomorrow's opening of the Mac App Store, Realmac Software announced pricing for its line of Macintosh software that will appear in the store. In a blog post yesterday, Realmac wrote that it believes the Mac App Store will usher in more focused apps that will do one thing and one thing well. The days of "Swiss Army Knife" programs may be winding down. Realmac also believes upgrade pricing is a thing of the past with software vendors taking a cue from Apple; the company sells its iLife and iWork suites for a set price and provides minor upgrades until a new full version is released, when the consumer is then charged the full price for the new version. Lastly, Realmac believes that prices of apps in the Mac App Store will get cheaper since the iOS App Store created an auction market that drove down prices. Where prices will end up is anyone's guess. In light of this, Realmac made some pretty big changes. RapidWeaver, the website creation tool, is dropping in price both on the Mac App Store and on the Realmac site, from US$79 down to $39.99 for a limited time. It seems like Realmac is taking a flyer on this, since they are interested in seeing how prices shake out, and intend to adjust the price accordingly as time goes by.
Apple stock hits a new intra-day all time high and Gene Munster weighs in
Apple stock (AAPL) has hit a new all time intra-day high by a mile, rising 7.25 percent as of about 11 AM. At last look, it's sitting at $329.81 and is happily ringing in the new year on the first day of 2011 trading. It may be totally coincidental, but our old friend Gene Munster, analyst for Piper Jaffray, has announced a few predictions for 2011. The first non-surprise is that he (and just about everyone else) believes that the iPhone will come to Verizon, but he thinks it won't be until the March quarter with a 95 percent probability. I think he's betting low on that one. He gives a 90 percent probability to iTunes offering a cloud-based service and an 80 percent probability that cell phone providers will begin subsidizing 3G iPads (since this is presently happening in other countries, so why not here?). Gene also has some predictions that he considers rock-solid, including new laptops coming soon, a refresh of the Mac Pro in the first half of the year and new iMacs in the second half of 2011. The iPhone 5 will rear its head this summer (I'd bet the house on that one), and the iPad 2, if that's what it winds up being called, will flower in the spring. Another no-brainer will be that new iPods will be out in the fall, but then again, new iPods are always out in the fall. [via The Mac Observer]
Four Little Critter interactive childrens books hit iOS
Mercer Mayer has been writing Little Critter books since the grown-up children were sleeping in cribs. My kids loved the series and had me read it to them hundreds of times. Little Critter is a hedgehog-looking animal that very small children can easily relate to as he goes about his simple adventures. Each of the over 200 books featuring Little Critter tells a very simple story, providing positive reinforcement for very small kids who sometimes need to be told how competent and good they are, even if they sometimes get things wrong. All of the books are whimsically illustrated and quite funny in a gentle and childlike manner. These are very simple books without any hard words and are very appropriate for little ones starting at about one year old. Each of them sells for US$1.99, and they are universal apps that work well on all iOS devices -- of course, they look better on the larger screen of an iPad. Oceanhouse Media has released four of the series so far, and I'm sure that, as time goes by, many more will show up. They all use the Oceanhouse engine that has become a standard in the industry. As in all the OM books, there are three options. AutoPlay is for the smallest of children. Each page is read as the built-in animation zooms now and then to highlight what's important on the page. The pages turn automatically as the sound effects play, and each word is highlighted as it's read. Read To Me provides a bit of autonomy; the young reader swipes the pages to turn them, and the text is read by a very young sounding voice. Touching the text block will cause it to be read again. Read It Myself deletes the narration until the text block is tapped in case the child has a problem with a word or two. In all three options, touching an object speaks what it is, and the word appears in a colorful animation. If the object appears in the text, the word in the text block is highlighted. This has served OM well for its series of Dr. Seuss and Berenstain Bear books, among others, and it's just as appropriate for Little Critter.