David Winograd
Articles by David Winograd
Calling all authors: How to sell your books in the iBook store
Have you got a novel or two in your bottom desk drawer? Did you participate in the National Novel Writing Month competition last November? Are you a budding author who needs that last nudge to actually get writing? If any of these describe you, Apple has just given you a way to get your masterpiece into the iBooks store for the iPad, and you can do it yourself. You don't need a publisher, distributor, agent or anything else for that matter. You can decide how much to charge and which countries (that have an iBook store) to sell into. You also get the same deal as the app publishers, meaning that Apple takes 30% and you keep 70% of the revenue. There are some requirements though but help is available.You'll need to have: ISBN numbers for the books you want to distribute the ability to deliver the book in EPUB format the book pass EpubCheck 1.0.5 a US Tax ID (sorry world, this is only open to the US at this point) an iTunes account backed up by a credit card a fairly good idea of where you'll sell and how much you'll sell an Intel-based Mac running OS 10.5 or better (sorry PC users, their game, their rules) and meet some reasonable technical requirements
Video tribute to the Get a Mac ad campaign
Last month we reported that Justin Long, who plays Mac in the Get a Mac ads, hinted that the advertising campaign had come to an end. Now it seems confirmed; the ads, first broadcast in 2006, can't even be found on the Apple page. Instead, the usual link now takes you to a page explaining the reasons that you should buy a Mac. OneMoreThingPodcast has put together this fitting tribute to the many 30 second gems that have amused us over the last five years. I'm sure you'll find some of your favorite highlights in the video. So, I suppose it's back to making movies for Long, and back to The Daily Show for John Hodgman (an Apple user for over 20 years), giving up the role of PC. Rest in peace, Get a Mac campaign. You were a good soldier.
AT&T nearly doubles iPhone early termination rates
AT&T announced yesterday a new "carrot and stick" pricing plan for early termination fees (ETF) of cellphone contracts, beginning with new contracts starting June 1st. The carrot is that for new two-year agreements or upgrades on what they refer to as "basic and quick messaging phones," the ETF will be reduced from $175 to $150 and be further reduced by $4 for each month of the contract. Well, that's very nice of them, but it probably doesn't affect anyone reading this post. The stick is that for anyone using higher-end devices such as smartphones, including the iPhone, the ETF will nearly double from $175 to $325 and reduce by $10 for each month the contract ages. Now don't get scared, since this is only for new or upgrade contracts starting June 1st and doesn't apply to anyone with a current contract. That is, unless you're up for renewal and make the mistake of buying a new two-year contract.
Ilinois Institute of Technology jumps on the iPad bandwagon
Along with Seton Hill and George Fox University, The Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago will be giving a "free" iPad to between 500 and 600 incoming freshman. Since I'm sure they will be giving out the base model, this will cost the school between $250,000 and $300,000. In comments on the previous posts, it was clearly brought out that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and this may be nothing more than a clever marketing gimmick to increase enrollment in these financially strapped times. With IIT tuition coming in at a high, but in the ballpark, $31,363, I can easily understand that a school will try any number of things to keep the enrollment applications rolling in. In this case there may more to it than marketing, since IIT already teaches courses in mobile application development and there is an expectation of faculty in computer science and engineering to build specific iPad apps for use in their courses. With three schools on this particular bandwagon and more to come, where do you stand on this? Is this a marketing gimmick or an honest interest in implementing a new and useful educational technology? [via chicagobreakingnews.com]
Ray Zone's 3D Jungle Adventures Comic brings a bit of 1953 to the iPad
Ray Zone's 3D Jungle Adventures (US$0.99) is native iPad comic book that took me back to when I was ten and my parents brought me to a flea market. There I picked up a ten year old copy of The House of Terror published by the now defunct St. John's Publishing Company. It was in gloriously gory anaglyph 3D requiring the use of red-cyan glasses. The first page displayed a scary devil's head that seemed like it was going to jump off the page and grab me, giving me nightmares for weeks. Now in light of the current 3D craze, a new audience can experience this sort of dimensional schlock-fest in Jungle Adventure, a reprint of a 1953 Jay Disbrow comic. The story is as pulpy as it gets. Nianda, a jungle princess is captured by the evil Stang who wants to make a trade with the chief of the village for a big red ape. Jahka, who must be Tarzan's twin brother, comes to the rescue and fights a drooling Sabre-toothed tiger to win her back, but no one told that to the big red ape.
MovieBuddy for the iPad: a new way to look at Netflix
MovieBuddy for Netflix [US $0.99] is a new native iPad app that serves as a graphically beautiful front-end for Netflix subscribers. Billy Crystal, as Fernando on Saturday Night Live, had a catch-phrase that went: "It's better to look good than to feel good," and that's what kept going through my mind as I looked at this app. It looks great. You are presented with a beautiful velvet movie curtain that raises to show movies in your queue, or lets you browse for films by category by displaying lines of posters with a nicely rendered spotlight over each one. You swipe left to see more movies, or select See All to get a grid or CoverFlow view of all the movies in the category. When a movie is selected a box pops up allowing you to Add to Instant, Add to DVD, or Add to Blu-ray to put the movie in your queue. If the movie is available to stream, tapping on Watch Now plays the movie. Tapping on View Details brings up a lovely looking screen showing a large poster and the same information you saw before, but in a much nicer presentation. Not much new information is added outside of a slightly larger cast list. It all looks great. But how does it feel? I didn't think it felt that great at all, since for a nice display you are giving up a ton of functionality found in the free Netflix iPad app, which must be installed on your iPad anyway before MovieBuddy will work. What you don't get is the artificial intelligence engine found on the Netflix site and on its app. I was told by the developers that the categories you get IS personalized in the same way it appears on the XBox, PS3 and WII, but I don't have one of these to see. The results didn't seem personalized to me and what was displayed in the Netlix app appeared much more aligned to my individual tastes. But something is going on since every movie in every category were films I had already seen and rated. Since MovieBuddy is competing with the Netflix app, here's a list of things that the Netflix app lets you do that MovieBuddy doesn't.
Higher Ed choosing sides on iPad use
Timothy M. Chester, the CIO of Pepperdine University, discussed the ongoing controversy of how higher education has and should deal with the encroachment of the iPad on campuses throughout the country. Using information gleaned from the Educause CIO listserv, he found two camps being formed, and a bit of misinformation. The first camp's motto seems to take the position that if there is a new, potentially useful technology, it should be welcomed immediately. Seton Hill University announced that it will give an iPad to every full-time student in this fall, while George Fox University, a school that has been giving out computers to all incoming students for twenty years, is giving students a choice of either being handed an iPad or a Macbook. Their position is that they aren't willing to say which is the better choice, and many students already come to school with a laptop. To a large extent this is a marketing gimmick. When was the last time you heard of Seton Hill or George Fox University? But on the other hand, I know from experience that IT departments function more cheaply, and most often more effectively if their mission is to not support every digital device in the known universe. Tech support staff that only need to support a small number of platforms need less training, and parts inventories can be drastically reduced. However, Chester writes that putting an iPad into every student's hands would cost Pepperdine around US$800,000 which he posited would be much better spent on hiring new faculty.
Apple's biometric heartbeat patent: And the beat goes on
The US Patent and Trademark Office has posted information about a really interesting patent that Apple applied for in January. Patent application 20100113950 describes a new technology that would bring a heart monitoring biometric security system to electronic devices. Biometrics are nothing new. These technologies are being currently used to recognize fingerprints, eye scans, and sometimes voice. This is the first time it's being done as an EKG, measuring electrical activity in the heart. The patent allows for building monitoring sensors into a case, screen or even earbuds. Depending upon the method used, when someone holds the device or swipes a finger across the screen to unlock, embedded leads will read the EKG information and allow the device to perform actions based upon result. A built in EKG has far-reaching medical potential, but the patent deals mostly with issues of authentication. Different profiles can be saved on the device, similar to having multiple user accounts on a computer. This would allow multiple people with different profiles to be accurately authenticated and provide differing device capabilities. Uses can include anything from preventing children from using certain apps, to allowing the proper user access to online banking and other financial transactions. It can also be used to save different user information that's embedded in apps allowing a great deal of personalization such as one device keeping individual Dropbox information, allowing the proper Dropbox to be accessed by the person holding the device. [via 9to5Mac]
Pinball HD for the iPad: It doesn't get much better than this
Gameprom has taken their three popular iPhone/iPod touch pinball games, The Deep, Jungle Style Pinball and Wild West Pinball (US$.99 each), and rolled them into one amazing iPad app: Pinball HD selling at $2.99. The iPad app is much more than just a simple port with better graphics, it adds so many features and so much additional value over the iPhone apps that I consider the price to be a huge bargain. I haven't played every pinball game out for the iPad at this point, but with some minor technical quibbles, I really can't see pinball on the iPad getting much better than this. At least not for now.
Found Footage: Jon Stewart scolds Apple over the Gizmodo stolen iPhone fracas
Leave it to Jon Stewart to put things into perspective. In this segment from The Daily Show, Jon satirically cops to being an Apple user since the 80s and takes Apple to task for stealing the evil empire crown from Microsoft in their handling of the Gizmodo lost iPhone incident. After Giz gave back the iPhone, the cops busted down its editor, Jason Chen's door. "Don't they know there's an app for that?" Say what you will, I think Jon nailed it. Watch the full clip after the break. [via iPhone Savior]
Chitika labs estimates that over one million iPads have been sold
On April 8th, just six days after the iPad went on sale, we ran a post writing that Chitika Labs (who had been tracking iPad sales by counting cookies of new iPads hitting the Internet) claimed that Apple had sold 564,257 units. The method used is admittedly not the best of all possible metrics, but it does provide an indication of how many new iPads were leaving the shelves. Today, 15 days later, Chitika reported that over 1,000,000 iPads have been sold. They also claim that over 32,000 new iPads were seen on the Internet today, representing 4% of all total iPad sales. Thanks to TUAW reader "xamevou" for sending this in.
HoloToy: An amazing 3D app for iPhone and iPad
We've looked at a lot of 3D apps before, but I believe that HoloToy (US$0.99) is really something special. If you have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you should download it right now. I don't think you'll find a better 3D app in the whole store. HoloToy uses anamorphosis perspective projection to do its magic. This means that you won't have to wear those cardboard anaglyph (usually red and cyan) glasses; aside from being annoying, they kill the brightness and reduce colors to a muddy shade of beige. All you need to do is look at it and twist and turn your device to see the effects. It's an interactive app, and by making wonderful use of the built-in accelerometer, you can do a do a variety of things, including moving around a HoloBot robot and even playing a few games. The process used prevents images from appearing in front of the screen, so what you get is a five sided box, with the screen being a clear wall that you look into. Twisting, turning, and tapping on the screen lets you interact with all of the 3D images. The intention of the app was to start with a few sample images and add others every week or so, based on reader feedback. In fact, just today an update was released adding a customizable aquarium option. You can see the progression of the app as the new images have been released; the app started as a bunch of planets suspended in space that you can spin around by swiping. The distance between the planets and the back wall is apparent, and there is a white box on the back wall whose corners you can see by twisting and turning the screen. The depth effects get better with the next two non-interactive modules, an impossible triangle and two differently sized boxes.
Found Footage: Flight of the Bumblebee in concert on an iPad
Chinese pianist Lang Lang headlined a concert at San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall on April 19th. For the first of three encores, he played The Flight of the Bumblebee on an iPad. To accomplish this, he used the Magic Piano iPad app. This is just one example of how amazing apps can allow people to do amazing things, and the party has just started. [To clarify, the Magic Piano app does do a lot of the work in playing a piece like that; it drops down indicators for the correct notes, so the pianist has to get 'pretty close' and have the rhythm correct. Still impressive. –Ed.] [via 9to5Mac]
Apple's patent for Concert Ticket+ could change your concert experience
We know that Apple has a propensity for patenting anything that moves, and most of them don't see the light of day. But Patently Apple has written, in copious detail, about a very interesting one called Concert Ticket+. I would bet money on the likelihood of this one becoming a reality. It all starts with buying concert tickets through iTunes and syncing it with your iPhone. Then, when you get to the concert, the electronic ticket will be received either by a manned or unmanned turnstile using Near Field Communication (NFC). This is the same technology that starts a Prius without a key, or is embedded in my Lexus car key. When turning on the car, an NFC connection must be wirelessly transmitted or the car won't start. It also takes into account other methods of authentication such as bar code scanning. It doesn't stop there. Lots of other information can be provided once the ticket is registered as being collected. E-Tickets for food and merchandise discounts can also be stored on the iPhone and when presented to get a cheaper T-Shirt or soda, the amount spent can be deducted from your iTunes account. Impulse purchasing of apps has been tremendously successful and that concept can be easily transferred from the app store to the concert hall. An electronic coupon for $5.00 off a T-shirt is going to sell a lot of T-shirts. The patent also provides for value added services either free or at a price. You'd probably be able to obtain a concert schedule, lyrics to what is being played or a set-list for free, but if you want a recording of the show you've attended, that can be made available for a price.
Starbucks expands pay-by-iPhone pilot
About six months ago, we wrote about two free Starbucks apps for the iPhone and iPod touch. myStarbucks got you to the nearest caffeinated outlet and let you build your coffee, and The Starbucks Card Mobile app replaced your physical card, allowing you to have a bar code scanned and pay for your purchases. When the card ran dry, it could be refilled with caffeine-free money. The Starbucks Card Mobile app was tested at 16 Seattle stores in the Silicon Valley. Apparently, paying for coffee with an iPhone was a big success. Starbucks has expanded their test to all 1,002 outlets inside Target stores. The company is taking it one step at a time and currently has no plans to further expand it to the 11,000 Starbucks stores in the US -- yet. You will have to update your app to version 1.2.1 to take advantage of the expanded roll out, but if you have a Starbucks Card Mobile app, you've most likely already done that. So, the next time you find yourself at a Target, you'll have to find a way of justifying your purchase of a cup coffee that costs more than the shirt you just bought. [via Computerworld]
TechRestore's stop-motion iPad tear-down video
Right on launch day, iFixit totally disassembled an iPad, offering eager eyes a wealth of information on what's under the hood. Now TechRestore has created a stop-motion video of the entire tear-down and reassembly process in just over three minutes by stitching together 1675 frames. It's fascinating to watch the iPad take itself apart, not to mention that the sound effects really make the whole thing work. Gumby would be proud. [via 9to5mac]
Multiball Pinball: Not your Dad's pinball, and maybe not yours either
Multiball Pinball (US$2.99 for devices using iPhone OS 2.2 or better), is billed by Matmi, publisher of three other pinball games, as their most extreme pinball yet. If extreme, means busy, chaotic and possibly headache inducing, I'd agree with them. Let's try a test. Look at the graphic on the right for a few seconds and try to figure out what's going on. This is a one table pinball game with no close-ups or camera movements to direct your eyes such as found in Wild West Pinball, a cheaper, and more nicely designed app. You can see that the screen is very busy, and seems to use every pinball component possible. But being the most feature laden pinball game out there is not necessarily a good thing. There are four flippers controlled by tapping on the left or right side of the screen, but one flipper is often obscured by overlay text, like the one under the big X BALL display. The app does come with a few pages of instructions, in type a bit too small to easily read, and any direction is quite useful, but what isn't welcome is the total chaos of gameplay. As I played, I found the right flippers have a hard time bouncing a ball to the top of the table since the path is obscured by objects. There is always a lot going on, like ramps, cannons and smoke, but their design leaves a lot to be desired. It's not very clear when a ball enters a ramp, exactly where it will come out. When a smoke effect appears, it often obscures your view of the ball. %Gallery-90919%
iPhone 4.0 beta walkthrough video in English
A few days ago we posted a Polish language video walkthrough of some of the features in the iPhone OS 4.0 initial beta. Since then, Michael Sherlock put together an English language video of a number of the features present in the new beta. This video includes brief demos of: Spell Check Changing the Background image. New features in the Camera.app Making and populating Folders The Unified Mail Inbox The new Mail threading feature and the new Game Center. This video, though light on depth, will give you an idea on how these features work in practice. I know one feature that I would like to see has not yet been addressed: the ability to rename Bluetooth devices. I use three Griffin BlueTrip Bluetooth receivers at home and when looking at the Bluetooth devices in the current version of the iPhone OS, all three come up with the same name and can't be changed. I'd like the ability to rename Bluetooth devices so I can get a handle on which BlueTrip is which. It's a minor point, but one that would make life quite a bit easier for me. I'm sure that this feature getting into OS 4.0 is about as likely as my winning the lottery, but if anyone from Apple is reading this... What features did you see that were left out of OS 4.0 and would mean the world to you?
Dr. Seuss iPhone apps get supersized for the iPad
Oceanhouse Media has updated three of their popular Dr. Seuss iPhone/iPod touch apps for the iPad by updating their existing apps to universal binary. If you are already an owner of The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss's ABC, or How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (US$2.99 each), all you need do is accept the free update and presto, you'll get a version that takes full advantage of the larger iPad screen while still working exactly as before on an iPhone or iPod touch. This is a wonderful idea, and one that I'd love to see other developers follow. We briefly covered some of these apps but haven't yet done a proper review, so it's about time we did. Oceanhouse has partnered up with Dr. Seuss Enterprises LLP, and they have done a remarkable job of turning these classics into apps. They put together an engine that they can plug any Dr. Seuss book into, since the apps all work exactly the same way. I don't think this was done to make it easier on themselves, but rather to address their market of ankle-biters. If you learn one, you've learned them all, and even for small children, mastering them is easy.
Feel the heat with the Scoville app
I'm a real chili-head. You know, one of those people who chomps on Habanero peppers and buys hot sauce by the case. So I was very interested in trying out the Scoville app (US $1.99) for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad (which displays it in iPhone size or doubled mode). Wilbur Scoville devised a test for the rating the strength or pungency of chili peppers in 1912. Ever since, Scoville scores of hot peppers are commonly bandied as bragging rights when trying to convince friends just how hot you can go before your head explodes. The Scoville app gives someone like me all the ammunition he needs as well as providing an encyclopedic amount of information on chilies. The app is well laid out and easy to use. There are a number of options on the bottom of the screen. The first is a listing of chilies by Scoville units, including its picture, name and Scoville score. The Bell pepper has a score of 0, while the Naga Jolokia pepper can go as high as 1,041,427 units. Tapping on one gives you a large picture of the pepper in question as well as information on alternate names, size, growing location and just about anything else you would want to know. Of course that won't satisfy a chili-head, so the rest of the options are more specific. The next one sorts chilies alphabetically by name, with the letters of the alphabet on the right side of the screen, similar to that in the Contacts app, to make retrieval easier. Tap on the letter and you'll get to the requested first letter.