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iPhone Dev Team's MuscleNerd shows off VNC on iPhone OS 4 beta, hints at jailbreak
We can't get a straight answer on the exact jailbroken status of iPhone OS 4, but MuscleNerd of the iPhone Dev Team (and recent iPad hacking fame) is sure hinting heavily. He's got Veency (a VNC server) and Cydia running on iPhone OS 4 on video, something he claims "you'll only find on JB 4.0." Of course, he also has the dev tools at his disposal and all the bugs and loopholes of an early beta, so we can't be exactly sure what's going on. There's also not much point to releasing an OS 4 beta jailbreak to the public, and MuscleNerd himself recommends not bothering with the betas, as they're "very buggy." Still, it's fun to see these tools alive and well on the newfangled multitasking OS. Check out the video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPad apps: defining experiences from the first wave
There are now over 1,348 approved apps for the iPad. That's on top of the 150,000 iPad-compatible iPhone programs already available in the App Store. When Apple's tablet PC launches, just hours from now, it will have a software library greater than that of any handheld in history -- not counting the occasional UMPC. That said, the vast majority of even those 1,348 iPad apps are not original. They were designed for the iPhone, a device with a comparatively pokey processor and a tiny screen, and most have just been tweaked slightly, upped in price and given an "HD" suffix -- as if that somehow justified the increased cost. Besides, we've seen the amazing potential programs have on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and webOS when given access to a touchscreen, always-on data connection, GPS, cloud storage and WiFi -- but where are the apps that truly define iPad? What will take advantage of its extra headroom, new UI paradigms and multitouch real estate? Caught between netbook and smartphone, what does the iPad do that the iPhone cannot? After spending hours digging through the web and new iPad section of the App Store, we believe we have a number of reasonably compelling answers. Update: Now includes Wormhole Remote, TweetDeck, SkyGrid, Touchgrind HD, GoToMeeting, SplitBrowser, iDisplay, Geometry Wars and Drawing Pad.
Ask TUAW: DVD Sharing on an iMac, menubar calendar, network scanning, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we have questions about using DVD Sharing on an iMac (instead of a MacBook Air), ignoring Software Updates, getting a drop-down calendar in the menubar, seeing Wi-Fi network channels, using iChat with other services, and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume that you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.
Hospitals eye the iPad for low-cost paperless records
Unless you have absolutely no imagination, you've probably noticed the resemblance of the iPad to one of those cheap little clipboards that your friendly neighborhood doctor carries around on rounds. Apple is rumored to be making its own rounds of hospitals marketing the new über-iPod touch, having visited a hospital in LA in the recent weeks. What's so great about tablets for health care? When connected to a Wi-Fi network, they're perfect for looking up medical information or working patient charts while on the move. The iPad in particular would be perfect, having no keyboard to disinfect or lid hinges to break. In addition, the most expensive Wi-Fi iPad is priced at just US$699, while many traditional Windows Tablet PCs used in health care start in the neighborhood of $2,000. Of course, it all depends on the software. We recently received a question from a reader who just happens to be a doctor, asking if he could use an iPad with his existing Windows-based medical record keeping system. The answer was simple; yes, since there are already many VNC and RDP apps available for the iPad that can be used to control a remote PC (examples are Jaadu VNC [iTunes Link] and iTap RDP Client [iTunes Link]. While neither of these vendors has 'fessed up to working on an iPad-specific version of their app, it's only a matter of time. For medical practices using the Mac OS X-based MacPractice system, the company has announced MacPractice Interface for iPad, MacPractice Kiosk for iPad, Dental Chart for iPad, and an iPad-based EMR/EHR app. With a little luck and a big marketing push from Apple, the iPad may make it into hospitals and medical offices around the world. [via MacNN] Update: The author apologizes to all who were offended by the previous image that accompanied this post. Also, please note that the image above is an artists conception and does not indicate that an iPad or any other unsterilized electronic instrument would be used in a hospital environment.
VNC on the Palm Pre lets you look at your desktop from afar, but not touch it
It didn't take long for the iPhone's release for it to get a VNC client enabling remote desktop access. No surprise, then, that it's taken even less time for Palm's Pre to get similar functionality -- well, the beginnings of similar functionality, anyway. As the thrilling video after the break proves, it's possible to get today's hottest smartphone to connect to a VNC server, but rather sadly keyboard and mouse support aren't there yet. So, while you can watch all those wonderful command prompts and other windows majestically move across the screen, you can't touch a single one. Surely that'll be fixed soon, but will it be soon enough?
X11 on G1 hack is for those who like a little extra OS in their OS
Android may be doing its best to exterminate Linux on the mobile platform, but a dedicated group of fans is doing its best to keep it alive and on the move. One of those is a G1 user by the handle ghostwalker who managed to get a full X-Windows environment running on his handset. Building on the already working Debian version for the G1, he installs LXDE (the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) on top and then connects to that using the Android VNC viewer. The process sounds straightforward (as far as these things go) and is fully detailed at the read link, but as always don't blame us if you break your poor Android's shell -- and heart.[Via Hack A Day, thanks Neerhaj]
Veency: VNC Server for iPhone
We recently got a tip over to this It's Just Poison post about Veency for jailbroken iPhones from Jay "Saurik" Freeman, the author and maintainer of Cydia. Veency provides a VNC remote desktop server for your iPhone, allowing you to connect to the shared screen of your handheld from any VNC client (Apple Remote Desktop, Chicken of the VNC, and more). I downloaded a copy to my iPhone, rebooted and gave it a whirl to see how well it worked using Chicken of the VNC on my Mac. From first go, it did what it promised: offering tap-interpretation of my Mac-based mouse clicks as iPhone-sourced finger taps. The current mouse position on the Mac was echoed as a small "x" on the iPhone, so I could always see where the virtual finger was.
First Look: Teleport, new VNC client for the iPhone
Jugaari's iPhone debut, Teleport (iTunes link), is a new VNC client for mobile remote control of a Mac or PC (not the super-awesome pseudo-KVM app). It's a $24.99 investment, and I don't know many people who are going to dish out twenty five clams for an iPhone utility, but I know plenty who are curious about it and frustrated about the App Store's lack of any "try before you buy" mechanism. Here's a "look before you buy," either to help you make a decision or just to satisfy a curiosity. Teleport is naturally subject to all the things that are intrinsically annoying about any VNC connection, which are then compounded by a (relatively) small screen and less-than-ideal network speeds; it's not the ideal way to access a remote machine. The options allow you to set the speed of the refresh rate, but "fast" is slow, even on a local wireless network. Those annoyances are obstacles to be overcome, though, and I think that Teleport makes a valiant effort to provide a usable interface in light of these hurdles. Check out the gallery for a mini-tour, and see the rest of this post for more impressions of Teleport. %Gallery-28814%
First Look: Mocha VNC Lite
Mocha VNC Lite allows your iPhone or iPod touch to connect to your Mac or PC via VNC. For those of you who don't know, VNC is a protocol that allows you to screenshare/control other computers via a VNC client (which is what Mocha VNC Lite is). It is amazing to see this working right on my iPhone. I remember back when I used a Palm device to do this sort of thing and it was very kludgy, but this seems to work rather smoothly. When you are connected to the computer via VNC, you are able to control pretty much everything on the screen, with the exception of special keys (i.e. command, option, F keys, etc.). You can, however, "pinch" the iPhone's screen to zoom in or out the viewing area. Now for the gripes. Mocha VNC Lite uses left-clicks on the screen (which can be quite annoying after a few minutes use). You are also unable to change the refresh rate (however, if you click the "+" button, you're given a "refresh option.") Mocha VNC also offers a paid version which gives you more useful features like extra PC keys, cursor keys, text macros, and a right mouse key. However, the lite version will give most users everything they need for casual VNC management. You can download Mocha VNC Lite from the App Store for free. At the time of this writing the paid version has not yet been placed on the App Store. Feel free to look at our gallery of screenshots before you download.%Gallery-28170%
ZDNet: 'iPhone running Windows XP'? Fail
Citrix is developing a "thin client" iPhone app that allows users to connect to networked workstations via WiFi, and control their desktops. Basically, it's like VNC or Microsoft's Remote Desktop client. This isn't huge news, I understand, but after seeing ZDNet Australia's headline, I was thinking something completely different. On stage, Citrix reps showed the iPhone connecting to (and controlling) a Windows desktop, which ZDNet took to mean that someone actually installed Windows XP on an iPhone. Yeah, no. The demo was part of a presentation titled Directions in Virtualisation & Application Delivery in the Dynamic Datacentre.
Touchpad turns your iPhone into a remote trackpad
Just when you think you've seen the iPhone perform its last magic trick (making you eggs benedict, solving the inverse Galois problem, a brief appearance on Dancing With the Stars) something like this comes along to make your jaw drop just a little bit more. Touchpad for the iPhone is built on top of VNsea, but instead of allowing you to navigate your desktop on the device, it becomes what is essentially a wireless, remote trackpad, which gives you direct access to your system as if you were using a mouse or touch device for input. It sounds interesting in description, but looks amazing in execution -- check the video after the break to see what it does, then go get the app loaded up and try it yourself.
StreamMyGame streams PC games to your PS3
The battle lines between PC and console gamers just got a little blurrier -- a new app called StreamMyGame allows any Windows or Linux box (including the PS3) to stream Windows games over your LAN. It's not the most complicated tech in the world -- it sure sounds like optimized VNC to us -- but the PS3 compatibility is certainly interesting, in a complicated, installing Linux sort of way. Downloads appear to be free right now, and pretty much any game is compatible -- but we can't help but wonder why you wouldn't just play at your gaming PC in the first place.[Via DigitalSpy]
Seven cool features of Leopard that might get stubborn friends to upgrade
There are dozens of little niceties in Leopard: like how Front Row now lives on my iBook (sans remote) and allows me to operate the thing as a sort of thin-client media jukebox (courtesy a Mac mini server). Or how Font Book now prints books of your fonts (especially nice for those non-techies). With the 300+ new features, I still have yet to fully explore this thing, but I'm certainly starting to believe this is the Mac OS Apple really wanted to deliver a few years back. There's no doubt in my mind this is a big turning point for the platform, and I really believe user adoption in 2008 will be unprecedented as a result.Following is a list of features and specific "cool things" I think you can point out if you are trying to explain to a friend why they should upgrade. For the record, I installed Leopard on a 1.24 GHz iBook G4, and it runs beautifully, which in itself is a selling point.1. Finally, a Record button for your actions Automator now has a UI recorder. Anyone who remembers the good old days of macro recorders before OS 8 will look at this and sigh, but I, for one, welcome my new robot overlord. Automator is finally useful for mortals with UI recording. Oh sure, it isn't perfect, but it really beats trying to explain just the concept of Automator to the average human. Never mind the metaphors and the workflow within Automator itself -- eyes will glaze over. UI recording is absolute heaven when you do a lot of drudge work, like contracts, filling, prepping photos, etc.2. Mail gets GTD fever If power users turn up their noses at Stationary in Mail, point out how they can now put their notes, to-do's and RSS into Mail. I haven't really set all this up as I'd like yet (the iBook isn't my primary work machine), but my unfettered hatred of Mail.app is somewhat lessened now by the fact that it is starting to behave like a "real" email client. The notes and to-do's are icing on the cake, but also very important if you like to get things done and stay organized. A few smart folders and you have a truly powerful system. Still, it is disappointing to see Apple take half a decade to figure out the whole "archive mailbox" thing, but pobody's nerfect I guess.3. Web clipping makes Dashboard relevant again My wife quit using Dashboard long ago. It simply served no purpose for her. But web clipping, baked right in to Safari? That had her mildly interested. Tracking the top 3 Twitters, or whatever the top story on Perez or TMZ happens to be with a keystroke is a selling point for folks who aren't using RSS. The only downside is that you need a pretty big screen if you want more than a couple of pages to appear.4. Shared drives finally "just work" and Shared Screens work with other OS'esGranted, there have been issues with networking in Leopard, but seeing shared Macs in my sidebar? That's pretty sweet. In previous versions of OS X you had to click on Network, now it just shows up. Is a few clicks a big deal? Well, for the average user, yes, this is a big deal. The average user doesn't like to explore. They can be timid, and frankly, don't necessarily know (or care) what the Network thing even is. Displaying networked components directly in Finder will greatly increase the probability that users will at least see everything. It has already saved me time when trying to reconnect and move things around my home LAN. For me, the real fun was seeing how VNC "just worked" when I was able to access my Mac mini (which was already running as a VNC server) via Screen Sharing. Even though the mini runs Tiger, and despite a slightly wonky connection, overall it was super easy to set-up. Think about it another way: average users don't want to run a third-party application like Chicken of the VNC. Average users don't necessarily trust those apps (thank you, Bonzi Buddy) and it is a lot easier to remotely control a machine if the functionality is built into the OS. Oh, and did I mention you can share screens with Linux? I finally have a use for that old Dell laptop and my Ubuntu CD!
Use Back to My Mac without .Mac
As far as "Back to My Mac" is concerned, Apple presents it as a .Mac-only enhancement. Melvin Rivera pointed us to his blog post showing how to use Back to My Mac with iChat. This technique isn't for the faint of heart. It involves editing system preferences, modifying AppleScript, and causing your computer to always stay awake. Other than that, it's a great way to get around the Back to My Mac limitations and use your computer remotely.
Ask TUAW: reading Mac files from Windows, printing posters, VNC and more
This week on Ask TUAW we cover questions about reading the Mac partition while running Windows in Boot Camp, remote management, printing posters, AGP video cards for G5s, problems with Flash and more!As always, leave your questions for next week in the comments.
Modified VNC software enables remote access on iPhone
Granted, Telekinesis is fine and all if you're dealing with a Mac at home, but for those trying to get a little remote access to their PCs through the iPhone, this solution ought to do the trick. Natetrue -- who was apparently frustrated by the mobile's inability to talk to his Wintel remotely from day one -- has taken the TightVNC client and apparently modified the application to play fairly nicely with Apple's handset. More specifically, you can use the iPhone's zooming and panning capabilities to move around your desktop, and all the clicking, typing, and drag 'n drop actions you'd expect from such a program are all being reported as fully functional. Best of all, all the code and insight you need are available gratis, so be sure and hit the read link to get your download on. Oh, and do share how things work out, wouldya?[Via The Boy Genius Report]
Easy remote tech support
In the comments to our recent post on Switching Mom to Mac, reader Hervé Sainct pointed us to this hint on macOSXhints on making remote tech support as easy as possible for the recipient. Basically it centers on a neat little program Schnitz Remote, which is basically a graphical wrapper around the open-source VNC server Vine. To use Schnitz Remote you need to get it installed on the remote machine, and then start up the VNC client Chicken of the VNC and set it to listen on your machine. The person requesting help just needs to type your IP (or domain) into the window on Schnitz Remote and it'll automatically connect to your listening CotVN and allow you to take over their computer. The hint on macOSXhints takes this to the next level by using an AppleScript to fill in the IP, so the remote user doesn't have to do anything but double-click an email attachment. If you regularly have to do remote tech support for less tech savvy relatives, some of these suggestions may be helpful.
Ask TUAW: Bluetooth, 5.1 Audio, VNC, Adium with QS, and more
This week's Ask TUAW takes us into questions about Bluetooth File Exchange, 5.1 audio, VNC, getting Adium and Quicksilver working together, EVDO, automated file management based on label color, and more. As always, please leave your own comments, and ask more questions for next week either in the comments to this post or using the tip form. Now let's get to it
Switching Mom to Mac
Robert Movin over at TidBITS has a nice little article that I expect many of us can identify with. After years of being tech support for his mother (and other family members), he got fed up trying to remotely support her aging PC and decided to take the plunge and get her a Mac. He describes the how he set it up for her, including using VNC to allow him to remotely control it (I'm not sure why he installed OSXvnc when OS X has a built in VNC server, however). He also discusses some security issues like using VNC over SSH, and how to deal with her dynamic IP address.So what are your experiences with setting up Macs for less tech savvy family members? Have you found any particularly good tools or techniques?
Apple TV hacks coming fast and furious: VLC, SSH, VNC, Apache and more
The Apple TV hacks are coming fast and furious as recorded on both the Something Awful thread we already told you about, and at the Apple TV Hacks blog. Over at Something Awful, user macado shows the Apple TV successfully decoding a 720p XviD clip using the open source VLC player (though only for 6 minutes). Other users have demonstrated Firefox and iTunes running on an Apple TV as well. Meanwhile at Apple TV Hacks, there are already tutorials up on getting SSH and AFP access and even setting up Remote Desktop (VNC) and Apache.In short, the Apple TV has been busted wide open and is well on its way to being hacked into a general purpose (if rather underpowered) mini Mac mini (Mac nano, perhaps?), running OS X 10.4.7 as you can see above. For those of you with a hankering to break your warranties, it looks like the Apple TV is eminently hackable and has a lot of potential.[Via Apple TV Hacks]Update: the 6 minute thing has to do with the fact that the Apple TV automatically resets after 6 minutes (see the comments below).
