contacts
Latest
EVE dev blog details Tyrannis API additions
EVE Online has always been one of the most open and accessible MMORPGs in terms of in-game data. The new Tyrannis expansion, recently delayed a week to May 26th, will expand on the game's history of making its APIs (application programming interface) available to players and enterprising programmers. "In Tyrannis we are delivering a vastly improved contacts system and the new calendar. For these features, we will be providing a new set of APIs for you to consume in your own applications. Not only will we expose this new data to you, we have made some changes to existing APIs, and two Outpost related APIs have been added to help ease outpost management," writes CCP Stillman in an EVE dev blog entry posted earlier today. Whether the new APIs are incorporated into the the plethora of player-developed EVE tools already in existence, or they inspire the creation of entirely new programs, we can't wait to see what New Eden's residents do with the new information. You can check out all the details over at the EVE dev blog.
Rumor: Apple building Facebook into iPhone OS
Business Insider says a source has told them that Apple is working on integrating Facebook directly into the next iPhone OS. This would mean the use of Facebook Connect to bring contacts directly into the phone (which we've heard as a rumor before, and which would make sense, considering that the Android OS already does that). BI also suggests that Apple might be working on features like showing Facebook pictures of your contacts when they call or building the Facebook API into the official iPhone SDK. This would allow app creators to use Facebook information in their apps directly through the iPhone's code interface. It's all rumor and speculation at this point, so don't get (too) freaked out about Facebook's privacy problems spreading off to the iPhone just yet. However, it's true that Facebook is quickly becoming one of the Web's biggest sources of personal information, and qualms about privacy aside, Apple would do well to at least catch up to Android and start getting the hooks into the main OS.
iPhone OS 4 to integrate with Facebook
Developers have done a little more poking around with iPhone OS 4.0, and it looks like Apple is set to get much more social with the next version of the iPhone. Not only will the new OS include the new gaming network Game Center, but apparently the OS will also integrate Facebook contacts directly into apps on the phone. An options file in the system details Apple trying to include Facebook as one of the choices in the "Add Account" window (where you'd currently hook up your Gmail or Yahoo! account), and apparently Facebook contacts would then be connected into the Contacts list, with things like Events or Photos automatically synced to their own locations on the iPhone. And lest you worry (like I would) that your Contacts would suddenly be inundated with friends-of-friends or random acquaintances, it looks like Apple is ahead of you -- one of the options hints that Facebook contacts would be marked as a separate "type" of contact on the phone -- "Friends," or something like that, as opposed to business or family contacts. AppleInsider also has news of a unified contact view as well, so presumably even if the same person is listed in two different types of contacts, you could connect them up. And AI also reiterates what we've heard about iChat being on the phone, so it's possible that you could even Facebook chat from directly within a forthcoming mobile iChat app. Looks like Apple is realizing more and more the power of social connections. [via Engadget]
Find My iPad comes to MobileMe
Find My iPhone, a long-standing feature on MobileMe that allows you to remotely locate a misplaced iPhone via MobileMe's web interface, has been extended to the iPad. Find My iPad has the same features as Find My iPhone, including playing the little sonar sound effect with an onscreen message (in case your iPad falls behind the couch or something). Find My iPad also includes the same Remote Wipe feature as Find My iPhone -- so if your iPad is irretrievably lost, you can remotely vaporize all the data on it, thus ensuring that thieves don't get access to your contacts, credit card info, or embarrassing lolcat pictures in addition to your iPad. Apple notes that "The Find My iPad feature works best if your iPad includes both Wi-Fi and 3G, but it will also find your Wi-Fi-only iPad when it's connected to a wireless network." Translation: Find My iPad probably isn't going to work very well at all for the Wi-Fi-only models. It'll probably give you a very general idea of your iPad's location on Find My iPad's map, but without GPS capabilities, the Wi-Fi-only iPad will have nowhere near the specificity of the 3G-enabled iPad or iPhone. Naturally, just like Find My iPhone, Find My iPad requires a $99/year subscription to MobileMe -- though if you're already using the service for your iPhone and/or Macs, there's no extra charge for the new iPad-specific services. [Via Ars Technica]
Inhabitat's Week In Green: 3D printed veins, solar cell towers, and the Ingocar
At Inhabitat we've seen 3D printers that create entire buildings out of stone and complete meals out of simple ingredients, but this week we watched in awe as scientists used a 3D printer to create the world's first "printed" human vein. And if advances in biotech get your blood flowing, you'll be excited to hear that this week a team of researchers successfully tested a new type of nanobot that travels through the bloodstream to turn off tumor cells. Contact lenses are also getting a much needed upgrade as scientists unveiled a new type capable of fighting glaucoma and other diseases by dispensing a powerful dose of medication. In other news, solar energy is lighting up the world at large as India gears up to power all of its cellphone towers with photovoltaic cells, saving 5 million tons of CO2 and $1.4 billion annually. And speaking of silicon cells, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently unveiled its latest creation: a super robot capable of assembling an entire photovoltaic cell in 35 minutes flat. We also looked at a prototype of a prismatic solar balloon that uses a colorful new type of solar cell to soak up the sun's energy from high in the sky. Finally, this week we took an in-depth look at the Ingocar, a hydraulic hybrid drive vehicle so light and efficient that it promises a mileage of 170MPG. This next-gen vehicle uses hydraulic fluid under pressure to accelerate, brake, and eliminate the need for a heavy mechanical drive train, making it 50% lighter than hybrid electric vehicles. And if you've ever experienced the maddening anxiety of circling for a parking spot on crammed city streets, relax - there's an app for that!
Inhabitat's Week in Green: high speed rail, augmented reality, and body broadband
The Week in Green is a new item from our friends at Inhabitat, recapping the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. It was a monumental week for efficient transportation as China unveiled plans to connect its high speed rail network all the way to Europe. We were also excited to see Solar Roadways unveil the first prototype of an energy-generating road that stands to transform our freeways into power conduits. Meanwhile, one 74 year old man is going solo and blazing his own trail across the states aboard a solar powered stroller. Inhabitat also showcased several amazing feats of architecture this week. One of the world's first skyscrapers with built-in wind turbines is rising above London, while designer Enrico Dini has created a gigantic 3D printer that is able to create entire buildings out of stone. Finally, we explored all sorts of ways that people are getting wired - literally. Students at the University of Washington are working on a set of solar-powered augmented reality contact lenses that may just bring terminator vision to the masses, while Spanish scientists are working on nanochips that can be that can be implanted into human body cells to detect diseases earlier. And in case you haven't heard, "me-fi" is the new WiFi as researches have discovered a way to transmit 10mbps broadband data through a human arm.
ePrint is a nice solution to printing from your iPhone
The iPhone wasn't designed from scratch to print things, but it can be done. I've reviewed some solutions in the past, including one that required you to run a small print server on your computer, which then directs your print jobs to any local printers. There are also some apps that print photos directly to printers. I've just tried ePrint, which has some limitations, but gets the job done without any print servers. There are two versions of the app: The free version, ePrint Free [iTunes link] lets you print contacts, notes (more on that later), photo albums, and even brings up the camera so you can fire off a snapshot and print it immediately. The paid version [iTunes link], meanwhile, is U.S. $2.99 and adds the ability to print web pages as well Setting up is easy. The app will find your printers in a snap if your phone is in Wi-Fi mode, and you are running Bonjour zero configuration setup on your network. You can also elect to enter the IP addresses of your printers as well. If your printer is color, and you send color images, you'll get them in color. There are a few catches, however. To print a web page you either have to enter a URL for it in ePrint, or set a preference to bring up the last web page viewed. When you go to print notes in either app, it doesn't mean from your Notes app. ePrint can only print from the ePrint Notes app, although you can still copy and paste any text into it and print away. That's how I test-printed an email, because Apple doesn't allow any way to print an email or anything else directly. After doing a 'select all' on an email, I copied and pasted it into the ePrint Notes app, and it worked just fine.
Apple gets one-upped on homescreen contact patent
Quite a few people have been asking me what app it was that I used in that post the other day about the rumored new iPhone. Unfortunately, it wasn't an app (although the jailbreak apps LockInfo and Intelliscreen offer similar features) -- it was one concept among many that have been suggested for a potential new homescreen on the iPhone's next OS revision. There have been a lot of great ideas bouncing around for the kinds of information Apple could put on a completely revamped iPhone homescreen: an easier-to-read clock, a list of received push notifications, easy access to contacts and/or email, and more. It seems as though Apple is experimenting with some of those things as well: the company recently filed a patent for including a contact, with picture, on the iPhone's home screen as an icon. Rather than navigate through the system to find your aunt that you call all the time, you could save auntie's picture on the home screen, and then hit one icon to call her up. Unfortunately for Apple, as Engadget points out, the Android OS actually lets you do this already, so the chances of their getting this patent approved are low. But it does tell us that Apple is at least thinking about how they could make the homescreen a little more useful. They may still be tied to the icon scheme, but at least they're looking at adding a little more functionality.
Researchers receive grant to develop color-changing contacts for diabetics
Contact lenses that act as a glucose monitoring system for diabetics aren't exactly a new idea, but it looks like a group of researchers from the University of Western Ontario might be a bit closer to making them a reality, as they've now received a $200,000+ grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to further develop the technology. The secret to their contacts are some "extremely small" nanoparticles that are embedded in the hydrogel lenses which, like some similar systems (such as those pictured at right), react to the glucose molecules in tears and cause a chemical reaction that changes the color of the lenses -- thereby informing the wearer when their blood sugar is too low or too high. What's more, the reseachers say the same basic idea could also have a wide range of other applications beyond glucose monitoring -- for instance, being used in food packaging to indicate if the food is spoiled or contaminated. [Thanks, Yuka]
Mac 101: Two things I love about Address Book
More Mac 101, tips and tricks for novice Mac users. It's so easy to take Address Book for granted, and yet that simple utility has two absolutely killer features: big phone numbers and simple envelope printing. These features do exactly what their descriptions suggest: display phone numbers in Very, Large, Type -- and print envelopes, complete with your personal return address. To zoom a phone number, control-click or right-click the number you want to see and choose Large Type from the contextual pop-up. Address Book zooms that number way out, allowing you to see it while dialing, even if you're not standing right next to the computer. I find that it's a lot easier just to show the number to my husband than try to read it out to him. Your spousal success rate may vary. To print a properly formatted envelope, just insert a standard envelope into your printer. Make sure the address side (and not the flap side) faces the toner cartridge. For me, that is flap side down. My printer, which is pretty darn standard, has an envelope feeding clamp in the single sheet feed. I pop open the single sheet access, adjust the clamp inward to match the envelop size and feed in the envelop flap side down. In Address Book all I need to do is select a contact and print it. (File > Print). Make sure you've chosen Envelopes from the Style (it's my default), and that Print my address is selected so the return address is properly added to the envelope. If you're using an envelope that's not a standard business layout, choose the proper layout. Address Book supports most common envelope styles used in North America, Japan, and "International." Address Book can also print out mailing labels, lists, and a pocket address book. See the Style pop-up for details. For the free contact manager that comes with the OS, it's got moxie.
First Look: WhatsApp
There's a lot of buzz about iPhone IM clients.Other applications have gotten a lot of coverage for allowing iPhones to chat from their AOL, Google, ICQ, Jabber or a host of other screen names. WhatsApp [iTunes Link] is different, calling itself an "iPhone-to-iPhone chat application" that provides direct messaging between iPhones. The application features push notifications and provides functionality similar to SMS. So why bother trying it? The app makes it easy to chat with other iPhones with no need for screen names, logging in and out or the added cost of text messaging and cellular charges. It's a lot like an iPhone version of Blackberry's popular messaging service. You'll also quickly and easily be able to point out which of your contacts have WhatsApp installed. Even if you're offline, your messages will be saved until you're back online. Other cool features include the ability to "Broadcast" or send a message to multiple users, emailing of your chat history and sound and visual badges to show your unread message count. Users can also see when their friends are typing as well as the last time they checked their messages. WhatsApp is free "for a limited time" so head on over to the App Store and grab it. Here's a few shots of the app in action: %Gallery-78242%
T-Mobile posts Sidekick contact recovery instructions
That Microsoft / T-Mobile tag team has been doing a pretty decent job of cleaning up the disaster area left by the Sidekick data loss, and now the first item on the recovery menu is ready for collection. Sidekick users can hit up the My T-Mobile webpage to download their contacts and then restore them either to their Sidekick or whatever device they've replaced it with. Extensive how-to instructions are available at the read link, which also furnishes us with the reassurance that "Microsoft/Danger continues its efforts to recover pictures, calendar entries and to-do lists, which may be available in the future."[Thanks, Abe G.]
EVE social network COSMOS roadmap revealed, some features delayed
COSMOS is the social network for EVE Online slated to arrive with this winter's Dominion expansion, which CCP Games describes as "EVE away from EVE". Ultimately, it's a way to extend the game experience into new platforms such as web and mobile, along with voice integration -- but this is the long-term plan. In the short term, they've announced a delay with rolling out some of the previously mentioned features when Dominion launches. The initial release will focus on the new in-game mail system being tied into COSMOS and laying the groundwork for other features to come in early 2010. EVE Online developer CCP Caedmon explained the reasons behind this delay: "We think that this delay for the web application is the right move because we have always had our sights set on the long game for COSMOS. The first release, while crammed with good stuff, was always intended to lay the basis for the ground-breaking innovations to come. Rushing COSMOS out with less polish didn't make sense in this context, we want to impress from day one."
TUAW Tip: Smart Groups in Address Book
Let's face it, contact management is a pain. Address Book in OS X is a good tool, but one often overlooked feature is the "Smart Group" -- a way of quickly organizing your contacts together. If you're familiar with Smart Playlists in iTunes, it's the same but with contact info. To start a Smart Group, go to File > New Smart Group. A dialog will drop down in Address Book for you to start entering criteria for filtering. For example, you could create a group of everyone whose birthday you have in your contacts by choosing the item Birthday from the first drop-down menu item, then adding the menu item "is set." Note that you can't create a list of people with birthdays in June, which is a bummer. But the Smart Groups have a variety of ways to filter, some more useful than others and several are dependent on the data (dates vs. text, for example). To delete a group you'll have to make a trip to the menus, as no amount of right-clicking or key pressing will do it. Delete is in the Edit menu, under Delete Group. One more thing: the notes field in Address Book extends the power of Smart Groups just a bit. After returning from WWDC I added the business cards of people I met and added the note "wwdc" to each one. I then made a Smart Group where the Note contains 'wwdc' and now I've got an easy way to see the group of people I met at WWDC. Think of the Notes field as a loose tag field, if you like. I've also set up my Address Book to add family members based on a list of surnames, but that may only work if you have an oddball last name like mine!
Palm Pre User Guide: the highlights, so far
When word that Sprint Gurus had gotten hold of the Palm Pre User Guide came across our desks yesterday, we couldn't wait to get our eyes all over it... and then we saw that it was almost as long as Infinite Jest. Okay, we kid, it's not as bad as all that -- just 344 pages of heretofore unseen glorious tidbits. So here's what we've culled thus far: first, the Pre's main musical squeeze, Amazon MP3, will queue your music downloads when on the 3G network for later download when the device is on a WiFi network -- which is sure to cause annoyance and dismay the whole world over (and by "world" we mean the Pre's world, which is US only). There is however, plenty of good news: the Pre will, in fact have IMAP IDLE (AKA Push) Gmail capabilities, meaning that you'll get your spam nearly the moment it hits Gmail's servers. Finally, the previously spied Reminder field in the Pre's Contacts has been found out, and it's a really awesome feature allowing you to make a note and attach it to a particular contact, so that the next time you are in contact with that person, the reminder will pop up and... remind you. For anyone suffering mild memory loss (like us) little touches like this are sure to make the Pre a more attractive proposition. Hit the read link for the full manual, and let us know what you find. Warning: the user's manual is a PDF, and has an insanely huge Sprint Gurus watermark across every blasted page. [Via Pre Central, My Pre]
Googaby brings hard fought freedom to your Google contacts
Friends! Gmail users! Countrymen! Lend me your ears! For too long our Google contacts have slaved away under their Gmail masters, confined to the tyranny of the browser, and chained to their own accounts. For too long, we have stood idly by while our contacts toil away in slavery, constantly having to copy-and-paste (or worse, retype) if they must be moved anywhere (unless you have an iPhone and can leverage the built-in contact sync from Address Book).But our savior, at long last, is here! Googaby is an app that will liberate your Google contacts, pull them out of the oppression of however many Gmail accounts you have, and let you drag and drop them off between accounts and onto spreadsheets and other external sources. It'll also backup your contacts, and you can even drag and drop contact pictures -- no more must we undergo the deadly toil of updating contacts by hand! No more must we suffer the toils of servitude!The price of freedom? Only $24.95, and that includes the already-spilt blood of your contact brethren. If you spend an inordinate amount of time challenging the filthy, greedy overlords of your Gmail accounts, who refuse to let you share or edit your contacts easily, now is the time to rise up! Now is the time for a revolution! Freedom for us all!Thanks Laurie
Verizon bridging address books across mobile, landline, and FiOS
There's surprisingly little synchronicity amongst Verizon's diverse service offerings, of which Verizon Wireless is just a part -- you've also got landline telephones, internet, and television in the mix. The Hub is a small step toward bridging those services (though ironically, the device is offered solely through Wireless, not the landline division), and another step is coming courtesy of FusionOne, which is partnering with Big Red to deliver unified contact synchronization across all of Verizon's services later this year. With cloud services more real than ever before and heavyweights like Google clearly looking to be at the forefront, Verizon's effort seems almost quaint in comparison -- but for folks who subscribe to a number of the company's services and want a dead-simple contact management solution without having to venture outside the Verizon ecosystem, this just might be the answer. FusionOne has previously partnered with Verizon Wireless to deliver Backup Assistant, so the new service really seems like it'll be little more than an extension of that; alas, no word on pricing or availability yet.
Google Sync debuts for iPhone, Windows Mobile and SyncML devices
Google just announced a new service for pushing Gmail contacts and Google Calendar updates to mobile devices. For iPhone and Windows Mobile devices Google is using Exchange ActiveSync with some limitations due to the beta nature of the service, but it'll also work on many other devices that support SyncML (a vendor list is here). Google Sync works automatically, and replaces all existing contact and calendar information on the device, so sync-er beware -- we wouldn't let Google get close to our contacts without some serious preflight cleanup and maintenance. Google Apps users can enable the service per domain. There's an explanatory video after the break.
Macworld 2009: Pinger Phone
I had a quick chat with the folks from Pinger Phone while we were at Macworld 2009. I hadn't heard of it previously, and it turned out to be exactly what I needed to bring together my various forms of communication. It's an iPhone/iPod touch app that provides a contact list combining email, phone, SMS and IM info for all of your contacts. One of the neatest features of the app is its ability to handle text-to-IM chats, which I find useful because I have terrible AT&T coverage around my house; it lets me carry on a text-message conversation using just my wi-fi connection. Pinger Phone lets you stay online with various IM services, and can notify you of incoming messages as long as the app is open. It also supports (requires, actually) horizontal keyboard mode in text and IM chats, and interfaces well with the phone and email capabilities of the iPhone. The "Contacts" view allows for as-you-type searching of your consolidated contact list (very speedy). iPod touch users can enter any mobile phone number to be notified of incoming messages from a text-to-IM chat. Read on to see the video from Macworld, and check the support page for more info. If it sounds like something you've been looking for, you can grab it for FREE in the App Store.
Nokia Chat bows out as Contacts on Ovi steps in
Nah, there was no inauguration ceremony for the departure of Nokia Chat and the swearing in of Contacts on Ovi, but there was a blog post penned by a Beta Labs staff member. For those totally into Nokia Chat, you may have noticed a dearth of updates over the past few months. Needless to say, that time was being spent honing the future release of Contacts for Ovi, a natural replacement and one that's fully compatible with S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 / Series 40 handsets. Backwards compatibility with existing Nokia Chat clients was included, and you're being summoned by Nokia to give this app a shot and report back with your opinions. So, you down or what?
