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RIM converts BMW's iDrive into 'a remote control for your BlackBerry' (video)
If there's one thing business types love more than their BlackBerry, it's their BMW -- or so we're told. It makes all sorts of sense, therefore, that the two companies would partner up to help the things they sell communicate with each other more effortlessly. Using Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile), BlackBerry devices can now beam emails and contacts over to BMW's iDrive dash system, where the driver can listen to his messages via a text-to-speech option or make calls using the car's speakerphone. The first supported handset is the newly minted Pearl 3G, and we're told this functionality will come as an integrated part of BlackBerry 6. To see how it works on a 335is, click past the break for the video. [Thanks, Horatiu]
Dashboard iPad app rejected by Apple, made open source instead
So you spend hours and hours toiling away on an app that adds some much-needed Dashboard-like functionality to the iPad (sort of, more on that later) only to have it rejected by Apple -- what do you do? If you're Hongrich, developer of the slightly problematically-named "Dashboard" app, you make it open source. Of course, you'll have to be a developer yourself to actually try out the app, and it's not exactly the full-fledged Dashboard that many have been hoping for, but rather a standalone app that simply lets you run and arrange widgets however you like. Still, it's definitely a start. Head on past the break for a demo video, and hit up the source link to download it yourself.
Four widgets for learning
While the app store ecosystem for the iPhone, and now iPad, are filled with a host of useful apps to help students convert, translate and calculate figures and words, there may be times where an iPhone or iPad app just don't fit into your workflow. Back when Mac OS X Tiger was launched, which happened to be back when we all had to walk through 10 miles of snow to get to school, came the advent of Dashboard. In addition to the bundled widgets provided by Apple, one can access a robust library of widgets provided by third parties. Here are four useful Dashboard widgets for learning.
iPad gets fitted into car dashboard, makes you an instant carpooling superstar (video)
Let's face it, the Toyota Tacoma has a long way to go before being considered glamorous, or even remotely cool, but jacking an iPad into its console might be a good start. That's what the good people of SoundMan Car Audio over in California have done with a little bit of elbow grease and knowhow, and we've got video of how it all came together after the break. They've yet to wire it up to the Audison Bit One sound processor and McIntosh MMC406M 6-channel amp that are intended to receive the iPad's audio goodies, but the important stuff of fitting and molding the dash to its new 9.7-inch centerpiece is all done. Alright, so the glossy black screen and the demure grey plastic don't exactly sing in harmony, but surely the funky aesthetics can be forgiven for the sake of accessing all your media on the move. Right, dawg?
iPad app previews aplenty all across the Web
We're seeing tons and tons of news about iPad apps dropping now, and we're still a few days away from launch. In addition to our own coverage, here's a bunch of the other previews we've seen popping up around the community: This iVerse Comics app looks excellent, and it's one of the first universal binaries we've seen -- one purchase will get you the app on both your iPhone and your iPad. In-app purchase content will cross over as well. Flickr won't have an official app yet (as far as we know), but Flickr Photos will let you browse through Flickr on the iPad right away. Sonasaurus Rex is a looping/music app that will be available on day one. iTap will have a VNC client available for the iPad right away. Of course, no iPad will be complete with out the Star Trek-inspired IPADD app. The iPhone music app RJDJ is releasing both an iPad app and a Mac app to complement its handheld version. DashApp is designed to bring just a little bit of web multitasking to Apple's less-than-multitasking friendly device. Design Brief will help you collect information about new design clients (if you happen to be a designer, or just want random information about people) by using the iPad onsite. Dashboard App recreates Apple's Dashboard unofficially on the iPad. Globetrotters looks like a fun bit of party gaming. Can you imagine something like this becoming a killer app? Talk about revolutionary. We've seen private previews of the Box.net and Bento apps for iPad, and should be showing more in the next few days. And finally, even though I believe we'd heard about it before, Harbor Master for the iPad is officially confirmed as well. See what I mean? That's a lot of apps! Stay tuned -- we've also got our own exclusive coverage coming up over the next few days, but we'll continue to update you on what we see showing up out there in iPad-land.
Dashboard for iPad concept app
TechCrunch found this sweet app by Carnegie Mellon student Rich Hong that puts Dashboard on your iPad. As you can see from the video above, it appears Hong has successfully ported Mac OS X's Dashboard directly to the iPad, though it is missing some of the iPhone's built-in apps like Calculator, Stocks, and Weather. Many speculated that, without a complete overhaul, these limited-functionality apps would look ridiculous on the iPad's large screen. Hong's solution gives those apps back to the iPad. It is not known yet if Hong's Dashboard iPad app will appear in the iPad App Store, but I think it's fairly doubtful considering it mimics Apple software to a T. Still, it's a cool implementation and goes a long way to showing just what is possible on the iPad.
Three ways to disable Expose and Dashboard
A friend wrote to ask: Is there a way to turn off Expose without opening System Preferences, clicking on each drop-down menu and selecting the -- option? Because sometimes I just don't need it. Or it confuses my Mother. Or my advisor. To be clear, she knows that she could go to System Preferences > Exposé & Spaces, then click on the Exposé tab, and change the keyboard shortcut for All Windows, Application windows, Show Desktop for Exposé, and Hide and show to -- but that's a whole lot of clicks, and isn't very convenient. You could also go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts and uncheck the boxes, which is also inconvenient. First I'm going to answer the question that you asked, and then I'm going to give you a few other suggestions. The answer is yes, and Apple seemed to know this was something people would want to do. They provide two tips to disable the Dashboard and disable Exposé. Go to /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app and enter these three lines: defaults write com.apple.dock mcx-expose-disabled -bool true defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES killall Dock Do that before you hand your computer off and your friends, relatives, and advisors will be incrementally less likely to be confused by your computer. There's only one thing wrong with this plan: it doesn't seem to work for Application Windows. I tested this on my regular account and the OS X Guest account, and the above commands successfully nullified F9 (All Windows), F11 (Show Desktop), and F12 (Dashboard), but F10 (Application Windows) still worked, even after issuing these commands. I have no explanation for this other than assuming it is a bug in OS X 10.6.2. Once you get your computer back again, paste these three lines into Terminal to undo the changes: defaults write com.apple.dock mcx-expose-disabled -bool false defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO killall Dock Ok, I've answered the question you asked, right? Now I'm going to give you two other suggestion, no extra charge. Alternative #1: System Preferences > Exposé & Spaces, then click on the Exposé, and then change the keyboard shortcuts to require that the command key (that's the key with the ⌘ on it) be held down before in order to trigger the F9-F12 shortcuts. You can do this by clicking-and-holding the dropdown for each key, and then pressing the command key. You will see the ⌘ logo appear. It's much less likely that whoever borrows your computer will accidentally invoke Exposé or Dashboard if it requires two keyboard shortcuts. The trade-off is that you have to retrain yourself to use them as well. This probably won't take as long as you suspect. Alternative #2: If you don't want to worry about Terminal commands or relearning any keyboard commands, take my advice and go for this option: create another account. Now I know someone is going to say "But OS X already has a Guest Account! I'll just use that!" The problem with the Guest account is that its preferences are deleted every time you logout. I'm going to suggest a "Friend" account instead. It's simple, and you'll thank me later. Go to System Preferences > Accounts. Click the lock icon at the bottom left. Type in your password. Click the "+" button. A new panel will open up asking you to create a new account. Change "Standard" to "Managed with Parental Controls" from the dropdown. Name the account "Friend" and give it a simple password (or none at all). When you have finished creating the account, make sure that "Allow user to administer this computer" is not checked. Then click the "Open Parental Controls" and check the box next to "Only allow selected applications" and then uncheck everything except iWork, Safari, iChat (maybe), and just about nothing else. Ok, maybe QuickTime Player. Now there is another key step: login to the "Friend" account. You will find some applications which automatically want to run and you will be given the option to authorize them once, or for every time. Use the account for an hour or two, and authorize all the apps that you find you need for web browsing and basic word processing, which is what most guests will need to do. You could make a regular standard account and not disable any applications. If the above steps sound too restrictive, just make a standard account. That will protect you from them doing too much damage. Once you have an account setup, log into it and make sure the applications that someone is likely to want are on the Dock (Safari, iWork, etc). Go into the preference settings and disable the keyboard shortcuts for Exposé and Dashboard.
Xbox 360 USB data storage announced, coming April 6
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/26/xbox-360-usb-support-announced-coming-april-6/'; Look at Major Nelson, dropping the scoop about USB drive support being added to the Xbox 360 like it's news to you. It's adorable. Okay, okay, so he did have some new information -- like a launch date. April 6 -- but otherwise things seem to be exactly as we laid them out a week ago: You'll be able to use up to 16GB of two separate USB-based storage devices for a total of 32GB of extra storage. He also offered some new screens! Experience the face-melting user interface excitement of right here.
Standalone Xbox 250GB HDD confirmed by Dashboard [update]
While Microsoft may have stated up, down and sidesaddle that the 250GB version of its Xbox 360 HDD would remain exclusive to special console bundles (e.g., Modern Warfare 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction), it would appear that the particular drive will arrive as a standalone accessory sometime soon. As spotted by eagle-eyed Joystiq reader Rodney in the Spotlight section of the Xbox 360 Dashboard (pictured above), the accessory should be available at "participating retailers" rather soon -- the ad's wording indicates that the HDD might already be on store shelves (as of this writing, Amazon has the product listed without a price). Though it's odd to see an official reveal through the Xbox Dashboard, we have been hearing rumblings about a standalone version of the 250GB HDD for quite some time -- listings even popped up on retail sites earlier this month bearing ... today's date! We've contacted Microsoft for pricing and release info, but until the West Coast wakes up, we've got this thrilling hi-res gallery of the Dashboard advertisement for you below. [Update: We've just gotten official word from Microsoft that the 250 GB HDD retails for $129.99 and should be available today.] %Gallery-88789% [Thanks Rodney!]
Will iPad be missing some iPhone apps?
Wired noticed that there are some notable exceptions among the announced iPad apps, including Stocks, Calculator, Clock, Weather and Voice Memos. These apps could be available for download through the App Store. However, blogger Kevin Fox suggested last month that could hint toward a possible Dashboard implementation on the iPad. He argues that these apps, with the exception of Voice Memos, were originally Dashboard widgets to begin with. Fox theorizes that a five-finger pinch would bring forth a Dashboard with these apps and a second would send them back to the background. This is not the first Dashboard theory that's been floated for the iPad. It's an intriguing idea, and I can see that being part of a future version of the iPhone/iPad OS. For now, I hope that these apps are available as a free download, or are already pre-loaded but on a second screen. The worst case scenario is that Apple will charge a premium for these basic apps, similar to the way they're charging iPod touch users for upgrades. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did either.
Nokia's Terminal Mode spotted in the wilds of the Geneva Motor Show
Those lovely people over at Nokia have furnished us with a few images of what their dashboard integration will look like, as well as the names of a few more partners for the Terminal Mode initiative. Intended to smarten up your car's hardware with the phone's capabilities -- whether that be to play back music, use Ovi Maps, browse the web, or whatever else -- this was announced in partnership with Alpine yesterday, but today we're hearing that Fiat, Harman Becker and Valmet Automotive are also getting in on the fun. The gallery below shows off a mockup from Valmet, which plops your Nokia into a cradle just under the Eva concept's "on" button, and then transfers all the important stuff onto an LCD integrated into the dashboard above. Nokia tells us that each OEM will have their own particular design, so this might not be how they'll all look, but as far as ease of use goes, we don't know how you can improve much on what's being shown already. Let's just hope the software is as effective as the presentation is handsome.%Gallery-87345%
Nokia and Alpine integrating handsets into cars, bringing Ovi Maps to your dashboard
What's the one biggest hurdle to throwing out your dedicated GPS nav unit and going ahead with the free turn-by-turn navigation offered by your smartphone? If your answer was that most phones don't have the great big screens or easy installation systems of some satnav devices, look out, because Nokia's about to shake up your world all over again. Alpine has just announced its partnership with the Finnish giant aimed at integrating Nokia handsets -- complete with free Ovi Maps navigation -- into car dashboard systems. Yes, that means you can use your superb six-amp speaker system to boom out music or voice nav instructions from the phone, as well as your in-dash 7-inch LCD for showing you the right way home. There's further interaction with widgets keeping an eye on your fuel levels and engine condition, leading to location-based services such as the phone notifying you of the nearest and cheapest petrol station. Connectivity is done over either USB or Bluetooth, and Nokia promises that this Terminal Mode will be showing up in its phones in the very near future. The sooner the better, we say.
Mystery key on iPad keyboard = Dashboard?
One of the accessories that will be available for the iPad at its launch is a dock with a full-sized keyboard. On the top row of the keyboard, where the Escape, F1 - F12, and Eject keys are on a standard Mac keyboard, are 14 keys geared toward the iPad's interface. In place of Escape there's a dedicated Home key, then a Search key, keys for increasing and decreasing screen brightness, a key to activate the photo portrait screensaver-like function, a key to invoke the iPad's on-screen keyboard, a blank key, three keys for controlling media playback, and -- hey, wait a minute. A blank key? MacRumors forum member macduke noticed this completely blank and apparently functionless key, and 9to5Mac picked up on his speculation concerning the mystery. 9to5Mac noted that it's "...silly, even for Apple" to have a key on the keyboard that does nothing and goes nowhere, and they theorize it could have something to do with a Dashboard-like interface on the iPad. Notably, Apple-built applications like Stocks, Weather, Voice Memos, Clock, and Calculator were all absent from the iPads people played around with following its unveiling, which has led to a lot of speculation that such simple, small apps could be bundled into a Dashboard layer on the iPad. If that's so, this mystery key could easily have a Dashboard icon on it when it finally does ship. It's worth mentioning that the F5 and F6 keys on Apple's aluminum keyboards also currently have no dedicated functions -- those keys are used on the MacBook line to increase and decrease key backlighting -- but the iPad keyboard dock is also missing a function key, making it unlikely that the top row of keys will be usable for anything other than the functions indicated by their on-key icons. Although it's conceivable Apple left this key blank in order to allow users to define their own shortcut for the key, it seems far more likely that Apple is working on some special functionality for that key which it wasn't ready to show off in January. Given the absence of several of Apple's own apps from the iPad, Dashboard seems like a very good fit. [Via 9to5Mac]
Patent suggests location-based social networking for iPhone
Imagine you and a friend are on a phone call, and both of you own iPhones. You're trying to meet up somewhere downtown in a city neither of you know very well, so the best answer you can give your friend when he asks, "Where are you now?" is "Uhhh..." followed by several seconds of silence. It's already possible to share your location using the Maps app on the iPhone -- find your current location, tap on the blue marker on the map, tap "Share Location," and then send it to your friend either as an e-mail or MMS. Then your friend receives the e-mail or MMS with your location, opens it in Maps, and has the option of finding directions to your location from his current location. If that sounds like a lot of unnecessarily complex steps to answer the simple question of "Where are you," you're in luck, because according to a new patent application, Apple agrees with you. By putting "Request location info" and "Release location info" buttons on the call screen in the Phone app, it would be possible to share your location or request someone else's with a single button press. The same process applies -- the iPhone polls its GPS to find out where you are, then transmits that info to your friend's iPhone -- but instead of having to jump through all the hoops yourself, the OS handles it for you in the background. Once your phone receives a request for location info it comes up in a notification, probably very similar to the notifications location-based apps already use when they request permission to use location data. If you agree to release your location data to the caller, it's transmitted in a fully encrypted signal to the caller's iPhone. Your location data would then show up on your friend's iPhone, complete with the option to find directions.
Next-gen dashboards get Tegra 2, Moblin, Atom, we go hands-on
Intel Atom processors, capacitive touchscreens, NVIDIA Tegra 2 graphics, Moblin installs... sounds like a suite of hot next-gen ultra-portables, right? Think again. Those are just some of the technologies used in the dashboards of cars that will be appearing on showrooms in the coming months and years, dashes that were largely on display at CES -- minus the cars themselves, usually. There we were treated to mobile glimpses of Google Earth, Pandora, and Slacker Radio on the go, plus the ability to lock and unlock your car via Ye Olde Internets. It's the future, and it's coming soon, so click on through already and get a sneak peek.
MyFord Touch coming to 2011 Ford Focus
The 2010 Detroit Auto Show has just kicked off and Ford's plans for the 2011 Focus have been made official. While others might care more about the 155bhp or new six-speed dual-clutch transmission, we're best pleased by the inclusion of the MyFord touch control system. This setup was designed to drag the car dash into the modern touchscreen era, and our comprehensive hands-on revealed it to be a most impressive bit of tech. Two displays flank the analog speed gauge, but the pièce de résistance is an 8-inch, 800 x 480 optional screen landing in the center of the dash. Endued with a web browser, it'll connect via 3G or 4G modems and concurrently act as a WiFi hotspot. Add in a bunch of forthcoming apps and compatibility with any Bluetooth device, and you've got a tech lover's dream system. The next generation Focus should enter production near the end of 2010, giving us a full year to write a "vroom, vroom" app for our smartphones.
MyFord Touch yields three screens and a Ford from Microsoft Auto 4.0
User experience -- the focus of any savvy consumer electronics company (though not all) looking to differentiate itself in a marketplace saturated by imitators. Now an auto company is hoping to capitalize on this fundamental tenant of modern consumerism: Ford. With the introduction of MyFord, the Detroit institution will attempt to refashion the driver's interface so as to more closely align with the rich graphic displays found on today's consumer electronics. Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development, says "it's not just a technology; it's an experience... that will cause people to fall in love with their vehicles again." Powered by the second generation of Ford Sync that is itself built upon Microsoft Auto 4.0, MyFord Touch offers improved voice recognition, touch-sensitive buttons, touch screens, and thumb-wheel controls that replace most traditional knobs and switches scattered about the driver's cockpit. MyFord also boosts connectivity with the help of an SD card slot and WiFi. Information is displayed on a pair of 4.2-inch full-color LCDs flanking an analog speedometer with five-way navigation buttons on each side of the steering wheel crossbar that give the driver control over data on the corresponding left- or right-side display; vehicle data on the left (fuel economy, mechanical status, safety features) and infotainment on the right (audio setting, climate controls, phone communications and navigation menus). An 8-inch touchscreen LCD at the top of the center console stack is the centerpiece of phone, navigation, climate and audio/entertainment functions and features fingertip slider controls for adjusting the audio volume and fan speed -- voice commands can also be used in most cases. In yet another blow to makers of personal GPS navigators, Ford is also making its existing Traffic, Directions & Information application standard on all MyFord and Sync-equipped cars. Enhanced 3D map-based navigation is enabled by upgradeable SD cards (supplied by TeleNav) containing the map database and voice data, 3D map graphics, and enhanced point-of-interest data from Wcities. Naturally, the navigation system takes full advantage of those 3x MyFord LCDs to displays visual cues like street names, directional arrows, and distance makers in addition to spoken turn-by-turn directions. Expect to see MyFord branded as MyLincoln Touch and MyMercury Touch on respective Lincoln and Mercury branded rigs kicking off with the 2011 Lincoln MKX set for reveal at the North American International Auto Show next week.%Gallery-81642%
Give your Dashboard a kick in the pants
After reading through the comments on my post about Dashboard Widgets, I noticed quite a few people lamented the fact that the widgets have to go through a 'start-up' process every time you turn on your Mac or log out and log back in. Well, not anymore. We actually covered this four years ago, back when it was an application named Dashboard Starter. Today it's called Dashboard Kickstart and its taken the form of a System Preference pane by Alwin Troost that runs in the background and reacts to the starting or re-starting of the Dock. Every time you log in or out, you restart the dock. When that happens, Dashboard Kickstart initiates the starting sequence of the Dashboard Widgets. This prevents the delay you'll experience when launching Dashboard the first time you want to use it. I've used Dashboard Kickstart, in its different iterations, for years and its always worked flawlessly. Once installed, open your System Preferences and simply set how long you want the delay to be between the time your computer starts, or wakes from sleep, and the time you want your widgets 'kicked'. I set the sliders to the lowest time possible. Dashboard Kickstart is free and requires 10.4 or above. Let me know what you think of Dashboard Kickstart in the comments!
Widgets: "iPhone apps, I am your father."
Don't get me wrong, I love the iPhone and its App Store juggernaut, it's just sometimes it seems that people have forgotten all about the iPhone app's father: the Dashboard widget. First introduced in Mac OS X Tiger in 2005, widgets changed the way people quickly accessed simple information on their Mac. And though Apple did not create the concept of a widget, it did present them in the best way. With the press of a button I had access to my portfolio, my Yahoo! news, my local weather, calculators for everything, translators, you name it. Widgets were small, simple, and beautiful. They performed one function and did it exceedingly well. Widget ports created half of the first apps ported to the iPhone (think the Weather app, Calculator app, Clock app, and Stocks app). So in honor of the widget being partially responsible for the origins of iPhone apps, I'd like to present you with my four favorite ones. I hope you'll list your favorite widgets in the comments section too.
Datel sues Microsoft, wants its Xbox 360 market back
Seems like we just can't go a week without some corporate power plays or mudslinging making our pages. Back in October, Datel promised it would "remedy" the situation created by Microsoft's forthcoming (now present) Dashboard update locking out its higher capacity memory modules. The accessory company was the first (and only) third-party supplier of memory cards for the Xbox 360, but it seems that MS took a dislike to the MicroSD-expandable Max Memory units and has since taken the unusual step of downgrading the console to being able to read only chips up to 512MB, essentially taking Datel's 2GB+ wares out of commission. Yeah, classy. Datel's retaliation is in the finest Anglo-Saxon legal tradition, namely to assert antitrust concerns and to claim its right to act as a competitor to Microsoft in the memory market for Redmond's own console. It all sounds rather silly to us too, and could probably have been avoided by a rational compromise, but what's the fun in that?
