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Apple's iOS 8 is now available for you to download
Apple's iOS 8 may not look too different from the version that preceded it, but trust us: There are plenty of new bits and bobs to get familiar with once you start poking around. Now that you've had some time to dig into our full review, you can take iOS 8 for a spin yourself -- Apple has just pushed the update live, so check your iDevice's settings to see if it's your time to shine. Just keep a few things in mind before you enter the breach: The update will only install on the iPhone 4s and newer, the iPad 2 and newer and the fifth-generation iPod touch. Oh, and it looks like Apple is having some HealthKit trouble at the moment, so all HealthKit compatible apps have been temporarily removed from the App Store. According to tweets from Carrot Fit developer Brian Mueller, Apple has been saying that a fix is in the works, but there's no ETA on when it'll actually take effect. Nothing like a few hiccups to kick off a massive software launch, no? Photos by Will Lipman.
It's amazing what artists can do with an iPad and a stylus
Despite Steve Jobs' assertion at the launch of the iPad in 2010 that it was more of a "content consumption tool" than something that people would use to create content, exactly the opposite has been true. Musicians use iPads on stage for a variety of uses, writers have written books on the devices, and artists find the iPad's display to be a wonderful virtual canvas for drawing and painting. TenOne Design runs an annual Pogo Art Contest that revolves around its Pogo, Pogo Connect, and Pogo Sketch styluses. The 2014 contest just ended, and we thought you'd love to see some of the artworks that came out of the minds of some really creative folks. At the top of this post you see this year's winner, Memories by Spanish artist Jaime Sanjuan. The painting is incredibly detailed and evokes comparison with works by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Below is a detail of the winner of the Current Events category, a painting called "Curiosity's First Year on Mars" by Ray Cassel. Cassel is an award-winning illustrator who specializes in science and wildlife work. And finally, the winner in the "The Way You See It" category for 2014 is a vaguely spooky painting by Leah Korbin titled "Night Swim" (below). Korbin is a visual and musical artist based in Los Angeles, California. There are more paintings where those came from! Be sure to visit the Ten One Design 2014 gallery for a look at all the creative entries that came in this year.
Be aware, be careful, be prepared for iCloud Drive
If you use iCloud: you need to be really, very, no-I-am-not-exaggerating, super careful when you upgrade to iOS 8. Otherwise you could break iCloud syncing to all of your Macs. I hope I have your attention. When you are setting up a new iOS 8 device, you will see a screen like this (image courtesy of Realmac Software): If you choose "Upgrade to iCloud Drive", then iCloud document syncing will stop working on your Macs unless you are using the Yosemite beta and the Mac app has been updated to use iCloud Disk. There is no way to "undo" the decision to move to iCloud drive, so you will have to wait until Yosemite is released (or join the beta) and the Mac app is updated. TUAW's advice is that you wait to upgrade to iCloud Drive until Yosemite is officially released. You can always upgrade to iCloud Drive later. You cannot "downgrade" from iCloud Drive back to regular document and data syncing. It is entirely likely that there will be bugs and glitches and problems with iCloud Drive at first. Unless you have a strong desire to be part of the ongoing testing of iCloud Drive, wait. Personally, I think iCloud Drive sounds great, but it is yet another one-point-oh release of syncing software from Apple, who does not have a very good track record in this arena. I'm in no rush to move over to it. Backup your iOS device to iTunes before you install. While I have your attention, let me make another suggestion: make a local backup of your iOS device before upgrading to iOS 8. A local backup or your device is the best chance you have to protect yourself in case something goes wrong. If you have pictures on your iOS device, I highly recommend that you connect it to your Mac, launch Image Capture.app and copy all of your pictures to your Mac hard drive. Yes, even if you use iCloud backup and/or Photo Stream. Why? Because I'd much rather you have two copies than none. Just in case. Belt and suspenders. Import them to a folder on your Desktop named something like "iPhone Pictures 2014–09–17" and if the upgrade goes off without a hitch you can just trash the folder. "But I use iCloud backup!" That's good! iCloud backup is great and convenient. I use it myself. However, the day of a new iOS release is the last day you want to be trying to restore your iOS device from an iCloud backup. Apple's servers are going to be slammed. You want a local, current backup you can use just in case. The good news is that you can easily make a manual backup in iTunes, even if you usually backup to iCloud: Be sure to encrypt the backup, which tells iTunes to include your various passwords in the backup. Note: if you haven't done a backup to iTunes recently, it might take awhile. I did a manual backup a day before iOS 8's arrival, and I'll update it while I'm waiting for iOS 8 to download. Image Credit: Nicolas Raymond created the awesome Crossing Road Grunge Sign - Welsh Dragon above. Used by permission.
Numerics Business Dashboard adds features, goes freemium
I praised Numerics in a review earlier this year. The app lets you build business-oriented displays which can be easily constructed using plugins that will display data in numeric or graphic form. You can choose a variety of data sources like Google Analytics, Salesforce, Basecamp and many others. From there, the app offers a series of templates to give you a compelling design for your data, or it can allow you to have multiple dashboards and swipe between them. The app used to be US$19.99 but now it has moved to a freemium model. Users of the first version will get a lifetime upgrade for free. The current edition is free, but you can buy an advanced widgets pack for $9.99. Other widget packs will be sold as a one-time purchase, priced depending upon the service and kind of widgets in the pack. The system is easy to use, and can create the kind of display that used to require specialized programming. Numerics is worth a second look, as they have added many new data sources, and now include a custom JSON integration provider that can consume and render nine unique types of widgets out of custom data from any business system with minimal programming on the business system end. I tried creating some pages using stock prices and Google Analytics data. It's easy to do, and the results look polished. Check the app store for details on the kinds of data this app can integrate. Numerics is a universal app, but for display would be best suited to an iPad or using AirPlay to display it on a large monitor. Numerics requires iOS 7 or later.
Chronulator: how to make world time both ugly and confusing
I work with people all over the world and it's useful to know in advance what time it is where they are to schedule voice and video calls. Frankly, it's not that complex. The basic iOS Clock app has that covered. Or you could just ask Siri. And there are an endless number of apps that can help you visualize the time difference. Somehow Chronulator manages to make the task of figuring out the time somewhere else a real trial. This free app requires iOS 6.1 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5. Here's a test: using the main display from the Chronulator app, tell me what time is it in London? Chronulator uses a large dial set on a black background and displays city or location names as some sort of curved flag or banner. Some, but not all of the locations also include a thin line connecting to a 24-hour clock around the dial's face. The banners make it difficult to quickly glance at the display and determine what time it is in various locations. That defeats the purpose of the app. The app is made even more confusing for those of us who do not think in a 24 hour or "military time" clock. That's another conversion you have to do in your head (what time is 1500 hours?). Yes, I can do math, but the point of an app like this is to make it easy to see what time it is somewhere else, not calculate it. For fun, here's the same display with the app's maximum of 7 locations: I still don't know what time it is in London. You can touch this display dial to turn the clock, so to speak, and see what time it will be in Tokyo when it's 2 P.M. where you are. Apparently you will still be unable to tell what time it will be in London. It's also confusion that Zero hour (12 A.M.) is at the bottom of the dial, not the top. I don't find this app to be useful. I find it much easier to just ask Siri, "What time is it in Tokyo?" Frankly, you don't need any 3rd party apps for this. If you want to see the times in multiple world cities just use the built in iOS clock, which you can quickly display by sweeping up from the bottom of the screen. It's a clean, easy to understand display and it's built right in. If you do need a reference display I recommend the very nicely designed Every Time Zone web site. It works great as a web app on your iOS device, too. Also, check out The Time Is Now. Don't bother with Chronulator. There's enough confusion and ugliness in life as it is.
Orbital Wars takes me way back
Shades of Space Invaders from my lost youth and many lost quarters: Orbital Wars (US$0.99) really did bring back memories of those many hours I spent in front of an arcade console and some of my home video consoles playing that classic game and fighting off endless hordes of aliens descending on my hapless spaceship. Orbital Wars shows just how far graphics have come since the old days. The enemies are detailed, the explosions are colorful, the backgrounds are beautifully rendered. The game even has a 3D mode that works if you have an old pair of Red/Cyan glasses hanging around. I tried the 3D mode and liked the extra depth the glasses provided. The app has a nice music score, but you can turn it off. As you move to higher levels the ships come faster and they appear to have their shields up because they are much harder to destroy. As in similar games, your ship fires continuously, so all you have to do is move left and right to try to intercept the enemy. You do that by tapping the left or right side of the screen. Often I could not move over fast enough to make a kill. I think I'd like the game better if there was an option to tilt my iPhone left or right to move my ship. There is full Game Center support, and happily no ads or irritating in-app purchases. Even after a lot of playing, I found I kept coming back for more, seeking higher levels to get me better armaments. Orbital Wars is not a deep strategy game, it's just a move and shoot, but it has the appeal of Space Invaders that sucked me dry of so many quarters many years ago. Orbital Wars requires iOS 4.3 or greater. It's universal, and works only in portrait mode on an iPad. It worked fine under the latest iOS 8 beta. Recommended.
Touch Racing 2 is a lot of fun to play
Touch Racing 2 is a free game for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It requires iOS 5.0 or later, and is optimized for iPhone 5. Touch Racing 2 gives you the option to participate in speedcar, offroad, and boat ladder races against seven other computer controlled radio controlled vehicles. The user interface is one of the coolest for a racing game I've ever played. I liked the use of your fingers, positioned on each side of your screen, to drag the path for your R/C vehicles to take. It was a lot easier to control than the typical directional pad controls. This allows you to have a great advantage over the rest of the field, and a much better chance at finishing in first place. Cornering your R/C vehicles can be a bit difficult at first, but with enough practice you'll be drifting with the best of them. The speedcar ladder races rocked as you're allowed to whip around corners drift style, and earn nitro boosts throughout your two lap run. The offroad ladder races are a bit more difficult, but they are blast. The boat ladder races are a lot of fun because they're much different than the speedcar and offroad races. Daily races are extremely competitive, so bring your A game each day. It's a great way to quickly pickup more gold coins. The daily races feature the fastest speedcars, offroad, and boats. I preferred the speedcar races because I did the best at them. I didn't play the multiplayer head-to-head races because it required me to log into Facebook, so it could search for other Touch Racers to compete against me. I admit, this is a clever way to get other people hooked on the game. There are three different boss races where you face the speedcar boss, C.J., offroad boss, Norma, and boat boss, Wade. Make sure you've participated in enough daily races etc so you can earn gold coins to upgrade each one of your vehicles, or else you won't be able to compete against the bosses. Diamonds can be picked up a lot faster if you race and defeat the bosses. Touch Racing 2 offers up four tiers of excitement. You can only advance to the next tier if you've defeated the boss of each race with each R/C vehicle. When you earn gold coins and diamonds, you'll be able to upgrade the chassis, engine, body, tires, spoiler, and customize your R/C vehicles. Diamonds can be used to earn special items in the prize machine. The trick is you have no idea what you will receive. If arcade style R/C racing is your thing, then this is your game. Make sure not to overlook Touch Racing 2 for free in Apple app store because you won't regret it.
Denon Envaya is a portable Bluetooth speaker with loads of oomph
Denon is an audio company renowned for producing high-quality, high-end hi-fi equipment. The Envaya (US$199) represents Denon's current offering into the portable speaker market. Having recently reviewed Ultimate Ear's Boom and the pricier (compared to both the Boom and Envaya) Libratone Zipp, I was keen to see how the Envaya compared. Design Where the Boom and Zipp are cylindrical, the Envaya takes a more traditional rectangular shape. It's fairly large compared to the Boom (width 25.5 cm x height 1.41 cm x depth 4.75 cm) and weighs just under 3 lbs, so it's not as large as the Zipp. Having said that, the Envaya could easily be carried around in-hand or slipped into a rucksack. I wouldn't say the Envaya has an exciting, bold design like the Boom, or a sophisticated look like the Zipp, but it's not bad looking either. Similarly, it doesn't feel cheap, but it doesn't feel premium either. The Envaya comes in either black or white, but on the front is a grill with an interchangeable, colored cloth underneath. There are four colors (lunar, indigo, fandango, sunset) which do give the speaker some personality, but it's subtle. The Evanya may not stand out with its looks, but it's well put together and has a sturdy, durable quality. There's a kickstand round the back that snaps out with a squeeze to stand the Envaya upright. The kickstand collapses with a satisfying click when you press down, to make it easier to transport or store. On top is a row of large, back-lit buttons (power on / off, pairing, mute, volume up / down, and aux) as well as a battery indicator light. On the right hand side is a power input, a 3.5mm aux input, a reset button and a USB port for charging your iOS device from the Envaya's battery. On the bottom is a rubbery grip, keeping the Envaya steady and stable. Inside are what Denon calls two Full Range Drivers and in between them is a Passive Radiator for the bass, all driven by a digital amplifier. Performance Pairing the Envaya to my iPhone was really easy with Bluetooth. The Envaya chimes when pairing is complete and the Bluetooth pairing button's backlight is constantly on to indicate the connection. Multiple devices can be paired with the Envaya. I found the Envaya had really good Bluetooth range, too. The first thing I noticed from the Envaya when I played a track through it was that it had oodles of bass. It was surprising just how much of a punch the Envaya had, especially compared to the Zipp, where I felt bass was slightly lacking. However, the extra bass comes at the expense of higher end detail and openness. Things tended to sound a little muffled in the upper ranges. The Envaya has loads of volume though, easily filling a good-sized room with music. Denon says the Envaya has 10 hours of battery life and charges in 2.5 hours. I found the battery life to be on par with that, lasting a good few days with intermittent usage. The speaker's USB port for charging is a nice extra for those emergency low-battery moments, too. Conclusion For a portable speaker, the Envaya has a great deal of volume and bass oomph, making it a great choice for impromptu parties and the like. Battery life and Bluetooth performance are solid, and the USB charging port is a useful extra, but the veiled high-end left me wanting a little more from its audio performance. Having said that, if you're a bass-heavy fiend, the Envaya will be exactly what you're looking for in a portable speaker.
Sound Circle won't let you sleep
I love napping. I could make excuses about it making me more productive and alert, but the simple fact is that naps and sleeping are a great personal pleasure. It's not easy to nap just everywhere and at anytime. I find that "white noise" and soothing sounds can really help me to nap on airplanes, while waiting in various lounges, or just when I want to catch a quick power nap. I've recently tested Sound Circle, an ambient noise app. Sound Circle requires iOS 7.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5. The app is free with a $1.99 in-app purchase for the timer and playlist functionality. When using an app to provide soothing sounds for napping I have just a few simple requirements. First, the app should present me with a selection of "environments" to select from, like softly falling rain, gentle waves, twilight in the forest with birds and insects, or generated electronic noises. The second basic requirement is a timer to let me confidently fall asleep knowing that I'll be awakened on time. Sound Circle does offer a nice, basic selection of sounds, but you have to purchase the timer feature. I do like how Sound Circle allows me to select multiple sound samples and combine them, setting each sound at the desired and separate volume. But I found the controls balky and unresponsive. The app also provides several built in piece of music. I'm not sure exactly how many, because each time I tried to move past the seventh selection the app crashed. Sound Circle is best used with headphones to give a full immersive experience. Professional nappers like myself also use a sleep mask to enhance the experience. The lack of a timer is a real shame. Frankly, it makes the app a non-starter for me. While I'd be open to purchasing sounds or other features, a timer is basic required functionality. Without it I just can't use this app for napping or sleeping when I'm concerned with waking at a specific time. Sound Circle offers a playlist option, but that's also part of the in-app purchase. Frankly, if you want to sleep to a playlist of your own music you can build your own with the built-in Music app and simply set a timer using the Clock function. I don't nap as easily to music (OK, soothing classical or ambient music can work), but many people enjoy falling asleep this way. You just don't need another app for that. My recommendation for music to sleep by? Brian Eno's Music For Airports. Especially nice for use when sleeping in airports and awaiting delayed flights. Sound Circle has potential, but it's not ready for prime time. If you're looking for a sleep noise app with reliable features I highly recommend White Noise.
Apple kills iPod Classic in total silence
iPhone 6! iPhone 6 Plus! Apple Watch! Apple Pay! iPod Classic? Yes, in the midst of all the smartphones and watches flying about this morning, Apple took the opportunity to kill off the clickwheel-equipped iPod Classic that has somehow dodged every bullet imaginable. The iPod section on Apple.com now shows just the shuffle, nano, and touch, officially marking the end of an era for the music device that pushed Apple into the homes of millions of people.
RIP Click Wheel: Apple discontinues the iPod classic
Every time Apple holds one of its keynotes, we think to ourselves, "Maybe this is the year they'll kill off the iPod classic." Finally, after a years-long stay of execution, Apple's oldest living media player is going the way of the dodo. The company just reopened its online store after announcing two new iPhones and a smartwatch, and the iPod classic is conspicuously absent from the iPod section. The remaining options include the shuffle, nano and touch at the high end, with the max amount of storage being 64GB. If you're of a certain age, then, you can get ready to tell your grandchildren about the days when people carried 160GB of music in their pocket instead of streaming it all from the cloud. Oh, and get ready to explain what a spinning hard drive is, too.
Fuzel Collage creator goes universal and adds many features
I was enthusiastic about Fuzel Collage last year when I looked at it. It's been updated to version 3 now, and it has finally become a universal app so iPad users can get in on the creative collage-making fun. The new version is a complete redesign, and it looks appealing. Fuzel Collage is very free form -- you can have as many photos in a collage as you like, something that many similar apps don't offer. There are some dynamic templates, or you can modify any template to meet your needs. Once a photo is in place, it can be dragged to change the composition, or enlarged or reduced to fit the space. Animated collages can be created, with attractive transitions and using your own music. Although the app is free (ad supported), there are a number of in-app purchases offering more advanced animations and new layouts. You can also remove the ads for US$1.99. I think most users will get along fine with the free version, but this is an app you should be glad to support. Your collages can have stickers, text, a variety of frames and frame shapes, and many color options. Once you select your frame, it can be easily modified with thicker or thinner lines, and shadows can be added. If you need more variety, you can download more frames as in-app purchases. The new version of Fuzel Collage is easy to use, and you can just start to work straight away. There is an introductory guide, but most people will find the app intuitive enough to bypass those instructions. Any collage you create is saved in the app and can be completely re-edited later. Of course, once it is saved to the camera roll, the changes are permanent. Animated collages are nice, but as in the old version, the app leaves a prominent watermark on your video which I would like to see banished for all time. Fuzel Collage can create some really artistic and memorable collages that you will be happy to share with friends and family. Collages can be emailed, or sent via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Fuzel Collage requires iOS 7 or later. It was stable when used with iOS 8 beta 5. It works on all iPads except the original iPad 1.
iOS 8 Camera app: Time-Lapse
Time-Lapse photography is often one of those things some of us think about, but never do. There are several apps offered in the App Store for iOS, including HyperLapse from Instagram and Time-Lapse! that I reviewed last month. Now Apple is offering a Time-Lapse feature in iOS 8. It's one of the options you select when you go to take a photo, and it's really automatic. In the usual Apple style, there isn't much to think about. You can tap for focus and exposure, then push the red button and off you go. The app selects what it thinks is the correct capture interval automatically. Here's a quick video I shot from the car: Then video is saved to Photos, and you can trim the beginning and end. That's all there is to it. Why do Time-Lapse? Most people may not think it's worth the trouble, but once you've tried making a few time-lapse videos, you may get hooked. Building storm clouds, flowers opening, a dish of ice cream melting, kids at a playground, a construction site, and a drive in the mountains all are good subjects. Both the paid (US$1.99) Time-Lapse! app and the free Hyperlapse app give you a few more options. Hyperlapse will smooth your video out providing very good image stabilization. Time-Lapse! lets you adjust the exposure rate, and can even activate the flash in dark conditions. You'll get better images from Apple's built-in app if your iPhone is on a tripod or being held in a steady stand. I use the Joby GorillaPod as a great way to steady my iPhone for photography, and it is perfect for time-lapse, unless you want to be moving. I think having a time-lapse function built into the Camera app is going to encourage more people to give this unique form of photography a try.
Now you can score big with Big Play Scoring
The NFL season started Thursday night in Seattle and if you missed out on a chance to play fantasy football, Big Play Scoring offers a second chance. The free universal app requires iOS 7.0 and provides a different type of fantasy game using NFL teams rather than individual players. You will be selecting separate offensive, defensive, and special team units for each game day. So with games on Thursday, you will select units from the two teams playing that night and then different units for the Sunday games and additional units from the Monday night teams. Once you register using your email and a password, or your Facebook login, you will be asked to choose your favorite team and then a default set of units. Your favorite team earns you bonus point with every win while the three you choose will be used if for some reason you cannot or fail to make picks each week. One of the features of this fantasy game is that you can play all season or just one week at a time. Big Play Scoring provides users with the chance to join a Global league or set one up with friends, families and co-workers. After you select your units each week, the app rewards you with points based on the play of each unit. This is where the app gets its name. Unlike most fantasy games that have scoring for yards gained, passes completed, etc. Big Play Scoring rewards big plays. For your offensive unit, you only get points for touchdowns, 2-point conversions, gains of 40 yards or more, touchdown of 50+ yards, and 4th down conversions. You lose points for negative plays such as sacks, interceptions, and fumbles lost. Defensively similar point values are awarded. Your unit gains points for sacks, intentional grounding, safeties, 3 and outs, fumble recovery returned to the Red Zone or for a touchdown, interceptions, and defensive stops in the Red Zone and lose points for touchdowns and long running or passing plays. A good showing by your special teams selections will net points with long kick returns, blocked kicks, field goals, and successful onside kicks. All the plays by the three units receive 1-3 points and likewise negative plays result in the loss of 1-3 points. According to the developer, total points will be reflective of actual game outcomes more than 99% of the time. I am not a big fantasy player. I believe it takes too much time to really do it correctly with lots of studying of game match ups, checking on injuries and tracking other players who might be available. However Big Play Scoring provides a chance for those of us not inclined to play normal fantasy football to get involved and have something at play as we watch all the NFL games each weekend.
Super Mega Runners is a run through 8-bit nostalgia
Super Mega Runners, which is free in the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users on iOS 6.0 or higher is a retro style runner game where your object is to run and jump, collecting coins and items while jumping over and on enemies to reach the end of each level. Instead of the standard third person runner this game is played like a classic 8-bit platformer running left to right, just like a plumber used to with the run button being constantly held down. The game is very easy to pick up and play. You initial character, "Abe Zigen" just keeps running to the right and all the player has to do is tap the screen to make him jump. Holding the screen for certain lengths of time controls how high and long he jumps. Other characters are available and have new abilities like double jump or slide. These characters can be unlocked if a certain number of coins are collected in a level or though points by watching advertisement videos or signing up for services. The good thing is the advertisers are on a separate screen so they do not ruin the experience by popping up during play. The game starts with the player with three lives and you lose them by running into enemies when you are small or falling into a pit or other hazard. There are numerous checkpoints throughout each level so you do not have to start over from the beginning of a level if you lose a life. Continues are available when all three lives are gone. If you have collected 2,000 or more coins you can continue, or if you can cash in one point from clicking on advertisers. There are items hidden in exclamation point boxes which help you along the way. Strawberries make the character grow and if you collect enough of them, the character takes up the whole screen and can run through anything, while the bananas act like magnets and attract all the coins to the character. Enemies have the same look as classic 8-bit baddies which is great in a nostalgic game like this one. Some levels can be a bit frustrating as the difficulty really amps up after the first few levels. The hit points on the same enemies is not consistent so the player may kill one and get killed by the other even after jumping on their head in the same spot. So if you are looking for a quick game that is simple to pick up, and give you a little rush of nostalgia for classic 8-bit games gone by, then download Super Mega Runners and enjoy. I highly recommend it.
iOS 8 Camera app: Photo filters and editing
Today I'm here with another look at changes to the iOS Camera and Photos apps that will be coming your way when iOS 8 is released later this month. Photo filters have changed the least of most of the features in the iOS photography apps. When you edit a photo in the Photos app there are still eight filters, all quite good without being over the top. The behavior for saving edited photos has changed, at least in the latest iOS 8 beta, and I personally don't think the change is an improvement. If you added a filter to an image in iOS 7 and then saved it, the photo went to your camera roll as a new photo, while the original image remained unchanged. When I tried this in iOS 8 beta 5, the original had the filter applied. To me, that's a no-no. You can get back the original by bringing it up in the editor and tapping 'revert', but some people may miss that option. In fact, in iOS 8 the concept of the 'camera roll' is gone. You won't find it at all. All your photos are in the Photos app in collections sorted by date with photos grouped by location. If you save an image from the web with no EXIF date data, it is saved with the date and time that you saved it. I liked the old way better, but unfortunately I think the change is permanent. One could argue that the changes are better or worse, but they will certainly confuse people who expect the iOS 7 behavior and now get something else. I expect a lot of "where's my camera roll?" questions when the update comes out. Users will also see the iCloud Photo Library replace Photo Stream. That means that every photo you take goes to the cloud at original resolution and is available on every device you have. The feature can be turned off in settings. Another change is that third-party developers of editing tools and filters are now able to integrate their software into the Apple Photos app editing process. That could be a big deal for people who want more flexibility in adding tools and filters but feel more comfortable with the familiar Apple tools. I haven't personally seen any of these third-party tools working in the iOS 8 beta, but I think it is an important enhancement. Still, the overall Apple Photos editing package is much improved. Third party filters, adjustments for light and color, and auto-straightening of photos are an improvement. These changes allow users to stay in the Apple-supplied apps for a lot of their photo editing, but rest assured that third parties will continue to bring more sophisticated tools to the App Store. Some will be included through Apple's extension architecture, while others will still require separate apps.
Soen Audio's sexy Transit XS Bluetooth speaker launches on Kickstarter
Bluetooth speakers are a hot growth item in the mobile world. It seems like every week, TUAW is inundated with pitches for a few more speakers from companies ranging from high-end audio equipment manufacturers to those that we say "Who?" about. The speakers range from cheap and dirty to high-end as well, with sound quality that can be as crisp and realistic as being at a concert to sounding like a scratchy low-power AM radio station on the car radio of a 1965 Chevy Impala station wagon. I recently had the opportunity to test an absolutely beautiful Bluetooth / NFC speaker from Soen Audio that launched on Kickstarter today. The Transit XS (US$130, but limited early bird backers can get one for as little as $60) looks incredible, but what about the sound? Read on for details. Specifications Dimensions: 6.25 x 2.5 x 1 inch (158.75 x 63.5 x 25.4 mm) Weight: .6 lbs (.27 kg) Design Highlights In stark contrast to many of the inexpensive Bluetooth speakers that pass through the TUAW Labs, the Transit XS is drop-dead gorgeous. The prototype I tested is off-white, with a rubberized material covering the top, back, bottom and sides. The front grille appears to be constructed of a perforated metal material the same color as the case. But the cool design feature is a brushed aluminum strip that extends all the way around the middle of the speaker. On top are three buttons -- one for volume down/skip back, one marked with an infinity symbol for play/pause, and a volume up/fast forward button. On the left side of the speaker as you look toward the front are a power switch, an AUX input port, four white LEDs for determining remaining battery, and a micro-USB port for charging. The right side features the patented Momentum Port, which I'll talk about in a minute. Finally, on the back of the speaker is a 1/4 inch screw mount that can connect the speaker to a tripod or a bicycle mount. Soen also plans to ship the Transit XS with a belt clip to make the speaker wearable. The Kickstarter page shows the Transit XS in five different colors: black, red, blue, purple, and white. Functionality Highlights Let's get the minor features out of the way first. That rubberized material is awesome, making the speaker quite easy to grip and also isolating it from vibration on hard surfaces. Soen provides a standard 3.5mm (1/8-inch) audio cable if you want to plug your Transit XS into a device without Bluetooth or NFC, as well as a USB to micro-USB charging cable. Powering up the Transit XS is as simple as sliding the power button. Unlike some of the jarring BEEEPs or voice prompts telling you that the speaker has been powered up, the Transit XS provides a two-note bass guitar riff -- nice touch. Similar bass riffs sound when you press the "infinity button" atop the speaker to enable Bluetooth pairing and once again when the two are paired. One feature that I saw with iOS 8 beta that I had never seen before was that the speaker's battery level showed up in a tiny vertical battery icon on the iPhone. I'm not sure if that's something that will work with all Bluetooth devices or perhaps just those running Bluetooth 4.0 -- or it could be an iOS 8 feature -- but it's kind of cool that my iPhone displays the speaker's battery level. Now the big fun -- listening to the speaker. It has surprisingly good sound quality and volume for such a small device. A bass port on the right side of the Transit XS seems to accentuate bass fairly well, so if you love deep, pounding bass, you're going to love this speaker. That's not to say that it doesn't do a good job with mid- and high-range sounds as well: it does. Conclusion While the Soen Transit XS still has 29 days to go in its Kickstarter campaign, it's already reached 65 percent of its funding. I think I know why -- it's a good looking and well-built Bluetooth speaker with great sound that can be mounted just about anywhere. I have no doubt that it's going to blast by its funding goal in no time at all. Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible
Football fans battle it out with Fans Wars-Pro Football Edition
Some teams in the NFL have developed huge rivalries. Think Bears vs Packers, Chiefs vs Raiders, and Steeler vs Ravens. Now while those teams go at it on the field, their fans can compete with rival fans using Fan Wars-Pro Football Edition. The free universal app requires iOS 7.0 and lots of NFL knowledge to operate. The app pits fans of rival teams against each other through the use of trivia questions and by picking the winners in every NFL game each week. In the trivia area you receive twenty questions that can be answered all at once of one at a time throughout the week. Once you begin you have fifteen seconds to answer each questions. Each correct answer scores you one point and each wrong answer takes away a point. The multiple-choice questions range from easy to hard: which conference are the Colts in to how old was George Blanda when he retired? If you have to ask who George Blanda is you might want to study a bit before taking the trivia quiz. The second level of competition comes with the selection of winners in that week's list of NFL games. Just pick the winners, no point spreads to worry about. As with the trivia section, you get one point for a correct pick and lose a point for each game you pick incorrectly. Your totals in the two segments are then used to figure out your Fan IQ. The scale on this is similar to a real IQ test. If you score around 140 it puts you at the top of NFL fans and you must spend a lot of time on your favorite team and the NFL games. Scores around 60 indicate you know what the NFL is put aren't into fantasy football or watching all the games on TV. Once you get through the first week, you can check your own scores as well as those of the other fans of your team to see how you rank. You will also receive the list of how each team's fans rank. If your team's fan get into the top three, all those fans receive an ad-free experience on the app. So the more true fans of your team you can get to join with you in using Fan Wars-Pro Football Edition, the higher your team's scores will be and you get more bragging rights against your big rivals.
iOS 8 Camera app: Smart Adjustments
When iOS 8 appears later this month photographers will get new and intuitive editing tools. One important update to the Camera app is what Apple calls Smart Adjustments. The adjustments can be grouped into three categories: adjusting light, adjusting color, and fine tuning. After you capture your image you can edit it from the Photos app or, as usual, select your last photo taken right from the Camera app. Once you are in edit mode, you'll see a button that looks like a volume control that controls the smart adjustments. To adjust the light, you swipe up and down a series of miniature renderings of your photo sliding up to lighten, down to darken. Once you have the brightness about where you want it, you can continue to edit or save the image. Adjusting color is similar. You can make the color very saturated or take it all the way to monochrome, simply by swiping through a number of small thumbnails. Both the lighting and color adjustment screens also have a drop-down menu that allows even more detailed adjustments. Once your image is monochrome, for example, you can change the tone which may enhance the sky and clouds, increase contrast, and change other parameters. It's all pretty intuitive, as long as you are willing to look at the screen and select the buttons that present more options. One new feature is added to the real-time view when you are taking pictures. If you tap on the display to set exposure and focus, a light bulb button appears, letting you swipe up and down to adjust the brightness of the image before you take the picture. It's nice for eliminating highlights in bright sun or bringing up the brightness when lighting is low. Of course there are many apps that offer a myriad amount of adjustments and filters, but Apple is trying to get as many editing tools into its basic Camera app as possible while trying to keep it simple. In my testing of iOS 8 beta 5 I'd have to agree -- you can certainly do a lot more with the built-in Camera app, giving you a greater range of adjustments and letting you be more creative.
Knock those pins down with Bowling Paradise 2
Bowling Paradise 2 is a new version of an old favorite of mine, Bowling Paradise. This version is a free universal app that requires iOS 6.0. You will also find a version optimized for the iPad. Both have wonderful graphics, are easy to play and offer users a number of options and opportunities to personalize their games. Once you sign up using a simple user name and password or through your Facebook account, you can choose different modes of play, 1-4 players head-to-head or one player against the computer. The app offers five different locations to bowl: Paradise Beach, Space, where the ball flies rather than rolls; Desert, Sky Island, and Space Challenge where your abilities are really tested by moving pins. Once you have made those selections it's time to bowl. The game is simple: a flick of your finger sends the ball on its way towards the pins and if you are sufficiently skilled you can get a strike. As part of the options available you can choose to put spin on the ball by swiping left or right, tilting your device to the left or right, or a combination of both. So you can hook the bowl just like the pros do. Bowling Paradise 2 also provides you the chance to move your ball to the left or right on the lane to give you a better angle for those single pin spares. Move to the far right to get the seven or to the far left for the elusive ten pin. Other options available in Bowling Paradise 2 are the ability to customize your bowling ball and the bowling pins. You receive six different options for each. The app's graphics are very good and it sets off a spectacular fireworks display at the end of each game and the higher the score the bigger and brighter the fireworks. You will find realistic physics at play in the game impacting the roll of the ball and the flight of the pins after being hit. Pro versions of the universal app and the iPad app are available for US$1.99. The paid version offers seven locations rather than five by including Scientific Lounge and Undersea featuring beautiful coral, sea creatures, and a unique environment. You also receive ten choices for both bowling balls and pins instead of six. Whichever version of Bowling Paradise 2 you choose I believe it will provide you lots of enjoyment and a real challenge.
