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DevJuice: A real-world lesson in why you must test on-device
Dave Caolo's daughter has been working hard on a school report regarding the Everglades National Park. So he downloaded a nice-looking iPad app on the subject for her. Swiping around it looked great. And then he tapped on a video. This is what happened. In the TUAW back channel, we scratched our heads, trying to brainstorm any reason for an app to directly link to a YouTube video that didn't support mobile. The best we could come up with was this: we figure that the developer never tested the video on an actual iOS device. But then we tested this theory by trying out the video URL on the iPhone simulator. It didn't work there either. So probably the developer never tested the video at all. That said, although the simulator looks like an iPhone, it never provides a perfect representation of the physical and computation abilities of device deployment. Sometimes, it may reflect a Mac reality over an iOS one. So if you specifically provide a video as part of your app, you should really make sure that it plays back within that app, and not just on the simulator. We'd also recommend that you control the rights and distribution of any material that's fundamental and essential to the app in question. That addresses the problem of another video used within the app. It said: "YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated due to copyright violations." Oh, excellent.
Shortcat: Spotlight for your screen
It comes as little surprise that OS X supports many flavors of user interaction, nor that certain users gravitate towards certain input styles. For example, there are trackpad wizards who beckon with careful gestures and there are mouse users who prefer to point with their cursor. And then there are keyboard fiends, those like myself, who live and die by our home position. If you're a keyboard-based user like me, every physical movement that draws your hands away from the keyboard is a loss in efficiency, a break in concentration. We are the arrow movers, the shortcut makers, the Spotlight addicts. And it is us that the Shortcat app targets. Currently in public beta, the app offers a new take on keyboard-based interaction. Instead of launching Spotlight (Command-Space), you launch Shortcat (Command-Shift-Space). Enter a few letters and Shortcat searches the frontmost app for matching text. This solution is brilliant for apps and websites that don't support keyboard shortcuts. I've now used it to prepare TUAW posts in Safari, to navigate between chat rooms in Colloquy and to jump to messages in Mail. This is still a beta and I did encounter beta issues. At times, Shortcat would go into endless-spinny-progress mode, ignoring me until I quit and relaunched the app. Also, I quickly discovered that Shortcat doesn't walk through menus, only windows, although for many purposes that's perfectly sufficient to my needs. Even so, this is a really promising app and one that I'm already seeing could become a big part of my daily work routine.
SONTE: App-controlled digital shades for your windows
There's a new and completely unique Kickstarter campaign that started this morning, and it hopes to make it possible for you to control a window's opaqueness from an app. SONTE Film is a self-installed "digital shade" that is applied to windows and can be made opaque -- or clear again -- with a tap on an app button. The link between your iPhone and SONTE is a WiFi-enabled transformer and a thin cord that connects to the window film. The film can be cut to any shape or size, meaning that you finally have a way to opaque that odd round window in your master bathroom... The company notes that the opaqued film even works as a projection screen. While lower backing levels are available with non-WiFi transformers, kicking in at the US$219 level or above provides you with a 1-square-meter installation kit with the app-controlled switch. Pledge $1,494 or more and you'll get one of the first daisy-chain packs covering a whopping eight square meters (86.11 square feet) of window. SONTE is expected to ship the first kits to backers in September. You can check out the easy installation process and see just how well the film works in the video below.
Weekend Poll: What would you have asked Tim Cook at All Things Digital?
On Tuesday, Tim Cook took the stage at D11: All Things Digital. Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg spent nearly an hour and a half asking Cook about Apple's future plans and directions, questions he evaded with dignity and forbearance. Topics included wearable tech, Apple's potential foray into television sets, and diversification of Apple's iPhone line. As we sat and watched here at TUAW central, we shook our heads at what we perceived as wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity. Anyone could have guessed that Cook would not reveal Apple's internal development secrets. Here, they had Cook, a man sitting at the forefront of mobile and desktop development, and, frustratingly, asked him product questions they knew he wouldn't answer instead of exploring the man's insights. As one anonymous TUAW blogger put it, "It was 81 minutes of 'I can't tell you.' It gave me a headache" So where was the philosophy? How is user interaction developing over the next few years? What is the future of the desktop? What trends are pushing the evolution of accessible computing? What role does design language play in Jony Ive's interface refresh? What lessons is Apple taking from the Surface -- what did Microsoft get right, and what did they get wrong? It's been a year since "Toaster Fridge", looking back did you have it right? We were bursting with questions like these, ones we felt that Cook could have openly addressed. Of course, Monday morning quarterbacking is easier than being in the hot seat ourselves -- especially with such well respected interviewers. But surely, Mossberg and Swisher would have gone into their discussion with an agenda they'd discussed and considered. We're just befuddled by the questions they chose to prioritize. What did you think of Cook's D11 interview? Valuable as is? Or would you have ran things differently? You tell us. Join in this poll and then tell us in the comments what questions you would have asked. %Poll-82712%
Robotic iPad stand KUBI shipping in July (and you can get a discount!)
One of the more interesting Indiegogo projects our sister site Engadget covered earlier this year at CES 2013 was the KUBI robotic iPad stand from Revolve Robotics (US$289 MSRP). While we were saddened to find out that by robotic, the company didn't mean that it's following you around on an air cushion, it's still a pretty cool project. KUBI is almost here; the company is going to start shipping the 'bot in July, and you can even get a discount on one through StackSocial. Rather than going through a detailed description of how KUBI works, I'll let the inventors tell you in the Engadget video seen at the bottom of this post. As for the discount, you can buy a KUBI for just $259 for a limited time by ordering it on StackSocial. TUAW is attempting to get a KUBI for a full review, so keep your eyes open in the next few weeks.
Evernote introduces two-step verification, other security enhancements
Evernote's motto is "remember everything," which means that you might put everything onto the cloud service -- work notebooks, pictures of food, business cards, you name it. One problem with placing all of that personal and work-related information in the cloud is that it makes it a target for identity thieves. Today, Evernote announced three new security-related features to protect your information from prying eyes. The first is two-step verification, which according to Evernote will happen only when you log into Evernote Web or install Evernote on a new device and is only available at this time to Evernote Premium and Business users. Eventually, the company plans to roll out two-step verification to all users. As with other two-step verification methods used by Apple, Google and Dropbox, you combine your password (something you know) with something you have -- a device or browser into which a random six-digit code is entered. That code can either be sent as a text message to your device, or users can fire up Google's Authenticator app to generate the code for them. Evernote emphasizes that two-step verification is optional, and warns users that if they lose access to the secondary access method they can "run the risk of permanently locking yourself out of your account." The other enhancements, which are available to all users of Evernote, include Authorized Applications and Access History. If you lose a computer or device, you can revoke access rights to Evernote from that device using the Evernote Web Account Settings. That app or device will request a password from a user the next time it is launched. Likewise, Access History provides a way to see every time your account was accessed -- including location and IP address -- for the last 30 days. If all of your work is done from a home office in Colorado and you suddenly see that your info is being accessed from Shenzen, China, it's time to change passwords and set up two-step verification (if it's not too late). Evernote spokesperson Ronda Scott noted that "Implementing two-step verification was not trivial. It required updates to all of our applications including Evernote, Skitch, Penultimate, Evernote Food and others and significant back-end work. We've always intended to add two-step as an option to those who wanted it. Back in March we said this was coming and we're rolling it out starting today."
Long-standing fountain snags Apple's San Francisco store plans
Two weeks ago, we were greeted with the news that Apple was planning to move the Apple Store at the corner of Stockton and Ellis Streets in San Francisco to a new flagship facility to be located in the city's Union Square retail area. Now things aren't as rosy for the future of the new store, with critics being upset with the proposed design of the structure and the fate of a fountain behind the location. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has said that he would be taking another look at the plans to see if the fountain "would or would not complement Apple's proposal for a raised narrow plaza between its store and the Grand Hyatt," according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Other complaints include an 80-foot-long blank wall facing Stockton Street, which apparently caught flak from city officials during the initial discussions about the plans. Apple was, according to the Chronicle, "very receptive" to those concerns. The project is by no means in "shovel ready" condition; it also needs to pass muster by the city's planning and historic preservation commissions. The 1970s vintage fountain -- seen in the image at top -- is on property owned by the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, which has noted that "it's too premature" to address whether Apple's proposal will require changes.
Samsung teases new Galaxy and ATIV devices for upcoming London event
On this quiet Monday, Samsung decided to do a little teaser for its upcoming "Premiere 2013" roadshow event in London on June 20th. The above poster only mentions "Galaxy & ATIV," which suggest the event will mainly feature Android and Windows-based devices. The remaining tiles show partial shots of three mysterious devices -- possibly a tablet or phone, a convertible laptop (à la Sony VAIO Duo 11) and a camera (maybe the rumored Galaxy S 4 Zoom?). Obviously, we'll be at the event to solve this mystery, so stay tuned for more.
Farensius adds weather to your Mac menu bar
For only US$0.99, the OS X Farensius app is just adorable. It adds a current weather indicator to your menu bar, and offers an optional 5-day forecast in its drop-down. It's exactly what I've been missing on my desktop. I have it set to update every five minutes, and with a tiny glance up and to the right, I can keep track of the current temperature. Farensius is one of two related apps. Its big brother, Farensius Desktop ($1.99) adds the forecast to your desktop wallpaper. For me, my bland white desktop background is a necessity -- so I'm sticking with the basic app for now. Those looking for a whimsical weather-themed backdrop, however, will enjoy this. Not everything was, unfortunately -- and if you forgive the pun, sunny. Farensius Desktop struggled with my multi-monitor set-up, insisting on placing its background only on my secondary monitor. What's more, when I tried adding custom backdrops, the app crashed several times. I had no issues with the menu-bar-only version, which is even now running on my desktop.
Friday Favorite: Type2Phone
Type2Phone (US$4.99) is one of the most practical tools in my development toolbox. It emulates a Bluetooth keyboard from your Mac. With it, you type to your iOS device using your normal desktop keyboard. While this may not sound like a big thing for many iOS users -- after all, the onboard keyboards and new dictation features streamline text entry -- it is a huge deal for devs and IT coordinators who have to keep typing similar things into apps and settings, over and over again. For example, take Game Center development. You usually work with many different accounts, testing to see how access works for new users, for those with a good history of application use or for those who have unlocked certain achievements. In a normal debug session, you may sign out and sign in with various credentials dozens of times. Type2Phone makes that a practical exercise in testing instead of torment. Or, take today. I was trying to set up a SOCKS proxy system and had to keep typing addresses for various configurations. Once again Type2Phone came to the rescue. It's so much more practical to type or paste longwinded URLs like http://10.0.0.1:8888/Public/socks.pac from my home desktop than to laboriously tip-tip-tap it on the phone or iPad. Type2Phone was designed smartly, with re-use in mind. I long ago synced it to my primary dev units. Now, I just select each unit from the in-app pop-up list, and I'm ready to type right away. To be fair, there are a few unhappy reviews over at the Mac App Store, but they describe situations (primarily beachballs) that I have not encountered, and I'm a pretty heavy user of the product. For me, Type2Phone is an essential software component. My development life would be way harder without it. And that's why I consider it my Friday favorite for this week.
Etón Rugged Rukus: Solid solar sound
TUAW has covered the alternative energy accessories from Etón before: the BoostTurbine is an excellent way to charge up an iPhone or iPad when the power is out, while the FRX3 acts as an emergency radio and has both solar cells and a hand crank for providing a charge to your iPhone when you need it. And the Mobius solar case for iPhone is a smart way to top off your phone. Now the company has announced the Rugged Rukus (US$99.99), an "all-terrain, solar-powered, wireless speaker." Designed to work with any of your Bluetooth-equipped goodies, the wedge-shaped Rugged Rukus sports a 20-square-inch photovoltaic cell on one side that charges the internal lithium battery (it can also be charged by plugging into any USB port). In full sunlight, that battery can go from empty to full in five hours, and when the lights go out the Rugged Rukus can operate for up to 8 hours blasting your tunes. A USB charge takes only about 2.5 hours. Note that you can also use the battery in the Rugged Rukus to charge your iPhone. Don't be concerned about babying the Rugged Rukus if you're at the beach or camping in a rainstorm, as it has an IPX-4 splashproof rating and it's also drop-proof from one meter (3.3 feet). The Rugged Rukus will be available soon on Amazon and at Apple and REI stores.
Timed command-line screenshots
A TUAW staffer recently asked if there were a way to snapshot the exact same region of the screen over and over at timed intervals without buying third-party software. There is, but it depends on your comfort with the command line. If you're experienced in Unix scripting, read on. If not, you may want to investigate standalone screen-capture apps instead. I pointed him to /usr/sbin/screencapture. This built-in OS X utility allows you to specify a screen region to capture. For example, to capture a 50x200 rectangle starting at the point 200, 200, you'd say: % /usr/sbin/screencapture -R"200,200,50,200" ~/Desktop/foo.png You can easily apply a Unix shell script to create numbered output files. Unix commands will also enable you to sleep and repeat the capture requests over time. The utility is Retina-ready. Since it captures in points (and not pixels), the results are twice as big in each dimension when run on Retina systems.
DevJuice: Spark Inspector offers real time iOS interface inpection
Spark Inspector (US$39.99 single-license) offers an exciting new development tool. Targeting devs looking to refine their user interfaces, it enables you to interactively tweak view properties like frames and layers. The app centers around an Interface Builder-like experience, with familiar-looking attribute and size inspectors. If you're comfortable in Xcode 4, you'll easily find your way around this tool. In addition, it provides a custom layer inspector -- one that could (and, honestly should) inspire Apple. It enables you to update layer attributes like shadows and transforms, while viewing the results in real time. Perfect for devs who otherwise write their interfaces in code (I am guilty as charged), it breaks out of the tweak-build-run loop that takes up so much time and energy in the normal development day. Instead, you apply your tweaks within the app itself, adjusting the interface until it looks just right. This is the point at which Spark Inspector displays its one big weakness (keep in mind that it's still in development). Instead of producing an updated XIB (which would be okay) or PaintCode-like Objective-C output suitable for re-integration to your apps (which would kick ass), you take responsibility for transferring values back to your Xcode project. Honestly, It's not a huge deal -- especially when your tweaks change a constant from say 50 to 58.5 -- but it's something that could be a killer feature in future updates. For now, you make notes of what values worked best for you. And no, there's no "bookmark this UI for later comparison" option either, another thing I would have liked to have seen. One of Spark Inspector's nicest features is its 3D extrusion display. This pushes views out in parent-child hierarchies, letting you explore and select items with more tangible visualization than you get in IB. Spark Inspector also offers a notification inspector, which may be useful for some devs. If you're already writing your UIs from code, however, you probably know how to set up a listener that logs notifications. Setup is easy. There's a setup assistant for configuring Xcode projects, or (if you're paranoid like I am) add both the SparkInspector and libz frameworks to your dev builds, making sure to enable the -ObjC flag in Other Linker Flags. Include the SparkInspector header as such: and enable the inspector in your application delegate, typically in application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: Make sure you test using the simulator, and not (as I first tried) on device. The standalone Spark Inspector app (DMG) must be running. As soon as your app hits the "enable observation" stage, it seamlessly connects to the inspector, and you're ready to test and tweak. For forty bucks, this promises to be a valuable tool that many devs will benefit from. If you'd like to kick the tires before you buy, there's a free 30 day trial available on the Spark Inspector website. If you do decide to buy, you purchase directly from the vendor.
Weekend Poll: What apps did you discover via the 50 billionth download contest?
On Wednesday, Apple sold its 50 billionth iOS app. TUAW was there keeping track of the excitement and monitoring the iTunes store. Many of our colleagues and readers used this contest as an opportunity to stock up on numerous free apps, to test and explore. Were you one of them? What apps did you download and which ones do you love? Here at TUAW, most of our choices were word of mouth -- Megan downloaded Moves while I gave the Target app a try. I managed to convince Steve Sande to pick up Enigma. Sadly, none of us won. What about you? Did you discover a really great app while trying to win the prize? Drop a note in the comments and share your discoveries. And take part in our little poll. We're curious as to how many times people "entered" with the intent of winning big. %Poll-82542%
US Pentagon grants security clearance to iPad, iPhone
Earlier this month TUAW reported that iOS 6 had obtained FIPS 140-2 certification, "opening the door to more government use." It didn't take long for that door to swing wide open, as the Pentagon has now officially approved iPhones and iPads running a version of iOS 6 for use on secure government networks. Two weeks ago, Samsung devices running the Knox security layer and BlackBerry devices including the BlackBerry 10 smartphones and PlayBook tablets were given the nod by the US military. Adding Apple's iOS devices to the mix was part of the platform-agnostic plans of the Pentagon revealed in February. Those plans detailed adding wireless voice, video and data capabilities for classified and unclassified communications by October 2013. The approved devices will begin to be used more widely in the military and intelligence communities late in 2013 or in early 2014. iPhones and iPads already have a home in some parts of the government that don't require such strict security, but the new Pentagon certification should make for more widespread adoption of iOS. [via AppleInsider]
Your Mac's connection to Harry Potter
The next time you wish to hack into a Mac, it may help to grab your wand and book of spells. At the NoSuchCon security conference this week, security architect Alex Ionescu presented a talk where he revealed that special undocumented code on a Mac's SMC (system management controller) can be invoked by entering a secret spell used in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. That spell is "SpecialisRevelio," the words used by a wizard to "reveal charms and hexes that have been cast onto a target" or "reveal the ingredients of a potion." In an Ars Technica post about the secret spell, blogger Dan Goodin notes, "While most details are far too technical for this article, the gist of the research is that the SMC is a chip that very few people can read, but just about anyone with rudimentary technical skills can 'flash' update." One of the possible attacks that Ionescu pointed out is infecting the SMC with code to pull out the FileVault key used to encrypt a Mac drive, although to implement this, an attacker would have to know details of the Mac like the model, year and screen size in advance. Much more likely attacks provided by the spell backdoor include marking targets. The SMC could be programmed to emit audible or visual alerts through the fans or LED displays, which could point out a specific Mac to an attacker. A Mac could even be programmed to turn off at a certain time and refuse to boot again. There's good news in all of this scary talk: to reflash the firmware an attacker has to have physical access to the Mac. Ionescu also reported that many of the SMC security holes were plugged in OS X Mountain Lion. A full copy of the presentation can be downloaded here (PDF file).
DevJuice: Apple's ObjC-JavaScript Bridge
In a new post at his Steamclock Software blog, Nigel Brooke writes how Apple has added new Objective-C-to-Javascript bridging to WebKit: "This new API supports straightforward embedding of the JavaScriptCore interpreter into native Objective-C projects, including reading and writing variables and object members with appropriate type coercion, calling methods on JavaScript objects, and directly binding Objective-C objects into JavaScript." The API performs its bridging using Objective-C protocols, enabling you to bind JavaScript calls to Objective-C implementations. If you'd like to give the tech a test, Brooke has posted a working sample project at github. Hat tip iOS Dev Weekly
Apple's Retina display aids accessibility
Macworld blogger Steven Aquino wrote a fascinating piece today on how Apple's Retina display technology has helped him -- a legally blind individual with extremely low vision -- to be able to enjoy Apple's products as if he had no vision limitations at all. Aquino says that he had used the original iPhone and iPad successfully with their displays set to full brightness, but "seeing my iPhone 4's Retina screen was a total game-changer." The high pixel density -- 326 pixels per inch -- and turning the screen brightness all the way up made it so "even the smallest text was readable, and I was able to spot details in images that were previously indistinguishable." How much of a difference does a Retina display make to Aquino? "Simply put, I will no longer use an iPhone or iPad that doesn't feature a Retina display. Having used a Retina display, I can't go back to something that makes using my devices that much more difficult." Of course, he admits that having the screen brightness turned all the way up does eat up his battery charge quickly, so much so that a Mophie Powerstation Duo is in his favorite device bag at all times.
Apple to re-locate flagship store in San Francisco
Attendees of Macworld/iWorld and WWDC have always known that if they needed an Apple fix during their conference stay, they could walk over to the Apple Store at the corner of Stockton and Ellis streets. The SFGate blog is reporting that the company has submitted plans to open a new flagship store on Union Square a few blocks away. The new store is expected to occupy a space at Stockton and Post streets that was previously the home of a Levi's store. The design of the new building is intriguing -- it's a silver box-shaped store with an all-glass front, with the iconic Apple logo seemingly floating in midair. Apple said that the move to the new location -- about 45 percent larger than the existing store -- will increase employment by about 50 jobs over the existing 350. There's currently no schedule for the renovation and relocation. San Francisco politicians were thrilled by the news, with Supervisor David Chiu saying that he hoped the new flagship store would "turbo-charge" the Union Square area, and Mayor Ed Lee saying his office is working with Apple on green initiatives.
Preview, sips, and more: OS X image processing tools
On a recent trip, I found I had failed to add copies of my auto-resizing drop tools to my travel MacBook Air. My droplets allow me to convert images to TUAW-standard sizes, namely 225 pixels for small images and 456 pixels for banner images. (See? Information you never thought you'd need to know.) What a lot of people don't realize is that OS X offers solutions for these kinds of basic image tasks. First and foremost is Preview. This app is simply terrific. Yes, I know, Apple took some really helpful utilities like Link Annotation out of the app on its road to Mountain Lion. (Time? Feature trimming? It's hard to say.) Even so, Preview is the best app on your computer that nobody uses enough. Preview offers a surprising tool suite that combines a little bit of Photoshop and a little bit of Acrobat into one app. In addition to annotating PDFs, you can rotate and crop images using Preview's Tools menu. You have access to lasso selection, color correction, and image fitting, among many other features. At one point Steve Sande and I threw around the idea of writing an entire book on Preview (there's plenty of interesting material in there!) but ended up deciding against it. Unfortunately, demand leads sales and too few people know how powerful Preview can be. To resize an image, choose Tools > Adjust Size or click the resizing icon you see at the top-right of this post's main image. The icon looks like an arrowed line in a square box. An Image Dimensions panel slides into view, as you see here. Select the new width you want to use, making sure the small icon next to the two text fields remains in the locked position. This ensures that the height and width scale proportionately, so the resulting image is sized just right. Preview isn't the only resizing solution on your Mac, however. The "sips" command line tool offers another take on image processing, one that's especially convenient for scripting and batch processing. For example, if you want to resize an image to fit a given width, you can ask it to resample to the pixel count you supply. Here's how you might do that. % sips --resampleWidth 225 input.png --o output.png You can also perform many of the same tasks as preview. For example, you might rotate an image clockwise by 90 degrees: % sips -r 90 input.png -o output.png or convert a file from PNG to JPG format: % sips -s format jpeg input.png -o output.jpg OS X also supports related based on "folder actions". These refer to AppleScripts that you attach to folders, so when you drop items into the folders, they run those scripts. It's easy to take a peek at some of the system-supplied actions. Create a new folder on your desktop. Control-click or Right-click it and choose Services > Folder Action Setup from the contextual pop-up menu. Select a pre-built script like "Duplicate as JPEG" or "Rotate Left" and click Attach. Finish by checking "Enable Folder Actions". Your new folder applies the attached script to any file you drop into it. If you're an intrepid system-modding type, you can expand these script choices by adding items to ~/Library/Scripts/Folder Action Scripts. (The system supplied versions all appear in /Library/Scripts/Folder Action Scripts). Scripts are built around a standalone Image Events application, found in /System/Library/CoreServices. This app provides a "faceless background application" that wraps sips for AppleScript scripting. Apple has documented Image Events as part of its developer library, and its docs point to this external website that details how you integrate scripting with image manipulation requests. I'll leave the rest as an exercise for the reader, but a bit of Googling will turn up already-built image solutions ready for testing. Here at TUAW, we regularly use these for image resizing -- and they're exactly the bits I forgot to pack on my trip. So did I get my work done while gone? You bet I did. And a big part of that reason is how sips and Preview enable you to step up to image challenges without any third party software needed. Got some OS X image processing tips? Share them in the comments.
