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Daily Update for October 11, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
TUAW TV Live at 5 PM EDT: (Not) on the road again
They say travel is broadening, and in my case, that's true. I mean, take a look at the picture here -- I've gained a bit of weight on this trip! My wife and I have just returned from a 17-day trip that took us from Denver to such fascinating destinations as Venice, Debrovnik (Croatia), Chios (Greece), and Istanbul. As usual, I used the trip to reflect on travel and technology, and that is the topic of today's TUAW TV Live. I want to thank Kelly Guimont and Doc Rock for filling in for me the last two weeks. I'm sure the two of 'em did a great job and kept you entertained! As usual, I'll be starting the show at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST) sharp, and we'll take a few minutes to chat before the demos start. To join in on the chat and watch the live streaming video, drop by TUAW about five minutes before the start time to get your instructions on how to participate. If you're unable to join us for the show, remember that you can always subscribe to the video podcast and watch the show at your leisure in iTunes or any other favorite podcatching app. The past shows are also available on the TUAW YouTube channel.
Daily iPhone App: IHeartRadio
Clear Channel is a huge force in radio. When the Telecommunications Act of 1996 opened up radio ownership, Clear Channel Communications scooped up several stations in most big markets, consolidating power. The company also has a spinoff called Live Nation, which is among the biggest event and ticket promoters in the world (currently in a merger with Ticketmaster). In other words, Clear Channel runs the show when it comes to radio and music events. And that's essentially why the iHeartRadio app is so important -- it's Clear Channel's official hook into iOS. Most of the company's stations offer live streams within the app, along with song information and other updates. A recent update lets users create custom "stations," similar to Pandora. Unfortunately, those features require a login through Facebook. The service itself isn't bad, but given just how many honeypots Clear Channel has its hands in, some users aren't exactly comfortable with passing over more private information. That said, if the station you're looking for is available in the app, this is essentially the only way to get it streaming on the iPhone, so this one is pretty much your choice. And there is something to be said for Clear Channel's clout: the company is hosting a huge music festival in Las Vegas later on this month, all centered around this iHeartRadio brand. With the company's access, the custom stations on this app have access to plenty of different music choices and songs you might not hear elsewhere. It's just too bad the iHeartRadio app is part of the big Clear Channel empire -- something that's crushed a lot of local radio markets (and hearts) in the past. The iHeartRadio app is now available for free in the App Store.
Daily iPhone App: Radballs
I can't say I'm really a fan of the name, but Radballs is a solid music puzzle app for iOS that reminds me a lot of Lumines (definitely not a bad thing). You need to match up little orbs in sets of 4 or more to make rounded-off rectangles, and then, just like in Lumines, a "beat bar" comes by to clear them off the board and earn you points. You can grab the beat bar to "scratch" it for extra points, or use powerups as they drop to help you clear the board as well. The music is well-done (there are even some OK Go remixes in there) and ties into the gameplay very nicely, so you can listen and sort of make music as you play along. It's fun and fairly addictive, though things are even a little complicated -- the tutorial is quite long, actually. The controls take a little getting used to as well; the balls will bounce around quite a bit, sometimes making precision moves tough to do. Still, it's a good game -- if only that name was different. Radballs is a universal app for the iPad and iPhone that's US$2.99 on the App Store right now.
Daily Update for August 23, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
TUAW at the NYC Engadget meetup August 25
Yes, Engadget will be having one of their reader meetups next week and myself and fellow editor Dave Caolo will be there to personally meet and greet you Apple fans in attendance. If meeting two handsome geeks isn't enough to draw you to the event, we'll also be giving away a ton of loot -- just about everything we've reviewed since the summer began! The event is an all-ages shindig at Guastavino's, which is located at 59th Street in New York City. Show up by 6:30pm on Thursday, August 25 to queue up and (we hope) get inside. The venue only holds 1,000 of us, so please be patient if there's a long line. No, Android fans, we will not be in a dunking tank.
Talkcast tonight, 10pm ET/7pm PT/4pm HT: Old school hardware edition!
Another Sunday, another live TUAW Talkcast! This week we have news of shiny new educational iMacs; remember those? We also have a bit of Newton love to talk about, and perhaps we will look back fondly upon other old Apple hardware, like Spartacus or perhaps the PowerBook World Saver slash hibachi. Prepare to join me and... well, I'm not sure who else, but you know it'll be a good time. Kelly hosting the show means there will be aftershow, which we never record. Perhaps you should drop by to find out why... It's really all about you, the community, so please join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Blink or X-Lite SIP clients, basic instructions are here. (If you like Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!
Daily Update for August 10, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top stories of the day in three to five minutes, perfect for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
TUAW TV Live at 5 PM EDT: Kelly's house of crackpot theories, video edition
The proprietress of Kelly's House of Crackpot Theories, Ms. Kelly Guimont, will be joining me this afternoon for what should be a wildly fun edition of TUAW TV Live. If you join in on the TUAW Talkcast on Sunday nights, you know just how much fun Kelly is. I'm not sure exactly what we'll be talking about today -- I may leave that up to the chat room to decide -- but whatever the topic happens to be we'll have a blast. As usual, I'll be starting the show at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST) sharp, and we'll take a few minutes to chat before the demos start. To join in on the chat and watch the live streaming video, drop by TUAW about five minutes before the start time to get your instructions on how to participate. If you're unable to join us for the show, remember that you can always subscribe to the video podcast and watch the show at your leisure in iTunes or any other favorite podcatching app. The past shows are also available on the TUAW YouTube channel.
Introduce yourself to the brand new TUAW!
Do you love TUAW? Well, we do, and not just cause we're legally obligated to cherish our sister (site). If you haven't seen her lately you should stop by and say "hi." She's sporting an entirely new look -- you'll love what she's done with her nav bar -- and picked up a few interesting new features like the ability to sort by platform and a carousel that automatically alerts you to updated posts (quite handy for stalking the Apple Store when it goes down). Don't let that Beta tattoo fool you though, TUAW 3.0 isn't fickle, she won't change her mind at the drop of a turtleneck or ditch design changes willy nilly -- these are big improvements and there's a lot more to come. So go, reintroduce yourself, and catch up on what's new with TUAW at the source link.
Welcome to the new TUAW (Updated)
Here's to new beginnings. TUAW has had iterative redesigns since our inception in 2004 but we've always followed the same old "river" format seen on "weblog" sites around the world. While a chronological order made sense before the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV were unleashed upon the world, it seems we have outgrown the rather limiting format of having a mere 10 posts on a page. We're also serving content to a wide range of users these days, from newbies to developers. How do we surface content in the least number of clicks to such a disparate audience? Enter TUAW 3.0 -- currently in beta as we have a few important features yet to come. Read on for a full tour of what we're launching tonight, and a tease of what is yet to be installed.
MacTech Boot Camp revving up for Dallas, coming to Boston, LA and Chicago later this year
Our friends at the MacTech Boot Camp series of conferences for Mac consultants and IT techs are rolling right into 2011. They've got a session planned in Dallas for April 27, and then they're headed up to Boston for another event on May 18. We're told there's still room at the Dallas event, and the usual pricing has been lowered to $395, so you TUAW readers can follow this special discount link to see the show for just $295. Sessions include a packed schedule of panels and demos, lots and lots of networking, and included meals and refreshments -- if you've never been to one of these and do any consulting or IT work with Macs, they're definitely worth seeing. You can even get certified at the events -- Apple Certification Testing is taking place the day before each session, and there's also a proctor-moderated group study session included before that, so you can do some last-minute cramming with your fellow pupils. Testing for MacTech Boot Camp attendees is only $199, which is significantly cheaper than usual. Finally, early bird registration is still underway for the sessions later on this year -- the conference will be in Los Angeles on July 27, and in Chicago on August 31. If you're in either of those cities, definitely consider attending. TUAW is a media sponsor of the MacTech Boot Camp conferences.
TUAW readers get 30% off "Take Control of iWeb '09"
TUAW's very own superstar Steve Sande has released a new ebook version of "Take Control of iWeb '09," and it's updated to reflect the fact that iWeb is practically the same in both iLife '09 and the newer iLife '11. No matter which iLife you're using, Steve's got some excellent tips in here for you. From using Dropbox to share and publish low-cost iWeb sites, to embedding Google Calendars and Keynote presentations, and even setting up iWeb sites for mobile iOS devices, Steve has you covered on all the various functions of iWeb 3 for either iLife '09 or iLife '11. Since you're reading TUAW, you can consider yourself lucky. By following this link, you can get Steve's ebook for 30% off, making the usually US$15 ebook just $10.50. Congrats to our own Mr. "TUAW TV Live" on another successful publication, and if you want to grab that special TUAW-only discount, head through the link above.
Come join a TUAW meetup on April 3
Wow! Just a few weeks ago we mentioned TUAW meetups on April 3 to celebrate the availability of the original iPad. Less than a year later, the iPad 2 is available -- along with thousands of apps tuned to the larger screen. Some of those apps are multiplayer, and we hope you'll bring those along with you to the meetups. Currently we're having meetups in over 60 cities worldwide. Just head over to this Meetup page and either join an existing meetup or start one of your own! Ideally, you could meet at a place with Wi-Fi, but that isn't required. We also prefer the venue be all ages (not 18 or 21-and-up). Load up some multiplayer games to play with others, or just bring some cool apps you've found that you'd like to share. We hope to see you there!
Talkcast Tonight, 7 PM PT/10 PM ET: WTF, AT&T? Edition
Here we go again kids! Tonight we have the breaking news of AT&T buying T-Mobile, and the pending New York Times Paywall, among other things. (You just never know what we'll end up talking about.) Keep in mind that when you come for the show, you can stay for the aftershow, and TUAWTF is a lovely resource for everything from expanding your vocabulary to hacking cake mixes. Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 PM EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cell phone weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!
Enter to run away with a free copy of Runmeter from TUAW
I just wrote about Runmeter after meeting creator Steve Kusmer at Macworld 2011 a little while back, and as a runner myself, I've used it a couple of times to track and monitor my performance during and after runs. It's very feature-rich, even compared to other running apps on the App Store, with plenty of connections to social media and great UI features. The recent 5.0 update brought in a ton of new features, and the latest update, 5.0.1, smoothed those over with some extra options, performance updates and bug fixes. Runmeter is US$4.99 on the App Store, but if you're a runner who hasn't picked it up yet, it's your lucky day. We're giving 10 copies away to lucky readers. Just enter a comment below telling us your favorite time of day to go running, and we'll choose 10 comments at random to get a promo code for the app. One note: The app sells special voices for in-app purchase, and this code doesn't include those. But you don't need them -- they're just extra add-ons that provide a little more text-to-speech functionality. Here are the rules: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. To enter leave a comment on this post letting us know your favorite time of day to run. The comment must be left before Tuesday, February 29, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing. Prize: App Store promo code for Runmeter (US$4.99 value). Click Here for complete Official Rules. Good luck and good running to everyone who enters!
Introducing TUAW Meetups on April 3 to celebrate the iPad and multiplayer games
Love the iPad? Want to meet fellow enthusiasts? If you're familiar with Meetup.com already you know that for groups who share a common interest like the iPad, it's a low-friction way to assemble those affinity groups and share real-world experiences. In other words: it's a great way to set up a meetup! We're hip to this vibe and have partnered up with Meetup to "host" our first in a series of gatherings. The first one will be April 3, the anniversary of the iPad being available to the masses. Specifically, we're inviting people to set up local get-togethers through the Meetup page here, bring your iPads and play board games (like Reiner Knizia's Battleline or Small World) or multiplayer games (like Carcassonne or Real Racing 2). It's a no-pressure, fun way to get together with other iPad enthusiasts. You're welcome to share tips, cool apps and stories as well -- with Meetup the events are really shaped by the hosts, so we hope to see a variety of fun events out there. These could take place in a coffee shop or any other public space, preferably one with Wi-Fi. Just go to this Meetup page, either sign up to become a host or sign up to attend an event and set your calendar for April 3. Over the next several weeks we'll detail our own hosts' plans (we're hoping to establish a few with our writers so you can meet the fine bloggers here at TUAW in real life) and share what events have been set up where we don't have staff. Above all, have fun with this! The iPad is a fun, magical device, and we hope your meetups are as well. Let us know in the comments if you plan to host or attend one.
TUAW app updated, should fix your iPad woes
A few readers wrote in to tell us that the updated TUAW app was crashing on the iPad. We promised a fix, and hopefully we've delivered: TUAW version 2.0.2 is now available on the App Store. Please note that while this does correct the iPad crash and several other bugs, there is still a different in-app storage setup for saved articles and your saved posts will not transfer to the new version -- please make a separate note of them before upgrading. TUAW writer TJ Luoma reports the app is working fine on his iPad now. Give us feedback, either here in the comments or via our feedback form, and tell us how it's running for you now. As for when we'll have an iPad-formatted version of our app, that's unfortunately still up in the air. Meanwhile, we hope the iPhone version of our app works better for you after the update.
