MacFlaunt » Apps

First look: Opera Mini for iPhone

Daniel — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:05:09 +0000

Apple on Monday approved the Opera Mini browser for the iPhone, and the software is now available to download for free from the App Store. Speculation was rife that Apple wouldn’t approve the app because it duplicates functionality of the Safari browser, but Opera Mini made it to the App Store against all odds.

Opera Mini is the first third party Web browser to make it on the iPhone. By now, Apple’s phone had alternative browsers, which were merely rehashes of the Safari mobile browser. Opera Mini for iPhone is different: when you type an URL in the address bar, the page is compressed up to 90 percent on Opera’s servers and then loaded onto your phone.

This loading/rendering mechanism that Opera Mini uses leads to a much faster Web browsing experience on your mobile to Apple’s own Safari, especially when using GSM connections. Opera’s browser is also expected to reduce the traffic burden on wireless carriers.

Opera Mini for iPhone is as full-featured as Apple’s Safari browser. When you open the app, you are shown a screen with nine thumbnails for various sites. Six of them are pre-set by Opera and three of them are ready for customisation. You can also edit later the first six thumbnails with your preferred sites.

Pages load very quickly, a good few seconds faster than Safari in most cases. I tested the loading times for both Opera and Safari on WiFi and GSM connections, and except the cases when pages were already cached in Safari, Opera Mini was always the speediest.

Opera Mini for the iPhone also does tabs, displayed as a deck of cards at the bottom of the screen. You can flip and shuffle through the open tabs, though there is no full-screen tab switcher. Opera Mini for iPhone can also open more tabs than Safari’s magic number 8 (I went up to 13). As a bonus, Opera Mini also lets your search through Amazon, eBay or Wikipedia from its search bar (Google search is default).

Some other nice features included in Opera Mini for iPhone are in-page search, full-screen browsing, and saved pages, which allow you to save a certain Webpage locally on your iPhone for offline reading. For those used to Safari’s double-tap to zoom in to a certain area of a page, this action is achieved with a single tap in Opera Mini for iPhone, which can be quite confusing initially.

As for page-rendering, Opera Mini for iPhone displays all pages with the same font, so for example The New York Times’ home page won’t look the same in Safari and Opera Mini, despite most of the page formatting kept intact. This is probably the cost you have to pay for speed achieved through rendering sites on Opera’s servers. Nevertheless, most pages that I tried Opera Mini for iPhone with looked fine.

So if you are usually in areas with poor 3G reception, Opera Mini is definitely worth a try for its speediness, especially as it is a free download.

Official Netflix app coming for iPad

Daniel — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:17:02 +0000

Apple has approved the official Netflix app for the iPad, which will be available in the App Store starting April 3rd. The iPad app will work as part of an unlimited Netflix membership, and will let you sync movies on your tablet with where you left off on your computer.

Screenshots from the Apple App Store, revealed initially by AppAdvice, (you can check them out yourself on Apple’s servers here and here) show that Apple has approved the official Netflix app for the iPad. You will need to have an unlimited Netflix plan, starting at $8.99 per month, and of course, an iPad. The app is free to download.

Continue reading the story on PCWorld

App Store porn purge after series of complaints

Elizabeth — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:29:46 +0000

Apple have taken steps to remove all sexually suggestive apps from the App Store after a series of complaints from women and parents.

The problem came to head four days ago, when Apple was inundated with complaints from concerned parents, offended women and other developers who felt sex apps were crowding the games, books, software and other categories.

The company have now tightened their app policy, stating that even apps containing pictures of women in swimsuits will now be unacceptable. This has come as a surprise for some developers, who had been making huge profits from their “soft-core porn” apps.

Developers who had their apps removed in the purge were sent a notice, saying: “We have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content and have changed our guidelines appropriately. We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application.”

Phil Schiller, head of worldwide product marketing at Apple, stepped forward to discuss the changes within the App Store. He said: “It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable, as well as parents who were upset with what their kids were able to see.”

The iPod touch is a popular music player with children and teenagers and the iPhone has international success, with a sizeable portion of the mobile market. Next month, Apple will also be releasing the iPad, which will use apps from the App Store. If the tablet is used for educational purposes, as well as a family-friendly device, Apple will of course want its usual squeaky clean brand image before the iPad’s launch.

Mobile firms unite to take on App Store

Elizabeth — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:21:01 +0000

The iPhone’s dominance over mobile applications could be numbered. 24 mobile networks across the world, including the likes of iPhone carriers Orange and Vodafone, are to unite in order to create a competitor for the iPhone App Store.

The sudden alliance between all the mobile companies will create an “open platform” for developers, allowing them to reach out to 3 billion consumers – which would make the initiative the biggest application store once launched.

The announcement was made at the Mobile World Congress this morning, with GSMA, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG also supporting the movement. Called the “Wholesale Applications Community”, the store will aim to provide developers with a single point-of-entry – this way the developer could create apps across all mobile platforms, rather than the current problem of having to create different versions of the app for different stores (iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia and Symbian). However, this could be pretty difficult, due to technicalities of uniting all the different operators and and platforms signing up. This may take the WAC up to 12 months to roll out.

“The GSMA is fully supportive the Wholesale Applications Community, which will build a new, open ecosystem to spur the creation of applications that can be used regardless of device, operating system or operator,” said Rob Conway, CEO of GSMA. “This is tremendously exciting news for our industry and will serve to catalyse the development of a range of innovative cross-device, cross-operator applications.”

Jonathan Arber, Senior Research Analyst at IDC, said: “Attracting and retaining developers is vital for any application store offering to succeed. However, mobile application developers currently face a high level of fragmentation in the industry, in terms of both technology platforms, and individual operators’ working practices.

“Developers want to meet the largest possible addressable market, as efficiently and painlessly as possible, and the Wholesale Applications Community initiative can meet these criteria by providing a simple, single point of access to a large number of operator storefronts. The initiative should also help to drive uptake of existing, open standards among developers, operators and manufacturers, thereby reducing fragmentation and benefiting the whole industry,” Arber said.

So the iPhone better watch out, heavy competition could be on its way. However, while the WAC work out the technicalities of how to create a single platform an app store on different mobile operating systems, Apple shouldn’t be scared just yet. As Jason Kincaid of TechCrunch says, if it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is, and is purely a pipe dream of carriers looking to loosen Apple’s hold on mobile applications.

Learn more about the Wholesale Applications Community here.

Microsoft wants Bing on the iPhone

Daniel — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:56:57 +0000

Microsoft thinks that the iPhone could represent another way to boost the popularity of its search engine, Bing.

The Redmond-based company released on Thursday a software developer kit (SDK) which will allow iPhone developers to integrate Bing searching into their apps.

Google is the default search engine built in the Safari browser on the iPhone. Other search engines such as Ask or Bing, are accessible only if you go the service’s web page.

But Microsoft wants to change that. Using the SDK the company released on Thursday, developers can build iPhone applications that search through BIn for information, images, videos, news and phonebook results.

Applications developed in Cocoa or Cocoa Touch can also integrate Bing search results thanks to the open source SDK. Anyone can download the Bing SDK for iPhone and Mac here.

Microsoft thinks the iPhone could represent another way to boost the popularity of its search engine, Bing.

The Redmond-based company released on Thursday a software developer kit (SDK) which will allow iPhone developers to integrate Bing search results into their apps.

Google is the default search engine built in the Safari browser on the iPhone. Other search engines such as Ask or Bing, are accessible only if you go the service’s web page.

But Microsoft wants to change that. Using the SDK the company released on Thursday, developers can build iPhone applications that search through Bing for information, images, videos, news and phonebook results.

Applications developed in Cocoa or Cocoa Touch can also integrate Bing search results thanks to the open source SDK. Anyone can download the Bing SDK for iPhone and Mac here.

[Via PC World, TechCrunch]

Apple approves Spotify and Facebook 3.0 for iPhone

Daniel — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:56:38 +0000

Apple approved on Thursday both the Spotify and the Facebook 3.0 applications for the iPhone, according to multiple reports.

Spotify, the music streaming service that took Europe by storm, had its app approved into the Apple App Store, according to a report from The Next Web on Thursday. An Apple spokesperson quoted by PaidContent UK said that “the app will be in the app store very soon.”

The iPhone version of the Spotify service is similar to what desktop users are already familiar with. The Spotify for iPhone app will allow you to listen to music even when you are not connected to a network. Real Networks also submitted earlier this week their Rhapsody iPhone app, which doesn’t support offline listening. Neither the desktop version of Spotify, nor the iPhone counterpart will be available for US users.

Apple also approved on Thursday the 3.0 version of Facebook for iPhone, Joe Hewitt, the developer of the app announced via his Twitter account. Hewitt says the App Store might still display as the 2.5 version number, but when users request to install, the 3.0 version will be downloaded.

The new 3.0 iPhone app features many improvements and interface changes, including better news feeds with direct links to comments, the ability to “like” posts, and access to fan pages. You can also RSVP to events, create photo albums from the iPhone and write/edit notes. Unfortunately, Facebook for iPhone 3.0 does not feature push notifications, but this functionality is expected in the 3.1 update.

5 hidden features in MacOSX Snow Leopard

Daniel — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:42:53 +0000

Anti-malware protection

Apple confirmed on Thursday another undocumented Snow Leopard feature, namely built-in anti-malware protection. Apple prides itself on the security of operating system and Snow Leopard makes no exception. An alert will pop up the first time a potential piece of malware is detected in Safari, iChat or Mail. The malware signatures will be constantly updated via Software Update.

Triangulate your Mac’s location

The networking hardware built in Mac will be used to triangulate your approximate latitude and longitude, using a framework called CoreLocation (the same one used in the GPS-less original iPhone and now in the iPod touch). This feature should come in handy with increasingly popular location-aware services such as Google latitude or the upcoming Twitter geolocation API.

Multi-touch in third-party applications

Apple will leverage a framework of code libraries and functions, which will allow third party developers to add mode multi-touch features to their applications. Expect by the end of the year some really cool implementations of multi-touch features from Safari and iPhoto into other apps — think about retweeting with a four finger swipe in Tweetie.

Text substitution

Barely mentioned by Apple, the text substitution feature will spare you the $30 you would spend on TextExpander. Text substitution automatically expands shortcuts or phrases as you type, such as changing (c) to a copyright symbol (©) and fractions from 1/2 to ½. What’s even better is that you can set your own text snippets (eg. if you type your initials, they will expand into your full name).

QuickTime X screen recording

Yet another little mention feature in Snow Leopard is the screen recording feature in the new QuickTime X — it records the activity on your screen and saves it as a movie file — simple as that. Screen recording in QuickTime X should save you some money if you don’t need a professional screen-casting tool such as the new Camtasia for Mac.

Found any other cool features that Apple has mentioned or maybe some obscure new trick? Please come back and lets us know in the comments.

Apple considers Snow Leopard more of a feature pack over Leopard rather than a fully-fledged update. But Snow Leopard is full of improvements and refinements, some of which Apple has said very little about. Have a look at these five* potential Snow Leopard gems that not many have talked about.

*Updated with an extra tip from Joel Housman.

Anti-malware protection

Apple confirmed on Thursday an undocumented Snow Leopard feature, namely built-in anti-malware protection. Apple prides itself on the security of its operating systems and Snow Leopard makes no exception. An alert will pop up the first time a potential piece of malware is detected in Safari, iChat or Mail and the malware signatures will be constantly updated via Software Update.

Triangulate your Mac’s location

The networking hardware built in Macs will be used to triangulate your approximate latitude and longitude, using a framework called CoreLocation (the same one used in the GPS-less original iPhone and now in the iPod touch). This feature should come in handy with increasingly popular location-aware services such as Google Latitude or the upcoming Twitter geolocation API; and it automatically sets your time-zone too.

Multi-touch in third-party applications

Apple will leverage a framework of code libraries and functions, which will allow third party developers to add more multi-touch features to their applications. Expect by the end of the year some really cool implementations of multi-touch features from Safari and iPhoto into other apps — such as retweeting with a four finger swipe in Tweetie.

Text substitution

Barely mentioned by Apple, the text substitution feature will spare you the $30 you would spend on similar applications such as TextExpander. Text substitution automatically expands shortcuts or phrases as you type, such as changing (c) to a copyright symbol (©) and fractions from 1/2 to ½. What’s even better is that you can set your own text snippets (eg. if you type your initials, they will expand into your full name).

QuickTime X screen recording

Yet another little mentioned feature in Snow Leopard is the screen recording capability in the new QuickTime X — it captures the activity on your screen and saves it as a movie file — simple as that. Screen recording in QuickTime X should save you some money if you don’t really need a professional screen-casting tool such as the new Camtasia for Mac.

Google Calendar support built-in to iCal

iCal will feature native Google Calendar integration. You can add another account from the Settings menu and select Google Account. After entering your Google credentials, iCal will sync with your default Google Calendar and you can also subscribe to another person’s shared calendar.

Found any other cool features that Apple has no or little mention of? Please lets us know in the comments.

[Via AppleInsider, All Things Digital, PC Mag, Wired]

$30 Snow Leopard upgrade disc works with Tiger too

Daniel — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:46:02 +0000

Happy times for Mac OSX Tiger users: the $30 Snow Leopard disc, intended for Leopard upgraders, will reportedly do a full update for OSX Tiger users too.

If you are still on Tiger, Apple wants you to shell out $170 for the Mac Box Set in order to upgrade to Snow Leopard. Leopard users are better off though, as a Snow Leopard upgrade disc will cost them only $30.

However, reports today say that the $30 Snow Leopard disc can do the same job for Tiger users as well, instead of the $170 Mac Box Set, containing the new operating system, iLife 09 and the iWork 09 productivity suite.

Although Snow Leopard works only with Intel-based Macs, those who bought the first generation Intel Macs in 2006 could still be running on Tiger. Recent estimates put this number at around 20 percent of the total of Mac users. So Apple asks $170 from Tiger users who haven’t updated to Leopard in 2007 and now want to make the switch to Snow Leopard.

Reports from Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal and Brian X Cheng of Wired confirm that the $30 Snow Leopard upgrade disc can also do a full update from Tiger, saving users $140. The only problem with this method is that it violates Apple’s end user license agreement (EULA), hence it is illegal.

However, Amazon has cut prices today on both the Snow Leopard upgrade disc and the Mac Box Set, which are now $25 (from $29) and $150 (from $170). In anticipation of the Friday Snow Leopard launch, Apple has also started sending out delivery notices to those who already pre-ordered the new operating system.

Stop the MacBook multi-touch trackpad having a life of its own

Elizabeth — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:30:03 +0000

When doing typical tasks such as browsing the Web or writing a document, there’s nothing more annoying than Apple’s new multi-touch gestures on the MacBook Pro trackpad.

Until recently this was not a problem, as the undesired features could simply be turned off in the Preferences pane. However, after the release of the 10.5.6 OSX update, this option was removed, leaving many new Mac users in disarray.

The most irritating of these features is the Pinch Open and Close feature, which allows the user to zoom in and out of an application. Great if you are actually working on an image in Photoshop, but not so great when you are just trying to scroll down a Web page, as the new Swipe and Pinch feature is incredibly sensitive.

However, developer William Henderson came up with a free application designed to disable these annoying features. MultiClutch (pictured below) is an easy to use widget, which allows users to attach key commands to the trackpad features they hate. The trackpad multi-touch gestures can either be disabled globally (every program effected on the system) or only for specific applications.

Care should be taken when choosing which key commands replace the trackpad motions, as you could end up not only stopping Pinch Open and Close altogether, but launching, restarting, or quitting something else instead. The best option is to use really obscure key combinations as a replacement, about 4 or 5 keys long — just make sure they are not already in use elsewhere.

This useful little application will save many the aggravation and stress that comes with the multi-touch trackpad, without having to actually pay for the pleasure of using it. Let’s hope that MultiClutch (still in beta) will work in Snow Leopard also.

You can download MultiClutch here.

TextExpander comes to the iPhone

Daniel — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:17:41 +0000

TextExpander touch might not have all the features of its Mac sibling, but it does help you type faster on your iPhone or iPod touch using short abbreviations that expand into long snippets of text.

Developed by Smile On My Mac, TextExpander touch works with the iPhone Mail app, where you can compose new messages using a snippet library of frequently-used text, email addresses and signatures. The final text is then inserted into the body of a new email in Mail.

If you do a lot of tweeting, TextExpander touch can also come in handy, as it can send composed text to Tweetie, Twitterific (free and Premium), TwitterFon (free and Pro) and Twittelator Pro. TweetDeck and Birdfeed are not supported, as the two apps would need an update from their developers in order to work with TextExpander touch.

TextExpander touch works with text messages as well, and can turn any of your frequently-used phrases (like “I will be 5 minutes late”) into an SMS. The app can be used as a text editor, and then copy and paste the notes in any other app on your phone. The screenshots below (click to enlarge) don’t really do justice to how useful TextExpander touch is, so you might also want to check this demo video on the developer’s website.

Smile On My Mac’s TextExpander touch is available now in the Apple App Store for for the introductory price of $1.99. After September 9, the app will cost $4.99. And if you want to grab a bargain, TextExpander for the Mac is now $15 (50% off until September 9). TextExpander touch requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iPhone OS 3.x or later.

Adobe CS3 not supported on Snow Leopard, CS4 users lucky

Daniel — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:26:28 +0000

Adobe CS3 not supported on Snow Leopard, CS4 users lucky

Adobe said that its Creative Suite 3 package might not work properly on Apples’ new Snow Leopard operating system. Although older Adobe and Macromedia software can be installed on Snow Leopard, the company warns of unexpected quality, stability and reliability issues.

If you are using the Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4), “Adobe and Apple have worked together closely to test that Adobe Creative Suite 4 products and components run reliably and efficiently on Intel-based systems running Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6) with optimal performance and user experience, the company said in a Q&A session.

Adobe said that none of the CS4 products and components require an update to work on Snow Leopard. The company is aware though of two issues of CS4 products with the Apple operating system:

Users may be unable to update their CSI Extensions via the Connections Panel;

Adobe Drive does not run on 64-bit Snow Leopard.

To fix the CSI Extensions issue, Adobe said that it plans an additional software update, as for Adobe Drive users, the company recommends not upgrading to Snow Leopard for the time being.

Adobe said the Creative Suite 3 package might not work properly on Apple’s new Snow Leopard operating system. Although older Adobe and Macromedia software can be installed on Snow Leopard, the company warns of unexpected quality, stability and reliability issues.

If you are using the Adobe Creative Suite 4 (CS4), “Adobe and Apple have worked together closely to test that CS4 products and components run reliably and efficiently on Intel-based systems running Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v10.6) with optimal performance and user experience, the company said in a technical Q&A session (PDF link).

Adobe said that none of the CS4 products and components will require an update to work on Snow Leopard. However, the company is aware of two issues with CS4 products on the new Apple operating system:

Users may be unable to update their CSI Extensions via the Connections Panel;
Adobe Drive does not run on 64-bit Snow Leopard.

To fix the CSI Extensions issue, Adobe said that it plans an additional software update, as for Adobe Drive users, the company recommends not upgrading to Snow Leopard for the time being.

UPDATE: Adobe’s John Nack clarified: “No one said anything about CS3 being “not supported” on Snow Leopard. The plan, however, is not to take resources away from other efforts (e.g. porting Photoshop to Cocoa) in order to modify 2.5-year-old software in response to changes Apple makes in the OS foundation.”

[Via 9 to 5 Mac]

Get the sports apps from the new iPhone 3GS ad

Daniel — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:45:46 +0000

The new iPhone 3GS ad called Avid is aimed at sports fans. The spot promotes three specific iPhone apps, all available now in the Apple App Store.

In order of appearance, the apps in the iPhone 3GS Avid ad are: Golfshot: Golf GPS ($29.99 iTunes link), MLB.com At Bat 2009 ($9.99 iTunes link) and TouchSports Tennis ’09 ($0.99 iTunes link).

The song playing in the Avid iPhone 3GS ad is titled Mr. Pitful by Matt Costa.

And for your viewing pleasure, below is the new Avid iPhone 3GS advert:

New to Macs? Ease the switch with the new Parallels

Daniel — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:19:33 +0000

New to Macs? Switch easily with new Parallels

Now here’s a tip for your Mac-switching friends who are struggling with the transition. Parallels introduced on Tuesday the Desktop Switch to Mac Edition, a complete package of tools and tutorials to help new Mac OSX users get to grasp with their new computers.

Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition helps new Mac users get their documents and media files from their old PC (over the USB transfer cable included in the box) with a piece of software called Enhanced Parallels Transporter.

Parallels Desktop for Mac 4.0 is also included in the pack, which allows PC users to run Windows-only applications on their Mac (also known as virtualization software). To complete the switching experience, Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition comes with over two hours of interactive video tutorials.

A cool feature in the new Parallels package is the quick reference card, which identifies the most common Windows and Mac command/function differences and puts the correct keystrokes in.

Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition should is available now at the Apple Online Store is sells for $99.99. A quick video run-through on all the features in the new package is available on the Parallels website.

Now here’s a tip for your Mac-switching friends who are struggling with the transition. Parallels introduced on Tuesday the Desktop Switch to Mac Edition, a complete package of tools and tutorials to help newbie Mac OSX users get to grasps with their new computers.

Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition helps new Mac users transfer their documents and media files from their old PC (over the USB transfer cable included in the box) with a piece of software called Enhanced Parallels Transporter.

A cool feature in the new Parallels package is the quick reference card, which identifies the most common Windows and Mac command/function differences and puts the correct keystrokes in. Now that should make it easy for those hesitating to take the plunge to Macs.

Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition will be available later on Tuesday at the Apple Online Store for $99.99. A quick video run-through on all the features in the new package is available on the Parallels website.

What is Equinux’s secret iPhone app all about?

Daniel — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:03:36 +0000

Mac software developer Equinux is teasing with a secret “hot” application coming to iPhones everywhere. With 5 smart iPhone apps under its belt, the Equinux campaign seems to be working, as many are left wondering what’s to come.

Based in San Francisco, US and Munich, Germany, Equinux developed 5 iPhone apps already, most notably Live TV, which turns the iPhone into a mobile TV set and TubeToGo, an app that lets users watch and manage TV recordings from their phone.

Equinux is probably waiting for their mysterious new app to get approved by Apple, so until it makes it into the App Store, the company prepared a special minisite where the curious ones can subscribe for the latest news.

You will need a VIP code to subscribe to the Equinux list, so you might want to try one the following codes: 6AS7F, PCMZ3 (both of them will do the job). Of course, as soon as we find out more, we will let you know.

Batch organize iPhone apps on multiple screens

Daniel — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:57:37 +0000

Having more than two screens of installed applications on the iPhone can be a pain when you want to keep everything in order. And as iTunes does not offer any way to easily manage the applications on your multiple screens, someone came up with an idea before Apple.

The Movement application for your computer can help you organise your iPhone apps quick and easy. Developed by independent Mac developer Jeff Stieler, Movement lets users batch organise their iPhone apps across multiple screens with just a few clicks — with a catch.

The downside to Movement is that it works only with jailbroken iPhones, so users who didn’t take the plunge into hacking their devices can’t play around it with it. Here’s for hoping that Apple comes up with a similar solution for the rest of us.

Movement is free and requires OSX 10.5. You can download it here, and below is a video from the developer demonstrating the app.

— Movement screenshot courtesy of Zain Memon via TechCrunch.

It’s official: Mac OSX Snow Leopard arriving August 28

Daniel — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:47:40 +0000

After weeks of speculation, the wait is over: Mac OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard will be available from Friday, August 28, Apple announced on Monday.

Apple said back in June at the WWDC 09 conference that Snow Leopard would be available in September, but after a few glitches to Apple’s websites in the UK and US, the new operating system is officially landing on August 28.

Mac OSX Snow Leopard will cost $29, as Apple considers it mainly a refinement over the current Leopard operating system. Those who purchased a Mac computer after June 8, can sign up to the Up To Date program, and receive a copy of Snow Leopard for only $10.

Some of the main improvements in Snow Leopard are:

Full 64-bit operating system;
Completely rewritten Finder app;
Refined Expose, integrated in the Dock;
Faster wake up and shut down times;
Faster installation which frees up to 7GB of HDD space;
Brand new QuickTime X media player;
Higher resolution iChat;
Automatic updates for printer drivers;
Automatic time zone setup;
PDF text selection in Preview;
Microsoft Exchange support in Mail, iCal and Address Book.

Detailed information on all the new features and refinements found in Snow Leopard can be found here.

You can preorder Mac OSX Snow Leopard for $29 for a single user licence or for $49 for a 5 user Family Pack licence. Preorders should arrive on August 28.

After weeks of speculation, the wait is over: Mac OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard will be available from Friday, August 28, Apple announced on Monday.

Apple said back in June at the WWDC 09 conference that Snow Leopard would be available in September, but after a few glitches to Apple’s websites in the UK and US, the the new operating system is officially landing on August 28.

Some of the main improvement in Snow Leopard are:

Completely rewritten Finder app

Refined Expose, integrated in the Dock

Faster wake up and shut down times

Faster installation which frees up 7GB of space

Brand new QuickTime X media player

Higher resolution iChat

Automatic updates for printer drivers

Automatic time zone setup

PDF text selection in Preview

Microsoft Exchange support in Mail, iCal and Address Book

You can preorder Mac OSX Snow Leopard here ($29 for single user lincese, $49 for 5 user Family Pack license). Preorders should arrive on August 28.

Rhapsody for iPhone on route to the App Store

Daniel — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:45:32 +0000

Real Networks announced it has submitted the Rhapsody music subscription service app for iPhone and iPod Touch to the Apple App Store. When (and if) Apple approves the application, users will be be able to stream unlimited music to their phone for $15 per month.

The Rhapsody music subscription service iPhone app will be able to stream over Wi-Fi, 3G and EDGE an unlimited number of songs to your device, given that you pay $15 per month for a Rhapsody To Go account.

The iPhone/iPod Touch application itself will be free to download, giving access to a library containing over 8 million songs, Real Networks announced on their blog.

GDGT has a comprehensive hands-on with Rhapsody for iPhone, and here are some of their highlighted notes:

Search through an 8+ million songs library;
Create playlists on the fly;
Listen to your existing Rhapsody playlists;
Rhapsody Unlimited ($13/month) subscribers not supported;
No storage capabilities (coming in version 2.0).

If Apple decides to approve the Rhapsody for iPhone app, the service will be not only competing with iTunes (which uses a $0.99 per song pricing) but also with the upcoming Spotify for iPhone app, a similar music streaming service.

Here’s a quick video preview from Real Networks of Rhapsody for iPhone:

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