iOS and Android Stuff
TwitterFacebookGoogle

The iDoctor


Category Archives: iPad

Daily iPhone App: Interlocked puts lots of physical puzzles on a digital touchscreen

Posted on by Posted in armor games, ArmorGames, flash, interlocked, iOS, iPad, iPhone, kingdom rush, KingdomRush, pieces, puzzles, release, the room, TheRoom, touchscreen

I am a big fan of The Room, an iOS app which has gained plenty of accolades here and elsewhere already. One of the most charming things about The Room, I think, is how well it replicates real-world objects on a touchscreen platform. The Room expertly turns the touchscreen interface into a series of mysterious puzzle-boxes, all very fascinating and ingenious to play with.

Interlocked is another app that does that, although without a lot of the extra mystery and setting that The Room adds to things. The app is published by Armor Games, the same company that published the great Kingdom Rush, and like Kingdom Rush, it's based on a popular Flash game you can play for free online. Also like Kingdom Rush, the iOS version has been polished and cleaned up a bit.

The game is simple: You're given a puzzle with a set of interlocking pieces, and then you can drag or swipe around the screen to try and pull all of the pieces apart. The game starts off easy, and quickly gets difficult -- just a few levels in, I had some frustration trying to figure out just how these pieces on screen fit together. If you're a fan of these kinds of manipulation puzzles, you'll love this setup for sure.

As I said, Interlocking is a pure puzzle game, so it doesn't have any of the mysteriousness that made The Room so popular (and if you haven't played that one, you should). Still, if you like these very physical puzzles, Interlocked, with plenty of content and a nice clean interface, should offer up lots of fun. It's available right now as a universal app for 99 cents.

Daily iPhone App: Interlocked puts lots of physical puzzles on a digital touchscreen originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mu Mu’s iPad mini Deskstand: simple, solid, sustainable

Posted on by Posted in accessories, features, iPad, ipad mini, iPad mini deskstand, IpadMini, IpadMiniDeskstand, mu mu, MuMu, review

While TUAW has reported on a number of stands that are designed for the full-sized iPad, there's a dearth of designs for the iPad mini. Today I'll introduce you to a simple, but solid iPad mini stand from UK-based Mu Mu. The iPad mini Deskstand is priced at an extremely reasonable £20 and is an attractive addition to any desk or table top.

Design

The Mu Mu team is famous for designing beautiful accessories out of wood. As with the Slide 2.0 iPhone cases reviewed last year, the Deskstand is lovingly crafted out of laminated hardwoods. Other than the small anti-slide bumpers on the bottom of the unit, the Deskstand is nothing but wood. The Deskstand comes in three varieties: maple and walnut, walnut and maple, and walnut. In case you're wondering what the difference is between the first two options, maple and walnut features light maple wood on the top surface, while walnut and maple has dark walnut on top.

Gallery: Mu Mu iPad mini Deskstand

The design of the Deskstand is so simple I expect to see a lot of these made in high school wood shops soon. Basically, it's a roughly trapezoidal piece of laminated wood with two horizontal grooves in it. The front groove is where the iPad mini sits, the back groove can house Apple's Smart Cover for the mini.

Functionality

Surprisingly enough, I don't have an iPad mini that I could test the Deskstand with and my first-generation Kindle Fire was too chunky to fit into the slot. You'll just have to imagine what the mini looks like when placed into the Deskstand. I've included a few photos from the Mu Mu website in the gallery; the rest of the product photos are of the stand by itself.

Conclusion

While the Mu Mu iPad mini Deskstand is one of the first stands for the iPad mini that we've had the pleasure to use, it's certainly not going to be the last. It's an attractive, low-cost, and simple solution for holding a mini in place on a desktop, and the use of sustainable hardwoods in manufacturing is a total win.

While we usually give away our review samples online, the Mu Mu iPad mini Deskstand and a Slide 2.0 case for iPhone 4/4S are on their way to San Francisco where they'll be given away to some lucky attendee at the TUAW Meetup on Friday night.

Mu Mu's iPad mini Deskstand: simple, solid, sustainable originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Xcode 4.6 released alongside iOS 6.1

Posted on by Posted in iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mac, XCode, xcode 4.6, Xcode4.6

Mac and iOS developers get some update love from Apple today, too. That's because Xcode has been bumped up a notch to version 4.6 to bring support for iOS 6.1 along with some other under-the-hood improvements. Weighing in at 1.54 GB, the update is now available via Software Update and the Mac App Store.

Straight from Apple's own release notes, here's what v4.6 of the SDK has to offer:

  • Code completion heuristics are more accurate, and use an optimized default data set.
  • New compiler warnings help identify potential bugs when using ARC and weak references.
  • C++11 support for 'user defined literals' and 'unrestricted unions' features.
  • Debugger can inspect elements within NSArray or NSDictionary objects.
  • Analyze now performs deeper cross-function static analysis of Objective-C and C++ code.
  • The number of indexing passes is reduced due to improved dependency checking.
  • Additional bug fixes and stability improvements.

Xcode 4.6 released alongside iOS 6.1 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Untethered iOS 6.1 jailbreak to land on most Apple mobile devices

Posted on by Posted in Apple TV, iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod, jailbreak

MuscleNerd is the bearer of potentially good news for iOS device owners. According to a report in iDownloadBlog, MuscleNerd has said that the upcoming untethered jailbreak for iOS 6.1 will support most iOS devices. This would include the following:

  • iPhone 3GS
  • iPhone 4
  • iPad 2
  • iPod touch fourth generation
  • iPhone 4S
  • iPad 3
  • iPod touch fifth generation
  • iPhone 5
  • iPad mini
  • iPad 4

MuscleNerd is now working on this jailbreak as part of the evad3rs, along with @pod2g, @Planetbeing and @pimskeks. Hopefully, this jailbreak pans out as expected and will be ready soon since iOS 6.1 finally landed in the hands of the public.

Untethered iOS 6.1 jailbreak to land on most Apple mobile devices originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

View the winds with Windscape for iOS

Posted on by Posted in iPad, iPhone

At first glance, this might seem like a silly app. However, I have to say Windscape is interesting, entertaining, and educational.

Windscape (US$0.99 app) gives you a graphic representation of global surface wind patterns, which are rendered as moving particles. There are thousands of particles on screen, and they are color-coded by temperature. You can zoom into any area and see details of your local winds. As I moved around the country, I always believed prevailing winds are from the west. I can see now that is not true, and in my home of southern Arizona, I see our winds predominate from the south.

This app is nice to leave running while my iPad is on my desk and watch the realtime changes all over the world.

What's missing? For starters, there is only a bare amount of information about what the app is doing and showing. I'd like a more detailed explanation than the color code for the temperatures. Also, since it is a wind/weather app, how about alerting me to high wind warnings at locations I specify?

The app comes from the developer of Seasonality Go, a very useful weather app for iOS and Seasonality Core for Mac OS X. There were some wind particle displays in these apps, but this is more detailed and a really nice presentation.

Windscape is a universal app and is optimized for the iPhone 5. It requires iOS 6.0. Several languages are supported.

Gallery: Windscape

View the winds with Windscape for iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

January 27, 2010: Apple announces the iPad

Posted on by Posted in anniversary, birthday, features, iPad, january 27, January27, three

iPad is three. It was January 27, 2010, when CEO Steve Jobs took the stage to show the world what the company had been cooking up in the lab. Our staff roundup and anniversary post from last year include many of the highlights, but in the past 12 months Apple's tablet has continued to set records and transform the consumer electronics and PC markets.

Since last January 27, the iPad has flown off the shelves -- about 66 million units sold in 2012, with the 100 millionth unit since April 2010 sold in October of last year. October also saw the introduction of a fourth-generation iPad with Retina display, taking some owners of the third-gen model (only seven months in the market at that point) by unpleasant surprise. A more pleasant surprise was the iPad's little brother, the iPad mini, proving popular with all kinds of customers.

iPad was a long, long time coming. Vigorously anticipated as the "Apple Tablet" for years before it was realized, and the subject of countless rumors and predictions, Apple's iPad introduction finally brought coherence to the mess of will-they-won't-they speculation. (One TUAW contributor took a brave position on the device's naming: "Let me say this clearly: Apple would never name the tablet the 'iPad'. It's too similar to 'iPod'. So, everyone, please stop calling it the iPad.") Even thought many fans bemoaned the fact that the new tablet would not run the desktop version of OS X, it's hard to argue with the success of the iOS approach. (To be determined: whether Windows 8's "no compromises" unification of PC and tablet OS catches on with buyers.)

Happy birthday, iPad, and here's to a wonderful 2013.

January 27, 2010: Apple announces the iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Timehop partners with USA Today to bring old news back to life

Posted on by Posted in app, apps, iOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod, timehop, usa today, UsaToday

The iOS app Timehop offers you a glimpse into your social networking past, but with its newest update, it also lets you take a peek at antiquated news stories as well. TNW reports that Timehop has partnered with USA Today to offer the top news stories from years past that were published on whatever date it happens to be. Think of it like a "this day in history" experience, but with a social twist.

Another new feature that has been added to the app is called "Friendversaries." As the name implies, the new feature notifies you of the exact day you befriended certain people on your various social networks. The update is now live on the App Store, and as always, Timehop remains free. The nostalgia-centric app made our Friday Favorite list recently.

Timehop partners with USA Today to bring old news back to life originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Daily iPhone App: Food Run wants you to play with your food

Posted on by Posted in daily app, daily iphone app, DailyIphoneApp, food run, FoodRun, game, gaming, iOS, iPad, iPhone, newsletter, pixels on toast, PixelsOnToast, platformer, review

If the name Food Run sounds familiar, you've got a good memory. We featured it about a year ago (via the developer's blog post) as a gorgeous example of Retina display graphics. Now, a year later, the game is available from Pixels on Toast, and you can see those gigantic graphics in action.

The game is a nonstop platformer, similar to (though less inventive than) the great Run Roo Run. You play as a piece of food running along the screen, and you simply tap to jump at the right times, with the game doing everything else for you. Along the way, you can grab stars, dodge obstacles and jump up to grab other food items, which will run along after you.

The game's fairly simple, and the clean and clear graphics do make the whole affair very smooth. Personally, I prefer a little bit more action to my platformers (Mikey Shorts is another great iOS platformer, if you haven't played that one yet), but Food Run has a nice Zen quality, and of course all of those stars across the levels do well in pushing you to replay each one until you hit it perfectly. You can pick up Food Run on the App Store now for just US$0.99.

Daily iPhone App: Food Run wants you to play with your food originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Archos offers Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad

Posted on by Posted in accessories, Archos, bluetooth, iPad, keyboard

Tablet maker Archos is stepping outside its Android-based product lineup to offer a new Bluetooth keyboard for the iPad. This is one of the first products from a new division within Archos that'll share the company's technologies with other platforms.

The new Archos Design Bluetooth Keyboard mirrors the design of the the Archos Gen10 XS coverboard. Similar to its Android counterpart, the iPad version includes a magnet that attaches the keyboard case to your iPad and also serves to turn the iPad on and off. With a 5mm-thick, aluminum-back casing, the keyboard is ultrathin and stylish.

The Archos Design Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad is compatible with the second-, third- and fourth-generation iPad. It will go on sale in March with a US$79 MSRP.

[Via Engadget]

Show full PR text


Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad Unveiled by ARCHOS Design

Based on the popular ARCHOS Gen10 tablet coverboard, this is the thinnest iPad Keyboard available

Denver, CO - January 24, 2013 - ARCHOS, a pioneer in multimedia portable devices, is pleased to announce the ARCHOS Design Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad, a magnetic Bluetooth full QWERTY keyboard for 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations. The Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad was created by a new division in ARCHOS that will be dedicated to sharing ARCHOS innovations with other brands. With a very similar look and feel to the ARCHOS Gen10 XS coverboard, the Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad is ultra-thin at only 5 mm (0.2'') and features an adjustable kickstand along with an aluminum back casing. Combining the best of both worlds, iPad users can expect this to be available in March for $79 MSRP.

"The needs and wants of today's consumer have changed drastically over the past few years. Consumers expect everything to be smaller, faster, thinner, lighter and aesthetically pleasing," says Henri Crohas, Founder and CEO of ARCHOS. "In order to meet this demand we feel that we should share our innovation and design across a number of different platforms."

Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad features include:

Ultra-thin Design - At only 5 mm (0.2'') this is the thinnest iPad Keyboard available; it's almost as thin as a Smart Cover
Adjustable kickstand - Allows one to adjust their iPad for the best viewing experience possible
Magnetic bonding to the iPad - The keyboard is magnetically held to your iPad
Automatic screen switch on/off Function - The iPad will turn on or off when the keyboard is removed or placed in the cover position
Long battery life - Enjoy with your iPad for months thanks to a long battery life via a Bluetooth connection
Aluminum Back casing - Stylish aluminum back casing to match your iPad
Full QWERTY keyboard - Type easily with a full keyboard and work quickly with iOS shortcuts

This product is the first to be released from the new ARCHOS Design accessory line. For more information about ARCHOS Design or ARCHOS products visit www.ARCHOS.com.

Archos offers Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments