Sparrow 1.6 for Mac available with POP support, more

After releasing its mail app for the iPhone, Sparrow is back again with another update of its Mac email client. Version 1.6 adds the highly-anticipated support for Pop accounts, giving you a true unified inbox. There's also a handful of minor tweaks and bug fixes that'll make it easier for you to send and receive mail on your Mac. You can see the full list of changes on Sparrow's blog.

Sparrow for the Mac is available from the Mac App Store for US$9.99.

Sparrow 1.6 for Mac available with POP support, more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 18 May 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flipboard 1.9 puts emphasis on audio

ImageFlipboard is the "social magazine" for iPad and iPhone that lets users browse their favorite social network sites, feeds and more in a beautiful, magazine-like interface. Version 1.9 was released this week and adds audio to the mix.

A new audio tab offers several options, like SoundCloud and shows from National Public Radio (like Fresh Air) and Public Radio International. You'll also find podcasts and indue music from the likes of Sub Pop Records and Epitaph Records.

What's really nice is that you can begin an audio stream and navigate away to another section of Flipboard (or even another app) while the stream continues. Version 1.9 is a free update.

Flipboard 1.9 puts emphasis on audio originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 16 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iMore lists the best free iPad games

My son is home sick today, but instead of staring at the TV he's poking at some strategy games on the iPad. As luck would have it, iMore published an extensive list of free iPad games, broken down by category.

There are some easy hits, like Angry Birds Free, but also some little gems like Wind-up Knight, Forever Drive and Spice Bandits. If you or a friend is wondering what games to try out first on an iPad, you can't go wrong here.

iMore lists the best free iPad games originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Misbehaving iMessage and a potential fix

If you repeatedly have a problem receiving iMessages on your iPhone, then you should try this fix from Brian X. Chen of the New York Times. In a recent Gadgetwise column, Chen explains how he missed appointments because his iMessages were often delayed. He complained on Twitter and was counseled to uninstall Messages Beta for the Mac. Apple hasn't said anything about a potential problem with iMessages for iOS and Messages beta for the Mac, but it's an easy thing to try if you're having trouble with iOS Messaging service.

Misbehaving iMessage and a potential fix originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 15 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Due for Mac now available with cloud sync, much more

ImageWe've been using Due for iOS for quite a while now (our review) It's exciting that there's finally a Mac version of Due available. It's just as useful as its mobile counterpart an offers wireless sync, rapid reminder creation and great looks. Plus, it's still a nag, which is exactly what I need. Here's a look at Due for Mac.

UI

Due for Mac is quite good-looking, as you'd expect. The main window is small and unobtrusive by default, though you can resize it. Four icons line the top of the main window: view reminders, view timers, view logged reminders and create a new reminder. The pinstriped window is tidy and resembles Due for iPhone. When you create a new reminder or edit a timer, a pop-up window appears which also looks very nice.

Use

Creating a reminder is simple. Click the new reminder button (or hit Command-N) to open the creation window. You can use natural language here, which is great. "April 10" works as well as "tomorrow" or "in four days." Also, "10:00 AM" works as well as "10am."

Also, you needn't tab into each field. You can simply type "Pick up mail at 2pm tomorrow" and everything will be filled in properly. The reminder is set as soon as you finish typing, so there's no "confirm" button to click.

ImageKeyboard support is extensive. You can create reminders, hide the app, pull it up front again, reschedule things, mark them as done and so on without touching a mouse.

The snooze feature that I like on my iPhone has made it to Due for Mac. When a reminder's due date passes without being marked as done, the app will repeatedly remind you that it's still outstanding.

Of course, the cool new feature is cloud sync between Due for Mac and iOS. All of your reminders and timers can be synchronized via iCloud or Dropbox. In my testing, this works flawlessly. Reminders created on either device showed up on the other almost instantly. Also, marking a reminder as completed did the same thing. It's really nice to create errand-based tasks on my Mac and have them ready to go on my iPhone when I leave the house.

Finally, the customizable alert sounds are pretty cool. You can assign a longer or louder alert to an especially important task. That's also useful if you know you're going to be in a noisy setting when the reminder will sound.

Conclusion

At US$9.99 it's not a throw-away app. I think it's worth it for the cloud sync alone. Due for iOS has kept me on track many times, and now I'm glad to have my Mac in on the fun. I recommend checking it out.

Due for Mac now available with cloud sync, much more originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sparrow for iPhone 1.2 adds new features, push will be subscription-based

Sparrow for iPhone just received a nice update that marks several items off users' wish lists. Among that is the ability to compose in landscape mode, create/edit labels and swipe between messages, plus additional localization. Sparrow now is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Russian and Chinese.

However, the developers announced on Sparrow's blog that they were unable to get VoIP privilege from Apple for push notifications. Sparrow will have push introduced in a future update, but it will be done on Sparrow's side, and the company will charge an annual subscription.

Sparrow for iPhone is US$2.99 in the App Store.

Sparrow for iPhone 1.2 adds new features, push will be subscription-based originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sparrow for iPhone 1.2 adds new features, push will be subscription-based

Sparrow for iPhone just received a nice update that marks several items off users' wish lists. Among that is the ability to compose in landscape mode, create/edit labels and swipe between messages, plus additional localization. Sparrow now is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Russian and Chinese.

However, the developers announced on Sparrow's blog that they were unable to get VoIP privilege from Apple for push notifications. Sparrow will have push introduced in a future update, but it will be done on Sparrow's side, and the company will charge an annual subscription.

Sparrow for iPhone is US$2.99 in the App Store.

Sparrow for iPhone 1.2 adds new features, push will be subscription-based originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AutoDesk provides impressive 3D captures on an iPad with a free app

I'm always looking for impressive free apps to show what the iPad can accomplish, and I've done that this week with 123D Catch from AutoDesk.

This iPad app (iPad 2 and new iPad only) allows you to use the iPad camera to photograph any object from a number of angles and elevations. Then the app sends your images up to an AutoDesk server where the object is rendered as a 3D file. You can even create 3D files for large objects, like a building, by moving parallel to it to allow the rendering to display the changing perspectives. Even people can be rendered in 3D if they don't move during the imaging sequence. It's all covered in the included help files and videos.

This is pretty amazing on any computer, and even more impressive on a tablet. Once you get the image back, you can rotate it in 360 degrees, zoom in or out, and even change elevation if you provided the appropriate images for the rendering. You can submit up to 40 images. Rendering can take a bit of time. Some complex objects took about 20 minutes but the app will send an alert when your file is ready.

The resulting 3D object can be shared with other AutoDesk users, or viewed on a Mac or PC with a free viewer. Just trying it out on some household objects worked very well. The renderings were complete and in sharp focus. It's pretty amazing to do this on an iPad and it is a good demo if you don't mind waiting for the rendering to finish.

AutoDesk also offers an app we've previously reviewed called 123D Sculpt. It allows you to create a virtual 3D sculpture on your iPad. I consider these free apps sort of a gateway drug to get people interested in the amazing capabilities of the AutoDesk family of products. AutoDesk even sells some of its industrial strength products through the Mac app store.

Give this free iPad app a try and prepare to be impressed.

AutoDesk provides impressive 3D captures on an iPad with a free app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 14 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AutoDesk provides impressive 3D captures on an iPad with a free app

I'm always looking for impressive free apps to show what the iPad can accomplish, and I've done that this week with 123D Catch from AutoDesk.

This iPad app (iPad 2 and new iPad only) allows you to use the iPad camera to photograph any object from a number of angles and elevations. Then the app sends your images up to an AutoDesk server where the object is rendered as a 3D file. You can even create 3D files for large objects, like a building, by moving parallel to it to allow the rendering to display the changing perspectives. Even people can be rendered in 3D if they don't move during the imaging sequence. It's all covered in the included help files and videos.

This is pretty amazing on any computer, and even more impressive on a tablet. Once you get the image back, you can rotate it in 360 degrees, zoom in or out, and even change elevation if you provided the appropriate images for the rendering. You can submit up to 40 images. Rendering can take a bit of time. Some complex objects took about 20 minutes but the app will send an alert when your file is ready.

The resulting 3D object can be shared with other AutoDesk users, or viewed on a Mac or PC with a free viewer. Just trying it out on some household objects worked very well. The renderings were complete and in sharp focus. It's pretty amazing to do this on an iPad and it is a good demo if you don't mind waiting for the rendering to finish.

AutoDesk also offers an app we've previously reviewed called 123D Sculpt. It allows you to create a virtual 3D sculpture on your iPad. I consider these free apps sort of a gateway drug to get people interested in the amazing capabilities of the AutoDesk family of products. AutoDesk even sells some of its industrial strength products through the Mac app store.

Give this free iPad app a try and prepare to be impressed.

AutoDesk provides impressive 3D captures on an iPad with a free app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 14 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe updates Photoshop Touch for iPad with better resolution

When I reviewed Adobe Photoshop Touch in February, I found it generally capable, but the app would downsize any large images you loaded to 1600 X 1600, which was very skimpy. This latest version, 1.2, released today, lets you increase the resolution to 2028 X 2048. Note that you must allow that in settings or it defaults to the standard 1600 X 1600.

That's an improvement, but still falls short of even the iPhone 4 resolution (2592 X 1936), the iPhone 4S camera (3264 X 2448) and of course the new iPad resolution of 2048 X 1536 at a dense 264 pixels per inch.

There are some other welcome features, including Creative Cloud auto-sync, and new special effects, including the ability to render in a pseudo HDR look. You can also now export to PSD or PNG formats via email, or from the camera roll. The update also sports improved rotate and flip workflow and the option to transfer images to your desktop via iTunes.

iPhoto for iOS also downsizes imported images, unless they are being imported through the Camera Connection Kit. Used that way, iPhoto for iOS supports images up to 19 MP.

While this latest version of Photoshop Touch still doesn't completely exploit the new iPad retina display, it is a step in the right direction. The update is free to current owners. The app requires an iPad 2 or greater, and iOS 5 or greater.

Adobe updates Photoshop Touch for iPad with better resolution originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 11 May 2012 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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