Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Best Space Photos of the Year 2012

Best Space Photos of the Year 2012 - We round up the most amazing, mind-blowing, spectacular, and jaw-dropping photos of planets, moons, galaxies, and nebulas from our perennially popular Space Photo of the Day gallery.

(Via Wired Top Stories.)

Netflix outage mars Christmas Eve

Netflix outage mars Christmas Eve - The company's video streaming service went down for an unknown number of people across the U.S. yesterday. The outage apparently has continued into Christmas morning.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Monday, December 24, 2012

NASA offers free e-book for iPad owners

NASA offers free e-book for iPad owners -

What a nice holiday gift from NASA: it's an interactive e-book available in the iBookstore called Hubble Space Telescope: Discoveries, featuring beautiful images, video and animations relating to the space telescope that is giving us striking new views of the universe we live in.

"These new e-books from NASA will allow people to discover Hubble and Webb in a whole new way - both the science and the technology behind building them," said Amber Straughn, an astrophysicist on the Webb telescope project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "They collect all of the amazing resources about these two observatories in an excellent product that I think people will really enjoy."

The e-books are highly interactive and include image galleries and videos. Tracy Vogel of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., is part of the design team that put them together. "For instance, the readers can watch a galaxy collision simulation video, manipulate a telescope model to see it from all angles, or flip through a gallery of planetary nebulae - all right there on the page," Vogel said.

If you have an iPad the book is available at this link. Be forewarned; it's a hefty download, almost 900 MB. The e-book requires iBooks 3.0 or later and iOS 5.1.

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

Best Buy employee asks for receipt, allegedly attacked

Best Buy employee asks for receipt, allegedly attacked - A 61-year-old Best Buy employee who asked a couple for their receipt as they left the store, is allegedly beaten to the ground.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Remembering Joe Woodland, the Man Who Invented the Bar Code

Remembering Joe Woodland, the Man Who Invented the Bar Code - Joe Woodland -- who died last week at the age of 91 -- is the man who dreamt up what became the Universal Product Code, the ubiquitous bar code used to ring up your groceries every time you visit the supermarket.

(Via Wired Top Stories.)

Moog Updates Its Far-Out Synthesizer App for iPad

Moog Updates Its Far-Out Synthesizer App for iPad - Moog Music's Animoog synthesizer -- the iPad's most spaced-out, most diabolically fun musical instrument app -- just got a big upgrade.

(Via Wired Top Stories.)

Is Amazon working on its own version of AppleCare for Kindle products?

Is Amazon working on its own version of AppleCare for Kindle products? -

Amazon may be considering extended warranty and repair services similar to Apple’s AppleCare, according to two trademark application the company filed earlier this month. The applications also suggest that the company may expand its Kindle brand far beyond the current segment of tablets and ebook readers.

On December 13, the company filed a trademark application for the wordmark “Kindle” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with a curious description of the associated goods and services ...

(Via TheAppleBlog.)

Boombox Breakdown: 11 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Tested

Boombox Breakdown: 11 Portable Bluetooth Speakers Tested - We navigate the flood of Jambox wannabes, testing a bunch of Bluetooth portable boomboxes. Here are eleven contenders for the wireless speaker crown.

(Via Wired Top Stories.)

A made-in-the-U.S., audiophile-grade turntable for $150?

A made-in-the-U.S., audiophile-grade turntable for $150? - That's what a group of talented twentysomethings are promising on their recently launched Kickstarter project, we'll see. [Read more]

(Via CNET News.com.)

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Apple Cries Foul Over Licensing, Forces Largest-Ever Kickstarter Refund

Apple Cries Foul Over Licensing, Forces Largest-Ever Kickstarter Refund - In September, Jamie Siminoff and Edison Junior raised $139,170 on Kickstarter to support the creation of POP, a minimalist multidevice charging station. Today, in the largest Kickstarter refund yet, they're giving that money back.

(Via Wired Top Stories.)

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Camera+ update adds higher image quality option

Camera+ update adds higher image quality option -

Camera update adds higher image quality option, better sharingOne of the most popular camera app alternatives on the App Store, Camera+, was hit with a new update today, version 3.7. The refresh -- of which there have been many this year -- adds several tweaks, but most notable is the new "High" image quality option. Selecting the new setting as opposed to the "Normal" (previously known as "Full") setting will reward you with a full-resolution photo, but also massive file sizes.

Version 3.7 also adds new support for what the update note calls "atypical image formats" though no specific additions were listed. The app's front-facing flash feature, which produces a bright white screen to briefly light the subject, has also been tweaked. The update even mentions that this particular feature is great for sexting, just in case you were wondering.

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

Apple issues iOS 6 update to fix Wi-Fi bug

Apple issues iOS 6 update to fix Wi-Fi bug -

Apple released an update for iOS on Tuesday, version 6.0.2. This update looks like it was rolled out to squash a particularly annoying bug some iPhone users were experiencing: trouble connecting to or staying connected to Wi-Fi networks.

When releasing the software update, Apple didn’t specify the nature of the bug. But a look at the company’s online support forums show a variety of complaints related to accessing some local networks.

The complaints popped up after iOS 6′s release in September, and the problems persisted even after Apple released 6.0.1 in November.

(Via TheAppleBlog.)

iPhone Apps: FedEx Mobile, Scanner Mini, SoundHound Infinity

iPhone Apps: FedEx Mobile, Scanner Mini, SoundHound Infinity

(Via MacNN | The Macintosh News Network.)

Smart motorcyle helmet cushions you from concussion

Smart motorcyle helmet cushions you from concussion - A new helmet from 6D Helmets aims to eliminate some of the most common brain injuries suffered by riders. [Read more]

(Via CNET News.com.)

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

iTunes 11 tips and tricks

iTunes 11 tips and tricks - iTunes 11 offers some significant tweaks to the program's interface, which may take some getting used to but in some instances can be reverted.

(Via CNET News.com.)

HP printer can act as Wi-Fi hot spot

HP printer can act as Wi-Fi hot spot - A new HP LaserJet Pro does double duty as a multifunction printer and a wireless hot spot.

(Via CNET News.com.)

Gmail for iOS updated with new look, Kindle app expands X-Ray feature

Gmail for iOS updated with new look, Kindle app expands X-Ray feature - Google on Tuesday released a major update to its Gmail iOS app, with a new look and several new features headlined by multiple-account support. Amazon also rolled out a new version of its Kindle app, which sports deeper integration of its touted X-Ray feature.

(Via AppleInsider.)

Apple iWork suite for both iOS and OS X updated

After a lengthy break since the last revision, Apple has updated its entire iWork suite of programs on both iOS and OS X. Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iOS are now at version 1.7, with improved compatibility with Microsoft Office and the counterpart iWork programs for Mac. The OS X version has been upgraded to version 9.3, adding support for iWork for iOS 1.7 ...

(Via MacNN | The Macintosh News Network.)

How to improve sound quality in iTunes

How to improve sound quality in iTunes - With a few preferences and equalizer changes you can greatly enhance the sound of your iTunes library [Read more]

(Via CNET News.com.)

ActivePrint Pro: Printing from the road

ActivePrint Pro: Printing from the road -

ActivePrint (US$3.99) represents a new and intriguing entry into the AirPrint arena. In its natural state, Apple's AirPrint service allows you to wirelessly print documents from your iOS device to an AirPrint-enabled printer on the same network.

We at TUAW have long been big fans of Printopia, a utility that extends AirPrint to any standard printer, not just those with AirPrint capabilities. ActivePrint promises a way to move beyond local networks, so you can print from the road as well as at the office or home.

It works by hosting a Windows or OS X application on your desktop computer. You register the application by your email address (and opt out of promotional emails), and receive a PIN to use. On iOS, you add the address and PIN into the ActivePrint client and you're ready to start printing -- whether you're at home or halfway across the world.

Unlike Printopia and similar products like FingerPrint and handyPrint, which offer wireless printing from any iOS application, you do need to run a separate client on your iOS device. You export data from native apps over to the printing one. iOS's "Open in" system enables you to copy data for printing.

Although the app promotes Dropbox, SkyDrive and Box.net support, it basically tells you to download those clients, and use "Open in" to transfer data. A special "activeprint://" URL scheme lets you transfer web page addresses to the app but it's a bit frustrating to use. As you can see, the interface is pretty cluttered for what should be a simple utility ...

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)