Apple?s App Store Marks Historic 50 Billionth Download
Apple has announced that customers have now downloaded over 50 billion apps from the App Store. The 50 billionth app ? Say the Same Thing by Space Inch, LLC ? was downloaded by Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio, who received a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to commemorate the milestone. ?The App Store completely transformed how people use their mobile devices and created a thriving app ecosystem that has paid out over nine billion dollars to developers,? said Eddy Cue, Apple?s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. ?We?re absolutely floored to cross this milestone in less than five years.?
published on Thursday, the 16. May 2013, apple-hot-news
Save on mobile bandwidth by disabling remote images in iOS Mail
I've just moved from a country where I had unlimited (really) data on my iPhone contract to one where data plans are metered and expensive. So this recent article by David Chartier, on the Finer Things in Tech web site, comes at the right time. It points out the simple setting in iOS to turn off automatic loading of images in Mail. As with Mail on OS X, you can load images later, but you won't need to load them for every message, saving download time and bandwidth. To change this setting, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts & Calendars, and toggle Load Remote Images to OFF. If you get an email with images, and want to see them, just tap on Load All Images in the message. This setting would make more sense if it only affected image downloads when using cellular data. But it's an all-or-nothing choice, so even when you connect via Wi-Fi, you'll need to d ...
published on Friday, the 3. May 2013, macosxhints
Ailing UK School Makes Dramatic Turnaround
A new video profiles Essa Academy, a once struggling school in one of the most disadvantaged areas of England. New principal Showkat Badat has reinvented the school as a hub of technology-assisted learning, and helped incorporate an ecosystem of Apple products, including iPad, Mac, and iTunes U, into the classrooms. The students? excitement about the technology and direct access to information is reflected in dramatically improved test scores. Since adopting the technology, Essa went from a 28 percent pass rate to 100 percent. ?I don?t see technology as an add-on, a nice option to have,? says Badat. ?It?s what enables learning and creates an environment that sparks creativity.?
published on Thursday, the 2. May 2013, apple-hot-news
Fix PDF display in browser issues
Some users have issues displaying PDFs in their web browsers. In some cases, when clicking on a link to a PDF, they get a blank black or white page. These issues can be caused by certain PDF browser plug-ins. Michael Cohen has written an article for TidBITS discussing this issue, and explaining which plug-ins to remove. I haven't seen this issue myself, but for those having problems, this is a simple fix. It's worth noting that, over time, you may have browser plug-ins that you don't need, so it's worth having a look in ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins and /Library/Internet Plug-Ins to see what's there.
published on Thursday, the 2. May 2013, macosxhints
Prevent Google Now from depleting iOS batteries
Google has added Google Now to its Google Search app for iOS. This provides local traffic information, weather data and more. Unfortunately, this also keeps GPS on permanently on an iOS device, depleting its battery. After installing the new Google Search app, I had noticed that my iPhone's Location Services icon was on permanently. I quit all apps that could be using GPS or location services, but it was still visible. I restarted the phone, and it was still visible. It turns out that it was Google Now, and I resolved the issue by deleting the Google Search app. You can also just turn off Google Now, in the Google Search app's settings. (See this screenshot by Dave Hamilton.) If you want to use Google Now, be aware that it will drain your battery, and remember to turn it off when you don't need it. ...
published on Wednesday, the 1. May 2013, macosxhints
Apple Is Tops When It Comes to Computer Tech Support
According to the latest Consumer Reports reader survey, Apple tops the list of brand-name computer manufacturers for the quality of its tech support, far surpassing other large companies. The report points to ?ease of contacting staff, clarity of advice, technical knowledge, patience, and time for follow-up? in the phone and online support areas. Service at the Genius Bar rates equally highly. In addition, Apple improved on its own scores from last year?s survey.
published on Tuesday, the 30. April 2013, apple-hot-news
Sync files across computers with BitTorrent Sync
BitTorrent Labs has released BitTorrent Sync, a tool for syncing files across computers, using the BitTorrent peer-to-peer protocol. This app lets you choose a specific folder (or folders) to sync, and have it automatically synced on one or several computers. It runs on OS X, Windows and Linux. I find this an interesting tool. While I use Dropbox regularly, and depend on it for collaboration, and to sync a number of files between my two Macs, there is a limit in the amount of space available. (With the free version, it's 2 GB; paid subscriptions are available if you want more storage.) But also, Dropbox requires that anything you sync be put in its own folder. You can use symbolic links in a Dropbox folder, but if you want to sync the contents of a specific folder on your Mac to another Mac, this gets a bit complicated. ...
published on Tuesday, the 30. April 2013, macosxhints
Keep your keyboard's keys from getting worn out
If you type a lot, you may find that the letters on the keys of your Mac's keyboard will slowly fade away. In my case, not only do they fade away, but one key - the D key, which, since I use a Dvorak layout, is the E key - actually has some of the plastic worn away. And this is on a wireless Apple keyboard that's only about a year old. (Note that since I touch-type, it really doesn't matter whether I see the keys or not…) Topher Kessler, writing at CNet, posted an article with some ways to keep the letters from fading. He suggests possibly using a silicone keyboard cover, but I don't think that would be comfortable. But he also recommends using standard cellophane tape, cut into squares that cover the keys. You probably wouldn't want to do this to all the keys on your keyboard: the most commonly-used ones are those most in need of protection: E ...
published on Monday, the 29. April 2013, macosxhints
Use Dropbox and Automator to automatically import photos from Android
I have an Android phone and wanted to automatically save photos that I take in iPhoto, similar to the Photo Stream feature that iPhones have. Dropbox has a feature that automatically uploads photos that you take into a folder called "Camera Uploads,” which is synced across all of my devices, so was a perfect candidate for creating a cross-platform Photo Stream. First, I needed to import the existing "Camera Uploads" photos into iPhoto, as the folder action only triggers when a new file appears in the folder. Once this has been done, the folder action can be created. Open Automator and create a new Folder Action. Select the folder "Camera Uploads" (in the Dropbox folder). Next, drag "Import files into iPhoto" from the list of actions to the main window. Select the album to import into, and choose whether to delete the photos after import or not (I chose not to). Save and give the folder action a name. Quit Automator and iPhoto. ...
published on Thursday, the 25. April 2013, macosxhints
Apple Worldwide Developers Conference to Kick Off June 10 in San Francisco
Apple announced that it will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) June 10 through June 14 at San Francisco?s Moscone West. At the five-day conference, developers from around the world will learn about the future of iOS and OS X. WWDC will also feature more than 100 technical sessions presented by over 1,000 Apple engineers and hands-on labs to help developers integrate new technologies. And the popular Apple Design Awards will showcase the most outstanding apps available through the App Store and Mac App Store. Tickets for this year?s WWDC go on sale Thursday, April 25, at 10 a.m. PDT.
published on Wednesday, the 24. April 2013, apple-hot-news