Download iTunes 11 For Windows And Mac Now!

Download iTunes 11 For Windows And Mac Now!

As well as the new look, there are several features for iTunes fans to sink their teeth into, including improved support for iCloud, the all-new unobtrusive mini-player with quick access to music controls and a much more simpler and revamped UI.

Personally, I’m really liking the iPad-esque new interface, and if you ever needed an inclination as to which direction OS X is heading from a visual aspect, I believe iTunes 11 encapsulates Apple’s goal.

If you wish to grab the very latest iTunes update, you can do so right now by heading over to Apple’s official site for iTunes. Alternatively, you can go down the Software Update within iTunes, which is the preferred option for the vast majority.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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Tim Cook to give first TV interview on Rock Center Dec. 6

Tim Cook to give first TV interview on Rock Center Dec. 6

NBC will air the first televised interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook next week on Rock Center with Brian Williams. The interview was filmed today at the Grand Central Apple Store in New York City.

The network hasn’t divulged the focus of the discussion, but it will be just one of three segments on the episode which is also slated to feature a chat with The Hobbit director Peter Jackson. After filming of the interview with Cook wrapped, Rock Center’s Twitter account tweeted the above photo of Williams and the Apple CEO in front of the cameras.

Cook’s spot on Rock Center with Brian Williams will air next Thursday, December 6 at 10 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. CT on NBC.

Tim Cook to give first TV interview on Rock Center Dec. 6 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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Apple reportedly testing carriers on LTE performance

Apple reportedly testing carriers on LTE performance

Apple’s stance on 4G LTE is rather well-known already, and the company’s embrace of the technology was dependent on several factors, ranging from network speed to battery life. Now, Telecoms reports that not only is Cupertino strict about what carriers have access to the new iPhone 5, but wireless companies must undergo Apple’s own 4G testing and approval process before being allowed to promote the iPhone 5 as an LTE device.

Telecoms learned of the previously unreported testing protocols from Swisscom, Switzerland’s Bern-based telecommunications giant. “Apple only enables 4G access after testing their device on an operator’s live network,” a Swisscom spokesperson told Telecoms.

Swisscom just enabled its own LTE offering a few days ago, but can’t officially offer the iPhone 5 as an LTE device without passing Apple’s test. In a press release, Swisscom noted that the iPhone 5 will gain LTE compatibility on its network “in due course.”

Apple reportedly testing carriers on LTE performance originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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“Free Wallpaper a Day” is live on the AppStore – Part 2/3 – “The code libraries”

As promised in my last post I’ll shortly talk about what libraries did I use in the process of making the “Free Wallpaper a Day” app.

But first – for the ones who missed on Part 1, here a short resume:

My friend and partner, Nikolay Petkov, has drawn few hundred wallpapers for both the 3.5 inch and 4 inch iPhone screens. And so when I finally got some free time on my hands (after the big push to get “iOS6 by Tutorials” out) I thought I might quickly put together an application to distribute his wallpapers.

And now for part 2 “I are classes”:

ALAssetsLibrary+CustomPhotoAlbum

Since the application is essentially an iPhone wallpapers catalogue, which allows the users to save an image to their Camera Roll and then instructs them to open the image and set it as a screen wallpaper (still the only way to do that on iOS), I used my ALAssetsLibrary category to save the wallpapers into a custom photo album called “Wallpapers”. Neat!

You should download the category from my original post here and have a look: http://www.touch-code-magazine.com/ios5-saving-photos-in-custom-photo-album-category-for-download/

The category really makes saving a photo a breeze. Here’s the actual code from the app source code:

ALAssetsLibrary* library = [[ALAssetsLibrary alloc] init];[library saveImage: img toAlbum: @"Wallpapers"withCompletionBlock: ^(NSError *error) {  //code ...  if (error!=nil) { //image was not saved [[[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"Error" message:[error localizedDescription] delegate:nil cancelButtonTitle:@"Close" otherButtonTitles: nil] show]; }  //further code }];

Notice one thing in the code above. I am creating an ALAssetsLibrary and using it for a one shot operation. This is contrary to what Apple recommends – namely, to have one shared instance of ALAssetsLibrary. I had countless comments from people that instances of ALAssetsLibrary mysteriously disappear and much more. Further the Assets framework is not thread safe, so using a shared instance is always a pain.

Therefore to minimise trouble along the way – for the “Free Wallpapers a Day” app I use a one-shot instance of the library. If you don’t use heavily your instance, I’d say – use a one shot copy as well.

MTPopupWindow

The concept of a little window that animates in on the screen and shows an HTML file is based on my app Pimpy – Terms and Conditions screen.

Recently I released a polished version and uploaded in on GitHub, and also I’ve put together a presentation post, you should check out here: http://www.touch-code-magazine.com/showing-a-popup-window-in-ios6-modernized-tutorial-code-download/

In short MTPopupWindow allows you to easily show modal window views and load HTML content inside. The actual code from the app doing so:

-(IBAction)actionTerms:(id)sender{ [MTPopupWindow showWindowWithHTMLFile:@"Terms.html"];}

This action is connected to the Terms button on the about screen and shows up the Terms, included in Terms.html in the app bundle. Easy – peasy

HUD

Matej Bukovinski (http://www.bukovinski.com/) put out a simple HUD control and there’s a ton of forks around GitHub. I like the ease of use of his control, and instead of doing another fork I did a simple class, which gives shortcut methods to showing and hiding different HUD controls.

This is for example how an alert looks like using my HUD class.

The class is pretty easy to use. Here’s how you show a spinner (while doing some blocking work, like authorisation via Internet, or something else):

[HUD showUIBlockingIndicator];

Here’s how you show a timed message – it disappears after a specified period of time:

[HUD showUIBlockingIndicatorWithText:@"Will timeout in 2 secs!" withTimeout:2.0];

And finally how to show an alert message:

[HUD showAlertWithTitle:@"An alert box!" text:@"Yupeee! Press the checkmark to close it whenever you're done reading the text!" target:self action:@selector(closed)];

The class can do much more, you should check the source code and the little demo app I’ve put on GitHub:
https://github.com/icanzilb/HUD

Tracker

Using Google Analytics is pretty neat to have anonymous data about how many people use your app, what languages they use, etc. etc.

However for a class that you would use often and on every screen of your app, it does have very inconvenient method names. Sometimes my workflow really gets broken by looking up method names and how to use them. That’s why I am a big fan of producing shortcut classes (like the HUD class above) and like the Tracker class below.

You can have a look at the code on GitHub: https://github.com/icanzilb/Tracker.
You should read the short introduction on GitHub, but all in all what the class does is allow me to report screen views in a super simplistic manner, like so:

-(void)viewDidAppear:(BOOL)animated{ [Tracker screenView:@"/about"];}

You can also report something that is not necessarily related to opening a new screen. For example the wallpapers app keeps a log of the previewed wallpapers, this way it’s easy to see which papers get more interest. Here’s the code which reports previewing a wallpaper:

[Tracker event: [NSString stringWithFormat:@"wallpaper %@", image.filename] ];

This way in Google Analytics I can check which filename was previewed most often:

All that is left is to check which wallpaper is the trink.jpg file on the web site of “Free Wallpaper a Day”:

Sweet!

And it’s also a great idea to include Tracker.h in your .pch file, because you are indeed going to use the class in all your view controller classes.

NSObject+AutoCoding

If there’s one Objective-C class which I really am fascinated by this is the AutoCoding category on NSObject. This category allows to your save almost any object to a .plist file. You don’t need to do any NSCoding – the category retrospects any object and persists its properties in a dictionary form, so the data can be saved then to a normal .plist file.

The category is awesome and you should quickly have a look here:

https://github.com/nicklockwood/AutoCoding

But wait! There’s more …

Yes, there’s more

After for about a year working on iOS apps using heavily JSON for communicating with a web server (the last task being putting together quickly the Wallpapers JSON API) I grew tired by the traditional hand crafted ways of modelling JSON data.

Therefore I am to release soon an open source framework for rapid JSON models.

I know – there are already several out there, but I am not satisfied with them. I mean … pre-writing code for handling data in and out? Pardon my French, but I haven’t seen a bloody API, which doesn’t morph a thousand times before version 1.0 … so, I am asking, of what use to me is a tool that pre-writes the code to handle this ever-changing input?

Anyhow. My JSON model lib is coming out soon – stay tuned.

That’s it for now! There was also a bunch of other classes I wrote for the Wallpapers app, but these will probably come out in the blog anyway.

Soon to come as well is Part 3 – the software tools I used in putting together the app! Stay tuned!

Oh, yes – also give “Free Wallpaper a Day” a try on the App Store!

Cheers, Marin

The post was originally published on the following URL: http://www.touch-code-magazine.com/free-wallpaper-a-day-is-live-on-the-appstore-part-23-the-code-libraries/

  ·

Source : touch-code-magazine[dot]com

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iPhone Memory Management Basics 1

This tutorial introduces the basics of iPhone memory management in Objective-C for programmers starting out with the iPhone. Tutorial is in 5 parts, full series at www.markj.net Topics include retain counts, release, autorelease pool and the event loop, retain properties.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Source : ducktyper[dot]com

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Segment Control in TabBar Application in iPhone

Segment Control in TabBar Application in iPhone

In this application we will see how to change the background color using segmentControl, in TabBar Application . So let see how it will worked.

Step 1: Open the Xcode, Create a new project using TabBar Base application. Give the application “TabBarWithSegmentControl”.

Step 2: Xcode automatically creates the directory structure and adds essential frameworks to it. You can explore the directory structure to check out the content of the directory.

Step 3: Expand classes and notice Interface Builder created the FirstViewController and SecondViewController class for you. Expand Resources and notice the template generated a separate nib, FirstView.xib and SecondView.xib for the TabBarWithSegmentControl application.

Step 4: Open the FirstViewController.h file and make the following changes:

#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>
@interface FirstViewController : UIViewController {
IBOutlet UISegmentedControl *segmentControl;
IBOutlet UIView *Firstview1;
IBOutlet UIView *Secondview2;
}
- (IBAction )segmentAction : ( id )sender;
@end

Step 5: Double click FirstView.xib file and open it to the Interface Builder . First drag the Segmented Control from the library and place it to the view window. Select the Segmented control and bring up Connection Inspector and connect Touch Up Inside to the File Owner icon and select segmentAction: , connect File’s Owner icon to the Segmented Control and select segmentControl. Now drag the View two times from the library and place it to the Interface window. Drag the label from the library and place it to the View window and select the view and bring up Attribute Inspector , and change the background color and text into “FirstView”. Do it once more time for another view and change text into “SecondView”. Connect File’s owner icon to the View and select Firstview1. Select File’s Owner icon to the another view and select Secondview2.

Step 6: Double click the MainWindow.xib file and open it to the Interface Builder. Select the TabBar Controller from the interface window and select the First tab and bring up Attribute Inspector, change the Bar Item Title “FirstView”. Do it same for the Second tab and change the tab name “SecondView”. Now save the .xib file, close it and go back to the Xcode.

Step 7: Open the FirstView.m file and make the following changes:

#import "FirstViewController.h"
@implementation FirstViewController
- (IBAction ) segmentAction : ( id )sender
{
UISegmentedControl * control = sender ;
if ( [control selectedSegmentIndex ] == 0 )
{
[ self.view addSubview :Firstview1 ] ;
}
if ( [control selectedSegmentIndex ] == 1 )
{
[ self.view addSubview :Secondview2 ] ;
}
}
- ( void )viewDidLoad
{
Firstview1.frame = CGRectMake (0, 42, 320, 420 );
Secondview2.frame = CGRectMake (0, 42, 320, 420 );
[super viewDidLoad ];
// the segment control…
[segmentControl addTarget :self action : @selector (segmentAction : )
forControlEvents :UIControlEventValueChanged ];
segmentControl.selectedSegmentIndex = 0 ;
}
- ( BOOL )shouldAutorotateToInterfaceOrientation : (UIInterfaceOrientation )interfaceOrientation
{
// Return YES for supported orientations
return (interfaceOrientation == UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait );
}
- ( void )didReceiveMemoryWarning
{
// Releases the view if it doesn’t have a superview.
[super didReceiveMemoryWarning ];
// Release any cached data, images, etc. that aren’t in use.
}
- ( void )viewDidUnload
{
[super viewDidUnload ];
// Release any retained subviews of the main view.
// e.g. self.myOutlet = nil;
}
- ( void )dealloc
{
[super dealloc ];
}
@end

Step 8: Now compile and run the application on the Simulator.

You can Download SourceCode from here TabBar With Segment Control

Source : blancer[dot]com

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Segment Control in TabBar Application in iPhone

In this application we will see how to change the background color using segmentControl, in TabBar Application . So let see how it will worked.

Step 1: Open the Xcode, Create a new project using TabBar Base application. Give the application “TabBarWithSegmentControl”.

Step 2: Xcode automatically creates the directory structure and adds essential frameworks to it. You can explore the directory structure to check out the content of the directory.

Step 3: Expand classes and notice Interface Builder created the FirstViewController and SecondViewController class for you. Expand Resources and notice the template generated a separate nib, FirstView.xib and SecondView.xib for the TabBarWithSegmentControl application.

Step 4: Open the FirstViewController.h file and make the following changes:

#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>
@interface FirstViewController : UIViewController {
IBOutlet UISegmentedControl *segmentControl;
IBOutlet UIView *Firstview1;
IBOutlet UIView *Secondview2;
}
- (IBAction )segmentAction : ( id )sender;
@end

Step 5: Double click FirstView.xib file and open it to the Interface Builder . First drag the Segmented Control from the library and place it to the view window. Select the Segmented control and bring up Connection Inspector and connect Touch Up Inside to the File Owner icon and select segmentAction: , connect File’s Owner icon to the Segmented Control and select segmentControl. Now drag the View two times from the library and place it to the Interface window. Drag the label from the library and place it to the View window and select the view and bring up Attribute Inspector , and change the background color and text into “FirstView”. Do it once more time for another view and change text into “SecondView”. Connect File’s owner icon to the View and select Firstview1. Select File’s Owner icon to the another view and select Secondview2.

Step 6: Double click the MainWindow.xib file and open it to the Interface Builder. Select the TabBar Controller from the interface window and select the First tab and bring up Attribute Inspector, change the Bar Item Title “FirstView”. Do it same for the Second tab and change the tab name “SecondView”. Now save the .xib file, close it and go back to the Xcode.

Step 7: Open the FirstView.m file and make the following changes:

#import "FirstViewController.h"
@implementation FirstViewController
- (IBAction ) segmentAction : ( id )sender
{
UISegmentedControl * control = sender ;
if ( [control selectedSegmentIndex ] == 0 )
{
[ self.view addSubview :Firstview1 ] ;
}
if ( [control selectedSegmentIndex ] == 1 )
{
[ self.view addSubview :Secondview2 ] ;
}
}
- ( void )viewDidLoad
{
Firstview1.frame = CGRectMake (0, 42, 320, 420 );
Secondview2.frame = CGRectMake (0, 42, 320, 420 );
[super viewDidLoad ];
// the segment control…
[segmentControl addTarget :self action : @selector (segmentAction : )
forControlEvents :UIControlEventValueChanged ];
segmentControl.selectedSegmentIndex = 0 ;
}
- ( BOOL )shouldAutorotateToInterfaceOrientation : (UIInterfaceOrientation )interfaceOrientation
{
// Return YES for supported orientations
return (interfaceOrientation == UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait );
}
- ( void )didReceiveMemoryWarning
{
// Releases the view if it doesn’t have a superview.
[super didReceiveMemoryWarning ];
// Release any cached data, images, etc. that aren’t in use.
}
- ( void )viewDidUnload
{
[super viewDidUnload ];
// Release any retained subviews of the main view.
// e.g. self.myOutlet = nil;
}
- ( void )dealloc
{
[super dealloc ];
}
@end

Step 8: Now compile and run the application on the Simulator.

You can Download SourceCode from here TabBar With Segment Control

Source : edumobile[dot]org

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How to hire a freelance

Hey there,

In these days the mobile world is exploding and it's very popular, tons of people are willing to create their awesome apps or games ideas, so freelances are more needed than ever.

But do you know about outsourcing and software costs?

Software is one of the MOST EXPENSIVE things out there, it doesn't matter if you want to create an app or a game, it will cost you A LOT of money, usually a simply and crappy non-polished app starts at 1000$, but never mind, let's start with some basic advice to help you :)

First, as an example you are a guy living in the US, and for this example you are living in California to be more specific. You decided to create an app/game and you need someone to do it, so your first AND MORE IMPORTANT step is to contact companies/freelances IN YOUR AREA, so contact 5 companies/freelances and get quotes from all of them.

For this example let's say that you want to create a game, a temple run clone for iOS, which is a popular game and of course you want to add your twist to it, so you've contacted a bunch of companies in your city and you got quotes from 50.000$ to 100.000$ for such game, you see a different range of prices based on the quality and expertise of those companies.
Now you could be thinking, wow that's a hell lot of money, yes, it is, but this what it cost a real quality and polished game (and much more than that).

So in order to save you some bucks you can hire a freelance of outside US and get the benefits of outsourcing, but be careful here, outsourcing doesn't mean that you will find someone to create that game for 2000$, outsourcing means that you will be able to find a company/freelance that can offer you a quote up to a 50% lower of the original US price, but be careful, the percentage depends on the country of the freelance, a lot of countries in Europe are almost as expensive as the US and you won't get ANY reduction at all.
Assuming you are contacting someone living in a "low cost country", then a realistic quote (expecting a decent and polished game) will be something between 20.000$ and 50.000$ for such game.
Thanks to the low cost living conditions of some countries you can save up to a 50% which is very nice, right?
But once again, be careful, the prices depends entirely on the country of the freelance/company, you WON'T get the same price contacting a company/freelance in London than a company/freelance in India or China,etc,etc.

Remember the more important detail,  you get what you pay for, aim too low and don't get surprised if your game/app is just a piece of crap.

Have fun, Alex

Source : eskemagames[dot]blogspot[dot]com

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TOP Ipad Jailbreak Guide

7cf8d670.filesonthe.net Apple Ipad User S Guide In This Course You Will Learn About Download Ipad User Guide,Ipad User Guide Book,Ipad Buying Guide,Ipad Jailbreak Guide,Ipad Buyers Guide,Buyers Guide Ipad,Ipad Start Up Guide,Ipad Programming Guide,The Complete Guide To The Ipad,Travel Guide Ipad,Tv Guide Ipad,Ipad Tv Guide,Tv Guide For Ipad,Ipad 1 User Guide,Ipad Starter Guide,Ipad Development Guide,Ipad Users Guide Download,Ipad User S Guide,Ipad Quick Start Guide Original Video by CNetSystemsPCSupport

Source : iphonedevx[dot]com

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Apple updates Remote app for iPhone, iPad

Apple updates Remote app for iPhone, iPad

Apple has released an updated to its free, universal Remote app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad alongside iTunes 11. This update, version 2.4, adds “support for iOS 6.” It’s also got an updated icon, replacing the black “play button” in the center with a grey one.

I played with it briefly this afternoon and didn’t notice too many immediate changes in it’s look or behavior (and I use it often enough to notice). The Up Next feature now in iTunes 11 is supported, so you can see and edit upcoming songs. Search is also improved, showing results as you type. Grab it now and enjoy the increased support!

Apple updates Remote app for iPhone, iPad originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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Im making candy from home but wanted to use cocoa powder. How can I sweeten it, and make it set still?

Question by coffeemngr: Im making candy from home but wanted to use cocoa powder. How can I sweeten it, and make it set still?
I want to make the cocoa powder sweet, and liquefy it before setting it in a candy cluster. Is this possible?

Best answer:

Answer by LYN JOAN TJoanie
Why don’t you try putting the cocoa and sugar through the blender and see what happens

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Source : ducktyper[dot]com

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Make the World Smaller With MiniatureCam

Make the World Smaller With MiniatureCam

For the uninitiated, tilt-shift is a photography technique which makes the subjects in focus appear to be miniature, while everything outside of that focus is left slightly blurry. Take full advantage of your iPhone’s high-quality camera with MiniatureCam, with which you can easily make stop-motion and tilt-shift videos and photos.

Pleasantly, MiniatureCam provides the user with plenty of options for customization, meaning your videos will be even more unique. Click “more” and I’ll give you a tour.

Like the article? You should subscribe and follow us on twitter.

Overview

MiniatureCam has quite a few bells and whistles on its main screen. Roughly two-thirds is your viewing screen, showing whatever you’re filming or photographing. In the upper right of the viewing screen, you have the option of flipping the camera’s focus, either forward or backward.

On the control panel you can turn stop-motion on or off, change video speed, adjust the plane of focus for tilt-shift effects and more.

On the control panel in the lower-third, on the left, are controls for turning the stop-motion feature on and off, for changing the speed (x1/2, x2, x4, x8), and switching between video and photo. In the center, you have your capture button as well as options for Default: aka non-tilt-shift; A: tilt-shift with horizontal plane of focus; and B: tilt-shift with a circular plane of focus. And the righthand controls are for (from top to bottom) blur, contrast, brightness and saturation, with the slider to adjust each of them.

In the very top left is your album, where your photos and videos are saved. And in the very top right are your settings, where you can change the levels of video or photo quality, turn the toy effect on or off, tell the app to automatically save photos to your camera roll, and more.

Video Features

Stop-motion and speed adjustment are only relevant when you’re creating a video. In contrast to a video that plays continuous action (all the frames in smooth, continuous succession), a stop-motion (or stop-frame) video records frames at intervals and then plays them in succession to create a start-and-stop effect.

To turn the stop-motion effect on or off, simply tap the reel button. To adjust the speed of your video (which must be done prior to shooting the video), touch the speed button until a list pops up with your options. Select the speed you want. (Note that choosing a speed other than normal means losing your original audio and the video will be silent unless you add music or other audio later.)

Which plane of focus — circular or horizontal — you choose depends on what you’re filming. For example, if you’re shooting a video of cars on a street, the horizontal option would allow you to have a whole section of the screen from left to right in focus.

The app offers both circular and linear planes of focus, which you can manipulate by dragging, pinching and rotating.

If you’re focusing instead on a single thing, for example, a carousel, then the circular option would make that particular object your video’s center of attention. However which one you use is ultimately up to your personal and artistic preferences.

Note that when you choose one of the tilt-shift filters, thin white lines appear (again, either straight lines, or in a circular pattern) to show you what’s in focus within the frame. You can alter the placement of these lines by dragging them on the screen to better suit your needs. Pinch and pull the screen to make them narrower, wider, rotate the lines horizontally or vertically, whatever you want.

Extra Features

After you’ve captured a video, you can play it back on the preview screen before saving it to your album. If you decide not to save, just click Back and the video will be lost forever. If you do decide to save, on this same screen you can also choose to add music to your video. There are 10 in-app tracks that cover a wide range of genres, everything from rock to blues to soft instrumental.

After you’ve made a video, extra options include adding music or saving the video to play in reverse.

You can also add your own music by clicking the music note in the top right corner. MiniatureCam will then present you with a list of the songs presently on your iPhone to choose from. The app will also remind you that if your selection is copyrighted by another party you likely will not be able to legally post the video on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

Another option on this same pre-save screen is to reverse the video. Unfortunately, there’s no way to preview the video in reverse before deciding to save it that way — you just have to risk it. Clicking the reverse button will illuminate it, meaning you’ve chosen to save the video in reverse, then click save. The app will next take you to your album, where you can view the video.

Social Features

From your album, videos and photos can be sent to Facebook or Twitter, saved to camera roll, shared vie email, deleted, or submitted to the MiniatureCam contest (videos only).

View other users’ videos while in the app, or share your own videos via Facebook, Twitter or email. (Image on right: “View 1” by Chimes89)

In your album, click the ribbon in the top right to view and watch videos by other users and filter them according to new videos or most rated or most viewed. Displayed for each video is its name, the user, the number of views, and the number of likes.

Final Thoughts

MiniatureCam can’t help you create a stop-motion video in the truest sense of the genre, which involves creating a video of an object from many photographs and then playing them rapidly one after the other so that the object appears to move of its own accord. The app has no functionality for that sort of technique, but its stop-motion mode is meant to mimic the effect, which I’d say it does a great job of doing.

However, a few things about this app leave me confused. I’m not sure what the Toy Effect on the settings screen means, as turning this off or on had no noticeable impact on any of the videos or photos I made. I also wonder why the user isn’t given the ability of previewing the video with the reverse effect before saving it. I’m sure there’s a technical reason for this that’s beyond my scope of knowledge, but all the same, that option remains on my wish list for MiniatureCam.

Overall, this is a powerful app that is a lot of fun to use. There’s a lot going on in the control panel, which was a little intimidating at first, but after I learned my way around the app I certainly appreciated the many available customizations.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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Setting up Mountain Lion: 12 geek setup tips

Setting up Mountain Lion: 12 geek setup tips

After I recently wrote about how I often set up new Macs from scratch rather than taking advantage of migration, many people asked me to share my action logs. While I can’t do that specifically because (1) my logs are extremely long and cryptic and (2) they contain tons of personal activation keys and serial numbers, I decided to share a few setup tips to help stem the tide of emails.

What follows is a dozen setup tasks that I picked out from my normal techniques, which I thought might be useful to others. Here are some of the things I do to my new systems, to make them shinier and happier and ready to use.

1. Copying my Solid Black desktop pattern

I don’t know why Apple doesn’t provide a ready-built black swatch, so I just add my own. I grab the version from my old system and install it into /Library/Desktop Pictures/Solid Colors/Solid Black.png. So why do I do this? Simple. Because I hate QuickTime’s full screen playback.

By adding a black-colored background, I can play QuickTime movies on my secondary monitor using Command-3 (“Fit to Screen”), with a black background that doesn’t distract me. I have a little AppleScript to help.

    tell application "System Events"  set d to last item in desktops    -- Standard Swatch Paths  set whitepath to "/Library/Desktop Pictures/Solid Colors/Solid White.png"  set blackpath to "/Library/Desktop Pictures/Solid Colors/Solid Black.png"    -- Toggle  if ((picture of d as string) = ("Esopus Spitzenburg:Library:Desktop Pictures:Solid Colors:Solid White.png" as string)) then   set picture of d to POSIX file blackpath  else   set picture of d to POSIX file whitepath  end if end tell   

2. Disable Window Zooms

I don’t know which Apple Engineer came up with the idea that OS X should include a window zooming effect but I bear nothing but animosity for this person. Fortunately there is a solution.

    defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticWindowAnimationsEnabled -bool NO

Death to zooming windows!

3. Update my Hosts

I think it was either TJ Luoma or Rich Gaywood who first introduced me to somebodywhocares.org and its custom hosts file. In the words of the providers, “This is an easy and effective way to protect you from many types of spyware, reduces bandwidth use, blocks certain pop-up traps, prevents user tracking by way of ‘web bugs’ embedded in spam,
# provides partial protection to IE from certain web-based exploits and blocks most advertising you would otherwise be subjected to on the Internet.”

I regularly download updates to /etc/hosts/hosts.withlove, then install it into place. Note that this requires administrator privileges.

% sudo cp hosts hosts.original
% sudo cp hosts.withlove hosts

Once installed, you’ll find that your surfing experience improves, your breath becomes more lovely, and the world transforms into a gentle place full of unicorns and love.

4. Establish my Terminal Preferences

There is no shell but tsch, and .cshrc is its master. I always set up my system to use /bin/tcsh. Plus, Ryan Paul got me set up with a rocking Ubuntu Mono 13pt font for all my fixed width needs like…nethack and fortune, must-have basics.

One’s command line quirks are highly personal. Obviously, mine indicate that I’m stuck roughly in 1992.

5. Set up QuickTime Pro

Remember QuickTime Pro? I still use it. I bought my license ages ago, and will keep dragging around the app and the registration information for as long as I can. QuickTime 7, the app behind QuickTime Pro, still offers some of the best and most effective video editing tools out there. I make installing QT7/Pro a part of my normal Mac install routine.

QuickTime Pro lets me add, separate, or delete tracks, build overlays, trim media, and do ever so much more than iMovie. Sure it’s ugly, creaky, and seriously odd, but it’s a great tool and one I don’t want to lose. [Ed.: Some of us still record our podcasts with it.]

6. Install Perian

If you love being able to watch AVI movies from inside QuickTime, Perian is the answer. We own several cameras that record in AVI format and without Perian, we woudn’t be able to do that. Sure, the utility may not be supported any more but it still works and is dear to my heart. This is also when I generally install the latest version of Handbrake and libdvdcss.

7. Add Dropbox

Who doesn’t love Dropbox? That doesn’t mean you can’t tweak your system. After installing the latest build, make sure to hop into Network > Bandwidth and set Don’t Limit for uploads. It’s nice to have your shared files finish uploading before the next century.

8. Install Vuescan

Remember Vuescan? It’s another old app that keeps working and working. I bought my license way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and it still allows me to keep using my archaic flatbed scanner (perfect for school forms) using my 2012 Mac mini running Mountain Lion. Well worth the license fee, it’s a great solution for connecting your OS X system to old hardware.

9. Set up Github, etc.

I always like getting my dev tools in order, and establishing my keys at Github is one of those essential steps. It’s also a good time to install command-line git, update my Xcode find options (via the little magnifying glass in the search fields), disable build notifications (whether Xcode succeeded building or not, I don’t want to see them pop up in notification center. I’m sitting RIGHT HERE compiling.), and link to the simulator from my home folder:

lns ~/Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator sim

10. Copy over my provisions and certificates

As an iOS dev, an hour without working provisions is an hour without sunshine. Export from the old system as a password-protected package using organizer (Command-Shift-2 > Devices), and move them to the new system. Easiest way to get up and running with development on your new machine.

11. Tweak Mail

There’s a lot of stuff that Mail does that I hate. Plus, I’m still getting over the fact that I can no longer use Eudora 6 after 10.6, so every mail task I have to do takes approximately 3x as long or worse. Regardless, now that I live in a Mail world, I disable all sounds (including new mail), enable BCC, and make sure to bring ~/Library/Mail and ~/Library/Mail Downloads along for the joyous ride. If anyone has created Rosetta for Mountain Lion, please let me know.

12. Set up TextEdit

In my life, there’s no room for fussy rich text. First step out of the box is to switch TextEdit to plain text mode across the board. Then, I hop into System Preferences > iCloud > Documents & Data and get my machine the heck out of using cloud data. This has three effects: 1. It speeds up TextEdit. 2. It stabilizes TextEdit from all those unexplained crashes, and 3. Keeps my data safe. Apple still has a lot of work to do when it comes to net services. I trust iCloud just about as far as, well, not far at all.

–

So there you have it, a dozen ways I tweak my new systems. Are there several dozen more? Certainly. I doubt, however, you want to see my logs about: “Call Adobe. Yell at Adobe. Plead with Adobe. Beg Adobe so I can keep using Acrobat and Photoshop.” Do I have a dozen more to share? Yes, but only if you find this kind of list useful.

Happy new systems, everyone.

Setting up Mountain Lion: 12 geek setup tips originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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How To Change The API Level Of An Android Project

During testing, you might encounter this scenario where you need to test on a different Android Virtual Device with a different API level. For example, in testing the vibrating effect on our weather app, we needed to test this on an actual Android smartphone via USB. The AVD has API level 10 while the Huawei Android smartphone has API level 8.

.And when we ran the application following error message occurred in the console tab in Eclipse:

[2012-11-29 12:23:26 - Oz Weather] ERROR: Application requires API version 10. Device API version is 8 (Android 2.2.2).
[2012-11-29 12:23:26 - Oz Weather] Launch canceled!

To get around this is very simple as shown in the following steps below:

1. In Eclipse, go to Project | Properties.
2. In the Properties window de-select the current API level and choose API level 8.

3. Click the Ok button.
4. In the AndroidManifest.xml file look for the code and change 10 to 8

<uses-sdk android:minSdkVersion="10" />

5. Save and run the project.

Source : htmlpress[dot]net

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I am a teenage iPhone developer. How do I enroll in the iPhone program?

Question by Brice: I am a teenage iPhone developer. How do I enroll in the iPhone program?
Hello. I am a teenage iPhone developer, and I really want to enroll in the $ 99 iPhone developer program, so that I can submit apps to the app store. When I get to the contract, there is a box that says that I must be 18 or older to enroll. Is there any way for me to get my parents to co-sign or something?

Best answer:

Answer by jermt
Tick it no one one will ever know that you are a minor… or if you anna play safe sign up with ur dads information!

Add your own answer in the comments!

Source : ducktyper[dot]com

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How to Get 40% Off a Casetagram Custom iPhone Case That Features Your Instagram Photos

How to Get 40% Off a Casetagram Custom iPhone Case That Features Your Instagram Photos

Gilt City‘s got an offer this week for 40 percent off Casetagram iPhone cases, custom iPhone cases that feature your Facebook or Instagram images.

At $21 for an iPhone 4/4S case or $35 for an iPhone 5 Casetagram case, this really ain’t a bad deal considering they are custom covers.

“With seven design templates to choose from and three case colors, Casetagram keeps it simple and streamlined. Their tech-savvy designers are “obsessed with quality and getting the details right,” so the process is seamless, from the design work done online at their site to the printing and shipping.”

The deal expires on Monday, December 3.

Grab it here »

How to Get 40% Off a Casetagram Custom iPhone Case That Features Your Instagram Photos is a post from Apple iPhone Review.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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Apple products top Bing’s 2012 top search list

Apple products top Bing’s 2012 top search list

Microsoft has just revealed Bing’s top search terms for 2012, and while the company’s own products only make a couple of appearances, Apple dominates the list with five of the top 10 keywords. Unsurprisingly, iPhone 5 tops the list, followed closely by iPad in second place.

The “iPad 3″ pops up in the number five spot, followed by the iPod touch and then the iPhone 4S in the number nine slot. Microsoft’s own Xbox ranks number seven, with Windows 8 clinging to the top 10 list in the very last spot. You can check out the full list of Bing’s 2012 top consumer electronics search terms below.

Interestingly, the iPhone 5 also makes an appearance in the news topic section as well. The iPhone 5 announcement ranks as the top searched news story of the year, beating out the 2012 Elections, 2012 Olympics, Facebook IPO and even Hurricane Sandy.

[Via: VentureBeat]

Apple products top Bing’s 2012 top search list originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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How To Detect Data Connection In Android

In one of our past tutorials you have learned to detect if you have internet connection by way of checking if your Android smartphone is in airplane mode. But what if it isn’t in airplane mode?

Android provides a way to turn on/off your data connection (which enables/disables you to send sms and surf the internet) through its Settings | Wireless & Networks | Mobile Network menu. And from there you can toggle on/off the Data enabled switch.

Programmatically, you can detect the data state of your smartphone. Just implement the code below on you main java file.

    public boolean isDataConnectionAvailable() {        boolean lRet = false;        try{            ConnectivityManager conMgr =  ConnectivityManager)getSystemService(Context.CONNECTIVITY_SERVICE);            NetworkInfo info= conMgr.getActiveNetworkInfo();              if(info != null && info.isConnected()) {                  lRet = true ;            }else{                  lRet = false ;            }            Log.d("isDataConnectionAvailable", "Normal execution...");        }catch (Exception e) {            Log.d("Connection Error", e.toString());            lRet = false ;       }        return lRet;      }

And on your AndroidManifest.xml file add the following:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/>

To test this method, just add the following codes in you main Activity file:

if (isDataConnectionAvailable()) {   Toast.makeText(this, "Data connection is enabled.", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();} else {   Toast.makeText(this, "Data connection is disabled.", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();}

By informing users of your app about their data state it will even make your Android app more user-friendly.

Source : htmlpress[dot]net

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Saving data in an iPhone/iPad App!

A simple tutorial on how to save data in an iPhone/iPad application with NSUserDefaults.

Source : iphonedevx[dot]com

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TextView Application in iPhone

TextView Application in iPhone

This is the  very simple TextView application. In this application we will see how to create TextView application using Interface Builder. So let see how it will worked. My last post you can find out from here ImageChange.

Step 1: Open the Xcode, Create a new project using View Base application. Give the application “TextView_iPhone”.

Step 2: Xcode automatically creates the directory structure and adds essential frameworks to it. You can explore the directory structure to check out the content of the directory.

Step 3: Double click the TextView_iPhoneViewController.xib file and open it to the Interface Builder. First drag the TextView from the library and place it to the view window. Select the View window and bring up Attribute Inspector and change the Text with “This is the TextView Application”. Save the .xib file and go back to the Xcode.

Step 4: Now compile and run the application on the Simulator.

You can Download SourceCode from here  TextView_iPhone

Source : blancer[dot]com

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Belkin Shield Micra – iPhone 4

Belkin Shield Micra – iPhone 4

Image by Jory™
This is the Belkin case being offered by Apple in their free iPhone 4 case program. I work at Belkin. I love my iPhone 4. I love this case.

Source : ducktyper[dot]com

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TextView Application in iPhone

This is the  very simple TextView application. In this application we will see how to create TextView application using Interface Builder. So let see how it will worked. My last post you can find out from here ImageChange.

Step 1: Open the Xcode, Create a new project using View Base application. Give the application “TextView_iPhone”.

Step 2: Xcode automatically creates the directory structure and adds essential frameworks to it. You can explore the directory structure to check out the content of the directory.

Step 3: Double click the TextView_iPhoneViewController.xib file and open it to the Interface Builder. First drag the TextView from the library and place it to the view window. Select the View window and bring up Attribute Inspector and change the Text with “This is the TextView Application”. Save the .xib file and go back to the Xcode.

Step 4: Now compile and run the application on the Simulator.

You can Download SourceCode from here  TextView_iPhone

Source : edumobile[dot]org

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Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation delivers slim portable charging, on sale Monday

Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation delivers slim portable charging, on sale Monday

The iconic iPhone battery case from Mophie, the Juice Pack, hasn’t made the transition from the iPhone 4/4S 30-pin connector to the newer Lightning interface yet. That’s put some extra attention on the standalone battery packs in the company’s lineup. We tested the Juice Pack Powerstation, the mid-range 4000 mAh model. It’s on sale today for Cyber Monday at $59.95, $20 off the regular price.

Mophie’s gear always delivers with sleek, engaging industrial design, and the Powerstation line is no exception. This black and brushed-metal pocket-sized battery pack could scarcely be simpler: one full-size USB port, one micro USB port, and a charge/check button are the only controls. It’s roughly got the same footprint as an iPhone 4, but somewhat thicker.

Getting this much battery into slim packaging requires a few compromises. Unlike similar-capacity battery packs from MyCharge or Powerstick, the Powerstation does not include AC or solar-charging capability. You charge it from a USB connection, preferably a high-power connection such as the one on your laptop. Just connect the included micro USB cable to the source and the Powerstation will charge. But, it will not charge a device simultaneously.

The outbound charge port on the Powerstation will charge most USB devices and supports the 2A iPad fast-charging mode. The 4000 mAh capacity should be enough to recharge an iPhone several times and will give an iPad a partial recharge. The full product line includes the slimmer Powerstation Mini, the dual-output Powerstation Duo, and the water-rated, 6000 mAh Powerstation PRO. All models are discounted for Cyber Monday at mophie.com.

I found the Powerstation to be a great charging companion for slim iPad bags or to tuck into a jacket pocket; its relatively small size compared to other battery units makes me much more likely to take it along for the ride — although I do love the solar trickle charge panel on the Powertrip. You can certainly get cheaper look-alike units such as this dual-port 3000 mAh package from Monoprice, but you won’t find one as well-built or dependable.

Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation delivers slim portable charging, on sale Monday originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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Scharffen Berger Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 6-Ounce Canisters (Pack of 2)

Scharffen Berger Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 6-Ounce Canisters (Pack of 2)

• Qualify as Gluten Free using Standards proposed by FDA

Amazon A+ Description pageSCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker sources and blends the world’s best cacao beans using the highest quality ingredients and a wine-maker’s expertise to build layers of chocolate flavor. Our commitment to artisanal chocolate making guarantees consistent quality and taste in every bar from start to finish.Our Chocolate FlavorsSemisweet Dark Chocolate Baking Bar — 62% CacaoOur 62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate is a well-rounded blend excellent for all your baking needs. With

List Price: $ 17.82

Price:

Source : ducktyper[dot]com

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Timehop: Remember When …

Timehop: Remember When …

Every once in a while, I think about all the tweets, Facebook updates, Foursquare check-ins and Instagram photos I’ve taken and wished that I could look back at them, you know, like looking at an old photo album. It’s not useful or productive, but they’re digital memories that I think are pretty cool. I guess someone else started getting nostalgic about all the time they’ve wasted, er, spent sharing their stories on social media and wanted to relive them. And thus Timehop was born, a veritable digital time machine.

Bring on the memories.

Like the article? You should subscribe and follow us on twitter.

Getting Started

At its most basic function, Timehop provides you with digital data from your social accounts that correspond with the present day. That means that every day Timehop will pull up tweets, status updates, Instagram photos and the like from your past. And while that concept is cool in and of itself, what really sets this app apart is its remarkable design.

After you download the app, you will need to log in to any of your relevant social networks. The ones that Timehop pulls from are Facebook, Foursquare, Instagram, Twitter and Flickr. Obviously, the more social networks you log into the more results you will get. Timehop will pull stories from when you first opened your account, which is good and bad … obviously, there are a few photos that you might uncover that you probably wish to forget. But hey, Y.O.L.O.

It’s extremely easy to connect all of your social media accounts.

Once you finish up with your logins, Timehop will show you all of your friends who also have an affinity for their past social media exploits. Obviously, not that many of my friends know about this app (but, that will soon change). Timehop allows you to manage which of your friends can view the stories you share by toggling them on or off.

That’s pretty much it for setup.

What’s Next

Sit back and wait for your memories to unfold. No, but seriously, you have to wait. Each morning, Timehop will pull together everything that you did on social media on that particular day — everything — and send you a push notification.

Oh, hey, random photo from four years ago …

Each social media story has either a moon or a sun icon by it (to let you know what time of day it was posted), as well as the actual time it was posted, what social network it was posted on and the ability to Send and/or Share that particular item. When you tap the Send button, a few boxes will pop up giving you the option to copy the link to the story, text the story, email the story or exit out of the button’s features. When you tap the Share button, a new window will pop up allowing you to share your little slice of history through your feed on the Timehop app and with Facebook and Twitter.

Sharing is caring.

Design

So, this little app is probably one of the best-designed apps I have seen in a very long time. There are so many details that just seem effortless. And I love their time-traveling dinosaur mascot. He pops up everywhere, literally. On the main screen when you pull to refresh, the little guy is rotating the spinner. And on the shared stories page, when you pull to refresh, he puts on his time-traveling goggles and jetpacks up out of the frame. On the Settings page, when you pull to refresh, Abe is dancing. Brilliant.

Abe, the time-hopping dinosaur.

So, other than being forever amused by Abe, the rest of the app’s design is pretty slick. A feature that I love in your personal feed is that the date headers stay in place while scrolling through all relevant stories from that time period. And the color choice is also very promising, it promises to not assault my eyes or feel dated.

Conclusion

Timehop is definitely one of the best apps that I have come across in a long time. It’s extremely simple, but the design is beautiful and clever. It fulfills a need that I didn’t even know I had. I actually do look at this app every morning so that I can see my stories from the past. And while the app doesn’t offer the ability to look at previous day’s stories, I find that quite honestly, I agree with that decision. I enjoy the focus remaining on one day at a time; it definitely keeps me engaged and eagerly waiting for the next day’s stories.

Source : blancer[dot]com

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