At one point in time, I seriously thought I was going to get some grills—you know, put gold caps and jewelerize my teeth like the rappers. Luckily, I didn’t have to spend the money because this Grillz app for iPhone makes me feel like I already have them. More »
The third-party app experience has always seemed like an afterthought for RIM. Lousy selection and a half-baked install process are just some of the issues plaguing BlackBerry owners and developers, but there’s no blow stronger in the app world than when a dev drops support for a platform, after dedicating the resources necessary to bring a product to market in the first place. That’s exactly what Seesmic has done with its popular social media app — effective June 30th, the company will drop support for BlackBerry, “in order to focus development efforts on (its) most popular mobile platforms.” It goes so far as to suggest that users “try out Seesmic for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7,” which would of course mean replacing that BlackBerry with another, more app-friendly device. The move doesn’t necessarily indicate that other devs will follow suit, but if jumping ship does become a trend, it could put a significant damper on RIM’s future earnings, to say the least.
Seesmic Twitter app drops BlackBerry support, RIM’s frown sags even lower originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
GigaOM | 
Seesmic | Email this | Comments
Hey there, future iCloud power user, take a gander at the MobileMe email from MacRumors above — that’s what to expect when you approach the 5GB storage limit. Apparently, automatic backups and your MobileMe account’s email traffic will pause until you delete some files or purchase more space via your iDevice or a computer — for an undisclosed cost. That’s one sliver of info which Apple’s remaining tight-lipped about despite unveiling the mostly free cloud service weeks ago. Also worth noting, as TUAW points out, is that content purchased within the iTunes ecosystem won’t impact your quota. Hey, those app downloads can sure make it easy to fill up a drive, ya know.
Apple iCloud to halt backups, MobileMe email, when storage limit is reached? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink TUAW | MacRumors | Email this | Comments
Final Cut Pro was already cheap, but the new version is just $300
Apple has just released the update to its professional-level movie editing app Final Cut Pro for just $300. Previously, the application cost $1,000. Final Cut Pro X is available now, from the Mac App Store.
Remember when Apple completely reworked iMovie, rethinking the way that we would edit our home videos? This is like that, only aimed at Hollywood editors (and presumably not as feature-crippled as the first vresion of New iMovie).
FCPX now runs as a 64-bit application, allowing the use of as much RAM as you can fit into your Mac, and uses GPU to speed things up even more. The app will also render and transcode media in the background so you can keep working.
There are also plenty of new ways of working with your movies, including tools to automatically organize your media, and the neat-sounding “Auditions.” This lets you drop several alternate shots in at one edit point and quickly cycle through them in context. Still, it’s likely that the big UI change is going to wrong-foot or even upset some existing FCP users.
The biggest news, though, is the price and the distribution method. $300 makes this less than half the price of Adobe’s $800 Premiere Pro, and pocket change compared to Avid’s $2,500 Media Composer.
The price isn’t quite that cheap, though. The previous $1,000 Final Cut Studio bundle included four other apps: Color, Motion, Soundtrack Pro and Compressor. Motion and Compressor are now separate apps in the store for $50 each, whereas Color and Soundtrack Pro have been folded into FCPX itself.
Final Cut Pro X [Apple]
See Also:
Just days ago, Google snapped up SageTV to bolster its Google TV ecosystem. Now, the team in Mountain View appears to be on its way to making good on its promise to put the Android Market on the platform as well. Those with a Revue or other Google TV system can now see them listed as “other” in their list of My Devices in the Market. Of course, you can’t actually download any apps to your Google-fied box just yet, but it’s a start, right? Besides, if you’re really that anxious for Google to give you access to Market apps, you can just get your hands dirty and do it yourself.
Google TVs pop up in Android Market device listings, still can’t download apps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Monsoon Multimedia is again advancing its Vulkano line of set-top boxes with a feature not found on Sling, TiVo or Roku, adding the ability to make DVR recordings directly to iPad, iPhone or Android devices. While users can still watch TV from anywhere in the world using the Vulkano, the new DVR-to-mobile feature is restricted to WiFi and will only work with the Vulkano Flow and eventually the Blast. Sure you could store your shows on a hard drive and move them over or stream later, but this way fans of The Killing on AMC can be disappointed by the season finale later on even while offline. Updates for the platform-appropriate $13 apps should arrive shortly, while Blackberry users are assured the feature is on the way soon for them too.
Monsoon Vulkano Flow, Blast launch DVR-to-mobile feature for iPhone, iPad and Android originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
The App Store has something north of a bazillion apps lining its digital shelves, making it incredibly hard to find the good ones. Discovr Apps thinks it can help by drawing each app’s “family tree” of related apps. More »
AliveCor’s iPhoneECG case was pretty sweet but, being a case, could only be strapped to an iPhone 4. Doctors content with their 3GS or patients who prefer to hug an iPad to their chest will be elated to hear the company is working on a more hardware-agnostic option for your iOS heart monitoring needs. The business card-sized iCard ECG mounts to the back of your iDevice using velcro and wirelessly feeds data from its electrodes to the AliveECG app. The app automatically records 30 seconds of your heart’s rhythmic pulse before uploading it to AliveCor’s servers for sharing with your doctors. The bad news? They’re still awaiting FDA approval, so you can’t run out and pick one up just yet. But, when it does hit shelves, it looks like you’ll have a choice of red or black — so you can make sure your medical accessories match your scrubs. Check out the video after the break.
Continue reading iCard ECG brings heart monitoring to the iOS device of your choice (video)
iCard ECG brings heart monitoring to the iOS device of your choice (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | MedGadget | Email this | Comments
Despite being able to write level, I still manage to run out of space at the end of the line
Wacom, the graphics tablet company, has launched a drawing and note-taking app for the iPad. Called Bamboo Paper after its Bamboo line of styluses, the app is both simple and good.
Bamboo Paper follows the excellent Penultimate in its simple approach. You get little more than a sheet of virtual paper on which to scrawl your doodles and letters. Ink choice is limited to six colors, nib thicknesses to just three. You also get an eraser, undo and redo and a bookmark function. This last appears to do little more than put a marker in the corner of the page.
And that’s about it. You only get one notebook, and–compared to Penultimate– the range of paper styles is very limited. But Bamboo Paper has it where it counts: the handwriting engine.
Few apps come close to Penultimate’s ink engine (NoteShelf is one notable exception). But Wacom’s might actually be better. The feel of the “ink” appearing under your stylus tip as you write is very natural, and if you flick the tip (or your finger) quickly, the line feathers to nothing, just as it would with a felt-tip pen or a brush.
Wacom also seems to have cracked the problem of the wayward wrist. The iPad’s multi-touch screen is great until it mistakes your wrist, or at least the meat of your little finger and hand, as a writing device.
The usual way around this is for an app to provide a “wrist-guard” which you pull up to electronically mask off an area of the screen. Bamboo Paper doesn’t do this, but it doesn’t get confused, either. This is particularly ironic as my actual Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch tablet fails so completely in this regard that I can’t use it.
Two other features that Penultimate lacks are pinch-to-zoom (and the related drag with two fingers to pan), and a long press to bring up the pen controls under your finger.
You’ll have to decide which is best for you. I have moved onto NoteShelf for its close-up abilities, but Bamboo Paper might be a candidate to replace it.
Bamboo Paper [iTunes]
See Also:
Sure, it’s technically been possible to manage one’s TiVo via the mobile web for a half-decade now, but earlier methods were neither intuitive nor enthralling. Earlier this year, the company released its iPad app — a diddy that showcases functions like remote control features, ToDo List prioritizing and Season Pass management. After hinting at a number of apps for smaller-screen devices (boasting all manners of operating systems), the latest print edition of CEPro has delivered solid intel that the aforesaid whispers are becoming reality. With Honeycomb slates dropping left, right and center, we’re wondering if the Android build will target tablets first and smartphones later — perhaps even a merged edition once Ice Cream Sandwich crawls from the freezer. Either way, it’ll soon make recording season-long reruns of The Hills even easier for those living within iOS or Android ecosystems, including updates from the places you’re too embarrassed to mention in public.
TiVo Android and iPhone apps in the works, Season Passes soon at your fingertips originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
