The iPhone Blog


Apple clarifies iMessage “bug” as a simple employee mistake

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:18 PM PST

Apple clarifies iMessage bug

Apple has clarified a an iMessage “bug” that was reported earlier this week, and involved the intertwining messages from an Apple Genius employee and a customer who brought their iPhone in for repair. Turns out that it was a slip-up on the employee’s part. The Loop reports:

"This was an extremely rare situation that occurred when a retail employee did not follow the correct service procedure and used their personal SIM to help a customer who did not have a working SIM," Apple representative Natalie Harrison told The Loop. "This resulted in a temporary situation that has since been resolved by the employee."

Apparently, the Apple Genius went the extra mile by inserting his own SIM card into the iPhone because the owner didn’t have a working SIM. This resulted in the customer’s iPhone being paired with the employee’s number, where all texts sent to/from the employee where also being delivered to the customer’s iPhone. This issue is similar to the way lost or stolen iPhones using iMessage behave after paired to a specific SIM.

If the employee in question had of simply switched iMessage functionality on and off while his SIM was inserted, or just used a different SIM card, this all would have been avoided. Then again, it looks like the iMessage protocol still needs some adjustment.

Source: Gizmodo, TheLoop



Video Camera for iPhone by i4software is a video studio in your pocket

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:57 PM PST

Video Camera for iPhone by i4software is a video studio in your pocket. It allows you to switch between front and rear cameras while recording and snap photos while recording. For those looking for a professional level of control, Video Camera also lets you manually control exposure, focus, and white balance via a triple tap. The recent update also grants the permission to record up to 8 remote cameras.

Unleash yourself from time-consuming camcorders and editing programs—get Video Camera and join the video revolution.

  • The most intuitive video app makes shooting, editing and sharing a streamlined process.
  • Switch between front and rear cameras while recording.
  • Snap photos while recording.
  • Optional Date & Time stamps directly into the video.
  • Choose one of three professional-quality studio intros for a Hollywood experience.
  • Fully customizable titles and scrolling credits.
  • Includes rights-free music for unrestricted use, or access songs from your own music library.
  • Full-featured editing mode for advanced users.
  • Quickly and easily move, duplicate or delete clips.
  • Use location services to automatically add location to the scrolling credits.• 1920×1080, 1280×720 and 640×360 resolutions on supported devices.
  • Optional manual controls for exposure, focus, and white balance accessible by triple tapping.
  • Full zoom control for video, including a smooth auto-zoom.
  • Patented Live Non-Linear Editing (LiNE™) makes trimming while capturing a seamless experience.
  • Preview and trim clips the moment they're shot.
  • Move, delete, or load clips in your timeline without exiting the main camera view.
  • Import .MOV files from the camera roll, including those created with third-party apps.
  • With the iPad Camera Connection kit import and edit clips from many popular cameras, including GoPro Hero, Panasonic GH1, Canon PowerShot S100, 60D, and more! Process your final movie right on the spot.

Video Camera is available on the iPhone for $7.99.

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.



Siri having “a wee bit of trouble” in Scotland [NSFW-L]

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:45 PM PST

Likely exactly why Siri is still in beta and not localized for Scotland. Definitely NSFW due to language, but just as definitely safe for a belly laugh. Ach, aye.

Source: YouTube via The Loop



More rumors of iPad 3 coming in March, but no “strange” event in February

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:32 PM PST

More rumors of iPad 3 coming in March,

iMore heard a while back that the iPad 3 would be coming March 2012, and several other outlets have heard the same thing. Macotakara is is the latest. However, in their version there was also a “strange” report about a “strange” event, scheduled for February.

I reported that Apple was going to hold Special Event in early February according to Asian supplier and source from united states, but this report told a half-side of truth. Apple will hold “Strange” event at February instead of Special Event.

Jim Dalrymple of The Loop, however, says when something smells “strange”, it usually is.

This is not going to happen, according to my sources. Apple will not hold an event in February, unusual or otherwise. That's it.

Dalrymple’s sources are typically excellent, so if you were holding hope for a February surprise from Apple, stop holding.

Source: The Loop, Macotakara



Do you use mobile health and fitness products?

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:02 PM PST

Mobile Nations Health and Fitness Month has begun and we’re all already picking out goals and getting into gear — but I wanted to find out where we were all starting from first? CES 2012 showed us that mobile is increasingly becoming more than just communications, it’s becoming lifestyle. A big part of that is health and fitness.

There are stand-alone gadgets like Fitbit or Jawbone UP that keep track of your movement (or lack thereof!), and sleep activities, and let you enter food information. They connect to our iPhones to share data and deliver reports so we can see how we’re doing and adjust according. The are also stand-alone apps that don’t need extra hardware and just do similar things right on our iPhones. Both often have social network connections to, so your friends and family can see your progress, be it weight lost, distance traveled, calories burned, sleep enjoyed, or food consumed. That adds accountability and some peer pressure that could help keep you motivated and on track.

Have you tried any of them? If so, which gadgets or apps or accessories did you like best? Have you tried them but ended up not using them, or simply not tried any health and fitness apps or accessories at all? If not, why not?

Vote in the poll up top and give me all the details in the comments below, and don’t forgot to jump into our new Health and Fitness Forum — you can attain your goals and get entered into our big iPad 3 giveaway. Sweet!



Add launch preferences to Phone.app with StartDial for iPhone [jailbreak]

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:43 AM PST

Have a jailbroken iPhone and wish you could better control how your actual phone application behaves? StartDial, available in Cydia now, will allow you to alter what tabs your phone application will open and when.

StartDial is a simple tweak that allows you to chose the view to start with when the Phone application is launched.

Most people either want the phone application to launch their contacts, favorites, or the dial pad initially. StartDial will force your iPhone to load whatever tab you choose every single time.

In addition to setting which tab the phone app opens to initially you can also remove the Visual Voicemail tab altogether. This is one of the main reasons I love this modification. I never have to worry about anyone going through my voicemails if I let someone borrow my iPhone or I lose it. It’s a useful feature for users who may keep sensitive information in their voicemail.

You can also set the phone app to automatically launch to the Recents tab if you have any missed calls. So if you see that you have 4 missed calls on your lockscreen but left the phone app on the keypad tab, it will automatically take you to the recents tab when you attempt to check your missed calls.

It’s pretty simple for a jailbreak mod but packs a lot of power depending on how you choose to use it.

StarDial is already available in Cydia and will run on any iPhone running iOS 4 or higher. If you’re looking for even more tweaks and utilities to install, check out our guide to the best jailbreak applications for iOS 5.

Even more jailbreak resources:



Apple hires Xbox manager to further push iPhone and iPad gaming initiative

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:38 AM PST

Apple hires Xbox manager to push iOS gaming initiative

In an update to his LinkedIn profile, Microsoft Marketing Manager for Xbox UK, Robin Burrowes, let the world know that he’s been hired by Apple to push iPhone and iPad gaming even further.

Burrowes tenure at Microsoft saw him work on Xbox for roughly seven years, where he was most recently responsible for all product, business and marketing management of Xbox LIVE in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. For Apple, he’s the latest in a series of high-profile British gaming recruits, following the hire of Nintendo’s public relation’s chief Robert Saunders last year, as well as Nick Grange — who also at one point ran public relations for Xbox, as well as for gaming heavyweights Activision and Electronics Arts.

Microsoft came out of nowhere with the Xbox to take a significant share of the console gaming market, especially when it comes to hardcore gamers and multiplayer gaming with services like Xbox Live. Apple has seen enormous success in the mobile gaming sector after creating the App Store for iOS 2 and the iPhone 3G in 2008. Now they, along with Google’s Android platform, have overtaken the likes of Sony and Nintendo when it comes to U.S. portable game software by revenue.

With Apple’s last count of 550,000 apps in the App Store, and around 20% of those being games, it’s not hard to see why Apple considers it important enough to hire a key gaming manager like Burrowes.

iPhones and iPads are increasingly this generations’ portable gaming platforms of choice.

Source: Robin Burrowes via 148apps.biz via AppleInsider



iPhone 4S Made Simple makes it easy for new users to use their iPhones

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:33 AM PST

iPhone 4S Made Simple makes it easy for new users to use their iPhones

iPhone 4S Made Simple is a new book from Apress written by Martin Trautschold and our very own editor-in-chief extraordinaire, Rene Ritchie, and tech edited by none other than Leanna Lofte. That’s right, there’s a huge iMore presence throughout this book — I forgot to lock the cages one night, who knew? — which means it’s super detailed, super informative, and has everything a regular person needs to get started with their brand new iPhone 4S.

More than 1,000 screen visuals and clear-cut instructions guide you through both basic and advanced features of iOS 5 that’s on your iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and earlier models, from email and calendar tips to navigating the App Store and understanding Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks to the revolutionary Siri personal assistant.

If you have that special someone in your life who needs extra help figuring out how to use their iPhone 4S, send them to iPhone 4S Made Simple. You — and your stress level! — will be glad you did! (And don’t forget to leave a review!)



Book Palette for Mac offers 10 beautiful templates for iBooks Author

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:03 AM PST

iBooks Author has but a limited selection of templates, so Jumsoft has released Book Palette, a Mac app that offers 10 additional stylish and modern templates for you with the promise to bring more. Although these templates are ready to use and don’t need to be changed, the ability to customize them to your liking is possible so that you can create a book that is uniquely yours.

Each template contains an assortment of standard section and page layouts including covers, chapter pages, text pages, tables of contents, glossary pages, and more.

As if it wasn’t already simple enough, Book Palette has just made creating your beautiful, multi-touch, interactive iPad book even easier.

With the new, revolutionary iBooks Author app, anyone can create and publish great Multi-Touch books for iPad, including you. Jumsoft swiftly offers you an enhanced experience in book creation with 10 beautiful templates for iBooks Author.

Each template included in the Book Palette app features an assortment of stylish and modern page layouts. You can use them as a starting point and go from there by typing or pasting your own text, adding or removing text boxes, and dropping images or other media.

Although the standard designs included in Book Palette are very polished, you are not expected to settle for default. Most objects in the templates can be easily reshaped, moved, or removed, and colors can be changed. Use a variety of pre-designed text styles or opt for fonts of your choice to format your text for the best effect.

Book Palette is available in the Mac App Store for $2.99.

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

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Apple passes LG, now third largest mobile phone maker in the world

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 09:45 AM PST

Apple passes LG, now third largest mobile phone maker in the world

IDC has released numbers showing that Apple has surpassed LG to become the third largest mobile phone maker in the world.

Apple jumped into the third spot globally from the fifth spot last quarter thanks to a record-breaking quarter of shipments. That represents the Cupertino-based company’s highest-ever ranking on IDC’s Top 5 global mobile phone leaderboard. [...] Device sales in the U.S. and Japan were particularly strong given extra sales days in the quarter and carrier distribution.

These figures represent overall mobile phone sales, not just smartphone sales. A lot of Apple’s recent growth in the mobile phone market can be credited to their latest quarterly results, where they sold through more than 37 million iPhone units. The majority of iPhone sales fell under the iPhone 4S, so it’s safe to say the iPhone 4S had a big hand in pushing Apple to the number three spot.

Although they’re pretty far off from taking the number one position held by Nokia (with 113.5 million units shipped in Q4 2011, the majority being feature phones), the fact is the iPhone jumped almost 100 percent in year-over-year sales growth with nearly 100 million units sold throughout 2011. Samsung, on the other hand, only grew about 18 percent.

The question is, with no new iPhone until later this year, and lots of new Android phones expected by summer, can Apple overtake Samsung at number two spot any time soon?

Source: IDC



Is AT&T tightening the screws on unlimited iPhone users with new, overly aggressive data throttling?

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 09:01 AM PST

Is AT&T tightening the screw on unlimited iPhone users with new, overly aggressive data throttling?

Is 2GB really all it takes now to be considered a “top 5″ iPhone data user by AT&T and have your data throttled down?

AT&T now seems to be throttling iPhone users on grandfathered, unlimited data plans when they hit a paltry 2GB of data usage. We all know AT&T has been threatening to throttle iPhone users on unlimited data plans for quite some time now. AT&T announced data throttling last August and started implementing it last October. Since then we’ve heard from some of our readers that they were getting throttled down to 2G EDGE speeds. And it seems to be getting even more egregious.

As a rational person — and long time customer — I had a hard time believing it. I’ve been using anywhere from 4 to 8 gigabytes a month since October and never received any warning from AT&T. In fact, I told everyone in our AT&T forums that I had not yet received the infamous text message from AT&T, accusing me of being a “top 5%” data users.

Until yesterday.

Smartphone customers with unlimited data plans may experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle reaches the level that puts them among the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. These customers can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle. We’re writing because you are in the top 5 percent of heaviest data users for this billing cycle.

It came in just as I approached 2GB. That’s what apparently qualifies as a “top 5%” here in Chicago. 2GB. Two days before the end of my billing cycle.

I immediately called AT&T and asked them — 3 of them of the course of several hours — two simple questions: Why, all of a sudden, after previous months of heavy use, did I receive this message and why, when I am paying for “unlimited” data am I being crippled just at two gigabytes?

They had no answers for me.

So I began to think about it some more and realized the previous few months I was using my unlocked Galaxy Nexus. Did that have anything to do with flying under the radar? Or did I simply switch back to my iPhone 4S around the time AT&T decided to take these new, overly aggressive tactics?

Or is there simply no consistency or rationality with how AT&T is going about their data throttling? Do some people, depending on the area and month, get away with 5 to 6 gigabytes with no issues while some are getting nailed at 2 gigabytes? Is 2 gigabytes the new magic number based on all of the complaints in our forums and responses that I received on Twitter?

Whatever the case may be, it sure seems like AT&T is putting the screws to unlimited iPhone data users, trying to push us into giving up our grandfathered plans and pressure us into taking one of their new, limited, tiered plans instead.

And that sucks, plain and simple.

AT&T offered a service, we signed up for it, we paid them for it, and now they’re reneging on the spirit if not the letter of that service. They’re breaking faith with their customers.

Maybe they don’t want our particular type of user any more, maybe they’d rather we go somewhere else, but if they’re willing to do this to one group of users, they’d do it to any group of users, at any time. And that’s a terrible way to run a business.

Unlimited data plans were sold to iPhone users from day one. AT&T needs to stand by them. If they want us to switch to tiered plans, make those plans better. Offer free tethering, or make 4G LTE exclusive to those plans and wait for the iPhone 5 to drive demand for it. Make them so attractive we can’t wait to switch. Don’t do it by making our existing plans worse.

But AT&T has unlimited data users right where they want us, and they seem to be pulling out all of the stops to get rid of us.

Have you gotten throttled for using 2 gigabytes yet? Did it get you to switch to the new, tiered plans? And how does it make you feel about being an AT&T customer?



Hands on with Cyclemeter for iPhone

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:57 AM PST

Cyclemeter, Runmeter, and Walkmeter are a collection of apps that use the iPhone GPS to track your activity while simultaneously providing you with feedback and motivation to go farther.

The upcoming updates for Cyclemeter, Runmeter, and Walkmeter will introduce a new interface that allows you to easily swipe through information making it easy to view data like time, distance, speed, location, elevation, and heart rate even while in the middle of your ride, run, or walk. Each screen is customizable so that you can be sure you are seeing the information that matters to you.

Although there are 3 different apps, each app is essentially the same. So if you purchase Cylcemeter and want to use it for your run, just set the mode of the app to running. Whichever version you purchase is just which activity the app will be preconfigured for.

We got a sneak peak of Cyclemeter version 7.0 while at Macworld 2012.

Cyclemeter turns your iPhone into a powerful GPS-enabled fitness computer, giving you feedback and motivation to go farther, be healthier, and live longer.

  • Track – Cyclemeter continually records your time, location, distance, elevation, and speed – years of workouts only take up the space of a few songs.
  • Visualize – See your results on maps, graphs, and a calendar, and organized by routes and activities.
  • Hear – Monitor your progress with more than 70 configurable announcements including distance, time, speed, and elevation.
  • RACE – Compete against your previous workouts along a route, or import and compete against other people’s workouts.
  • Train – Keep on track with extremely configurable interval training, zones, and targets. Set up repeating intervals, pyramid intervals, or tempo workouts.
  • Share – Use email, Facebook, Twitter, and dailymile to share Google Maps of your workouts, automatically updated every few minutes.
  • Import/Export – Import a route or virtual competitor by simply clicking on a GPX or KML link or file in Mail or Safari. Export complete summaries of your workouts, or detailed CSV, GPX, or KML files for use in maps, graphs, or social fitness sites.
  • For cycling, running, walking, skiing, skating and more – Cyclemeter, Runmeter, and Walkmeter and are built from the same core foundation, but come preconfigured for cycling, running, or walking. Each supports all features and activities.
  • Improve – Cyclemeter gives you the data that helps you achieve your goals, whether it’s to cycle a park or a century, run a mile or a marathon, or walk a block or a march.

Cyclemeter, Runmeter, and Walkmeter are available on the iPhone for $4.99.

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

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50% off Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 [Daily deal]

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:26 AM PST

50% off Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 [Daily deal]For today only, the TiPb Store has the Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 on sale for only $14.95!. Get them before they’re gone!

Get the Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 now!

The Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover adds style, sophistication and protection to your iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4. The durable but lightweight, textured polycarbonate border helps to keep a firm grip on your device.

Aluminum alloy accents enhance the look for the iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4 without adding bulk or unwanted weight.

Features:

  • Form-fit design
  • Access to all buttons and controls
  • Easy installation
  • Protects from bumps and scratches
  • Screen left exposed
  • Aluminum alloy accents
  • Lightweight


Avid Studio for iPad delivers some real competition to Apple’s iMovie

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:11 AM PST

Avid Studio is a new app that lets you edit video, audio and photographs right on your iPad. And if you think Apple's iPad version of iMovie has just gotten some real competition in the video editing space — you’re right.

Avid and Apple have been battling it out for years now in the professional space, with Avid’s high end movie editing kit seeing competition from Apple’s much lower priced Final Cut Studio. Several prominent directors switched from Avid to make high profile movies using Final Cut. Following Apple’s recent re-invention of the digital editing model with Final Cut X, they faced a lot of push back from unhappy editors who missed features or simply didn’t like the new software. Apple did, however, achieve some consistency across their editing software, with everything from iMovie on iPhone and iPad, to iMovie on Mac, to Final Cut Pro embracing similar user interface and design concepts.

Now Avid is bringing the battle back to Apple, and on Apple’s mobile turf for a change. We’ll have a full hands-on, and a side-by-side comparison with iMovie coming your ways soon. In the meantime, here are all the details on Avid Studio for iPad.

Big-screen moviemaking comes to the touchscreen with Avid® Studio for iPad. We've distilled the world's leading film-editing technology into an easy-to-use app that enables you to edit video, audio, and photos at the speed of your creativity. Swiftly arrange your clips in the Storyboard, make precision edits using the Timeline, and add high-quality transitions, effects, and a soundtrack. Then share your movie directly to YouTube, Facebook, and more—or export your project to Avid Studio for the PC and continue editing with even more advanced tools.

Easily Access Your Media

  • Work with any media on your device—video, audio, and photos
  • Access media from external devices via an iPad Camera Connection Kit (sold separately)
  • Capture video and photos from within the app
  • See your media organized by Albums, Events, Faces, and more
Edit
  • Get started quickly with how-to materials
  • Easily navigate your project with intuitive gestures
  • Swiftly arrange clips in the Storyboard
  • Make precise edits and trim individual frames in the Precision Trimmer
  • Use the Razor Blade tool to cut on the fly and delete or replace the second half of the clip
  • Easily replace one clip with another
Enhance
  • Quickly create multi-layer 3D animations, transitions, and titles with included Montage templates
  • Easily composite video tracks to create layered looks
  • Add high-quality fades and dissolves to help your story flow
  • Generate professional-looking motion titles and graphics with full control over text, font, color, size, position, and rotation
  • Create amazing Picture-in-Picture effects with full control over position, size, and rotation
  • Pan and zoom on your photos to create high-impact slideshows
  • Enjoy full-screen playback
Create Soundtracks
  • Use your own audio or choose from the included sound effects
  • Trim audio to any length, set levels, and fade audio in or out
Share
  • Easily share movies via YouTube, Facebook, email, and more
  • Export projects to Avid Studio for the PC
Pro Technology, Pro Results
  • Created by Avid, the maker of the world's leading film and music editing technology
  • Easy enough for the hobbyist, powerful enough for the pro
Avid Studio is available for just the iPad and costs $4.99. You have to be running a minimum of iOS 5 to use the applications. Have an app you'd love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we'll take a look.

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Sony’s disjointed approach had four separate teams working on an iPad competitor

Posted: 02 Feb 2012 12:29 AM PST

According to a rather interesting report by the Wall Street Journal, Sony's approach to developing a product to challenge the iPad was a rather disjointed affair. The report states that Sony had four different teams working on four different projects.

Luckily for Sony, soon to be appointed CEO Kaz Hirai formed a User Experience Group and culled all but one of the projects. This lead to the development of Sony's Tablet S hardware along with its Playstation suite integration.

The company had long had a reputation for creating ‘silos,’ or divisions that operated in isolation from each other. Aside from creating a disunited front, it sometimes led to segments being actively jealous of each other and refusing to collaborate. Walkman and home theater groups, for example, didn’t get the cooperation from Sony’s own music and movie groups to make digital media stores.
Under the leadership of Sony's new CEO Kaz Harai, it is expected that Sony will have a much more rigid structure. Management will make decisions on product directions and strategies. Individual teams will then be taxed with the problem of making the products real; Sony wants to emulate the Apple way of developing new products.

Source: WSJ via Electronista



Create a massive home for hundreds of pets in Dream PetHouse by Zynga

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 11:49 PM PST

Zynga has released their newest iPhone and iPad game for animal lovers called Dream PetHouse. In this game, you are in charge of raising hundreds of adorable pets in a huge treehouse and making them has happy as can be.

As with all Zynga games, there is a social aspect to Dream PetHouse where you use Facebook Connect to visit your friends’ trees and help each other with various tasks.

  • Do you love animals? Then here’s your chance to create the biggest, happiest home for hundreds of irresistibly cute pets in Dream PetHouse by Zynga! Collect the world's cutest animals and care for them in your own unique tree, staffed by Chipper and his group of adorable chipmunk friends!

  • Feed your pets and watch them grow up right before your eyes!

  • Connect Pethouses using dynamic bridges and see your pets explore their new home!
  • Capture fond memories of your pets' childhood in family albums!
  • Raise your pet families and collect all the Golden Frames!
  • Visit your friends’ trees using Facebook and get their help raising your pets!
  • Customize your Pethouse with wild-looking trees and unique habitats!

Dream PetHouse is available on the iPhone and iPad for free.

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

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The Lotto Machine brings physics fun to randomly generating numbers

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 11:39 PM PST

The Lotto Machine is not your average random number generator. This one has a beautiful UI and is equipped with a physics engine giving you the perception of having some control over the outcome. The Lotto Machine uses the iPhone accelerometer so that as you tilt your iPhone, the balls roll around in the spinning drum.

The Lotto Machine is purely designed to help you pick your numbers for the lottery – sounds boring, right? Wrong! With a gorgeous UI, a spinning drum and physics that you can control with the accelerometer, now playing the lottery is fun no matter the outcome!

The Lotto Machine is available on the iPhone for $0.99.

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.



Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2 review [Giveaway]

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 10:40 PM PST

“As a case and app combo Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2 is great for letting kids learn art and have fun on the iPad, though it’s not something parents to just leave on a family device.”

The Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2 review brings together the classic crayon and marker maker with one of the biggest names in iPad accessories for a double-threat case and app combo that’s sure to delight kids of all ages. It required a screen protector, comes with a large enclosure and a marker, but put it all together and you get the best of old world art thanks to the latest in Apple tech!

It's not small or subtle, but the Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2 is durable enough for kids

The Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw is a contraption that fits over your iPad 2 like a case. A really big, really durable case. You need a screen protector, which I’m not a huge fan of, but your child will be drawing on paper on top of the screen and really, better safe than sorry.

The case holds the paper in place while the iPad 2 provides the light-box effect. And it holds your paper in place well. If your child is fortunate to have an iPad of their very own, having the Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2 on all the time won’t be a problem. It will probably help protect it immensely. If it’s a family iPad 2, however, you won’t want to keep this case on any longer than you have to. It’s just too big and bulky, and toy-styled to suit regular adult use.

And that presents a small problem — once your kids get used to drawing or tracing on the iPad 2 with the Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw case on, once you take it off, I worry they’ll find a way to keep drawing anyway, which would be no fun. (Keep a lot of washable markers handy).

Easy to set up and fun to use, your young artist will love it

The Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2 needs to be paired with the matching app from the App Store. It has a fair amount of content, including:

  • On the Go – Connect the dots to create planes, trains and more
  • Under the Sea – Animated friends guide you through undersea adventures
  • Jungle Frenzy – Trace, draw and color a jungle full of fun
  • Bot Builder – Swap bottoms and tops to make your own ‘bots
  • Magical Mashup – Mix and match dragons, wizards and other magical characters to make a silly creation
  • Superhero Swap – Swap tops and bottoms to create your own superheroes
  • Family Fun – Trace and color fun family members, even the cat
  • Sports Scramble – Use the clues to guess the game

So you’re likely to find something your child — and you! — might enjoy.

The good

  • Fun to use
  • Great way to get your kids drawing
  • Easy to set up and use

The bad

  • Requires a screen protector
  • Could make kids think it’s okay to draw on iPad even without the case
  • Not a case you can/want to leave on all the time

The conclusion

As a case and app combo Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2 is great for letting kids learn art and have fun on the iPad, though it’s not something parents to just leave on a family device. You do need a screen protector to use it, which is a drag, and it’s not the slimmest, prettiest case in the world, so you’ll be taking it on and off a lot, but if your child is learning to draw I can’t think of a funner, easier way to get them started than with the Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2

The giveaway

Simply leave a comment below telling us your most favorite thing your son or daughter, or child in your life, has drawn for you and you’re entered to win a Griffin Crayola Trace & Draw for iPad 2 of your very own! Giveaway starts now and ends Sunday, February 5 at midnight PT. U.S. shipping address required for delivery.



Pad & Quill brings stylish notes to your iPhone and iPad

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 05:40 PM PST

Pad & Quill brings stylish notes to your iPhone and iPad

Pad & Quill, the makers of The Little Black Book for iPhone and Contega for iPhone have a nifty littles notes app in the App Store whose design was inspired by their cases.

What makes Pad & Quill Notes so special is the same thing that makes their cases so special — craftsmanship and attention to detail. It looks beautiful. It works smoothly. It’s well thought out.

Your notes will be neatly organized in classic notebooks and stored on a wooden shelf with stylish papers, fonts, and colors waiting to be read. There’s nothing new age or fancy here. It’s for people who like type written notes in hand written fonts, exquisitely rendered and precisely placed. And it’s a universal app so it works perfectly on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

Pad & Quill organizes your notes in classic notebooks kept on a wooden shelf. It’s intuitive, simple and beautiful. Inspired by the Italian bonded leather cases made by Pad & Quill, the app turns your device into books you will truly love.

CORE FEATURES

  • organize notes into different books
  • sync notes on all your iDevices
  • realistic page turn effects
  • universal app
  • beautifully designed

CUSTOMIZE

  • 10 fabulously designed book covers to choose from
  • 10 beautiful fonts (font size adjustable)
  • different ink colours
  • different paper styles (plain, ruled, wrinkled, bookish, squared…)
  • customizable note titles
  • bookmark individual notes

MORE FEATURES

  • automatic page of contents
  • e-mail notes
  • typing is supported in both landscape and portrait mode
  • infinite digital paper & unlimited number of books

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

pad-&-quill-1 pad-&-quill-2 pad-&-quill-3 pad-&-quill-4 pad-&-quill-5 Pad & Quill brings stylish notes to your iPhone and iPad


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