There are a bundle of websites out their that are offering users of the iPhone a remote method to unlock their iPhone without having to jailbreak the device first. Acclaimed iPhone hacker “MuscleNerd” explains that the method includes accessing Apple’s own database to add modified IMEI device identifiers to allow corresponding sources to unlock the user device.

they’re not using a hack. They’re using actual access to the Apple database (which is why the unlock happens through iTunes)

A site dubbed cutyoursim was the first to be seen performing this service, charging $170 for devices to be unlock. Interestingly enough, the site appears to be executing this service through some third party rather than directly unlocking the phone themselves. There also seems to be competition as several other sites have offered the same service in the $160 – $180 range. It’s not really clear whether all of these services are operating solely or there is some joint effort established with another party that does the work while the main groups operate behind the scenes and collect profit.

This method conducted how it is mentioned should permanently unlock an iPhone. Equally, Apple could locate these modified IMEI identifiers themselves and administering a halt to the operation by reconfiguring the device locked with the new code they implement. As a result, these groups guaranteeing that the unlock will remain permanent are falling short of that promise as Apple has that control.

Be that as it may, those who are interested in seeking services from the these sites should research the group first to confirm legitimacy of the product before going ahead and having the group in question render services

Microsoft Releases Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 1

Microsoft this week released Service Pack 1 to their popular Office collection of software for the Mac. The update brings a number of fixes to the software while adding several new features to the suite which including enhancement to Outlook. Bug fixes seem to be on the way for previous iterations of the productivity software from Microsoft as well.

Updates for the software are seemingly scattered with no actual specified time. The downloads page appears to be on and off and the AutoUpdate tool bundles with the software package still doesn’t have the update active yet.

Also added is a Priority Inbox:

Those familiar with Apple’s mail client will be happy to know that you can set a signature to each of your email accounts.

Quickly format your email with the new format bar:

and a “Minimal” mode:

Touch gestures:

Pinch to open/close a message, three-finger swipe to open and close the panel, three-finger swipe to navigate the message list or switch accounts. Sparrow now integrates a full array of multitouch gestures making it easier to navigate your mail and mail accounts.

and finally Contact Groups are supported.  Add to that a bunch of bug fixes:

Some of you were experiencing a bug related to archiving mails in Sparrow 1.0.1. This has been fixed.

Every single request that we have received has been taken into account and we have fixed numerous behaviors that you kindly reported to us. You can see the complete list of solved bugs here.

From Sparrow behavior at start up to the contrast of the selected cell color, we’ve improved Sparrow on every level.

Sparrow 1.1 is a free update and is available by checking for updates in the Mac App Store.  To check out Sparrow here.

Posterous, the online alternative blogging client that bases its input for post entry on email, has recently updated their iOS client to version 2.1.  The big feature with this update is the ability to post “Events”.  These are specific posts meant to be created for or at a particular gathering complete with a description and a picture.  This feature is very similar to FaceBook’s places feature and nabbing slightly towards Twitter.

Tagging posts has also been greatly improved.  To tag a post, tap the “tag” icon next to the title.

Overview of Updates:

• Events.  Create and share with events going on around you.
• Improved Tagging.  Tags are now added by tapping the “tag” icon to the left of a title.

Do you have a blog?  If so, what do you use?  Posterous?  WordPress?  Tumblr?

Twitter’s client used to be known as Tweetie, but was later puchased from Atebits and transformed into one of the most popular Twitter clients for iOS.

- Photos. Uploading photos is now easier than ever. There’s a camera button in the toolbar and we improved the image preview, so you can quickly choose a photo from your library or take a new picture.

- Follow your friends. Now you can find which of your friends are on Twitter that have chosen to be discoverable through the contacts on your phone.

- Local trends. See trends based on your location.

- Shorten links. When you want to share a link on Twitter, just paste it into the Tweet box and we’ll automatically shorten it.

- Tweet box design. We redesigned the “New Tweet” screen so it’s now cleaner and simpler.

- Autocomplete. When tweeting on-the-go, speed and accuracy are important. Autocomplete for @usernames and hashtags help you tweet faster

- Direct Messages. The new Direct Message conversation view helps you better keep track of messages.

Twitter for iOS is Free and available on the iTunes App Store here.

As you may or may not know, Pastebot: Tapbot’s clipboard manager for the iPhone syncs to your Mac with help from a small preference pane called Pastebot Sync.  What you may not know is that you can sync with multiple Macs.  Say you use your desktop at home to write an essay, but need to take your essay writing on the go.  So you transfer your essay to your MacBook and of course bring your iPhone along. All you have to do is install the preference pane on your MacBook, and add a new machine to you iPhone’s “Computers” list.  Tap on the machine you wish to sync to and BAM!  You’re ready to go!  You then can switch back to your desktop when you’re back at home.  Like it says at the bottom of the sync screen, you can only sync with one machine at a time but you can register as many computers as you want.  You can find Pastebot at the AppStore here.

Word in the Apple world is that Cupertino has plans to revamp the way iOS notifies you of updates to your applications. This aspect has been debated as one of the few weaknesses of the iOS platform that Android and webOS seem to have a better alternative to.

“Apple’s pop-up notification system for new text messages, voicemails and the like has often been criticized as one of the weakest parts of the iOS. Notifications are intrusive, modal and often cryptic. It’s a mess.

HP/Palm’s webOS banner notification system, on the other hand, has been widely praised for its utility and ease of use. And from this weeks preview, it looks to be getting better.”

Delving deeper into the report, it has been reported that Apple’s plan of attack for this revamp is the acquisition of a company that current develops notification alerts for the iOS on the App Store. In typical Apple fashion, the name of that company has not been disclosed, however, Cult of Mac has reason to believe that the company in question seems to be a group named Boxcar from App Remix.

The report also points out to an addition Apple made to their team a while back. The folks in Cupertino acquired the head honcho of the widely praised webOS notification system Rich Dillinger. With that acquisition to the team, many believed that Apple had plans to resurface the notification system in the next major release of iOS. Unfortunately, that didn’t come to pass. Now it is being speculated that Dillinger may be working with this new company acquisition to provide a new notification experience on the platform.

Want to have a blog on the web?  Well luckily for you there are hundreds of ways to do such a thing.  One of these ways is to use a service called Posterous.  Posterous is an internet-based service that allows you to post updates to your Posterous blog via email.  Another way to send updates is with Posterous’s very own app for the iPhone.

Posterous for the iPhone sports a very standard user interface.  Once your blog is added, a list of your current posts is shown.  You can then add a post with images from your photo library, or by taking one then and there.

Once finished hit the big green SEND button and your post is whisekd away into the digital blogosphere!

Posterous for the iPhone is simple and light-weight.  It does exactly what it’s supposed to do and nothing more.  Features like the ability to manage multiple blogs is also a plus.  Posterous is a free online blogging service available at posterous.com.  The iPhone app is available for free at the AppStore.

Microsoft this week announced that they have launched 30-day trials for customers who want to try before they buy Microsoft Office 2011.

“If you’re still thinking about Office 2011, I’m happy to announce we now have a full trial available at www.microsoft.com/mac/trial, free to use for 30-days after download. We know it’s important for some of you to be able to test out new features. For those that will be trying the suite for the first time, we hope you enjoy some of the new items – Outlook for Mac, new co-authoring tools, Excel’s Sparklines, Dynamic Reorder in Word & PowerPoint, and more.”

Pat Fox, who is Microsoft Office Senior Director of Product Management, says that sales of Office for Mac have exceeded the company’s sales goals so far.

You know here at MacApper we are always looking out for you, so if your are committed to making a purchase of for Office, the folks over at Amazon give you a nice little discount. Save a couple bucks!

• Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 – 1 Pack – $174.99
• Office Mac Home Business Multi Pack 2011 – $228.43
• Office Mac Home Student 2011 – 1 Pack – $99.99
• Office Mac Home Student Family Pack 2011 – $124.25

HP recently let loose a flurry of firmware updates for printers to support Apple’s new AirPrint functionality. Those printers include:

- Officejet Pro 8500A e-AiO5

- Officejet Pro 8500A Plus e-AiO5

- Officejet Pro 8500A Premium e-AiO5

- Officejet 6500A e-AiO5

- Officejet 6500A Plus e-AiO5

- Officejet 7500A Wide Format e-AiO5

Many people have been wondering what is going to be released with the new AirPrint functionality as rumors have surfaced that Apple may be excluding some printers as well as the ability to use shared network printers. We profiled Steve Jobs answering a customer who had the same question and he implied that “lots more coming soon”, speaking of printers and expansion of functionality.

Apple is seen this week making a strong push in the enterprise. Bank of America and Citigroup are both strongly considering ditching their current Blackberry standard in favor of the iPhone and is currently testing the iPhone to see if it meets their requirements. The announcement from these two banks showed Apple’s continuing takeover in the enterprise market, threatening the strongest business leg of Research in Motion’s Blackberry. Adding yet another possible takeover in the enterprise for Apple and the iOS platform would be big bank JP Morgan Chase & Co. as they are taking a keen interest in Apple’s iPad. They are currently testing the effectiveness in productivity quality and quantity in a pilot study by providing employees iPads to incorporate them into their work.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. will give its investment bankers iPads to provide an additional mobile tool as Apple Inc. expands its domain to Wall Street, threatening Research in Motion Ltd. in a market it traditionally dominated.

“We believe there are real benefits in our working environment that can be realized using this device – as well as the personal productivity and enjoyment that come as part of the package,” two managing directors at New York-based JPMorgan said in an e-mail obtained by Bloomberg News.

[Source: Bloomberg]

In an email, JP Morgan Chase stated that all investment devision employees will be eligible to receive a free iPad as a part of a pilot testing that will be conducted until May 1, 2011.

Bankers will be able to access e-mails, contacts, calendar and attachments via Microsoft Outlook, as well as have the ability to mark-up and annotate confidential documents and make client presentations, according to the e-mail. They will also be allowed to download applications for personal use.

“There are a variety of ways to leverage the iPad. Some work off-the-shelf whilst others rely on JPMorgan software/security tools,” the managing directors said. “Depending on its success we will evaluate if we should repeat this one time initiative and/or expand it to others.”

[Source: Bloomberg]

Apple’s iOS platform has been swarming the top 100 in the Fortune 500 with a majority of the members in that top 100 having already switched to the iOS or is currently inspecting it’s attributes to see if it meets company standards. Enterprise is something that Apple has expressed their extreme interest in. Cupertino has even took it upon itself to hire several key people in marketing which include some individuals coming from RIM itself to use their talent in Apple’s enterprise initiative.

UPDATE:

Word has been given from CNBC that Swiss Bank is now currently testing the iPad and iPhone for company migration from Blackberry.

It’s was profiled last week that Apple pulled support for AirPrint through printers that what shared through a Mac or PC. That particular aspect of AirPrint has been restricted to Hewlett-Packard printers.

Since then, there has been several hacks to enable the feature and allow for printing through shared printers from different vendors. A software developer has now developed it’s software to enable everyday users to use the function without having to change system files.

Ecamm Network and their Printopia software have designed their product to install as a preference pane in System Preference. It allows users to easily select what local and network printers they would use with their iOS 4.2 device. Users can even send print jobs directly to their Mac or PC, allowing the user to export PDF and JPEG without printing. Printopia is available $9.99 and on a try-before-you-buy trail for seven days.

FingerPrint uses Bonjour to select printers to share from iOS devices. Printer can be manage through a stand-alone software. The software is also coupled with a seven day trial and retailed for $7.99.

Google made public in September that they will be working on making Google Docs mobile. Since then, company has been tweaking the web-app for use on mobile devices. This week, they introduced that Google Docs is officially ready fro public use on Android 2.2 and iOS (Android 2.2 or higher and iOS 3.0 and higher only).

With Google Docs, we’re always trying to make you more productive – and part of that means making it possible for you to get things done from anywhere, at anytime. That’s why we’re excited that the new documents editor now supports editing on your mobile browser. We’re rolling this out over the next few days.

The big G has made video of the software working on Android via their video hosting site YouTube. Check it out.

In a rather interesting patent application, Apple is looking to making menus and toolbars scrollable. The idea is to accommodate the many tools that some developers implement into their applications. This, in turn, will allow for multiple options to be displayed, eliminating the need for developers to consolidate their options.

Particularly, Apple states that the idea can be utilized in a small selection window where options can be scrolled through without having to resize the window to see the other options or having a floating tools bar with all the options presented on. Based on the images provided from the patent, seems like Cupertino would apply it to both Mac OS and iOS.

Apple’s patent and illustrations introduce us to a new concept of scrollable menus and toolbars that may very well end up in both OS X Lion and a future iteration of iOS. The new menus and toolbars may also be integrated into future iterations of Apple applications such as Aperture and/or suite applications like Pages, Numbers and iMovie.

To begin with, Apple states that their invention provides a novel method for presenting a menu in a graphical user interface. The menu includes several selectable menu items that are assigned in a particular order for scrolling through a selection window based on user input. In some embodiments, each of the menu items is associated with a command. When a menu item is in the selection window, a user could select the menu item in order to perform the command associated with the menu item.

Scrolling in the patent is described to be functioned as horizontal or vertical, but Apple gives instances where menus within the software could be displayed geometrically, such as in arcs and circles. These cooed also provide a graphical effect that also works like a menu. For example, a pinwheel displaying all of your application icons. Check out the parent images below

The folks over a AppleInsider got word that iWork 11 is all wrapped up and the Cupertino will be releasing the productivity suite of applications within the App Store for the Mac OS.

People familiar with the matter say development of iWork ’11 wrapped up this fall and the software was initially slated for an introduction alongside iLife ’11 last month, but was held back at the last minute for undisclosed reasons.

Apple’s revised plans currently call for the company to launch the new productivity suite alongside the forthcoming Mac App Store, these same people say. The applications included in the bundle — Pages, Numbers and Keynote — will be available for purchase individually when the Mac App Store debuts.

Further reading into the report, its said that Apple is still contemplating on wether they should still offer a box version of the software bundle or should they distribute the applications independently through the Mac App Store, much like they have done with the iOS versions of the software.

The previous bundled edition of iWork that is being sold currently is tagged at $79. However, in some of the promotional content and in the Back to the Mac event at the Apple Campus, the applications were seen published in the App Store demo for $19.99.

Cupertino is determined to meet their 90 day deadline they announced at the Back to the Mac event as they have already started accepting App Store submission for Mac OS. Mostly everyone is expecting to see the App Store on their Macs before January 18, 2011. With the speed that development is going at, its been projected by experts that Cupertino will soundly meet the deadline, that is, if everything goes as planned.

There have been some rumors going about that Apple has pulled AirPrint from the final release of iOS 4.2. Apparently, a rumor came about yesterday claiming that Apple has axed the feature from the iOS 4.2 final release because of some unforeseen circumstances. Distraught by the speculated exemption of the features, a customer decided to shoot Steve Jobs a letter about it to get a further understanding of the matter. Steve replied saying that AirPrint has not been cut from the final version of the anticipated software update.

Customer: As a release-day purchaser of an iPad, I was elated when you revealed iOS 4.2 would support AirPrint. Now comes reports AirPrint support has been pulled from 4.2. Between announcements/assurances of the white iPhone, and now the pulling of AirPrint, is Apple going to lose credibility and become known for announcing “vaporware”?

Steve Jobs: AirPrint has not been pulled. Don’t believe everything you read.

There seems to be a bit of confusion as a few people have emailed us here at MacApper about the issue for a further understanding. As things are right now, the feature hasnt been completely axed as some have been lead to believe. More so, the ability to use printers shared through a Mac or PC didnt make the cut as people familiar on the matter state that the function has been ixnayed from the public release of Mac OS X 10.6.5. However, the ability to print directly to printers from an iOS device has not been exempted.

Apple has boasted that the AirPrint feature would allow people to print directly to printers or through shared printers via a Mac or PC. HP has been leading the way out the gates as they have released printers with software compatible with the iOS AirPrint feature. This has been the reason why Apple decided to put the shared printing functionality on the bench. Among the bunch, one claims that Apple hit a patent issue with the function and wont release the aspect of the feature until that issue is cleared up.

Cupertino took some time to add a slew of interactive features in their Apple Store app for iOS. The new features include user check-ins, geo-location to detect which store you are current visiting and engraving capabilities for qualified purchases.

Add engraving and gift wrapping to select purchases from the Apple Online Store

Reserve products for pickup at an Apple Retail Store

Check in for Apple Retail Store appointments and call up quick help within stores (iOS 4 required)

Add Apple Retail Store appointments directly to iCal

View your upcoming Apple Retail Store activity on a map

Ability to recognize you when you arrive to an Apple Retail Store and offer you a personalized set of services (iOS 4 required)

MacStories chimed in and said the in-store location feature was something that was last minute for Cupertino. They also revealed the Apple released two new application for its retail users dubbed Concierge and Scout. These apps help Apple Store employes monitor the queue of customers who have scheduled appointments and distributing staff throughout each store.

Screenshots have been provided on the Net that show how some of the new features work. A customer who is scheduled to have an appoint at an Apple Store will receive a notification as soon as they enter the store. It gives the location of the store, time the appointment is set to commence and check-in to notify the staff of their arrival. The end user then will receive a photo of the Apple Store employee that they have been assigned.

Apple has also added the ability to customize engraving on eligible products (iPod and iPad) and arrange what type of gift wrapping the individual would like for gift wrapping.

The option to reserve a white iPhone 4 was assessable, but, due to the recent announcement from Cupertino delaying the white iPhone again, that option is non-selectable again.

AutoCAD is back on the Mac! Many engineers and educators have been waiting for e software to make it’s return on the Mac for some time now. Autodesk announced that the software is available and is free for 30 days. This software release is probably one of the most sought-after by pro-users since the last time the AutoCAD software was seen on the Mac some 20 years ago. The company has had the project in beta for some time, honing the performance and stability of the Mac OS platform.

AutoCAD for Mac has an intuitive interface that will feel familiar to Mac users and takes full advantage of Mac OS X, including graphical browsing of design files with Cover Flow and use of Multi-Touch gestures for pan and zoom on Mac notebooks, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad. With native creation and editing of files in the DWG file format, AutoCAD for Mac also supports easy collaboration with suppliers, customers, clients and partners regardless of platform. AutoCAD for Mac is also integrated with AutoCAD WS, so users can also upload and manage designs in their online workspace directly from the desktop and easily edit and share those designs through a web browser or Apple iOS devices using the free* AutoCAD WS mobile application.

AutoCAD WS is an iOS application that allow users who work with AutoCAD to view and arrange DWG files from the software.

Pro-users can pick up AutoCAD for the Mac for the retail price of $4,000. The free trial period, however, allows users access to all the tools for a “try before you buy” sample of the product. Autodesk also mentioned that they are issuing software licenses for their software to be used by students for free for educational purposes.

Well, some people (including me) have been waiting for Google to officially launch their photographic search technology on the iPhone. Wait no more, Google has updated their official application on the iOS platform to support the Google Goggles search technology.

Android users have been enjoying this tech from December of 2009, it allows you to take a photograph of something that you want more information about. After taking the photograph, you can conduct a search that will bring up any information related to the image.

Google is still testing it in the labs trying to perfect and polish it. With that being said, Mountainview didnt fail to mention that the tech works really good on somethings and…not so much on others. Some of the things that Google pointed as great targets would be landmarks, DVDs/CDs, books and logos but Google Goggles isnt quite yet ready for things like animals or cuisine. Take a video your of the new aspect of Googles application on iOS.

There has, and still is, much debate on when Apple is planning to incorporate an Apple TV App Store on their new update hobbyist product. Information has already been publicized showcasing that the new Apple TV software has the same baseline as iOS, inviting the possibility for applications to make their way to an HDTV and living room near you. The iGod himself Steve Jobs even chimed in that Apple definitely can see apps being used from the living room couch and they will launch it “when the time is right.”

Through the week, more information has presented itself that throws gas on the Apple TV App Store flame. Stumbling on some info on LinkedIn, a job profile of an intern depicts their position this summer at Apple as an AppleTV Apps Engineer. While this can range from a number of things such as R&D for an actual App Store on the AppleTV software to making some refinements and additions in the current built-in applications for the device’s new system software, it does spark some question on what Apple might be up to given previous finding and Steve Jobs two cents on the matter.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the App Store on AppleTV as Google has announced that they will be enabling the Android Marketplace on Google TV for users to purchase applications. However, their approach to bringing apps to the living room seem more like a copy-&-paste from their mobile platform. Apple will more than likely take a dedicated approach and create applications specific for the AppleTV.

Apple Updates iWork for iPad

Apple has added some new bells and whistles and made some tweaks to their iPad version of the iWork suite. Cupertino has added fixes and the ability to…

Keynote

- Export presentations to Microsoft PowerPoint (.PPT) format.

- Copy presentations between Keynote and your MobileMe iDisk or a WebDAV service.

- Support for audio in builds when importing Keynote ’09 presentations.

- Ability to group and ungroup objects.

- Add animated builds to grouped objects.

- Lens Flare, Spin and Wipe build animations.

- Revolving Door, Swoosh and Wipe slide transition animations.

Numbers

- Export spreadsheets to Microsoft Excel (.XLS) format.

- Copy spreadsheets between Numbers and your MobileMe iDisk or a WebDAV service.

- Ability to group and ungroup objects.

- Open CSV files from Mail and other apps.

Pages

- Copy documents between Pages and your MobileMe iDisk or a WebDAV service.

- Option to display the word count for your document.

- Support for opening .txt files from Mail.

- Ability to group and ungroup objects.

- Import and export existing footnotes, endnotes, sections and tables of contents.

- Import and export Pages ’09 tables with image background fills in cells.

Update for those of you who are waiting on their Square dongle. Just got confirmation that they have sent my card reader to me and it is currently in transit. Wanted to inform you guys so that you know Square isn’t sleeping and they are indeed on top of the matter.

If you haven’t heard of the company before, Square allows anyone and we mean anyone to become a mobile merchant(Square, for the time being, only allows anyone on the US to become mobile merchants). All you need is a Square card reader and an iPhone, iPod, iPad or Android OS device and you are all set to accept payments from anyone anywhere. Best of all, there is no fees! (although, the house does take a 2.5% cut for swiped transactions. 3.5% for typed in ones, but thats obvious and understandable. Automatically deducted when the transaction is completed). Even the card reader is free! Plug it into the 3.5mm jack and swipe your customer’s card. A review of the transaction is presented, customer confirms, John Hancock’s on your device, swipe’s approved, receipt emailed and that’s it. Receipts even include a photo of you and the geo-tagged map of where the transaction took place. Everything gets archived back on your Square account. You can sign up at squareup.com or download and install the app on your device(s) and begin the sign up process that way. Everything is done and kept digitally. No need for a file cabinet. Technology is a beautiful thing.

Today, Redmond offer a view into the upcoming Microsoft Office suite of software that will be coming to the Mac OS X platform later this year. Via YouTube, the compnay has taking footage of developers explaining the their jobs on the project and disccusing new features that the software will be incorporating.

Starting off with the new Template Gallery in Office 2011, this feature allows you to quickly and easily pick a template from the built-in designs to the thousands of templates online – giving you a head start to create great looking, professional documents.

Core features in Outlook for Mac like the Conversation View help you sort emails easily to keep track of what you need to do. Additionally, the new file-based database is faster and provides more stability with Time Machine support.

Tying all of the new features together is the Office for Mac ribbon, designed as an evolution of the Office 2008 Elements Gallery while also utilizing the classic Mac menu and Standard Toolbar giving you the best of both worlds. We have put the most commonly used controls at your fingertips making it easier for you to find what you need. You can even minimize the ribbon and the Toolbar for more screen space or for the more advanced users who rely on keyboard shortcuts.

The company has released multiple betas of the application bundle throughout the year. With each new beta, the company displays continuing refinements and polishing progressing further into the finished product that will be published for retail. The software suite is expected to presented to the public sometime in the fourth fiscal quarter of this year. Below is the video provided by Microsoft profiling the development of the office software collection.

A new application that has emerged in the App Store dubbed TextnDrive allows for sending emails completely hands-free, preventing the modern habit that has become the subject of talk of people ranging from Oprah Winfrey to Tyra Banks: Texting while driving. This application makes answering a message (email for now) can all be done with the command of your voice and not of your hands.

The developer has stated that the app, at the moment, doesnt support the functionality for SMS right now, as the name might make you think, but is under development currently and is being aimed for released no later than the end of this summer. The application does allow you to send emails hand-free, though.

The application debuted on the App Store for $20, which many people would like to see a demo of the application for that price. Hands Free Software has cut the price in half since the intro, which makes the app available now for $10. As for a demo being put in place, the group created a lite version of the software thats also available on the App Store, however, it is limited to 45 words when it comes to text-to-speech. Speech-to-text is not included in the lite version, so you cant se how well the speech recognition is before you plan on buying it, which is a thumbs down from us. But if you are interested in trying or buying the app, just click any one of the two images below and…you know the rest.

]]> http://macapper.com/2010/07/26/text%e2%80%99ndrive-offers-more-attention-to-the-road-less-to-your-handset/feed/ 0 http://macapper.com/2010/07/16/apple-accepting-safari-extensions/ http://macapper.com/2010/07/16/apple-accepting-safari-extensions/#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:30:04 +0000 Gizmoe http://macapper.com/?p=12357

Apple announced to its developers today by way of email that they are now accepting Safari extension submissions for their Safari Extension Gallery. Developers have been amping up to introduce their extensions to the Safari browser as Apple’s latest development is to allow third-party extensions to it’s web browser platform.

Read more on Apple Accepting Safari Extensions…

Apple announced to its developers today by way of email that they are now accepting Safari extension submissions for their Safari Extension Gallery. Developers have been amping up to introduce their extensions to the Safari browser as Apple’s latest development is to allow third-party extensions to it’s web browser platform.

“We’ll soon be launching the Safari Extensions Gallery, a new destination that provides you with an opportunity to increase the visibility of your Safari extension beyond your website.

The Safari Extensions Gallery will feature selected extensions that offer an innovative user experience. And a one-click installation process will allow users to seamlessly install extensions from a developers website without ever having to leave the Gallery.

Have your extension considered for the Safari Extensions Gallery. Submit your extension download URL and supporting metadata today.”

The latest installment of Safari, Safari 5, was released at Apples World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). Among the various new features, including increase speed in web surfing and the Safari Reader, Apple introduced the induction of third-party extensions on the Safari web browsing platform, a first for the software. Developers have shown a surprising interest in developing for Safari as several extensions have already been released. However, Apple will wait until the official launch of its Safari Gallery before those can be implemented. Apple has stated that the gallery would be ready for release this summer. No official date was shared, but based in this announcement, its looking like its very close to completion. You can find out more about developing for Safari at the Safari Dev Center.

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PayPal is definitely becoming, if it isn’t already, one of the default ways to digitally pay for goods and services over the Internet. If offers a way to more securely use you payment methods and cuts out the need to reenter information time and time again. It also eliminates the need for a user to sign up for an account on a specific website. Along with administering payments for goods, it’s also a catalyst for users to accept payment either for sold goods or paychecks from employers. If you use PayPal for any of the reason mention above, the application is something you will definitely find use for; an app essential, if you will.

The PayPal application allows for users to access and initiate a wide variety of functions and information. One of the main features is the ability for users to accept money from sources such as customers where goods or services are rendered to employers who want a quick secure way to place payments to their employees. The app also provides a way to withdraw or transfer payments to bank accounts if the user doesn’t have a PayPal debit card. Withdrawal periods typically take about three to four days to complete. Record of all your transactions from your withdrawal to your bank account to activity on your PayPal debit card is all done on the software. Sending and requesting money is also available on the app. You send or request money from and to other PayPal users. There is also a new feature on the PayPal applications that allows you to bump your device with other devices and instantly send and receive money by exchanging contact information as soon as the bump is complete. You can also set reminders for yourself to alert you to send or request money from and to a member. While there is no auto-login or continuous logged-in sessions (such as those you see with Facebook and Google), you do have the option to create a faster login method by creating a four-digit pin with your devices phone number. The app allows you to do that, however, you will have to verify the request on the PayPal website. Doesn’t seem as seamless as just verifying yourself in the app, but it isn’t something that you are going to be repeating occasionally.

One of the things that the app is missing is the ability to add additional financial institutions that you have accounts with to transfer your money to. You have to log on to the website and add the information to your specified bank account before it can be used on the app. We do find it a little inconvenient that we have to log on to the service through a web browser to add additional financial institutions to have the money sent to before we can use them in iOS. It would also be really convenient for people new to the PayPal service if they could sign-up for an account in-app. PayPal also hasn’t utilized the beauty that is iOS 4 in their application yet nor have they made a iPad verison.

Whether you are a seller, buyer, employee or employer, if you use PayPal to conduct the financial transaction of your business or work, you will definitely find use in this app. It surely does have the potential to earn a permanent place on one of your home screens. PayPal is made free from eBay, the owners of the service, on the App Store.

Businessweek reports the quickly growing popularity of Apples iOS platform among the enterprise. The profile states that Apples gathering of security information and other facets learned from the iPhone and its customers have led the alarming acceptance of new iOS devices, such as the iPad, iPod and iPhone, especially among small, medium and large business bodies.

Apple, known for courting consumers with sleek designs and easy-to-use software, is making inroads with corporations that say the iPad can make workers more productive without putting sensitive customer information at risk. SAP (SAP), Tellabs (TLAB), and Daimler’s (DAI:GR) Mercedes-Benz are using the tablet-style computer for tasks as varied as accessing work e-mail, approving shipping orders, and calling up on-the-spot auto-finance options.

Before the wildfire acceptance of the world to the iOS platform and its devices, many people, especially enterprise customers, were hesitant to purchase tablet computers because of the lack of optimal performance that the devices offer, most specifically in multitasking. Since the debut of iOS (formerly iPhone OS), the business world has taken a different approach on how handhelds and tablet computers can be used to fully optimize workflow and have been experimenting with the iOS platform. The response has been overwhelmingly positive with multiple companies taking a full-scale adaptation of iPhones, iPads and/or iPods in the business place.

Reservations aside, Wells Fargo saw early on how quickly the iPad might take hold among business clients the weekend the device was released. Finance executives of large companies – those that generate more than $50 million in revenue – accessed corporate Wells Fargo accounts with iPads, says Amy Johnson, a Wells Fargo vice-president who works on the company’s online portal and mobile strategy. A finance official or account representative could use a mobile device like the iPad to approve multimillion-dollar wire transfers, she explains.

Mercedes-Benz has been profiled as another company that has fully taken on a iOS initiative, if you will. The company handed out a slew of iPad devices to over 40 of its North American stationed dealerships. The devices allow users to be highly more efficient by fully aiding personnel in sales in variety of aspects, including showcasing financing options to customers, completing credit checks, showing customer different options and models of vehicles and allowing for on-the-spot payments. Mercedes-Benz as well as Porsche dealerships have also been documented into offering customers use of iPads as their vehicle is being prepared and giving iOS devices (more precisely iPads) to customers who purchase their vehicles.

This week we found information that Apple may be indeed planning on porting the iWork suite to the iPhone and iPod touch. On the company’s offering of AppleCare when consumers venture to purchase contract free iPhones, Apple specifically mentions support for a variant of things with the their newest brainchild, including “iWork for iPhone”

9 to 5 Mac publicizes in two postings images of what appears to be iWork running on the iPod touch. In the apparent iPhone version of Apple’s productivity software, the applications seem to be formatted specifically for the smaller landscape of the iPhone and iPod touch. The report states that the software seems to be running just fine in the iPod touch’s 320 by 480, 163 pixel per inch resolution (the same resolution for all three of the previous generation iPhones), supporting the theory that the software may not be limited to the extreme resolution of the iPhone 4′s 640 by 960, 326 pixel per inch Retina Display.

In that interim, Microsoft has posted a new job listing that states that the company is in search of a software engineer who can help them bring Microsoft Office to the mobile platform which will include “leading smartphone platforms.” Around the introduction of the iPad and Apple launching iWork on the device, Microsoft was question whether the company seeks to venture on to the platform with its office collection. A project manager from Redmond stated that the company was looking at the potential of the iPad hosting the software. Later on in April, the company was again approached and queried about launching MS Office on the iPad. A representative form the company replied that Microsoft had no current plans to bring MS Office to the App Store for the iPad. Even so, Redmond didnt mention that they would not be bringing the software to the iPhone and iPod touch

Meanwhile, some techies have managed to port iMovie, which was specifically for the iPhone 4 only, on to the  iPhone 3GS and even the iPhone 3G. Reports have indicated that the performance of the application on the 3GS were “almost perfect” despite a few amount of hiccups while the iPhone 3G was indeed able to run the software, but not with out ultimately crashing due to the lack of resources.

Before the iPhone 4 debut, Apple showcased the new iOS 4 operating system with it’s vast amount of new features for both the consumer and the developer. One of the many features that were mentioned was the ability to open attachments from Mail in third-party applications, such as Omnigraph. In one of the functions’ preview graphics, there was an option to open an attachment in “Keynote,” Apple’s presentation building software. Many have debated that the graphic was a mistake while others say that it allowed a peak at what Apple is planning to do with the software.

Apple’s site has showcased more looks into the future for the productivity suite in some description texts in their international online store. With the purchase of a unlocked iPhones on Apple’s Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia online stores, user are given the option to add AppleCare to their product. In the incentive, Apple provides description of what the protection plan offers. Within the text, Apple mentions support for people who need help with “iWork for iPhone”

While this information is indeed intriguing, it wouldn’t be such a shock being that Apple has already developed the software suite for use on the iPad. Many have speculated that iWork coming to iPhone would be quite a hefty challenge with the iPhone’s screen being smaller than it’s cousin device. not much information was gathered from this discovery, though, it does strengthen indication that iWork is coming to the iPhone (and the iPod touch being that both iDevices run all the same apps). We will keep you posted on this development as more information presents itself.

On Thursday, Apple has gave notice to users of their MobileMe service on their MobileMe support page that the company will be deactivating the me.com login in order to apply scheduled maintenance. Information has been disclosed from select sources that the during the maintenance period Apple would roll out several new features to the service including the official launch of a new mail interface, which has currently been for the past month in public beta testing. In addition to that development, Cupertino would also be introducing push functionality in the Web-based mail client which will enable real-time updating of information as soon as it hits the MobileMe server.

It was also been disclosed that Apple would be removing the MobileMe toolbar that is place at the top of the web page for navigating through different aspects of the web-based software. This was speculated to be replaced with a single app switcher interface, alarmingly similar to the task switching interface of Mac OS X, that will enable users to switch from different MobileMe web applications. This revealed information came to fruition in the new MobileMe.

[Previous toolbar interface]

New App Switcher Interface

Mac OS X App Switcher Interface

The creation and release of a dedicated native Find My iPhone app was debuted on the App Store Friday. The application is built universally, which means it is compatible with iPod, iPhone and the iPad and distributed though the App Store for everyone worldwide to download. The application brings the functions of the web-based Find My iPhone on MobileMe natively to iOS for users to initiate, such as tracking a lost device, sending of remote messages and locking and wiping of the device remotely. Find My iPhone on me.com has also recieved a makeover to resemble it’s iPad counterpart

Find My iPhone on MobileMe

Find My iPhone app on iPad

Find My iPhone on iPhone

Sources also mention that Apple has been developing the application over the past week, polishing the software to be ready for public release along with other developments that have been recently released. iTunes Connect was released in order to convenience developers with mobile monitoring of sales data for their respected intellectual properties on the App Store. The company also released the Apple Store application for their iOS ecosystem of users, providing a native and unique experience of products on the companys Apple Online Store while also implementing functions to allow users to locate the nearest brick-and-motor Apple Store, schedule Genius Bar appointments and schedule reservations for workshops at any Apple Store of their choice.

MSN Messenger for the iPhone allows you to completely manipulate various aspects of your MSN Live account. You can send messages to people within the MSN network or to those of the Yahoo! Messenger nation. With the new multitasking approach Apple has implemented into the new OS, you can receive local and push notification from the client as updates are being made on the network.

In addition to the ability to send messages to Yahoo! Messenger, the application also allows you to check your Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and other updates from networks you may be apart of, helping you consolidate those applications that you have on your Home Screens in to one central avenue to check everything.

You can also upload photos from your iPod or iPhone right to MSN to have all of your friends and colleagues. You can create captions, various photo albums and read comments that all of the people that you interact with on the network leave on a select image.

If you are a user of Hotmail, you can check and read your email, reply to it, compose new messengers to be sent out and even receive notifications of new messages that are sent to your server “ all without leaving the application.

The client is ready for download in The Store and is completely free of charge. Well get back to you with a written review of the app. Here are some screen shots of the application courtesy of the App Store. More images and information can be seen at the apps download and info page. Enjoy!

• Fixed a bug where reordering the today list would lead to to-dos being decoupled from their project or area.
• To-dos from projects that have become due are now moved to the Today list in the same order they appear in the project. The order used to be reversed. The same is true for scheduled projects and projects that are manually set to Today.
• Fixed a bug where changing the name or parent of a tag on the Mac wouldn’t be properly synced to the iPhone if the Manage Tags dialog was open.
• Fixed a bug where creating an item inside scheduled while also assigning a project would cause the scheduled date to be removed.
• 3 minor bug and localization fixes

Things for the iPhone and iPod Touch version 1.5.1 is available free to those who have previously purchased things touch for $9.99 (USD).