Podies

Tech fans will have plenty to be thankful for come Turkey Day next week -- The Beatles are finally on iTunes, Google Voice is on the iPhone, Twitter has push notifications for iOS and Hulu Plus is finally out of preview mode, officially landing on Roku boxes everywhere.

We’ve happily been using Hulu Plus for more than two months on both the iPad and iPhone 4 as well as at home on a Playstation 3 -- at the expense of our former Dish HD subscription, trading a $70+ monthly bill for a $9.99 per month bill from Hulu, which was just reduced further to $7.99 now that the service is officially open to everyone.

Now that our original $99 Roku box also has Hulu Plus, here’s a look at how it stacks up against the other methods already in use.



Installation

We fired up our aging Roku box (remember when its only trick was Netflix streaming?), which already had the “coming soon” placeholder for Hulu Plus. Selecting it required a quick software update, but no reboot -- the screen went black and we jumped right into Hulu Plus. First order of business was entering our username and password, but if typing with an on-screen keyboard and remote isn’t your style, you can also go to an activation site online with a code you’ll see on screen.

Roku’s Hulu Plus interface is identical to the one used on the Playstation 3 (as well as select Sony and Samsung HDTVs), which is a good thing -- not only for consistency across devices, but because we happen to think this particular interface is quite good to begin with.

The main difference we noticed immediately was that on-screen text appeared a bit soft on our classic Roku box, especially when compared to the same screen on the PS3. We’re guessing this is a byproduct of the older Roku being limited to 720p output or perhaps it’s something Roku will correct in a future update (knock on wood).

Either way, video playback looks just as nice on the Roku as it does on the PS3 when using our 50” Samsung 1080i HDTV, so we don’t see this as a total bummer. We’re guessing the newer Roku XD and XDS boxes look just fine with their 1080p HD output, but we didn’t have one on hand to try out.



Navigation

The Roku box has an extremely utilitarian remote control: Four buttons corresponding to up, down, left and right with a Select button sandwiched between them, a Home button at top and Play/Pause with Fast-Forward and Rewind buttons at the bottom. (Perhaps the only remote more spartan than the Roku is the Apple TV.)

To get around the Hulu Plus interface, all you need are the four arrow buttons and the Select button to navigate menus. The up button does double duty as the method for jumping to menu options at the top of the screen or the progress bar while in playback mode, while the down button lets you get to menu options at the bottom of the screen or options (such as turning on closed captioning) while playing back video.

A tap on the left or right arrow buttons let you quickly jump around during video playback, and holding either button down allows you to seek back and forth as well. Hit the home button and you jump out of the Hulu Plus app and back to the main Roku screen. The simplicity of the Roku remote is ready-made for Hulu Plus, which is often complicated on devices like the Playstation 3, which has far more buttons than necessary for video playback.



Menu Walkthrough

Hulu Plus loads quickly on the Roku and after a moment you’re greeted by the main menu. It features a large sliding panel in the center with recent episodes of popular TV shows featured, with a handful of menu options below it.

The menu options include Search, Browse Movies (yes, Hulu is not just about TV shows, although a quick glimpse through their selection will make you see why the company doesn’t hype it too much), Browse TV, Recently Added, Most Popular, Queue/Profile, Recommended and Help.

Search is self-explanatory, and since typing on-screen with a remote is nobody’s idea of fun, you’ll likely skip it most of the time and go straight to one of the other methods. However, Hulu Plus is good about offering suggested search terms -- typing in even part of a word will show you anything available that includes your text, then you can jump to it with a couple of clicks.



The two Browse options let you skim through movie or TV titles (complete with artwork, genre and a brief synopsis) and quickly jump to any letter of the alphabet to find what you’re after. Recently Added is the hub for content which is relatively new to Hulu, which makes it another shortcut to get where the action is in a snap.

If you’re not quite sure where to start, Most Popular or Recommended are good places to begin, and once you’ve found something that looks interesting, you can press the Select button on your remote to watch, queue it or add it to a subscription. If you’ve already added episodes to your queue or subscribed to entire seasons or shows, you won’t have to do much poking around here -- you can go straight to Queue/Profile to get to the stuff you want quickly.

In all cases, you use the Select button to play or pause video content and the up and down buttons to drill through menus and the left and right buttons to select content. TV show content is broken into submenus at the top -- Episodes, Clips, Seasons, Rate, Subscribe, Related and Home. Hulu remembers where you’ve left off if you stop watching content midway through, and you can pick right back up again from any other device -- for example, start playing at home on your Roku box and then finish watching a show on your iPhone while waiting at the dentist’s office.



Roku vs. iOS

If you don’t have a Roku, PS3 or compatible HDTV, don’t fret: Hulu Plus is also available on your iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, and the free app (which requires the monthly service fee to use) just got even better with a version 2.0 release on Wednesday, adding a split-screen player and new thumbnail behavior on the iPad, improved playback performance and the requisite bug fixes.

Hulu Plus 2.0 also brings much-needed enhanced queue and subscription management -- users can now see which shows in their queue or subscriptions are web-only, and you now have full control over episodes & clips in subscriptions (allowing you to select All Episodes, First-Run Episodes or None, which previously had to be done via other methods).

From your in-app user settings on the iPad, you can now choose to either tap once on video thumbnails for info and twice for play or tap once to play and press & hold for info -- both convenient methods, and it’s nice that Hulu gives users the freedom of choice to do it both ways.

The Hulu Plus interface on iOS is different than the Roku -- because you can tap to select, there’s no need for screen real estate to be taken up with a lot of menus to drill through to get at what you want to watch, although all of the key elements are all still there.

The Main menu shows you the same sliding pane of featured shows, with buttons to quickly jump to your TV, Movies and Queue at the top and a pane containing Featured, Most Popular and Recently Added titles below. Tap on arrows on either side of this pane and it will slide up to take over most of the screen, easily pushed away with another tap. You can also filter the content shown here by Shows, Episodes, Movies, Clips and Trailers accordingly.



Perhaps the biggest change with Hulu Plus 2.0 on the iPad is the new split-screen player -- while playing a video, tap the new Split Screen button and your media will shrink into the top quarter of the screen, allowing you to browse related content or additional episodes of the current show. This feature, which is unique to the iPad alone, will be big with multitaskers who already can’t stay focused on what’s playing in front of them -- God help us all if they someday make this available on the Roku as well.



Wrap Up

With the Hulu Plus service now out of preview, the company is making up for lost time by enticing new users with a price cut ($7.99 per month, down from $9.99 during the preview), rewarding preview users with refunds for the price difference and making the service available to more devices with the Roku (not to mention all PS3 users, since the preview required a Playstation Plus subscription to access).

Today’s iOS update makes the service even more attractive to new and existing customers, but many are wondering when Hulu Plus might land on the Apple TV -- after all, Netflix debuted on the second-generation box at launch, and Hulu is clearly in a race with the DVD rental service to win over users.

We can’t predict if or when that might happen, but keep in mind that the Apple TV should be getting an update any day now to support AirPlay video playback from iOS 4.2 -- so keep your fingers crossed. In the meantime, the addition of Roku is certainly welcome to Hulu Plus users -- after all, the Playstation 3 is notorious for being loud and consuming power, so the smaller noise level and footprint of Roku’s box should be music to both your ears and your electric bill.

Oh, and if you don’t already have a Roku box, now is a great time to buy one -- you’ll get a free month of Hulu Plus service with any Roku purchase of $59.99 or more, with three models to choose from.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

Way to get our hopes up then crush us as usual, rumor mill. Here we were, our iOS devices with their backups ready to download some 4.2 multitasking on our iPads and more. Heck, we even hear there's some more performance enhancing kicks for we sad 3G owners. And then Friday came and went and ... nothing. Well, here's a taste of what happened while we waited patiently aboard the good ship S.S. Mac|Life.

Features:

- Six Mac Web Browsers: How Do They Stack Up? - That's right. We went there. We looked at the six top browsers for Macs (or at least five and a newsmaking up and comer) and we peered under the hoods, kicked the tires, laid out our pros and our cons. What do you use? And are you at all interested in RockMelt? (Sounds like a Chrome version of Flock to us.)

- The Best Free Mac and iOS Apps - Okay, this one is huge, we mean humongousaramamegazoid. Or something. Seriously, though, if you skip everything else in this round-up and go straight to this article, you will not regret it for a single second of your life. Who doesn't love their Apples? And who doesn't love free? Well, we got it for ya, kids, we got your best top freebies.



Reviews:


- AblePlanet NC300 Review - Like messenger bags, winter hats, and so many other things, the search for the ideal headphones that hit that form factor, price range, coolness appeal, and hip look is a never-ending quest. AblePlanet's got some nice noise reducers at half the price of Bose's, but if you like bass for your face (and who don't?), then do your due diligence and research.


- Puzzle Agent Review - Leave it to our modern age to come up with a video game dedicated to discovering why industry is dying in an American town. Telltale's Puzzle Agent is a clever twist on the fish-out-of-water detective story in game fashion, but some of the puzzlers can be tedious instead of engaging, though that's not because of their logic base.



How-Tos:

- How To Sync All the iTunes Libraries In Your House - As our ever-increasingly digital and multi-profiled lives continue to accrue songs, images, films, podcasts, TV shows, and on and on and on, wouldn't it be nice if you could get that one track off that one album that's on that one computer? Heck yeah it would. Here's a solution that is a little time-consuming in the set-up, but say goodbye to whipping out the flash drive every time you want to get your hands on something.


- How To Make Safari Work Like RockMelt - We briefly mentioned RockMelt up above as the fast rising story in the tech blogosphere. The question is, is it really a necessity? Essentially, it's Google's Chrome with a few extensions, and since Chrome and Safari are both WebKit joints, we thought a tutorial in how to make your Apple browser your social browser too -- without waiting for an invite.



News:

It was coming! It was coming! At long last iOS 4.2, the universal iOS that would marry your iPhone, your iPad, your Apple TV, and your iMac in an unstoppable connectivity juggernaut of awesome and it was going to be joined by Mac OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 101... and then we got Mac OS X... and then we got iTunes... but somehow iOS didn't show up... rumors had actually started a little earlier that Wi-Fi was going to be a hang up... and that was that. True to Apple form, there had never been an announced date for iOS 4.2, there had only been rumors, and there would be no confirmation...meanwhile, Verizon's getting into the iPad game with this commercial touting the marriage of Apple's beauty with the wonderfulness of their MiFi...and you may not necessarily need iOS 4.2 and its attendant Wi-Fi issues, if you're a doctor, that is, like the medicos in Australia who find the tablet just what the doctor ordered...for those of us not sporting land down under MDs, the least we can do is offer you this huge place to play as The Incident gamers will soon be moving from the iPad to the screen size of their choice with the direct connect to their big screen TV.

You know what? If your ringtone automatically shifts to Rockwell for no good reason, you might just want to do a factory restore. It's quiet, it runs in the background, it doesn't even have an icon -- Mobile Spy is watching you on your iPhone and doesn't even have Michael Jackson announcing it...someone who is watching something? Cupertino, who, to the background of rumors about yet another class action lawsuit suddenly got all very uptightish about third party slide-on cases....which is odd next to this story that we dropped about SquareTrade, a warranty company, who rated the iPhone 4 as most reliable handset on the market (non-glass-damage situations only)...you can't fake a good phone, but you know what you can fake? FourSquare check-ins; just jailbreak and add this app, and you'll soon be mayor of the nearby strip club as well as the funeral parlor, just like your mama wanted...at least while you're there, take some sweet pix with the help of GorillaMobile, the tripod that makes others look square...know what else makes the competition look weak? SkyFire with its Flash to HTML 5 conversion iPhone sweetness; that's right, you got Jon Stewart on your iPhone...

Last, but not least, we regret to inform you that the Mac|Life Forums are shutting down shop. An era comes to an end, and we know a lot of you are not going to be happy with this decision, but we thank you for your support while we were humming along there.

If it makes you feel any better, we hear Robbie can be taken down pretty easy in Frag the Editors....

Got your attention? Of course we did--who doesn’t love great software, entertainment, and even hardware for the low, low price of free? That’s why we’re pointing you to the best Mac and iOS apps; the top sources for free music, videos, and other fun; and even the best ways to make phone calls without dropping a dime.

 

Whether the economy is soaring sky-high, wobbling like it’s been on a bender, or just plain cratering, one thing never changes--free is our favorite price. And these days, remarkable things can be had for zero dollars and no cents. Problem is, all the chaff can make finding the best free apps for Mac and iOS devices seem so hopeless that sometimes it’s just easier to pay up.

But with a little help, you can keep your wallet closed and your credit card ready for other battles. That’s why our editors sifted through the latest and greatest in Mac and iOS apps to highlight remarkable new software that’ll improve your desktop and mobile computing. We also shined a spotlight on two powerhouses of free: VoIP calls from Macs and iDevices, and Freecycle, an innovative web community that’s a terrific way to snag hardware without touching your wallet. And since we all devour music, videos, games, and books, we show you the latest, most modern ways to find free entertainment that doesn’t suck.

For newcomers to the Apple world, we’ve also highlighted the “classics” of free software that should grace every Mac, iPhone, and iPad—and then we wrap up with a visit to the Dark Side of free by uncovering some common scams that may have tempted you. Free Public Wi-Fi, anyone? Not after you read page six…

 

Free Mac Software: The Latest & Greatest

 

For every Skype, there’s a jillion wannabes trying to be “next.” But amid all that noise, diamonds in the rough are waiting to be discovered. That wait is over--here are 10 of our favorite new freeware gems…

 

Ticky

 

Keep track of your daily errands and chores with Ticky, a tiny app that lets you drag completed tasks to the bottom half.

Errands and chores are easily forgotten during a hectic workday or lazy weekend, but Ticky helps keep you on point by listing your pending tasks, as well as those you’ve already completed. It’s dead simple, but why complicate the process of getting essential tasks done?

 

uTorrent

 

Take control of your BitTorrent downloads with this powerful and lightweight app.

Mac users have a wide array of BitTorrent options, but we prefer µTorrent, a lightweight and powerful app that lets you manage your files, allocate bandwidth as needed, and even apply various labels to active torrent files. Plus, you can view RSS feeds and automatically download torrents from them. Did we mention how tiny it is?

 

Bean

 

When TextEdit’s too simple and Word’s too heavy, Bean strikes a happy middle ground of ease and functionality.

This lean, mean, open-source word processor shines for Mac users who need something bigger than TextEdit but don’t want to bother with a hefty suite like Microsoft Office or OpenOffice. Casual users who need to view and edit Word docs from time to time will find Bean a perfectly suitable replacement.

 

Quiet Read

 

Quiet Read makes it easy to save links for later reading by dragging and dropping them to the menu bar.

Keep stumbling across interesting articles but don’t have time to actually read them? Quiet Read helps in a big way, installing a small coffee cup icon in your menu bar (to go with your Caffeine cup already up there; see p24 for details). Simply drag any web link to the icon, and it’ll save the link for later viewing. You can also use a bookmarklet for easy saving while browsing.

 

CloudApp

 

CloudApp’s web interface lets you easily share files and links with pals and associates.

Sharing files and links is as easy as dragging and dropping with CloudApp, a web-based interface that lets you upload files of 50MB or less with minimal effort. Simply pull your files to the cloud-shaped icon in the menu bar, and they’ll upload to the site. From there, you can share a URL that lets friends and coworkers download the files in a single click. FTP, nice knowing ya…

 

Black Hole

 

Clearing sensitive information and securely deleting files from your Mac is a snap with Black Hole.

Clearing sensitive materials from your Clipboard, Recent Items, and Trash has never been easier thanks to Black Hole, which can trigger multiple processes with a single click. It also securely deletes files from your Mac and unmounts drives and disk images--a worthwhile app for cautious Mac users or anyone who conducts business from their laptop.

 

DrawBerry

 

With DrawBerry, sketching out simple vector-based drawings doesn’t require an expensive graphics suite.

Looking to do some vector-based drawing but don’t want to invest in Adobe Illustrator? DrawBerry is a stellar option for dabblers. Its numerous tools are simple and easy to use, making it a cinch for just about anyone to sketch out and manipulate various shapes.

 

Sleepytime

 

This simple iTunes companion lets you fall asleep to music or videos without worrying about them playing all night long.

Sleepytime is more than a slumber-inducing tea--it’s also the name of a helpful sleep timer for iTunes. This nifty app lets you choose how long to play music for, when to start fading out the volume, and whether or not to shut down or restart your Mac upon conclusion. It’s perfect for nighttime listening.

 

TrashMe

 

Taking out the trash gets some welcome streamlining with TrashMe.

TrashMe makes it easier to uninstall apps from your Mac by making sure every last file and bit of info goes into the Trash, too. Simply drag the application into the window, and TrashMe takes care of the rest. We also dig how it lets you add protection to any apps you don’t want to accidentally axe.

 

AppFresh

 

AppFresh monitors your installed apps for updates and includes detailed descriptions of each.

AppFresh keeps tabs on all your applications (even Apple ones), widgets, and plug-ins so that you’re always current with the latest updates and fixes. It even updates your applications without making you use each app’s individual interface. We like it so much we ran a complete how-to guide on using it in our Nov/10 issue.

 

Free Music!

 

Songs from YouTube

 

Tons of artists are sharing their music videos on YouTube--it’s the new MTV. If you want MP3 audio from one of those videos, just paste the YouTube URL into Dirpy.com, and on the next page, click the Record to MP3 button. You can even isolate the exact portion you want.

 

Just Wanna Listen?

 

If you’re connected to the internet and don’t feel like downloading something, check out Grooveshark (listen.grooveshark.com), Pandora Radio (pandora.com), Jango.com, Rdio.com, or Last.fm to play streaming tunes to your heart’s content.

 

bt.etree.org

 

If you’re familiar with BitTorrent, head to bt.etree.org for a searchable database of live shows by dozens of bands, including Wilco, Jack Johnson, and My Morning Jacket. Grab the torrent file, then use a client like µTorrent to download the music from other users while sharing the bits you’ve downloaded so far. Many of the shows are in FLAC format (an acronym for “free lossless audio compression”), so also grab a free converter like MacFLAC or All2MP3 to get your tunes in an iTunes-friendly format. If you’re not into BitTorrent, try the Live Music Archive at archive.org/details/etree.

 

Amazon.com

 

Amazon’s massive MP3 store includes plenty of free tracks, but they can be a little hard to find. The best way is to start at amazon.com, select Music (strangely, not MP3 Downloads) from the Shop All Departments drop-down in the upper left, then look in the Browse sidebar for Free MP3 Albums and Free MP3 Songs links.

 

MP3.com

 

A helpful Free Music tab in the main navigation page lets you easily find the goods, or just surf to mp3.com/free-music. We recently found free tracks from Weezer, Willie Nelson, Radiohead, and The Roots.

 

Next page: Free Mac Software: The Classics »

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Free Mac Software: The Classics

 

These five greats of free Mac software belong on every computer you own.

 

Tweetie for Mac

 

Tweetie’s great design makes it entirely enjoyable to use.

Once you get the Tweetie desktop app, navigating to the Twitter website will be a thing of the past. Tweetie installs an icon on your toolbar, which lights up when you have unread tweets. It’s free if you use the ad-based version, but ads rarely show up, and more often than not, they’re advertisements for things you probably want. Score.

 

VLC Media Player

 

VLC has a small footprint and tons of options. Who could ask for more?

An open-source multimedia player and framework, VLC plays nearly every type of multimedia file, spanning the gap from DVDs to the latest streaming protocols. Though it’s simple and clean, its open source-ness means that it’s extendable in an endlessly helpful way.

 

Adium

 

Nearly all of these menus will change the look of Adium drastically. Awesome!

If you’re looking for an instant messaging application that connects with multiple chat clients, Adium’s your best bet. Feature-friendly and open source, it has tons of customizability options ready for download straight from the developer’s site (adiumxtras.com). And like fiddling with your desktop wallpaper, changing your Adium appearance options is good for a nerd-rush every time.

 

Quicksilver

 

All this from simply typing the letter “S.”

Quicksilver is a quick-launch tool that enables you to open a program, search within it, or execute various actions—all with a simple keystroke. Its complexities are daunting at first, but we highly recommend learning it for the improvements you’ll reap in quick iTunes control and Mail searching.

 

Caffeine

 

If you prefer, Caffeine can also be placed in your Dock for easier access.

Remember all those times you were watching YouTube videos and your screen dimmed right at the good part? Caffeine is the simple solution for those moments when saving power is not a good thing. Install Caffeine, and a little coffee cup icon shows up on your menu bar. When the cup is full of java, your screen won’t dim; when it’s empty, it will. It’s simple, small, and we use it nearly every day.

 

Free Videos!

 

Scrape 'Em

 

RealPlayer SP for Mac (real.com/realplayer/mac) lets you download and save your favorite streaming videos. It’s perfect for grabbing music videos from YouTube and MySpace, and also works with iFilm, Google Video, CollegeHumor, and more.

 

Miro

 

Free and attractive video player Miro (getmiro.com) has a handy directory of video podcasts and supports subscriptions and automatic downloads. It also supports RSS feeds and BitTorrent downloads, but most of that content isn’t exactly being legally shared.

 

Video Podcasts

 

iTunes has even more video podcasts, including slick entries from HBO, PBS, The Onion, ESPN, CNN, Comedy Central, and tons of other TV networks--and you can’t beat the convenience of its automatic downloads.

 

Streaming Sites

 

Hulu.com is still the best, delivering loads of free ad-supported shows to watch. Picrap.com has a ton, too. And most of the networks stream shows on their sites now--abc.go.com, dsc.discovery.com/videos/, bravotv.com, and mtv.com are a few of our favorites.

 

Next page: How To (Maybe) Get a Free Mac »

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How To (Maybe) Get a Free Mac

 

Freecycle is a treasure trove of older computing gear--and everything else.

Freecycle’s goal is keeping unwanted items out of the landfill by helping people find new homes for their junk. At the same time, it helps other people find a used item they need--for free--and avoid buying something new. It may sound like a bunch of tree-hugging hippie jive, but more than 7 million people participate in nearly 5,000 local networks, and they give away a lot of stuff. Some of it is tech stuff--and you can even ask for stuff. Get started today, and you can not only declutter your drawers (someone needs those old FireWire cables, but it’s not you), but you can also keep an eye out for the Mac or iPod score of the century.

 

1. Find Your Group

 

Freecycle.org will point you to your local Freecycle list.

Head to freecycle.org and type your city and state into the box to find a nearby group. When you select one, you’ll be sent to a page with a link to the actual group--in most cases, it’s a Yahoo Group. Sign up for the group’s listserv and opt for the daily digest so you get one email per day. For starters, just listen for a bit to pick up on the community’s etiquette and tone.

 

2. Wanted and Offered

 

Mac parts and even Macs appeared in our search for "offer mac."

Freecycle has three main types of posts. Offer posts give something away. Taken posts let the other people know an offer is closed. Wanted posts are requests for specific things, hoping someone will have one they’re not using and can part with. No money ever changes hands. If you read the group’s messages online, it’s easy to search for just Offer or Wanted, or narrow down the results with keywords like Mac, laptop, iPod, and so on.

 

3. Jumping on Offers

 

Be nice, just like your mother taught you.

People who offer items can use any criteria they like to select who gets them: politeness, sob story, first come first served, whatever. If you want to jump on offers right away, switch your group preferences to receive every message individually in your email. When you respond to offers, be polite, try to use good grammar and spelling, give your contact information, and don’t get upset if you don’t hear back. Some items attract a ton of responses, and the person might only reply to the “winner.”

 

4. Asking Politely

 

Follow the etiquette--especially in the subject line--and be polite!

After you’ve been on the listserv a little while, maybe offered a few things to boost your karma, you can compose a Wanted request for the item you need the most. Again, be polite. Be specific when explaining what you need and why, but don’t insist on “this one thing or nothing,” particularly if it’s something high end. (Core i5 MacBook Pro? No.) If you have extenuating circumstances (job loss, theft, student, nonprofit), explain briefly. Thank people for reading. Hope for the best.

 

Five Awesome Things We Saw on Freecycle

 

1. 667MHz PowerPC G4 laptop
2. Black leather laptop bag
3. iMac, circa 2000, needs keyboard
4. 256MB RAM for an iMac G5
5. Two nonworking iPod nanos

 

Next page: Free iOS Apps: The Latest & Greatest »

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Free iOS Apps: The Latest & Greatest

 

A steady stream of apps is added each day to the App Store, and loads are free. But which ones are actually worth installing and using? Yes, keeping up with the hip new apps is getting harder every day, but these 10 free apps won’t let you down.

 

Netflix for iPhone

 

Finally, you can have movies on the go without filling up your phone.

Netflix sure took its sweet time arriving on the iPhone, but now that it’s here, it’s hard to imagine life without it! Watching videos as you take the train to work has never been easier or more futuristic.

 

App Shopper

 

One app to sort them all!

App Shopper is an excellent resource for anyone who’s curious about what they should download on their iOS devices. Though reference apps like App Shopper are nothing new, the excellent sorting and filtering options of this particular app make it the premier iOS destination for your app-grabbing binges.

 

NASA App HD

 

Learning about the planets is fun again.

NASA’S official app is the best way we’ve found to learn about our solar system. From the easy interface to the ubiquity of great information, this is not just another reference app, and kids and adults will get lost exploring its richly presented info and images. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize this belongs on your iPad.

 

TextPlus 4 Pics Edition

 

Get your text on or troll the Lady Gaga fan club communities.

TextPlus keeps its app description short and sweet: “#1 free text and free pic messaging app!” Sweeping claim, sure--but for our zero cents, it’s right on the money. TextPlus allows you to send pics and texts, but more importantly, it also lets you hang out in “communities” that add an unexpected but well-polished social element.

 

iDisk

 

iDisk might be a bit like Dropbox, but you can't go wrong with even more storage.

iDisk doesn’t make this list for being a new app (it isn’t), but because it recently implemented an absolutely rocking new feature. It now provides the ability to stream music straight from iDisk, which brings us one step closer to the “iTunes in the cloud” we’ve been dreaming about. As seems to be the case with most Apple software, it’s a cinch to use, and it’s free if you have a MobileMe account.

 

Cook's Illustrated

 

Cook's Illustrated makes us hungry. Really hungry.

Cook’s Illustrated has proven again and again to be the reliable source for all things food. They’re not swayed by trends or big names, and they consistently churn out quality recipes and cooking advice. The app comes with 50 of what they call their “best recipes,” which means if you’re the cooking type, you’re guaranteed to find at least a few recipes to add to your cookbook.

 

Howcast for iPad

 

Learning how to do anything you want to do has never been easier.

Howcast has been on the iPhone forever and a day, but its journey to the iPad is extremely welcome. For the uninitiated, Howcast is an excellent resource for how-to videos ranging from staccato picking to changing your oil. Videos look crystal clear on the iPad, and the extra screen real estate makes those technical how-to videos a little easier to process and enjoy.

 

Epic Citadel

 

Epic Citadel is currently only a beautiful castle for you to explore. We can't wait for the whole game.

If you look at Epic Citadel as a showcase for potential (rather than a game), you’ll be blown away by Epic Games’ newest creation. Smooth controls glide your invisible character through a, well, epic citadel on your iPhone. Exploring the castle is a pleasure on par with the first time you fired up a game console and stared slack-jawed at the graphical glory.

 

Pocket Frogs

 

Keep your frogs happy, and they'll breed lots.

Finding, training, and breeding frogs is the name of the game in Nimblebit’s excellent Pocket Frogs. Maintaining a habitat for your frogs might seem like nothing more than new-era Tamagotchis, but the game keeps it fresh with impressive graphics and addictive breeding gameplay.

 

Apple Store App

 

Apple's Apple Store is a pleasure to navigate, whether on an iOS device or Mac.

The Apple Store app is the perfect replacement for browsing the Apple Store via Safari. If you’re like us, you like to fantasize about your next major Apple purchase, customizing and re-customizing it over and over until you’ve settled on one design. With the Apple Store app, all of that can be done on the go--it even has an option to purchase straight from your phone.

 

Free Books!

 

Wowio

 

This e-book store (at wowio.com) lines up sponsors to give away certain copyrighted e-books and digital comics. The selection is limited but changes all the time. In a recent visit, we picked up the Neil Young bio Being Young and issue 1 of a new comic called Wanted.

 

Wowbrary

 

If you like getting your free books the old-fashioned way--borrowed from the library--sign up at wowbrary.com for free weekly email newsletters of your local branch’s newest items, including links to borrow them. Bonus: Many libraries have e-books you can borrow online.

 

The Book Depository

 

Visit bit.ly/9LIb0k for a page of 11,000-plus free e-books--it served up a whopping 15,883 on our recent visit. You can narrow your choices with multiple keywords, too.

 

Google Books

 

Public-domain book in Google Books (books.google.com) feature a download link in the toolbar that lets you choose ePub or PDF format. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a way to isolate only the public-domain titles.

 

Project Gutenberg

 

The granddaddy of public-domain books on the web, Gutenberg.org offers e-books in a spartan but easy-to-use interface.

 

Next page: Free iOS Apps: The Classics »

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Free iOS Apps: The Classics

 

Every diet needs a staple. And every iOS device needs these five irreplaceable apps.

 

Dropbox

 

Load up your documents or photos from your Mac and read them on the go with your iPhone.

You can hardly flip a page in our magazine without reading about how much we heart Dropbox. That’s because Dropbox changed our workflow in a huge way. When you put a file in your Dropbox folder on any Mac or iDevice, it quickly syncs to all your other computers and devices with the Dropbox software. You’ll never have to remember to bring a file--or a thumb drive--with you again.

 

Opera Mini

 

Opera's home screen beats Mobile Safari's every time.

Mobile Safari is fine for getting around, but if you’re looking for more pizzazz, Opera Mini is a must. This sweet little browser utilizes Opera servers from around the world to do all the browsing for you. It’s easier on the eyes, loaded with features Safari doesn’t have, and is unquestionably faster.

 

Yelp

 

There's a review for every restaurant in Yelp.

Whether you enjoy fine dining or just want to find a hole-in-the-wall with great pizza, Yelp is a necessity. With over 12 million local reviews, nearly every restaurant you can imagine patronizing is here--and so are their addresses and phone numbers so you can make a reservation while you’re on the way.

 

Remote

 

Your iOS device just might be the world's best remote control.

Let’s say you’re at one side of the room playing music from your computer, but you want to change the song. You can get up, walk over and physically change the song on your keyboard. But that’s awfully 1995--and besides, physical exertion is for the weak. With Apple’s Remote app, you can control iTunes with your phone from the couch. Pass the Cheetos, would ya?

 

AT&T MyWireless

 

Progress bars like these take the mystery out of your remaining minutes.

If you’re on an iPhone in the U.S., you’re generally tied to AT&T. In that case, myWireless is an absolute must. This app tells you if you’re coming close to your monthly 200MB or 2GB data limit, how many minutes you’ve used, and when your next bill is due. It’s a total wallet-saver.

 

Free Games!

 

In-Browser Casual

 

Our favorite site for losing an hour or 10 is Kongregate.com. We love the user ratings on the games, and the selection is exhaustive. Newgrounds.com and flasharcade.com are pretty great too, and of course there’s always Facebook and its infernally addicting Bejeweled Blitz.

 

Downloadable Casual

 

Tons of downloadable Mac games are free or free to try. We found great selections at downloadfreemacgames.com, apple.com/downloads/macosx/games/, and thriftmac.com/games--mostly casual titles, but there’s definitely something for everyone.

 

Indies and Contest Winners

 

Find ultra-creative titles from indie developers, including contest winners and finalists, at udevgames.com and Independent Games Festival (igf.com). The Indie Games Database at db.tigsource.com lets you filter for Mac freeware games as well.

 

Open Source

 

To go beyond casual games, dip into the world of open source, where you’ll find high-quality shooters, strategy, racing, and everything else. A great place to start is the AppStorm’s amazing list of the 50 best free games (bit.ly/d4rppq).

 

Abandonware

 

Classic games no longer in development can still live on in emulation on your fancy, newfangled Mac. Start with Macintosh Garden (macintoshgarden.org), which keeps a meticulous archive of “abandonware” that is now free to use. You’ll need an emulator, but you’ll find lots of help and advice here too. Relive the glory days of Marathon, Monkey Island, and more!

 

Next page: Free Phone Calls & How to Avoid Freebie Scams »

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Free Phone Calls

 

If you’re still paying a phone bill, you’re missing out on one of our favorite ways to save money--so check out the latest ways to make free VoIP calls from your Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

 

Getting Started

 

Email and instant messaging have been free (or nearly so) for as long as they have existed. But sometimes text on a screen isn’t the best way to get your point across. Thankfully, you can put those pixels to better use with a number of services that offer free voice--and even video--calls for those times when you want to see and hear the people on the other end of the wires. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP for short), is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of transmitting your call over traditional phone lines, VoIP calls traverse the internet, making use of the data tubes that you already have--on your iDevice, both 3G and Wi-Fi work. With a decent connection to the internet, you can make calls that rival traditional telephone calls—without a land line and without spending an extra dime. You can use your Mac’s built-in mic and speakers, or if you plan on spending a lot of time on the virtual phone, invest in a decent USB headset for better call quality. On iPhones and iPads, the mic and speakers are obviously built in too, but with an iPod touch, you’ll need a pair of headphones with an inline mic.

 

Skype

 

An oldie--but a goodie.

The old-timer in the bunch, Skype offers free VoIP calls between Skype users. All it takes is a quick download to your Mac or iDevice, then registering for a Skype account. From then on, all someone needs is your Skype username to be able to connect with you via text, voice, or even video chat. Skype-to-Skype services are free, but the company offers a variety of paid add-ons, like a real phone number anyone can use to dial you up on Skype and very cheap worldwide calls to landline and cell phones.

 

iCall

 

iCall displays an ad when your call begins, but when its service is free, we can't complain.

If you’re looking for free VoIP calling from your iPhone, iCall is the way to go. The app version of iCall closely mimics your iPhone’s native Phone app, and it taps into Contacts already on your phone. There’s no monthly fee to make or receive calls, but iCall does come with a few caveats--namely, it displays ads when you make a call. And while you can receive calls on your Mac using a desktop client, you’ll get a shared number--callers will have to enter your iCall extension, rather than dialing direct. Free calls are also limited to five minutes, but paid plans remove these limitations.

 

Voxox

 

Add your contacts across different networks on the desktop client.

Like Skype, VoxOx lets you make free voice calls between VoxOx users. But this new service, currently in beta, aims to become the hub of all your electronic communications. From the desktop client, you can add contacts on Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Google Talk, and many other services, giving you a simple way to keep up with everything and everyone, all at the same time. Calls (made by dialing a free number from any phone) aren’t free, but plans start at $2.45/month for unlimited calls to U.S. and Canadian numbers. The service was still in invite-only beta at press time, but the ability to consolidate all your contacts looks rad.

 

Google Voice

 

Now all your Gmail contacts are just a click or tap away.

Google Voice started out as a universal number that would ring all your phones, but the service has recently branched out into offering voice and video calls, right in the Gmail web interface you’re already familiar with. (There’s also a separate Google Voice web interface with more bells and whistles.) You can make free calls to any U.S. phone number, and your own Google Voice number lets you take incoming calls on any of your phones free of charge. And you can even pick the area code for your Google Voice number and search for digits that will be easy to remember. Nice!

 

Free Fails! How to Avoid Freebie Scams

 

Free Public Wi-Fi

 

You’re in the airport or local coffee shop, and you fire up your MacBook or iPhone. Your search for Wi-Fi yields, “Free Public Wi-Fi.” You jump on and realize you still don’t have internet access. What’s going on? Well, you’ve just been scammed by Windows XP.


Free Public Wi-Fi! But yeah, remember that if it looks too good to be true, it is.

A bug in early versions of Windows XP causes the OS to create an ad-hoc network of the last Wi-Fi network it was connected to. So as Windows XP use dies out, so should the “Free Public Wi-Fi” network…but that won’t stop the nefarious free Wi-Fi networks manned by sniffers. Sniffers hang out in public areas using seemingly free Wi-Fi hotspots to steal vital information and/or install Trojan horses. This is especially scary if you have File Sharing turned on.

A good rule of thumb is to check with someone at the place of business. Get the official Wi-Fi network name and ignore that too-good-to-be-true Wi-Fi network.

 

Free iPad on Facebook

 

Don't believe Christa. She's totally lying.

You’ve probably seen the ads or spammy comments on Facebook. Even the MacLife Facebook page has had issues with these con artists. They promise a free iPad or iPhone for taking part in some weird survey, entering a contest or by installing a Facebook app. No one has ever gotten a free iPad or iPhone from these jokers. So do your civic duty and report these ads and comments as spam to Facebook.

 

FreeCreditReport.com

 

We’ve all heard the FreeCreditReport.com band. They’ve entered the national consciousness with their catchy songs about the importance of keeping an eye on your credit rating. It’s like hanging out with your long-haired college friends in that band that practiced in your dorm singing songs about not being able to afford a sandwich. It’s cute, it’s funny, and it’s not exactly on the up and up.

Free Public Wi-Fi! But yeah, remember that if it looks too good to be true, it is.

Oh sure, you’ll get a credit report. But chances are, you’ll end up being signed up for their monthly credit-monitoring service. When you choose to get your “free” credit report from the site, the right-hand column displays some important information:

“When you order your free score here, you will begin your 7-day trial membership in Triple Advantage® Credit Monitoring. If you don’t cancel your membership within the 7-day trial period*, you will be billed $14.95 for each month that you continue your membership. You may cancel your trial membership any time within the trial period without charge.”

That’s right—now you have to opt out of a monthly service. Like the gym, music clubs, and the Norwegian cheese of the month club, you get lured by the promise of something great for free, and you end up with a monthly charge that they’re hoping you forget about.

Instead, head on over to the FTC’s official site, which helps consumers get their free annual credit report: annualcreditreport.com. It’s official, it’s really free, and you won’t be on the phone two months later trying to cancel a subscription.

 

Where we live, it snowed this weekend. Then while we were out at the mall, Christmas music started to play. Can it be that time already? Seriously? Does the march to the holidays start without our wanting it? Alas, 'tis so. At least you have Mac|Life to keep you warm and safe from little drummer boys.

Features:

- The Five New Features of Skype 5.0 - When Skype updated their Windows software, we were just twiddling our thumbs waiting around for the Mac version that was sure to follow. Well, that day finally came around and the new beta gives the old thing more than just a new coat of paint. Always wanted some group calling action? Yeah, baby, it's in there. And so much more.


- 14 Great Tips and Tricks for Utilizing Google Voice - Let's just call it the week we looked at VoIP, because we have some Google Voice tips that will swing for the fences and make you the power hitter of this power service.


How-Tos:

- 10 Cool Tips and Tricks for GarageBand 11 - Last week we gave you a little iLove in the form of some serious tips and tricks for iPhoto and iMovie. This week, you'll be getting your jam on with these boss tips on how to rock out with your -- ahem -- Mac out. Yeah, that's the ticket.


- How To Make a Holiday Card in iPhoto '11 - And while we covered iPhoto pretty well last week, 'tis the season soon enough, so you might just want to bookmark this one or get crackin' on your holiday cards this week. Here's how to do it. Don't say we never put anything good in your stocking. Ho ho ho.


Reviews:

- Left 4 Dead 2 Review - Zombies. First person shooter. Valve's Left 4 Dead 2. Do we really need to spell it out for you? Yeah, didn't think so.


- October's Highest Rated Reviews - We round up the cream of October's autumnal crop of reviews and only bring you the best of the best in our monthly basket of love. A big month of Apple releases including -- wait, really? A double A battery charger? How 'bout that?


News:

Well, it was Daylight Savings Time weekend. Did those of you stateside who use your phone for an alarm clock have any issues like those in Europe last week?...if only there were an app for that. Oh well, at least there's this fun little video from Sesame Street letting you learn just what kind of things there IS an app for...you know what there is an for, by the by? Recording HD video on your 3G S. Ya gotta jailbreak, but if you're a budding mobile DeMille, this could be your ticket...of course, if you're more a consumer than a creator of films, you may want to grab VLC while it's still at the App Store. Heck, you may want to grab it even if you think you might someday want to use it, since it could be gone tomorrow...meanwhile, in app update news, Facebook hit us up with an update to their iPhone iteration bringing Groups to mobile devices...know what else came to iOS land? Google Instant, that at-first annoyance that now seems intuitively perfect. How'd it do on the iPhone screen? We'll let you judge that for yourself...what isn't up for debate was how well Skyfire did at the App Store. The handy little app converted Flash into HTML 5 and sold like hotcakes, burning down the servers...something else we expect to sell really well? How about the iPhone at Target. You may live in a small town miles from an Apple store, but how far away is the nearest target? Yeah, we thought so...and finally, with the latest Skype beta hitting the internets this week, we thought we'd hook you up with chatting chatting chatting in our free app Friday. Go get 'em, tigers.


So what else is big news out there? How about lawsuits? We all love a good lawsuit story. Well, for starters, Apple's legal team forced HyperMac to rebrand as HyperJuice and drop the Mac from their name...Apple sued Motorola over patents which is the big emerging lawsuit field these days...a 3G user sticks it to Apple on sticking it to us with the iOS 4.X updates that pretty much tank your older model handset...the International Trade Commission (ITC) sided with Nokia over Apple in yet another mobile manufacturer patent based lawsuit....and after a while it gets harder and harder to remember who's suing whom and why. Well, gosh darn it, that's what charts were made for, and this one is a doozy.

 

BOO! That's right, that's right, it's that time of the year, when all the spooks and haunts in the world go out looking for candy and treats and the ever elusive, ghostly white iPhone, the ne'er to be seen specter. Here's the tastiest bits of Mac|Life from the week, giving you a little something to read while waiting for the knocking on your door tonight. Just don't bob for any Apple products; they don't care much for water.

 

Features:

 

- 12 Cool Tips and Tricks for iMovie ’11 - The new iLife brought a ton of slick new features to iMovie, our own personal favorite being make your own Movie Trailers. But there's more than that and we've got twelve tricks that'll make you the next Spielberg in no time.

- Forget Antennagate--"Brightnessgate" is the New Happening Drama of Smartphones - What's up with your phone's brightness? Why is it sometimes like staring right into the sun at noon on a summer's day? And how long til Mute Button/Orientation Lock-gate arrives? 

 

 

How-Tos: 

 

- How To Get MobileMe to Play Nice with Read It Later - If you're a MobileMe user and you use Instapaper or Read It Later, you've probably run into this. Bookmark syncing destroys your bookmarklets wirelessly. Well, don't let it get you down. Here's how to make it work forever.

- How To Get Started With iPhoto '11 With These Essential Tips and Tricks - We'll admit, we were slow to coming around to some of iPhoto's best features and with the update to '11, there's even more greatness. We just hope we feel the love sooner this time around.

 

Reviews:

 

- MediaRover Review - It takes a bit of syncing in the beginning, but after that, it's all about the sharing love as MediaRover makes all your iTunes libraries play nicely nicely. 

- Review: Crumpler Moderate Embarrassment Messenger Bag - It's rare that a company recognizes that their product -- while necessary -- can be kind of embarrassing to look at. Crumpler makes a great bag that also knows its limitations.

 

News:

 

Ch-ch-ch-changes are coming to your iPad. It's practically November, which means iOS 4.2 will be rolling itself out sooner or later. Biggest change? The orientation lock switch goes back to being a mute button. Nooooooo!....this will be a short-lived experience with orientation lock if you're just now getting down to the AT&T or Verizon store for your iPad...and should you want to wrap that beauty up in something to keep it safe, this month was a plethora of case and bag reviews, whether you roll Booq style denier fabric...or you inexplicably want a handle on the side to turn your iPad into a virtual briefcase or something...if you're not a fan of the Embarrassment above, you can hit up Targus for the EcoMart Mini...or if super-duper security is more your style, PacSafe has just the ticket...lastly, while you may love your big iPad screen, this table will make you cry when you see how rinky-dinky an iPhone can make your iPad look.

 

It just wouldn't be Halloween without some treats for our readers, so here's a selection of free apps for the ghouls and goblins among our readers...speaking of great apps, Early Edition is one of our daily must-haves and this weekend only (ends today) it's on sale for only 99 cents. What are you still reading this for? Get hopping...and if that isn't news enough, how about the very first time Plants vs. Zombies goes on sale in its history?...since it's Halloween, you can also grab the lower priced, lower featured Angry Birds: Halloween while you're there...and while you're at the app store, be sure to pick up Everyday Looper, which reliable sources tell us is what Reggie Watts uses for this killer song.

 

You know what treat is not going to be in your Halloween basket no matter how much you beg? White iPhone 4. It briefly  made an appearance in the Apple Store App...then disappeared until the spring, according to Apple...and even dropped off the face of Apple.com...the reason, apparently, has to do with the white colored glass back lets too much light leak into the camera...so you'll just have to imagine how much higher Apple would have leaped over RIM as mobile phone vendor if they'd had had that special handset...because the black ones sold out in China in just 10 small hours...

 

 

Who said technology and the outdoors can't play nice?

 

We live in a digital age, so I’ve always thought that trips outdoors should be the perfect time to free myself from the tech I use every day. But I decided to put that rule to the test on a recent outing, and the experience of bringing my iOS devices along for the hike showed that it’s time to think again. By picking a few choice apps and accessories, I made sure my outdoor experiences were a little more Bear Grylls than Chevy Chase.

There's a lot more to camping than just a tent and a sleeping bag; Camp & Hike Checklist gets you prepared.

I started my pre-trip planning on Camp & Hike Checklist ($0.99). I have enough to-do apps on my iPhone, Mac, and iPad to last a lifetime, but this one comes preloaded with all the camping stuff I can never seem to remember when I’m running out the door. It’s a breeze to delete or add items, so I can quickly swap out “Shaving Gear” for “Totally Awesome Beard” if I’m so inclined. If I’m going somewhere sunny, the Novothink Surge solar charger case ($79.95) has earned a place at the top of that list by letting me charge my battery by sunlight.

The next step is getting to the camp-ground, and while camping might be one of the cheaper ways to have a weekend adventure, I like to explore new places rather than revisit places I’ve been. This tendency can make for some pretty long drives. Luckily, Gas Cubby ($4.99) helps me sort my travel expenses and, more importantly, make sure I remember my oil changes and vehicle maintenance before long trips.

Once I’m actually at the campground, my phone doesn’t become a useless lump. In fact, when I take a hike or two, my phone is one of my most important possessions. On the trail, the MotionX GPS app ($2.99) tracks my position and helps me find my way out of thickets when (not if) I get lost. It also tracks my pace and direction, logging the Google Maps route of my trail so I can send it to my friends.

MotionX GPS is a perfect app for hikers who want to share their favorite hikes with friends.

No matter how many hikes I go on, I’m always surprised by all the wildlife I encounter. I’m no Survivor Man, so it’s nice to have a reference manual at my side. When it’s first launched, Outdoor Guide ($0.99) lets me know it wasn’t compiled by specialists, so I’m using it at my own risk. I’ve never crossed a snake’s path and had time to check an app to verify if it was dangerous or not, so that doesn’t strike me as much of a problem. Though the tips section is mostly ridiculous and unhelpful (see: things stuck in ear), the picture guide to dangerous animals, plants, and snakes is beneficial on almost every trip.

Extreme hikes require extreme measures, and you never know when you’re going to be solo-repelling Mount Vesuvius, so I keep Knots, Splices, and Rope Work ($0.99) loaded up and ready to go. This app uses simple-enough-for-me diagrams and detailed instructions to teach me how to tie badass knots and impress girls…which, to be honest, is what I’ve used it for most.

"Yes, Lindsey, I know you've been wondering about shortenings, grommets, and selvagees. Let me just fire up this app here."

Finally, downloading the free Flashlight app might seem like a gratuitous after-thought, but the first time I was in the dark trying to start a fire, the luminescent screen from my iPhone was an absolute godsend. Since then, it’s helped me out countless times on countless trips.

Even as the fall rolls in, my thirst for exploration is still unquenched. Thankfully, my next successful camping trip is just a few hours--and a few apps--away.

Follow this article's author, Nic Vargus, on Twitter.

 

You’ve had it happen to you before: you're in a dark room with nothing but your smartphone, and as soon as you switch it on to check your email, your eyes are quickly regretting that decision. Turning on that smartphone was like taking off your sunglasses and staring directly in the sun. You might then turn down the brightness on your phone for a later time, but the device is still using a ton of power to output that light. Smartphones can use as much as fifty percent of the total phone power just to light up that LCD display, draining its precious battery.

Dr. Raymond Soneira, President of DisplayMate technologies, decided to investigate the benefits of the Automatic Brightness setting because of the reason. He found that Automatic Brightness is really just a marketing feature from manufacturers to try and boost the specifications of the handsets they're selling. But, Dr. Soneira cautions that by doing this, companies are actually doing more harm than good because the displays aren't getting the engineering attention and expertise that it needs to fix the problem. Before the Automatic Brightness control can get the attention it needs, Dr. Soneira says that it needs to gain the "respect" and appreciation of consumers, manufacturers, and even governments.

The light sensors that couldn't

To start, it's important to understand how the automatic brightness actually works. Smartphones have a light sensor located in the bezel that measures the ambient light so that the mobile operating system can appropriately dim the screen or raise the brightness. For example, if you enter a dark room, the phone would automatically adjust itself so that it’s dim enough to comfortably read in the dark. When the ambient light level is higher, the screen also needs to be bright so that there is no glare from the light reflected off the screen and because, hey, it hurts the eyes.

Unfortunately, this sensor doesn't work as it should most of the time, and that's because the sensor is actually facing you and measuring the brightness of your forehead and face rather than the ambient level lighting, or the room you’re in. In order to fix this, companies would need to install a rear and side facing ambient light sensor with a different angular profile so that it doesn't just fixate on what is directly in front of it. But of course, this is not happening anytime soon.

Dr. Soneira adds that in addition to malfunctioning light sensors, automatically adjusting the brightness is a bit of a fluke as well. All three of the smartphones that were tested have operation bugs or errors with their automatic brightness. Users cannot adjust the display for their own preferences on a whim. Dr. Soneira stresses that automatic brightness should adapt without the user having to go through a ton of menus just to do so—it should be as easy to adjust the brightness levels of the display screen as it is for users to adjust the volume in a cinch. 

That Retina Display isn’t so bright, after all

Optimal screen brightness varies from person to person, and though it’s all relative it’s still important that each user is able to look into a screen that doesn’t pierce their eyes. Dr. Soneira conjured up a formula that figures out what the optimum brightness is and how smartphones displays are so terribly inaccurate. The iPhone 4, for example, doesn't have much of a sliding scale in between measures of brightness, which means that users aren't getting their preferred brightness scale.



Dr. Soneira used the following methods to test the true brightness of three handsets—the Samsung Galaxy S, the HTC Desire and the iPhone 4:

“I turned Auto-Brightness On and then measured the screen brightness (white Luminance cd/m2) that the iPhone 4 produces under a wide range of ambient light levels, from 0 lux (Pitch Black) up through 100,000 lux (Direct Sunlight). When Auto-Brightness is turned On the Brightness slider adjusts the Auto behavior to allow consumers (in principle) to set their own individual screen brightness preferences for ambient light. To evaluate this, I measured 5 different settings of the slider: Maximum, ¾, ½ (center), ¼ and Minimum. The results are plotted as the colored lines in Figure 1 – the circles are the measured data values.”

None of the auto brightness settings on the phone did what Dr. Soneira was hoping they'd do. The iPhone comes from the factory with the slider set to the center of the brightness scale, but at maximum brightness, auto-brightness only sets it to 60 percent of the maximum, which means that there’s 40 percent of the screen’s maximum brightness capacity that isn’t used. Dr. Soneira adds that, "at 10,000 lux, which is full daylight, the screen brightness is still below 90 percent of maximum. The ¾ setting is much too bright and power wasteful for all indoor viewing and yet it still throws away 20 percent of the screen brightness at 2,000 lux for outdoor viewing. The Maximum setting is useless because it varies the screen brightness (and power) by less than 10 percent and the ¼ and Minimum settings are far too dim to be useful for humans."



The biggest issue of the iPhone 4 is that its auto brightness function has a serious bug that locks the display onto the brightest ambient light sensor value, and then it continues to use that high value until the display is turned off through sleep mode or by powering it off. In that way, the display is set too high, which wastes power and causes severe eye strain once you enter a dark room. Auto-brightness should always adjust depending on the environment of your room, not the last environment it remembers.

It seems that despite the mobile operating system, Android couldn’t escape the shackles of a buggy sensor, either. The Samsung Galaxy S and HTC Desire only had four fixed screen brightness levels, essentially rendering auto brightness completely useless. Both Android phones had either ridiculously high or ridiculously low brightness levels, which means that if you’re in the market for an Android phone you might have to check out the manufacturer to make sure the display is up to par.



From his study, Soneira concluded that automatic brightness is virtually useless because the software has absolutely no way for users to customize the display to their liking. All the mobile phones used in this study had some serious issues--most smartphones are operating without Auto Brightness because users disable them when they see that they don’t work. And when they do this, the screen is likely set to a very high screen brightness, which sucks the battery life of the phone.

An improved interface could help users see the right light

Soneira concludes that right now, the user interfaces that handles the brightness control on these phones are completely backwards--the light sensor measures the ambient light, but then adjusts the screen brightness based on some odd algorithm set by a user setting that was initiated beforehand. The solution to this problem would be to completely reverse it and have the user adjust the screen brightness to whatever they want depending on the ambient lighting. So, if they enter a dark room, the phone will automatically adjust based on the user's settings, not what the factory recommends for the users.

Dr. Soneira also suggests that handsets have "a temporary Brightness Shift" that's fast, convenient and easy. The shift would enable smartphone users to have brightness controls available from their volume controls for just a short period of time, giving the user a few seconds to ponder how bright they want that screen to really be.

If those that make the mobile operating system could just figure out a way to give instant brightness adjustment to the masses, then consumers would have a comfortable viewing angle of their smartphones and wouldn’t have to worry about the battery dying halfway through the day. If all this could happen, then we could all just pretend like “Brightnessgate” never happened.

Check out the entirety of Dr. Raymond Soneira's article.

 

 

 

Whew! Another week another gangbuster series of announcements and news for Apple. It's an amazing run and it doesn't look like it's planning to stop any time soon. So let's all stand back and hear Cupertino roar.

 

Features:

 

- 7 FaceTime for Mac Tips, Tricks, and Features - With FaceTime for the Mac arriving in its beta, we wonder what this holds in store for iChat. Until that's resolved, here's seven tips to setting up and using FaceTime on your Mac that'll soon having you video chatting in no time.

- OS X Updates We Might See At Back to the Mac Event - Before Apple held their Back to the Mac event, we made a few predictions about what would happen on that day. Check out our accuracy. Not too shabby, eh? Not too shabby at all.

How-Tos:

- How To Create a Security Cam with FaceTime for Mac and AppleScript - We didn't include this in the 7 tips up above since it's a bit advanced, but you can make your Mac be your security camera with a little work and an iPhone 4.

- iPhone and iPad Tips of the Week - Tweaking Safari and Utilizing iBooks - One of our most popular weekly features, we round up some of the secret tips to make your iDevice experience the best possible. This week includes iBooks.

 

Reviews:

 

- First Look: 11.6-inch, 1.4GHz MacBook Air - You didn't think we were gonna let the week go by without giving you a look at the new MacBook Air did you? Ha, sillies, of course we wouldn't. And believe us, this baby is the sweetness.

- 21.5-inch Core i3 iMacs Reviewed - Not to be outdone by their little cousins, the new i3 iMacs pack a whole lot of awesome into their hardware and software. There's tons more storage and tons more speed, and while it's going to cost a bit more for some of that, believe us when we tell you it's worth it.

 

News:

 

The big news of the week obviously was the Back to the Mac event with the announcement of OS X Lion 10.7, so first we give you the roundup summation…and now the break down into pieces…for instance, first the Apple Store site went down as usual…then Tim Cook took to the stage to give us the State of the Mac, and who'd know better than the COO…we got iLife '11 with full screen iPhoto…then iMovie '11 rolls out with Movie Trailers mode and more…toss on Garage Band '11 with more amps, more effects, more groove matching…then, as you know by now, FaceTime for Mac's beta stepped on to the stage and sucked up all the attention…but wait, there's more, with the announcement of Lion for OS X with all kinds of iOS features added in for amazingness…and there was, of course, FaceTime for Mac beta hitting the site...and finally, Apple put the first nail in the coffin of optical memory with the MacBook Air ditching that and HDD for solid state drive speed and convenience. Overall, we'd say a big day.

So that was Mac's news, what about everyone else? Anything new worth mentioning Out in the rest of the tech world. Why yes, of course. Electronic Arts just dropped a huge $20 Mil to pick up Angry Birds' maker Chillingo…GameSalad changed their licensing agreement with publishers and might just see huge mass exodus of developers…as far as gaming goes, Aspyr announced that Civilization V is coming to Macs…probably hot on the heals of announcements like Steam kicking butt and taking names on the Apple platform, how could they not?...like getting stuff done and keeping track of all your ideas, notes, sites, etc.? Well, then you'll be pleased to know there's a new Yojimbo in town, plus his little brother Yojimbo for the iPad…and if you are big into movie editing on your Mac, you'll be thrilled at what's coming down the pike with Adobe Premiere Elements 9…speaking of video, it looks like the hacker community rolled out the jailbreak for Apple TV…speaking of breaks, it looks like FaceTime for Mac breaks some serious security issues with putting all your stuff right up there on the screen.

 

 

 

All Hail the iPad! And why not? After all, Cupertino's slick little device has been an unparalleled hit, and not just for Apple. Remember DVD players and how quickly those ended up in every home? Yeah, well the iPad is crushing the DVD player in adoption rates. Yeah, you read that right, and you're gonna keep on reading, because this is In Case You Missed It, kids, and we mean business.

Features:

- Apple Event Invite Points to Top Secret Security Technology - Sure, there's a lion peeking out from behind the Apple logo in the Back to the Mac logo, but there's more to Cupertino's latest event than just a revamping of the trusty OS X. We're talking super duper, ultra high tech, top secret laser technology. That's right. We said it. Lasers.

- Killer Strategies For Six of Our Favorite iOS Games - It's hard work, believe us when we tell you, bringing you this collection of our staff's accumulated wisdom. Sore hands, bleary eyes, drained batteries, long nights, yes, we've suffered to go to the mountaintops and bring back the best strategies for your iOS gaming.


How-Tos:

- How To Tame Your Facebook Emails - We're hermits here 'round the ICYMI pastures, so we don't have the problems that social media mavens have with every single Facebook friend in the world messaging them daily. But we know you're the life and soul, or at least, your life wouldn't be crushed out by an avalanche of digital correspondence. Here's how to crack the whip and make your Facebook mail work for you.

- How To Avoid Data-Roaming Charges - Believe us, if you're planning any kind of vacation outside your home country, and you're planning on taking your iPhone along, believe us, you'll want to commit this article to memory or at least engrave it into your skin, unless you like the idea of paying an arm and a leg.



Reviews:

- Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 Review - We can guarantee this one's going to end up in our monthly Best of reviews. It's Adobe; it's Photoshop Elements, what's not to love?

- Best Case Scenario - Now with more Pumpkin! - Not only are these cases a-rockin, but if you were to act fast you could stand a chance to win some of this action. Three Incipios and one Scosche and you. It's a match made in heaven, no?



News:


Some of us are pretty satisfied with our black models, but there's a reason Apple makes a white one too, and for those who've been jonesin we can only say, one's been seen out in the wild...and maybe you'll get your hands on one of these puppies, around the same time as Verizon, seeing as how their network could support the iPhone on as well...and there's a bit more to the rumors this time, so if CDMA's forthcoming wireless standards whispering holds water, you might be holding your Verizon iPhone sooner than you think...what can't support the iPhone? Looks like the glass face is a wee bit more fragile than in previous versions...you know what else related to the iPhone turns out to be fragile? AT&T's network, but we've got a solution--the 3G Microcell. More money to AT&T? Hmmm.


And we told you it was coming last week...and now it appears that the iPad hit the shelves at Wal-Mart on Friday, just like we said...the same day Adobe closed the holes in their apps that let users read the latest issue of The New Yorker for free, since it is the People of Wal-Mart's magazine of choice...haha! we kid, we kid. Everyone knows the top-selling readable for for Wal-Mart people is the New York Times, which finally graces the iPad in a full deluxe edition....and why not turn up in Wal-Mart, since in terms of adoption rates, the iPad is kicking major butt, even beating out the previous contender, the DVD player...heck, it's even turning up in Verizon stores, just not in the 3G models...because when you can play flix, and read books on the same device, why not? And with these slick new updates to Amazon's apps, our book reading on the iPad just got a whole lot sweeter...though we sure would like to see iBooks start kicking it up a notch...which only leaves one question--how long can Apple keep the Android tablet wolves at bay?

We love our iOS games. In fact, we've played some of them so much we were able to come up with some helpful hints for six of our favorite games.

 

 

PuzzleQuest Chapter 1 and 2

$4.99
iPhone

 

 

» If you’re not playing a Druid character and would like to get some cheap healing, learn the Regeneration spell from the Troll. This will help save Blue Mana and won’t end your turn unless your enemy uses a Resists Magic spell.

» Get a Giant Rat mount if you can. The Rat is easy to beat in the training game, and, once leveled high enough, will allow you to avoid road monsters while adding a valuable Cunning bonus in combats.

 

 

I Love Katamari

$4.99
iPhone

 

 

» Practice! Beating even one stage unlocks Eternal mode, which lets you play without a time limit and improve your skills. Use this to your advantage, especially if you’re getting used to the controls.

» Don’t forget the U-Turn button. Doing a quick 180 lets you avoid hitting walls and pick up objects you missed. And it can save several seconds--crucial for finishing the time-based levels.

 

 

Canabalt

$2.99
Universal

 

 

» Use your senses. If your device is shaking, the building you’re running on is about to collapse. If you hear an incoming-missing sound, the building in front of you will soon be crushed by a giant column that you’ll have to use as a quick jump platform. Above all, be ready for change.

» Pace yourself. Tearing through an apocalyptic city is cool, but it’s smarter to run into a box every so often to control your speed. Slow down and give yourself room to plan. You’ll speed up again, trust us.

 

 

Worms HD

$4.99
iPad

 

 

» The blowtorch is your friend. Use this to tunnel through areas on the map, as well as to attack your opponent without fear of kickback or recoil harming your character.

» Girders may be random, but can work as superb cover. In a pinch, hide in a cavern and use the girder as a roof. Then you can call in air strikes, or at least buy yourself time to come up with a new strategy.

 

 

Plants vs. Zombies HD

$9.99
iPad

 

 

» Defense means everything, even if it’s not as exciting as the offensive weaponry. Try to block each row with a giant walnut, back that up with zombie-slowing obstacles, and finally have a Venus flytrap ready to eat anything that wanders into it.

» Pretend Plants vs. Zombies HD is a multiplayer game. Grab a friend and take advantage of the game’s ability to process up to 11 touch inputs at once--your friend can collect money and sunshine while you lay down the defense.

 

 

iDracula: Undead Awakening

$2.99
iPhone

 

 

» When choosing updates, opt for defensive boosts over bonus points or something might kill every onscreen enemy. A strong character capable of regeneration will last for the long haul.

» The Crossbow Master option is the best upgrade in the game; its trio of crossbow bolts kills just about every enemy in only one shot.