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Posts Tagged ‘Tuaw’

Iris suspends development, users can upgrade to Acorn for free

Filed under: Software

I never actually used Iris (my image editor of choice is still Pixelmator), but the one-window image editor released a few years ago certainly had its share of fans. Unfortunately, those fans may be disappointed to hear that Iris’ developer, Nolobe, has suspended development on the app. Nolobe’s principal Matthew Drayton says that back in 2007, when Iris started development, there were no cheap yet quality image editors, and nowadays, the app has simply become a “me too” app. He doesn’t want to do that, so he’s out.

Fortunately, however, Iris owners aren’t completely left in the lurch — Drayton highly recommends Acorn, and anyone who currently owns Iris will be able to get a free upgrade to that app. Sad to see that a quality image editor is calling it quits, but the reasons seem legit and the transition should go smoothly. If you own Iris, watch your email for directions on how to upgrade, or contact Nolobe yourself.

It’s not all glum news from Nolobe: the company has a great deal going now for its flagship FTP client, Interarchy. Commemorating the two-year anniversary of an office-gutting fire (well, maybe it is kinda glum, now that we think about it), the Interarchy Fire Sale offers a steep discount on the app for the next week, along with discount codes for several other leading indie apps (including Acorn). The $19.95 Interarchy 9 licenses are valid for free upgrades to version 10 (now in beta), which adds up to a savings of almost $70.

[via DF]

TUAWIris suspends development, users can upgrade to Acorn for free originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Make a molehill out of a mountain with Tilt Shift Focus

Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Odds and ends, Graphic Design

Got a desire to mess with some pictures you have by controlling blur or making full-sized objects look like miniatures? I’ve just played with some software called Tilt-Shift-Focus that mimics the way tilt shift lenses work. By artfully applying selective blur, you can make objects look they are part of a train set. There is another effect that duplicates the look of zoom movement in a still photo.

There are several modes that let you define where the blur and sharpness is positioned in your image. You can also use a paintbrush tool to draw sharpness onto an image that is pre-blurred.

To use the software, you manipulate control points. At first it seems very counter-intuitive, but with a little practice it starts to make sense. Of course, this software is not going to duplicate what an expensive lens can do, but I found it fun to manipulate some photos from my archives and ‘miniaturize’ parts of the photos.

One thing I noticed was that at times loading and saving JPEG images was very slow. I also wish there was some built-in help to get you started, but the developer does have some good tutorials and a helpful videos on his website.

If you are looking to do this on an iPhone check out our review here. You can also simulate this effect in Photoshop, and we have you covered there too.

The software sells for US$14.99 and requires OS X 10.5 or later. It’s worth a spin if you are interested in doing these kinds of effects.

Here are some examples I created:

TUAWMake a molehill out of a mountain with Tilt Shift Focus originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Square Enix RPG coming to the iPhone this year

Filed under: Gaming

A job posting on a Japanese developer’s site has hinted that Square Enix will be releasing a brand new RPG on the iPhone sometime later this year. Media.Vision has posted that they’re seeking to fill a number of positions related to building an RPG on Apple’s platform in conjunction with Square Enix. The Final Fantasy Ring fansite says that the game will be called Chaos Ring, and will by produced by the same team that made the popular Wild Arms console series.

FFRing also says (via Japanese translation) that the game will be a 3D title, and it will feature a storyline concerning five pairs of warriors who fight to the death for the right to eternal youth. Each game stage will consist of a ring of battles with a boss in the center, and some choice in how the player takes on enemies — more challenge for more risk.

It sounds intriguing. Square Enix has been seeing some success with its older titles on the iPhone, and we know it’s got a few original titles already in the pipeline for Apple’s platforms. It’ll be great to see what they can cook up for the App Store.

[via TA]

TUAWNew Square Enix RPG coming to the iPhone this year originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon stealthily releases Kindle app for Mac

Filed under: Software

No press release, no big fanfare, but reader Chris sent in the news earlier tonight: Amazon’s long-awaited Kindle application for Mac is ready for download. The 22 MB free application works on Intel Macs running Mac OS X 10.5 and above, and reports a version number of 1.0.0 beta 1. The app has been anticipated since last October, back when the iPad was still a rumor. [Update: The press release was a couple of hours behind the software release, but 9to5 spotted it; it notes that full-text search and annotation features will be coming soon.]

The app allows you to download Kindle books you already own, and read them at leisure on your Mac; synchronization of your progress through the book is automatic, and will keep track with your Kindle or iPhone reading. It displays your bookmarks and highlights from your Kindle reading sessions, but doesn’t let you create new highlights. You can adjust font size and line length to suit your visual acuity; turning pages is accomplished by using the scroll wheel on your mouse, or with the arrow keys.

It’s definitely no-frills, but it’s good to see that the Mac app for Kindle reading is finally seeing the light of day, although it’s too bad PowerPC and Tiger users are left out of the fun. Thanks, Amazon… now, about that iPad app…

Thanks Chris!

TUAWAmazon stealthily releases Kindle app for Mac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kindle for Mac now finally available

With not so much as a hint of fanfare (and a very loose definition of “coming soon“), Amazon has quietly unleashed its Kindle app for Mac. The 22MB file is for Intel-based machines only, OS X 10.5 and above. Nothing too fancy, it does exactly what you’d expect in terms of functionality… and not much else. What else is there to say? Time’s a-wastin’, hit up the source link to download.

Kindle for Mac now finally available originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Accessorizing your iPad… for cheap!

Filed under: iPad

Why spend more, when you can buy iPad-friendly accessories at your local office- or art-supply store? That’s the question we asked this morning at TUAW as we sent out an iPad taskforce to scan store shelves for discount iPad accessories. In the end, we found one really killer stand, a well-priced case, and a number of also-rans.

Our favorite accessory turned out to be a Staples “Study Stand”. Built from chrome (the non-Google variety), and retailing for just $6.99, the study stand provided both excellent portrait and landscape presentation at a user-friendly angle. It barely obscured the screen and occupied a minimum of desk space. Best of all, the stand folds. Although the holder tips remain slightly extended from the base, the rest of the stand flattens out and makes the entire package very backpack friendly.

As a close runner-up, we found a fashionable $15 neoprene netbook case, meant for 10.2″ netbooks at Office Depot. Unlike 10″ netbook cases, the 10.2″ styles seemed to fit our iPad mockup perfectly. The Office Depot case came in a variety of colors and clocked in on our affordability scale.

You can’t yet buy real Apple-sanctioned official iPad toys, but you can buy our consumer-friendly alternatives today! It doesn’t have to be fugctional^[1] to be iPad-ready.

^[1] Via TJ Luoma: “Fugly + Functional. Natch!”

TUAWAccessorizing your iPad… for cheap! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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KaleidoVid turns your iPhone into a video kaleidoscope

Filed under: App Store

KaleidoVid is the latest app from David Barnard of App Cubby. Working with Layton Duncan of Polar Bear Farm and Dave Keller of rocket, David decided to have some fun and make a “delightful” app. We got to see an early demo of KaleidoVid at Macworld Expo, and have been anticipating its release.

If you played with a kaleidoscope as a kid, you’ll be familiar with this app. Instead of mirrors and beads, KaleidoVid makes use of the iPhone’s camera. To use it, simply turn it on and point the camera in any direction, then move the iPhone until you find a pattern that you like.

From there, tap the screen to put a snapshot into your Camera Roll, or share your creations with Twitter, Facebook or email. Tap the screen again to resume playing.

it’s surprisingly fun and more of a toy than a game (I had to pry it away from my kids). KaleidoVid is available in the App Store now for US$0.99. Check out the gallery below for screenshots and some of my better creations.

TUAWKaleidoVid turns your iPhone into a video kaleidoscope originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple store in Brazil? Jobs says no

Filed under: Retail

Rio de Janeiro may have picked up the 2016 Olympics, but they won’t be getting an Apple store. According to MacMagazine Brazil, the city’s Secretary of Heritage emailed Steve Jobs personally to ask if there were any plans to start up an Apple store in the city. Jobs replied back in the negative, citing high taxes on imports in the area and saying that “many [other] high-tech companies feel that way.”

Apple has no stores at all in Mexico or Central or South America. Almost all foreign countries apply import tariffs to products manufactured elsewhere, but apparently charges in those countries are too high for Jobs to be interested. He said that the high charge “makes it very unattractive to invest in the country.” Some manufacturers will lower their retail prices to a certain country in an attempt to dodge higher tariffs on more expensive goods (taking a small cut on profits in order to avoid paying high fees), but obviously Apple, as a premium manufacturer, would rather not get involved if it means lowering their prices. So, for the moment, Brazil will have to go without an Apple Store.

[Thanks, Silvio Sousa Cabra!]

TUAWApple store in Brazil? Jobs says no originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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