Apple updates Logic Pro, Express

Filed under: Software, Software Update

Apple has updated Logic Pro and Logic Express, its digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software applications.

The Logic Pro 9.1.1 update weighs in at 192MB and addresses compatibility and numerous fixes including:

- Improved stability of the 32-Bit Audio Unit Bridge
- Compatibility with Novation”s Automap feature in 64-bit mode.
- Compatibility with Euphonix Eucon protocol in 64-bit mode.

The Logic Express 9.1.1 update weighs in at 139MB and addresses compatibility and numerous fixes including:

- Support for 64-bit native mode
- Compatibility with 64-bit Audio Unit plug-ins
- File names with over 32 characters are now supported
- Samples are now mapped correctly when using the “Contiguous Zones” option in the EXS editor

Both Pro and Express require Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later for 32-bit mode or Mac OS X 10.6.2 or later for 64-bit mode.

Apple updates Logic Pro, Express originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple updates Logic Pro, Express originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:[tuaw]

Final Fantasy

Less than three years after the launch of Apple’s handset, Final Fantasy, the role-playing classic that practically defined its genre, has arrived for the iPhone. And with the exception of a few tweaks that could be made, has arrived in fine style.

A port of the original game, Final Fantasy places you in the role of the Light Warriors, four youths prophesied to vanquish evil throughout the land by lighting the four elemental orbs they carry in order to restore peace to the land. Like the original, you’ll fight monsters in random encounters, work on leveling up, buy or find new weapons and armor, learn new spells and complete quests to advance the storyline.

Even if the idea of playing Final Fantasy on the iPhone is a bit strange, Square-Enix ported it well. The touchscreen controls are responsive, the graphics are crisp and inviting and top-notch music makes the most out of the iPhone’s speaker as well as a nearby pair of headphones. Start the game, name your characters and it’s easy to dive into the initial quests, gain experience points and begin enjoying the title for what it’s worth.

Still, there are some rough edges to work out. The game’s frame rate, though fairly consistent, can become jerky at times. Occasional crashes to the iPhone’s home screen make you glad the save function works as well as it does. And while previous ports of this game featured an option to bring up an ever-present map of the overworld to let you know where you’re going, the iPhone version presently lacks such an option. So you’ll spend some time getting your bearings when trying to find the next town or dungeon for your current quest…

Source:[therawfeed]

Mystery Pic 114: What Is It?

What is it? Post your guess in the comments section below. Make sure you give your whole name and the city you live in! If you’re first with the right answer, you’ll earn the dubious honor of getting your name in the next issue of the awe-inspiring Mike’s List newsletter. The answer will be revealed in the next issue of Mike’s List. Go here to subscribe. (It’s free!)

Source:[therawfeed]

Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

The idea behind Set, the now-classic card/puzzle game, can be mind-numbingly difficult to explain. Some people just can’t wrap their heads around the “all the same or all different concept.” Of course, some people get it right away. For both types, the new Set app [$2.99] for the iPhone and iPod touch is a fine challenge, even if it’s not perfect in all aspects.

Here’s the gist of the game: each card in the 81-card deck has between one and three images on it. These images come in three shapes (diamond, oval, and squiggly), three colors (red, green, and purple), and three levels of shading (solid, lined, and empty). Every possible combination is available on one single card.

The goal is to find sets from a collection of cards laid face-up on the table. A set is any three cards where each of these four features are, independently, either all the same or all different? So, a single red solid diamond, a single green solid diamond, and a single purple solid diamond make a set (in that example, the number, shading, and shape features are all the same while the colors are all different). Also, a single empty purple squiggle, two lined green diamonds, and three solid red ovals make a set. Got that? Good. If not, click through the gallery of images from the app starting here to see how the game’s designers explain things.

If you want to give Set a try for free, you can try an online daily puzzle here, or download the very limited lite version of the iPhone app here. For learning the game, the app’s tutorial is tremendously helpful. Keep reading to find out more about how the game works, or doesn’t, on the iPhone.

Continue reading Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app

Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:[tuaw]

Bharti Airtel will sell iPhone 3GS in India

Filed under: iPhone

Bharti Airtel has announced that it has reached an agreement to sell the iPhone 3GS in India. Bharti Airtel is the largest cellular service provider in India, with more than 124 million subscribers. In a statement, Bharti Airtel said the agreement would allow Bharti to bring the latest iPhone to India “in the coming months” without setting an exact release date.

The iPhone 3G has been sold in India by both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone since August 22, 2008, but the iPhone 3GS has yet to go on sale. Most Indian service providers struggle to ensure decent call quality and while the rest of the world is preparing to adopt 4G, India is gearing up to welcome 3G. The announcement came a day after Bharti submitted its bid in a bandwidth auction for 3G mobile telephony services in India. The successful bidders will be allowed to offer 3G services on a commercial basis from September 1st. At present, no deal has been announced for the iPhone 3GS at Vodafone.

Bharti Airtel will sell iPhone 3GS in India originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bharti Airtel will sell iPhone 3GS in India originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:[tuaw]

iGroups: Apple’s Welcome to the Social

An interesting patent of Apple’s relating to a social networking app surfaced recently. Dubbed iGroups, the app aims to solve the pitfalls of traditional social networks, like Facebook, that require users be a member before being able to participate. Instead, iGroups creates a virtual social network based on proximity.

To set the scene, imagine a casual weekend enjoying drinks at a bar. Your device would be able to detect others nearby and allow for easy communication by the tools already built into your device: SMS, email or by phone. If you’re a Mac user, you could loosely term this as Bonjour for your iPhone.

A Network Of Proximity

The idea of a network based on proximity is intriguing considering the technology built into mobile devices that can help facilitate this. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, for instance, both allow for discovering new devices that are within range. But the problem arises when a user leaves. If they are out of range, they are excluded from the network.

iGroups attempts to solve this issue when it first detects other users. At this point, the devices exchange a token (or handshake, if you will). These tokens are tagged. If there happens to be a trusted source at this venue, for example, like a wireless access point or perhaps a website setup for this purpose, devices can exchange tokens with it. Before this gets too technical, let’s agree to call the trusted source “Wilma.”

This accomplishes two important things. The first is that Wilma can match or correlate tokens to determine groups and their members. When my device approaches and exchanges tokens, Wilma now knows what group I’m part of and similarly, I’ll know other group members that have checked in with Wilma. This process allows the network to grow by allowing its users to infer other users through this daisy chain process. Further, tokens can be exchanged through a variety of mechanisms: Wi-Fi if available, Bluetooth if desired or even 3G. By supporting all of these, it becomes much easier to visualize a realistic image of the network and prevents the network from being stifled because users are not exchanging tokens by just one method that not all devices may support.

The second important goal that this serves is solving the issue of users leaving range and thus losing the whole social networking aspect. If a user interacts with Wilma either at the event or afterwards (through something similar to MobileMe, perhaps), the user can see the entire group. Even if they are just uploading exchanged between Fred and their self, the inferring process described earlier will allow the rest of the network to be recreated. As Fred moves on and continues to exchange tokens, even after our user has left, they are still connected to the same event and will appear as part of the group. Mac users? Think of this as being similar to Smart Folders. The group “knows” who its members are by this process of exchanging tokens, even if not all of the users are present at the same time.

It’s worthwhile to mention that any sort of implementation of such a technology would of course be completely optional and protect the privacy of users if they did not wish to participate. Further, the patent sheds light on the fact that the tokens themselves do not contain information that would identify any particular user or device. Merely the tokens act as a way to tag an association with a specific group.

Still, the idea of creating these virtual social networks on the iPhone is appealing. In some regards, there are applications on the market that attempt to deliver similar functionality, like Loopt. However, as mentioned earlier, these solutions still require users to have an account with them which can be problematic if you meet someone and want to exchange information but they are not a member of Facebook or LinkedIn. Instead of waiting for them to sign up and register a profile, iGroups solves the whole problem faster.

This definitely isn’t Apple’s first foray into patents on social interactions, but none of them have seen the light of day. With rumors of iPhone 4.0 around the corner, however, perhaps there is a substantial social component waiting to be unveiled. What do you think about the potential of iGroups?

Source:[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]

Iris 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.

Iris 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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Source:[tuaw]

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