The Apple Core

November 20th, 2009

First serious iPhone app for DJs: Touch DJ

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:00 pm

Categories: App, App Store, DJ, Music

Tags: Apple iPhone, Track, App, Touch DJ, Smart Phones, Apple Mac OS X, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Operating Systems, Software

After languishing in app store purgatory for eight weeks, Apple finally blessed Touch DJ (iTunes, $19.99) and approved it for sale in the App store. Touch DJ is a powerful DJ app that allows you to mix and blend two independent MP3/M4A music tracks on the fly.

In addition Touch DJ allows you to scratch and loop your tracks, adjust the pitch and equalization and even add effects – and it’s quite intuitive. I was up and running almost right away and found myself around by experimenting with the various buttons in the well-designed interface.

There’s two modes. Visual mixing allows you to beatmatch by lining up the low-bass (kick) parts of each track by dragging the waveforms up or down. Split mode requires a special L/R splitter and allows you to monitor the tracks on one channel while the other provides the master output. Like other music apps Touch DJ sounds best when connected to a good set of headphones or powered speakers.

Touch DJ isn’t going to fully replace a real pair of Technics 1200s or Pioneer CDJs and a mixer, but it’s getting close. In 2004 Serato’s Scratch Live revolutionized DJing by liberating DJs from their heavy crates of vinyl records, now a new breed of high power iPhone apps like Touch DJ has the potential to replace thousands of dollars in decks and mixers.

Touch DJ doesn’t allow you to work with music from your own iPod library however, it’s only drawback. But it’s not Amidio, the developer’s fault. A note on their Web site says that it’s “a technical restriction which cannot be resolved.” The workaround is to load tracks directly onto the iPhone with free companion software for Mac OS X and Windows.

November 20th, 2009

Appearance: PPUG meets tomorrow in Philadelphia

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:00 pm

Categories: User Group

Tags: Philadelphia, Apple Mac OS, Tablets, Notebooks, Mobile Applications, Handhelds, Wireless And Mobility, Operating Systems, Software, Hardware

The Philadelphia PowerBook User Group (PPUG) will meet tomorrow Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the Manayunk Brewing Company along the beautiful Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. We usually have lunch (or a brew) while we talk mobile computing.

I’ll be on hand to give a presentation on the white-hot Droid and Android 2.0 a I’m going to demo a couple of my favorite new DJ apps including GrooveMaker and Touch DJ. Rob Parker, Bob Snow, and David Berg be on hand to talk about Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard), the new MacBooks and all the latest tablet rumors.

If you’re going to be in the Philadelphia area you’re invited to join us for a great meeting, it’s free and you’re invited to bring a guest. Feel free to bring items to sell or swap as well.

Manayunk Brewing Company
4120 Main Street
Philadelphia, PA 19127
215.482.8220

November 19th, 2009

iTablet goes OLED, bumped until late 2010

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:03 am

Categories: Rumor, Tablet

Tags: Apple Inc., DigiTimes, Tablets, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Jason D. O'Grady

Optimistic customers waiting for Apple to release its mythical tablet will have to wait a little longer if rumors coming out of China are true.

DigiTimes is reporting that the Apple tablet has been delayed from March 2010 to some time in the “second half” of 2010. Citing sources from component makers, the report claims that the delay is a result of Apple’s decision to switch to a 9.7-inch Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) panel from LG Display.

In addition to upgrading to an 9.7-inch OLED panel Apple is also reportedly considering keeping a less-expensive 10.6-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) model in the lineup, most likely for price reasons.

The story also reports that Apple has enlisted two additional manufacturing partners to build the tablet. iPod maker Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) will be joined by long time Apple contractor Quanta Computer and Pegatron Technology.

DigiTimes estimates that with 9.7-inch OLED panels currently costing about $500 — normally about 30% of the final price tag — a 9.7-inch OLED tablet Mac will cost between $1,500 and $1,700. And that’s Apple’s cost. Assuming component costs drop to around $1,200-1,500 in the second half of 2010 - that could push the retail price of Apple’s OLED tablet upwards of $2,000.

Gulp.

The good news is that the 10.6-inch TFT-based version should retail for a much more managable $800 - $1,000 as has been rumored for quite while.

OLED has many benefits over TFT:

OLEDs enable a greater range of colours, gamut, brightness, contrast (both dynamic range and static) and viewing angle than LCDs because OLED pixels directly emit light. OLED pixel colours appear correct and unshifted, even as the viewing angle approaches 90 degrees from normal. LCDs use a backlight and cannot show true black, while an off OLED element produces no light and consumes no power. Energy is also wasted in LCDs because they require polarizers that filter out about half of the light emitted by the backlight.

It’s a compelling technical argument, for sure, but I’m not sure if consumers will pay twice the price for a iTablet with an OLED screen.

What are some of the ways that Apple could further differentiate the high-end model? What would justify paying double the price?

Photo: A juicy fake from TUAW, circa 2006.

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November 19th, 2009

GrooveMaker is a loop junkie dream come true

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 1:00 am

Categories: App, App Store, Music, Review, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Loop, GrooveMaker, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

Groovemaker is one of my favorite new iPhone apps. It’s an 8-track loop machine that comes preloaded with five songs and hundreds of loops that you can remix into unlimited unique jams.

Start by tapping the “random” button in the upper right, then tap on each of the eight pads in the center and swap out loops for each. Each loop is dropped exactly on beat and the music never stops. You can perform an entire set with just one of the included songs, thanks to the high-quality seamless loops.

If you prefer to start from scratch just pick a drum beat, add a bass riff and some effect loops and you’re up and running in seconds. The best part is that you can experiment with hundreds of loops and change the tempo with no stop to the music. You can even mute, solo and control the volume and pan or each individual pad. It’s really quite impressive.

When you’re done with your masterpiece you can save it all as a new remix and export it on your Mac/PC for your own compositions, compilations or video soundtracks. The pop-up reminders to join their Facebook group, enter contests, etc. at launch are a minor annoyance but it’s otherwise an amazing app that allows anyone to be a remix DJ – instantly.

(Headphones or powered speakers are highly recommended as the teeny speaker in the iPhone and iPod touch simply doesn’t do the app justice.)

Eight Grovemaker Packs are available including Hip-Hop, House, Trance and Club ranging from $5 to $10 and a free version is available that you can try before you buy.

If you’re going to be in Fort Lauderdale, Florida tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 20) you need to stop by the iPDJ event at Voodoo Lounge to see history being made as DJs battle with Groovemaker on their iPhones/iPods. DJ Chris Domingo, DJ Scratch-D and DJ Speechless will be in the house shredding it up on their iPhones.

November 18th, 2009

AT&T loses bid to stop Verizon ads, responds with its own

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:09 pm

Categories: AT&T, Legal, Television, Verizon

Tags: Advertisement, Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Corp., Wireless And Mobility, Jason D. O'Grady

When Verizon Wireless aired a television commercial claiming it has fives times the amount of 3G coverage as “the nation’s number 2 wireless company” AT&T promptly filed suit and posted a rebuttal it “blatantly false and misleading.”

Yesterday a federal judge in Atlanta dealt AT&T a serious blow denied its request to have Verizon’s “There’s a map for that” ads pulled from the air.

So what’s AT&T to do?

Why, respond with another TV commercial, naturally!

It features actor Luke Wilson saying that AT&T has “the nation’s fastest 3G network, talk and surf at the same time, most poplar smartphones, and access to over 100,000 aps” all giving marks to AT&T, then lastly giving one mark to Verizon for “name that starts with the letter V”.

AT&T shouldn’t have bothered sparring with Verizon in the first place as it has only brought them more publicity and cost AT&T a ton of money in the long run. AT&T would have been better off spending the money they wasted answering VZW on improving their network infrastructure.

What are your thoughts on the new AT&T ad?

November 18th, 2009

Gallery: Unboxing Chumby One

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 12:41 pm

Categories: Appliance, Gadget, Internet, Review, Unboxing, WiFi

Tags: Successor, RSS, Internet, Jason D. O'Grady

Chumby Industries just released the successor to their widget-based Internet appliance, the Chumby One. The $99 device, is essentially a small touchscreen computer that grabs data from your WiFi connection and displays purpose-built widgets in a rotation.

Some liken Chumby to a Web-enabled alarm clock, but I prefer to keep one in my kitchen and bathroom to catch up on my RSS feeds while cooking and yes, brushing my teeth. (Chefs: do yourself a favor and check out the Big Oven widget).

Chumby does much more than display RSS and recipes however. Although I use mine mostly as a glorified RSS client, there are widgets for weather, time, horoscopes, Twitter, Facebook, music and games.

I previously reviewed the Chumby Classic in May 2008 and the latest model looks like a worthy successor. At only $99 it’s half the price of the original and features a hardware volume knob, snooze bar and a more, ahem, professional looking form factor that would complement any workspace.

I’ve only had it for an hour, so I’ll reserve my judgment for a future installment in these pages, but so far, it’s a worthy successor to the original, ground-breaking device.

I’ve posted some unboxing photos in this gallery, including some photos comparing Chumby One to the “classic” beanbag version.

November 17th, 2009

Adding a Wizard to your Magic Mouse

Posted by David Morgenstern @ 7:19 pm

Categories: Mouse

Tags: Mouse, Mice, Hardware, Peripherals, David Morgenstern

MouseWizard,  small utility program from developer Samuco, reportedly adds a range of extras to Apple’s new Magic Mouse.

I don’t have one of the’s new gesture-savvy mice, however, this new $2.50 program can expand the standard set of gestures, the company says.

By using MouseWizard, you can give your Magic Mouse two extra buttons, ‘pinch’ and ‘bloat’ trackpad gestures, and special features such as ‘coverup’, to make your Mac go to sleep.

November 17th, 2009

Microsoft offers Office 2008 promotion for the holidays

Posted by David Morgenstern @ 6:52 pm

Categories: Microsoft, Office

Tags: Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Corp., Microsoft Office, Desktops, Office Suites, Software, Hardware, David Morgenstern

Microsoft on Tuesday said customers can now purchase versions of Office 2009 for Mac with a discount ranging from $20 to $50.

The deal was promoted on Microsoft’s Mac Business Unit blog with a post by senior marketing manager Amanda Lefebvre. She called it the “gift of productivity,” which for some may not have quite the same heartfelt resonance as the famous O’Henry story.

So here’s the deal…starting today (November 17), you too can add a little productivity to your life AND save a few bucks. At participating resellers you can save:

- $20 on Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition
- $50 on Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition
- $40 on Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition Upgrade

The promotion will run through January 5, 2010.

November 17th, 2009

Apple's Black Friday discounts leaked

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 1:00 am

Categories: Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Store, Retail, Rumor

Tags: Apple iPod, Apple Inc., Digital Music, Digital Media, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Jason D. O'Grady

Though it’s still a full 10 days away, Boy Genius Report got tipped off about what may be a major retail sale in the offing from Apple.

According to the rumor, complete with flyer (pictured), Apple will be offering the following deals on the Friday after Thanksgiving:

• up to 30% off on all iPods (except iPhone and iPod shuffle)
• up to 25% off Macs
• up to 15% off all accessories as well as Apple software and hardware.

The catch? The deals are only good on Friday, November 27. And that it’s a rumor, of course.

Last year Apple offered a $101 discount on the unibody MacBook, a $51 discount on the white MacBook, $51 and $101 off the aluminum iMacs, plenty of iPod discounts ($11 off 8GB iPod nanos, $21 off iPod classics, and $21 off iPod touches) and a $21 discount on Apple TV and 500GB Time Capsule.

You couldn’t catch me dead in a retail store on Black Friday, but hey, that’s just me.

November 16th, 2009

Google Earth for iPhone revved to 2.0

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:22 pm

Categories: App, App Store, Google, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Google Inc., Google Earth, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

Google Monday revved the iPhone version of Google Earth (free) to version 2.0. The major update to Google’s venerable map app adds the ability to log in and see maps created on your desktop computer, explore the app in new languages, and improved icon selection and performance.

As a bonus, you can also view maps that others have created and shared:

Maybe you’re on a trip and want to see where Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of Lonely Planet, most likes to travel. Or perhaps you’re walking around looking for a restaurant and you want to see where world-famous chef Ferran Adrià likes to eat. All you have to do is click “Save to My Maps”, open Earth on the iPhone, log in with the same account information, and voilà, you have your same collection of My Maps right in your pocket.

Nice work.