Apple has included an app by Nike in their iPod and iPhones since 2006 to track your runs. The first Nike+ kit consists of the small sensor and a receiver which you plug to the back of the iPod. From 2008, first on the iPod touch followed by the iPhone 3GS, Apple included a built-in receiver, removing the need for the add-on receiver.
A few days back, Nike released a new app called Nike+ GPS (iTunes link) – which eliminates the use of the sensor on the shoe by tracking your run with a combination of data from the built-in GPS and accelerometer found on the iPhone and iPod touch running iOS4. Continue Reading →
Firstly, we’d like to thank all of you who stayed up with us last night. For those who missed the keynote, here’s a quick roundup of all the new products announced by Apple.
Summary in numbers
120,000,000 iOS devices.
230,000 new iOS activations every day, excluding updates.
6.5 billion downloads from App Store.
250,000 apps available on the App Store.
About iOS
iOS 4.1 will be released next week and available as a free update via iTunes. Some of the fixes include issues with the proximity sensor, better Bluetooth support and issues for iPhone 3G users. Some of the new features include support for HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos, ability to upload HD videos over WiFi and GameCenter. This is Apple’s solution to unify the gaming networks such as OpenFeint and Crystal. Also, GameCenter manages game invites between your friends and global leaderboards, similar to Xbox LIVE.
We think this is a great feature but will need to see the final implementation and how many games that will be linked with GameCenter before we decide its usefulness.
iOS 4.2 will be released in November, primarily to update the iPad to be in line with the rest of the iOS devices. Currently, still on iOS3.x, iPad will gain multi-tasking and support for folders, which iOS users have gotten used to. In addition to that, this update adds printing support via Print Center so if you have a wireless printer at home, you’re can print your documents directly from your iPad. This feature is definitely a useful addition to the iPad. We think this is the beginning of more iPad-specific features to come, to differentiate with what iPhone and iPod touch can do.
iPod shuffle
The buttons are back, after being removed from the previous generation. This new shuffle now gets 15 hours of battery life per charge and is available in 5 colors – pink, silver, blue, green and gold. They retail for S$78.00, and is available in 5 to 7 business days from the Apple Store.
iPod nano
The nano is now smaller and they removed the built-in camera in the previous generation but added a multi-touch screen. It’s now about 1.48 inches tall and 1.61 inches wide. The new nano gets 24 hours of playback time per charge and has a built-in FM tuner. It’s available in 7 colors – pink, silver, blue, green, gold, black and red. They retail at $228 for the 8GB version and $278 for the 16GB, and is available in 7 to 10 business days from the Apple Store.
For the fashion conscious, the new iPod nano will become a hit as we are sure 3rd party vendors will come out with wrist straps, belt holders for you to slide/snap the iPod nano and you can wear it like a fashion accessory, while still listening to your music. With Nike+ support, we think this is also the perfect companion for users who wants to go jogging and not have to strap their iPhones to their biceps.
iPod touch
As the rumor mills had predicted, the iPod touch also received updates. The new iPod touch will gain the Retina Display similar to the iPhone 4 with 960×640 resolution at 326 pixels per inch. It will be powered by the A4 chip, has the 3-axis gyro and, no surprise – front and back facing cameras for FaceTime. Yes, you can now use the iPod touch to FaceTime with your friends who have the iPhone 4. However, the back camera doesn’t have the same resolution as the iPhone, though it can take HD videos but only 960 × 720 photos.
The iPod touch now boasts a battery life of 40 hours and it will be available in three storage sizes – $328 for 8GB, $428 for 32GB and $588 for 64GB. All three will ship within 5 to 7 business days from the Apple Store.
According to Apple, the iPod touch has became the #1 portable game player, outselling Sony and Nintendo. With the upgrade to the A4 processor and Retina Display, the new iPod touch will really appeal to game developers to develop more graphics intensive games. For example, check out this demo by Epic Games Inc – Epic Citadel that shows you the environment created powered by the Unreal Engine 3. This will become a yet-to-be-released game coming out soon. Together with GameCenter, the iPod touch and iPhone 4 might be gamers’ favorite mobile device in the near future.
iTunes 10
This new version of iTunes will sport a new logo and a new social networking system called Ping. Ping provides social music discovery where you and your friends can share what you’re listening to. You can also follow artists and look at their photos, comments and tour dates. We will test this new version when we install it but from what it reads on paper, it certainly makes a lot of sense to provide support a social media dimension to iTunes.
However, as Ping works together with the iTunes Music store, which is not available in Singapore, users with the Singapore iTunes account will not be able to use Ping.
The new iTunes will also sport subtle changes to the user interface. Apple has also extended the previously named AirTunes, to become AirPlay. Besides the name change, AirPlay allows you to stream music, videos from your iTunes 10 to any AirPlay-supported devices which will be available soon.
Apple TV
This new version saw a major overhaul. It’s now smaller (about 1/4 the size of the previous generation) and powered by the A4 chip with HDMI output, micro-USB, digital audio and ethernet port. It will no longer have an internal hard disk, which means it has moved away from being a storage device to a streaming device. If you live in the US or have a US iTunes Store account, you can access First Run HD movies at US$4.99 or TV series at US$0.99 per episode.
This new Apple TV is not listed in the Singapore Apple Store since none of the contents are available for us here, except Podcasts and iTunes U, not things you’d want to spend money buying the Apple TV for.
In conclusion:
Given that they’ve sold 275 million iPods to date, we think this line of new iPods will continue to drive Apple’s year-end sales. If you’re looking to upgrade your old iPod, this is probably a good time to. The iOS updates are pretty solid, I especially liked how the roadmap for iOS converges in November when iPad gets 4.2. Traditionally, Apple doesn’t roll out a massively long list of new features with every update but the few changes are almost always meaningful, namely GameCenter and wireless printing for the iPad.
Apple TV is our biggest gripe about last night’s announcement. The price point and form factor is attractive, but without an iTunes Store that serves video content, you’re essentially buying an overpriced paperweight. Without an internal hard disk, we’re not sure it’s possible to install 3rd party software. So, as Apple claims this is a hobby product for them, we’ll keep an eye out for but won’t take it too seriously until we have access to the content.
What are your thoughts about last night’s announcements? If you want to watch the whole keynote address, start iTunes and download the video Will you be buying new iPods? If so, which one?
In the mean time, here’s the latest iPod touch ad from Apple.
iOS4 will be available soon in the next few hours. While we wait for it to be ready, there are a few things you can do to get yourself prepared.
is your iOS device suitable for iOS4?
Only iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 3G will be able to experience all the features of iOS4.
iPhone 3G and iPod touch 2G will only have a subset of features while the original iPhone and iPod touch won’t be supported
If you have jailbreak your iPhone, do refer back to the sites you got your jailbreak software to see if there are any updates before you upgrade to iOS4. Apple won’t support any issues from upgrading if it was done with a jailbreak phone.
Alternative is to restore your iPhone to the original OS and update to iOS4, while waiting for the jailbreak software to be available.
Get iTunes 9.2
iOS4 requires you to use iTunes 9.2 to sync – so run Software Update on your Mac/PC or download from Apple and update your iTunes.
Update your iPhone apps
Developers have been advised to submit iOS4-ready apps and updates are streaming into your iTunes App Store. So download them while you wait for iOS4.
Backup, Backup and Backup
This is one step that thankfully is automatically executed whenever you sync your iOS device. Prior to updating, sync and do a backup of all your data on the iPhone. Just in case, bookmark this Apple Support Document on Backups and find out what is backup-ed, where is the back up and most importantly, how to restore your back ups.
Last but not least…be patient
When the iOS4 is released into the wild tonight, there will be lots, and I mean, LOTS of people who will be pinging their iTunes to download the OS. So there will be delays, drop connections and probably errors if the file wasn’t downloaded properly.
You don’t need to have it on day one, but if you do – be patient.
2010 could be a very exciting year for Apple. Towards the end of last year, Jimmy and I were discussing what would be the top 10 things we’d like to see from Apple this year and here it is. Some of these we know will happen, some others will be like praying for rain in the middle of the desert. Who knows, miracles might happen right?
Well to most, the event at the Yerba Buena Center (see it here on iTunes) was more Roll than Rocking but there were still plenty to be excited about. Top on the list is probably seeing Steve Jobs back on the stage where he belongs, slightly more gaunt looking than before, less energetic sounding, but still sounding sane and pretty much enthusiastic about what the people in Apple are producing. The standing ovation he got from the predominantly media-centric audience, shows though they were the ones out for blood whenever Apple weren’t forthcoming, they were still glad to see Jobs back at the forefront of Apple. At the same time, Jobs was not forgetting how and who helped him get here, taking the time to thank the gentleman who’s generosity at death that allow Jobs to get the liver and to encourage more to be involved in organ-donation program.
But we know, the event is not just about Steve Jobs. There were still the Rock and Rolling to present. In a nutshell, what we got at the end of the event was the new iTunes 9.0, iPhone 3.1 OS update, improved iPod touch with lower price and higher capacity, iPod nano with camera, increased capacity for iPod classic and new headphone options for the iPod shuffle.
Contrary to popular opinions and rumors prior to the event, we did not get an iPod touch that can go on par with the iPhone 3GS by having a camera, instead it appears on the iPod nano. According to Steve Jobs, the reason was that Apple is marketing the iPod touch as a gaming machine and keeping it affordable was a higher priority than having the camera. However, the iPod touch might still have a camera in its next update, combine that with its social networking ability, that will definitely challenge the market space of those handheld mini cameras like the Flip or Creative Vado. Apple keeps the 8GB model but lowers the price to S$308, with new models having 32GB (S$468) and 64GB (S$628) capacity and these two also included improved hardware that pushes the speed similarly to the iPhone 3GS and support for OpenGL|ES 2.0 which will improved graphics and video playback. These are all available now from the Apple Online Store.
Speaking of the iPod nanos, rumors of it having a camera began a long while back and finally we get to see it in action. At 30 frames per second, 640 by 480 pixels resolutions, it is not comparable to the Flips or the Vados in the market but in a small package like the iPod nano, it definitely becomes a handy gadget to capture moments with video and audio. Though it comes with pre-built effects, it unfortunately doesn’t allow editing on the fly like the iPhone. Plus with no connectivity, Apple lost a good chance to beat the crap out of handheld video cameras like how they did to smartphones with the iPhone. Surprisingly Apple threw in a FM radio receiver but with a twist. They added a Tivo-like feature that allows you to pause live radio and then resume playing from where you stopped. It also has enough buffer for you to rewind as far back as 15 minutes before resuming to the radio. Lastly they also put VoiceOver from the iPod shuffle and for the fitness geeks, it also has a Pedometer that tracks how many steps you take while you walk with the iPod nano.
The iPod nano is available now at the Apple Online Store for S$228 for the 8GB to S$288 for the 16GB, with two colours – Yellow and the (Product) Red version exclusive only from the Online Store.
Last but not least, the smallest in the family – iPod shuffle – also had a makeover. Starting at a new low price of S$88 for the 2GB model to S$118 for the 4GB model, the iPod shuffle now comes in five great colors – silver, black, pink, blue and green – and a special polished stainless steel, 4GB version available exclusively from the Apple Online Store. Apple has also worked closely with more 3rd party manufacturers to create headphones and headphone adapters with built-in controls, allowing more alternatives for customers.
On the software side, iTunes 9.0 was released with new features like the iTunes LP, Home Sharing and Genius Mixes, a redesigned iTunes Store interface and improved syncing features. iTunes 9 also improved its file organisation, giving better sub-folders to store your music, videos and applications separately under a new iTunes Media folder.
When you plug in your iPhone or your iPod, you can sync music by genre or artists instead of generating Smart Playlists. Probably something Apple should have done back in iTunes 2.0. But better late than never. iTunes 9.0 also work closely with the rest of iLife suite – syncing photos by album, faces or events or movies with multiple criteria. A much wanted feature that was included is the built-in iPhone apps organiser that lets you arrange your apps between screens. You can drag and drop apps like how you do it on your iPhone or iPod touch.
Another feature which I liked most is Home Sharing, especially if you plan or are using a Mac to be your media center. With Home Sharing, you can authorise five Macs in your home that lets you import music and video between those Macs easily. So what it did was it released much needed hard disk space from my MacBook Pro and only keep those music I want to listen to in there, with the rest in my Mac mini. Whenever I want more tunes, I just need to start Home Sharing and drag and drop songs I want.
iTunes LP, is basically a digital album with inserts and additional media included – like videos, liner notes, lyrics and more information about the artist and band. But hey, if we can’t get to the iTunes Store to purchase music, this is basically useless. Humbug. But if you want more details – do check out a closer look at iTunes LP by Jay Robinson.
Let’s put things into perspective. If you sat down and counted from 1 to 1 billion, you would take about 95 years to complete. And if you were to find a fishbowl big enough to fit 1 billion goldfishes, you would need a stadium to fit them all. Now double that.
Apple announced last Monday that the app store has surpassed 2 billion downloads from 50 million iPhone and iPod Touch users worldwide. That’s an average of 40 apps per device and according to Steve Jobs, half a billion was downloaded in this quarter alone. The calculators here in iHeartApple don’t have enough room to display enough zeros, so while we buy new ones, AppleInsider has kindly done all the maths for us. In the last 80 days alone, 6.3 million apps were downloaded per day, up from 4.1 million per day in the first 365 days of the app store launch.
That’s a staggering amount considering Singapore’s population barely tipped 4.99 million, as of June 2009.
What does this all mean for us? Well, I think a mobile device is only as useful as what it can do for you. With 85,000 apps to choose from, your iPhone and iPod Touch will give you far better mileage than other mobile devices currently in the market, all packed in a sleek and intuitive user interface Apple is famous for.
This 2 billion downloads is only the beginning. With numbers like this, Apple’s app store is by far the best solution for developers who are looking for a robust distribution infrastructure and this only means we will soon see more and more apps come through as software makers choose this app store over others.
So if you already own an iPhone or iPod Touch, I think we’re on the right boat with this one. If not, you can pick up a new iPod Touch from Apple SG Store and an iPhone from SingTel.
Just a reminder that there are two more days before the Back To School promotion ends … on 8 September. In case you aren’t aware, this promotion lets you buy an iPod touch for “free” together with any Mac purchases (note – Mac mini not included).
Go read here for more details about the promotion and make your purchase before tomorrow. You will still be able to apply for rebate by mailing in the application form no later than 8 October 2009.
If you are a student, faculty or staff member of any qualified Education institution in Singapore, or even parents of a student studying there, between now till September 8, 2009, you can buy a Mac at Apple’s special price for Education purchases, and at the same time, get an iPod touch for free!
Apple has released iTunes 8.1 for all earlier today, with a bunch of enhancements and new features right after releasing the iPod shuffle previously.
The list includes:
Supports syncing with iPod shuffle (3rd generation).
Allows friends to request songs for iTunes DJ.
Adds Genius sidebar for your Movies and TV Shows.
Improves performance when downloading iTunes Plus songs.
Provides AutoFill for manually managed iPods.
Allows CDs to be imported at the same sound quality as iTunes Plus.
Includes many accessibility improvements.
Allows iTunes U and the iTunes Store to be disabled separately using Parental Controls.
To support the new song requests feature for iTunes DJ, you will also need to update the Remote app (iTunes link) on your iPhone/iPod Touch. You will also need to configure your iTunes to allow your friends to link to your iTunes via WIFI network.
On your iPhone, when you start the updated Remote App, you will see the Welcome message from the iTunes owner plus an option to link to that library, from which you can request songs to be added to the iTunes DJ playlist.
Another improvements with iTunes 8.1 is in its performance. Starting up, updating of songs meta data are much faster, especially if you have a big collection of music. A look at the iTunes Library Database file in my iTunes folder, showed that the file has lost much weight – from 9.4Mb to a slim 1.7Mb, which probably improved iTunes’ performance.
There’s much to like about this latest version of Apple’s iTunes, the heart of Apple’s mobile business. Let us know if there are other good improvements or something irky that bugs you.
Google just announced a beta version of Google Sync that will let you sync over the air your Gmail Contacts and Google Calendar with your iPhone. Google Sync uses Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to allow updates (except Gmail) to be pushed between your Google account and your iPhone.
Instructions on setting up can be found on the Google Support page but do take note on a few points. As it is still beta, it is best that all data on the iPhone is fully backed up and your Mac’s AddressBook and iCal are updated.
Some additional points:
Requires firmware 2.2 on both iPhone and iPod Touch
If you already using another Exchange ActiveSync account with your iPhone, you can’t use Google Sync as the iPhone only supports one ActiveSync profile
Gmail Contacts and Google Calendar must be updated before initiating the first sync as data on your iPhone will be deleted during setup
Google Sync currently can support up to 5 calendars – read here on setting up the calendars to be synced
Not sure whether it will have any conflict with syncing via MobileMe concurrently with Google Sync. If you have both running side by side, do let us know
Go to Google Mobile Help Forum for more information, problems listing and tips with using Google Sync
Watch a video introduction from Google about Google Sync:
A new briefing has been released with new quests and challengers and just to reward MacHeist members, you get ShoveBox, an information manager that lives in your menubar. For the uninitiated, each MacHeist starts off with quizzes and challengers that when completed, sometimes a free app is given to members to download. At the end of the campaign, a bundle of apps is packaged at very attractive price and part of the proceeds are given to charity. So don’t wait, the first brief has been uploaded online.
Vintage and Obsolete Macs
Apple has updated their list of vintage and obsolete products which means these products will not be serviced by Apple Authorized Service Providers (list of Singapore AASP) and that replacement parts will be harder to come by.
Foyage, SG ERP Lite, MovTrailer and TubeJunkies Lite
Local developers been hard at work over the past week, with new apps being released.
Foyage (iTunes Link) is a new location-based app that helps you find places and services that you might need based on where you are. It also has some social networking feature that lets you add friends and view comments and updates from them.
MovTrailer Lite (iTunes Link) lets you see the latest movie trailers that is available on the Apple Movie Trailers page and also comes with a simple voting system to let you gauge whether a movie is good to watch.
SG ERP Lite and TubeJunkies Lite are the free versions of the app that were released earlier. SG ERP Lite (iTunes Link) gives you all the ERP information, including pricing of different gantries at the time of using the app. The paid version (iTunes Link) includes the ability to let you know the nearest ERP gantry and the price based on your location.
TubeJunkies Lite (iTunes Link) is the free version of the app that lets you subscribe to Youtube videos and channels and view in your iPhone. The Lite version is ad-powered and is limited to 4 channels.
Apple has released an update to the iPhone OS 3.1.2 and iPod touch. The changes are bug fixes as stated in iTunes when you plug your phone in:
Well to most, the event at the Yerba Buena Center (see it here on 
That’s a staggering amount considering Singapore’s population barely tipped 
