Looking to upgrade your masking skills? Here's how to make a precise, easily editable vector mask in Photoshop CS4 or CS5.
Source: http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=884efcddb2e691e676562b4ae2246a1d
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
How to create vector masks in Photoshop
Looking to upgrade your masking skills? Here's how to make a precise, easily editable vector mask in Photoshop CS4 or CS5.
Chinese white box tablet makers get leftover iPad screens
Chinese tablet makers making white box (no-name) iPad clones are in many cases getting millions of Apple's own leftover iPad screens, the Taiwan supply chain detailed this weekend. With LG Display and Samsung making between 12 million to 15 million of the 9.7-inch IPS panels, no more than nine million go to Apple and leave millions that haven't met Apple's standards but which are often good enough to use, Digitimes said. Android tablets like SmartDevices' SmartQ T10 (pictured) as well as those from AGSO and Wanlida are in many cases not just using the excess display...
Source: http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=10eca3b10b396393e9266fd732e78f9b
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Apple seeds Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Golden Master to developers
Right on time for its scheduled launch in July, Apple on Friday seeded the Golden Master build of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion to developers.
Source: http://feeds.appleinsider.com/click.phdo?i=9fc40a2096cd89968d3b86bbe6a917d6
Olympus unveils smaller and faster Pen cameras
Compact interchangeable-lens cameras are shrinking. Somehow, at the same time, they're getting more and more powerful.Source: http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=d0154f7982edae1059133f3c653c5aba
Free Spin Lollapalooza compilation includes DRM-clad iTunes tracks
In January 2009, Apple announced that all songs on the iTunes Store would soon be sold without the DRM restrictions that had been part of the company's music downloads since the store's inception in 2003. So Jonathan Seff was somewhat surprised to find two DRM-clad iTunes tracks on Spin's free "20 Years of Lollapalooza" compilation.Source: http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=85b59e96f85d9a5494c0863b276d0edc
Multinational Bank Goes Mobile with iPhone and iPad
For Standard Chartered Bank ? a Global 500 international bank with 1800 branches on six continents ? iPhone and iPad provide a perfect platform to expand its mobile services, both internally and to its increasingly tech-savvy customers. ?With iPhone and iPad, we?re really looking at the next generation of banking,? says Todd Schofield, Global Head of Enterprise Mobility at Standard Chartered Bank. ?Managing our customers? money is a responsibility we take very seriously, and our mobile services reflect that.?
Source: http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/profiles/standard-chartered/?sr=hotnews.rss
Monday, 4 July 2011
Do no evil has no place in IP warfare
A consortium led by Apple, Research In Motion and Microsoft has bought up Nortel's 6,000 patents for $4.5 billion in an auction that could lead to further trouble for Google, who was outbid for the trove of intellectual property. 
Source: http://gigaom.com/2011/07/01/do-no-evil-has-no-place-in-ip-warfare/
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Apple?s iPad app advantage over Android tablets continues to grow
Apple has just passed the 100,000 mark for apps available that are tailored specifically for the iPad. Compare that to under 200 for the Google's Honeycomb tablet OS. It's a margin that says the Android/iOS tablet battle isn't the same as the smartphone war.
Source: http://gigaom.com/apple/apples-ipad-app-advantage-over-android-tablets-continues-to-grow/
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Watching TV on an iPad
At AllThingsD, tech columnist Walt Mossberg compiles a comprehensive list of apps for watching network and cable TV shows on iPad, including iTunes, Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO GO, MLB.com At Bat, ABC Player, XFINITY TV, and WatchESPN. Mossberg notes that iPad?s many viewing app options ? along with its thin and light design, immersive interface, large screen, and strong battery performance ? make it ?by far the best tablet for TV watching now.?
Source: http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20110504/watching-tv-on-an-ipad/
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First-Person Final Cut Pro X, Day One: Completely at Sea
Professional film & video editor Matthew Levie is based in San Francisco, produced and edited the documentary Honest Man and writes Blog and Capture. First-Person Final Cut Pro X is the unvarnished story of his week-long introduction to the new Final Cut.
[Note that all opinions and assessments of FCP X expressed here are Matt's own, not TUAW's, and that any misconceptions or misunderstandings of FCP X features represent Matt's hands-on first reactions. -Ed.]
So I really, really did not believe that FCP X would be "iMovie Pro." But I have to say, my friends, I was far too optimistic. Apple has thrown us squarely under the bus. Somebody at Apple decided that making professional editors happy was just too damn much trouble, and that a much simpler program would allow them to fire 80% of the engineers and lose only 10% of the customers.
If you thought no multicam was the problem, you're thinking way too far ahead for this program. How about no split edits? No roll? No subclip?
There is, in fact, a way to mark a perfectly good in and out point, contrary to rumor. But what if I told you that you could change the speed of a clip to 50% or 25%, but not anything in between?
Heck, I can't even find a way to do an overwrite edit.
[As noted by commenters and by ScreenCastsOnline producer Don McAllister, both overwrite edits and intermediate speed adjustments are in fact included in FCP X -- as Matt acknowledges below, citing the challenge of working through FCP X's documentation. Keep in mind that this series is documenting Matt's opinions and reactions over the course of several days, and that first impressions can be incorrect and revised over time. -Ed.]
I should confess at this point that I've never used iMovie. I've been editing for twenty years, on linear systems, and then Avid, and then Final Cut. But I'm guessing that if I were a regular iMovie user, I wouldn't feel so awfully lost in this program.
It turns out, of course, that all of these basic features are in the program, but the documentation isn't very well written. You'd think that if they were going to radically change the way we edit, they'd throw us a lifeline and walk us through it. In fact, when I looked up split edit, it proposed a really Byzantine five-step process involving a ripple trim. It only takes three with a rolling trim. Of course, in FCP 7 it only took one step. That's not promising.
My intention was to take this project I have coming up that has very little deadline pressure, it's only two minutes long, it's not that complicated. I thought I'd do that in FCP X and that way I'd learn where the gotchas were and where this program's limitations were.
Now I doubt we're going to get that far. I don't think that I could cut the simplest project I've done in the last ten years on this program. Not because it would take too long, as bad as that would be, but because it is simply not possible.
There's definitely going to be a revolution in post-production, dudes. It's the one where the masses pull Apple off the throne and cut its throat.
I'll keep reading the docs and playing around. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and realize this was all a really bad dream, and actually it's as brilliant as an iPod. But don't hold your breath!
Part II coming up... Learning the Ropes.
First-Person Final Cut Pro X, Day One: Completely at Sea originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 02 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/07/02/first-person-final-cut-pro-x-day-one-completely-at-sea/
apple computer news itouch apps store google app store apple tech news
Booting OS X Lion GM: No Welcome Video, New Introduction to Scrolling
With Apple having seeded the Golden Master (GM) version of OS X Lion earlier today, users are finally getting a look at what the OS X Lion experience should be like in the shipping version.
One staple of Mac OS X installations over the past several versions has been the welcome video that displays at first boot, displaying an animation of the word "Welcome" in a number of different languages and set to the song "Exodus Honey" by Honeycut [iTunes link]:
Unfortunately for fans of the video, neither the previous welcome video nor a new one appears to be included in the GM version of OS X Lion. While a welcome video could conceivably still be added at the last minute, previous OS X releases have seen the video included in GM seeds.
Instead, OS X Lion boots straight into Setup Assistant to help users get up and running. And one new addition to Setup Assistant is an introduction to Multi-Touch scrolling, offering users a glimpse at the enhanced Multi-Touch features included in the new operating system.
The text and image are customized depending on the input device being used, such as a Magic Mouse or built-in trackpad.
OS X Lion is set to be released to the public later this month and will be available exclusively through the Mac App Store for $29.99.
Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• So, There is an OS X Lion "Welcome" Animation
• AT&T to Offer Standard Insurance for iPhone Starting July 17th
• Prototype iPhone 4 Appears on eBay
• 4th of July App Sales and an AppShopper App Update
• Apple Ranks as 21st Largest U.S. Retailer in 2010
One staple of Mac OS X installations over the past several versions has been the welcome video that displays at first boot, displaying an animation of the word "Welcome" in a number of different languages and set to the song "Exodus Honey" by Honeycut [iTunes link]:
Unfortunately for fans of the video, neither the previous welcome video nor a new one appears to be included in the GM version of OS X Lion. While a welcome video could conceivably still be added at the last minute, previous OS X releases have seen the video included in GM seeds.
Instead, OS X Lion boots straight into Setup Assistant to help users get up and running. And one new addition to Setup Assistant is an introduction to Multi-Touch scrolling, offering users a glimpse at the enhanced Multi-Touch features included in the new operating system.
The text and image are customized depending on the input device being used, such as a Magic Mouse or built-in trackpad.
OS X Lion is set to be released to the public later this month and will be available exclusively through the Mac App Store for $29.99.
Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• So, There is an OS X Lion "Welcome" Animation
• AT&T to Offer Standard Insurance for iPhone Starting July 17th
• Prototype iPhone 4 Appears on eBay
• 4th of July App Sales and an AppShopper App Update
• Apple Ranks as 21st Largest U.S. Retailer in 2010
View PDFs in Firefox 5
To date, people who wanted to view downloaded PDFs on a Mac have had three options:
That is, it didn't officially work. But it turns out that with some simple modifications, you can get this plug-in to work just fine in Firefox 5 and probably future versions of Firefox, thus allowing you to view PDFs in the browser once again.
- Use Safari's in-line PDF viewer plug-in to view PDFs in Safari.
- Use Firefox v3 and the Firefox PDF plug-in for Mac to view PDFs in Firefox.
- Use a current version of Firefox, download the PDFs, and view them in a PDF reader app.
That is, it didn't officially work. But it turns out that with some simple modifications, you can get this plug-in to work just fine in Firefox 5 and probably future versions of Firefox, thus allowing you to view PDFs in the browser once again.
- With the Applications folder open in Finder, do a Get Info on Firefox.
- Check the box for 'Open in 32-bit mode.'
- If Firefox is currently open, quit and relaunch it.
- Do ...
Source: http://feeds.macosxhints.com/click.phdo?i=1cd51200c1d6559071924ff78fded30e
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Sunday, 3 July 2011
Sensor-rich computing: the quiet revolution that started in your pocket
Suppose you're at at your desk with a MacBook and an iPhone. You want to check cinema screening times at your local multiplex and the weather forecast so you'll know if you'll need a jacket or not. Which device do you reach for?
If you choose the MacBook, you'll need to go to a cinema listings service and enter your zip code to find your multiplex, then repeat the process on a weather tracking site (unless your Dashboard already includes appropriate widgets for that data, in which case it's one keystroke away). On the iPhone, you just load a couple of apps, which know where you are so can show you the local data automatically.
This exact scenario happened to me earlier, and I surprised myself by reflexively reaching for the iPhone, without thinking. Somewhere along the way it started to feel like the logical device to use for this sort of thing.
Now, this is a highly trivial example. Safari and Firefox on the MacBook can do location sensing via Wifi positioning, for example (although few websites support this), and sites can also try and guess your location based on your IP address (although I've found that to be occasionally quite inaccurate). Local information services like cinema listings will also typically offer to store your location for future use, so the search becomes a one-time thing. Stick with me, though; I'm going somewhere with this.
Think about the bigger picture. Go back a few years, and computers typically had just two input devices: a keyboard and a mouse. Some of them would also have a webcam and a scanner, but you'd only be using those occasionally and for well-defined specific tasks (mostly "Skype" and "scanning", respectively.)
Now think about the input methods on an iPhone 4. The keyboard and mouse have been replaced by a touchscreen, of course. You've got front and back cameras too, similarly to the scanner and webcam. But wait! There's more!
- It has a GPS chip, of course, so it can tell where it is (bolstered with some clever battery-saving aGPS too.)
- It has a magnetometer-based compass, so it can tell which way it's pointing (and sense any magnetic fields.)
- It has a gyroscope and acceleration meters, so it can tell when you move it -- and in which direction, how far, and how fast.
- It has an ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness according to your surroundings.
- It has two microphones -- one for your voice, and one purely for background sounds for noise-cancellation purposes.
- It has an orientation sensor so it knows which way up it is.
And that's just the iPhone itself, before we consider additional hardware like Nike+. When compared to almost all the proceeding technology in the thirty-something years since the Apple II kicked off the personal computer revolution, the iPhone has an extraordinary number of ways to perceive the world around itself. In turn, this leads to huge possibilities for apps in the future that can do a much better idea of anticipating our needs based on our surroundings and, in turn, feel far more personal than the "personal computer" ever did.
Perhaps the simplest examples are apps that use device rotation to change the entire UI to something different. The iPod app, for example, switches between CoverFlow selection and the more traditional UI. Calvetica shows day and month views in portrait and week planners in landscape mode. WeightBot allows daily weight entry in portrait view, then goes one stage further -- with a summary view when you turn the device counter-clockwise and a graph of your weight loss (or, in my case, lack of weight loss) when you turn it to landscape clockwise. Another simple example is Instapaper and its option to change to a muted white-on-black color scheme when your phone's local clock indicates it's night-time.
More sophisticated is the use of the various motion sensing circuitry for games like Rage, which allow players to aim their guns in the game by moving their devices around. Spin the same tech another way and you get 3D panorama photography apps like 360 Panoroma. Here, you move and tilt your phone in a complete circle and the app uses the camera to build a complete image of your surroundings -- and then also uses the same tilt sensing to let you view the photos, panning the picture as you pivot on the spot.
Take this idea to the next level and you get augmented reality, which is probably the poster child for sensor rich computing at the moment. Combine the motion tracking with the camera feed and, as the user waves their phone around, show them the camera view but with extra bits added. Star Wars Trench Run (sadly no longer available in iTunes) superimposes TIE Fighters on whatever you are looking at and allows you to shoot them down. Less frivolously, the AR mode in the Yelp app is a very intuitive way to get your bearings when navigating to a restaurant.
Yelp is far from alone. There are lots of augmented reality apps for the iPhone that do all sorts of things -- translate foreign languages, give metadata on live events like gigs, even create floorplans of your house.
This trend isn't limited to smartphones either. Hasselbad's H4D-200MS digital medium format camera has a clever new feature called True Focus. The photographer sets a focus point, perhaps a model's eye, and then software in the camera watches the scene. As the photographer moves the camera around to change the composition, motion sensors in the camera body feed back to the software which adjusts the focus setting to compensate, keeping that point in perfect focus. By using the motion sensors the camera can do a better job of staying on-target than traditional autofocus subject tracking.
But what about the future? I think we've barely scratched the surface of the possibilities. However, one key drawback with iOS is the relatively limited multitasking means some of the more wacky ideas of third party devs aren't possible.
For example, consider the rather dizzying possibilities of Tasker, an Android app that can engage a childlock for all apps except a few games when you are at home and the time is before 9pm. Or sense when you are at your parents' house in the boondocks and disable 3G altogether, so your phone doesn't hammer its battery flat trying to hang on to weak signal. Or set the phone to mute all notification sounds between 11pm and 7am, except for calls from numbers in your phonebook. Or any one of a million other possibilities, all of them ways to leverage your phone's knowledge of its surroundings to make it adapt to you, rather than the other way around.
Another interesting idea was suggested by Dan Frakes, MacWorld's senior editor: put an unlock code on your iPhone that is automatically disabled when you are at home. It turns out this is possible today for jailbroken iPhones with CleverPin, but of course this sort of deep system modification isn't possible without jailbreak tools.
We can only hope that Apple will do more to embrace the possibilities of sensor rich computing in future iOS versions and give developers more flexibility to access these features. We've all seen how iOS 5's Reminders app offers location-aware popups (e.g. "remind me to put my lunch in the fridge when I arrive at the office"), and we know Apple is patenting location-aware traffic warnings. It would be very nice for all of us if Apple would open this up to third party developers, so they could set an app up to perform some pre-arranged task like a notification alert when the phone is next in a certain location.
I hope to see something like this in future iOS versions, because I think there's still a lot of ideas that no one has had yet. What awesome uses of sensor-rich computing do you like in your apps, and what would you like to see in the future?
Sensor-rich computing: the quiet revolution that started in your pocket originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 02 Jul 2011 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/07/02/sensor-rich-computing-the-quiet-revolution-that-started-in-your/
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Choose the best printer for your business
The classic monochrome laser business printer continues to sell surprisingly well, but the best printer for your business might be inkjet, laser, LED, or something else.Source: http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=255429b54c813b6c3bfff9e2b4f23b0b
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