improvements

iTunes 9.0.2 improves app sorting

Apple released iTunes 9.0.2 today an update that included additional improvements to app sorting for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

In early September, we offered a bug fix for arranging apps on iTunes after the release of iTunes 9.0 and later that same month Apple released iTunes 9.0.1. Progress was made in squashing some of the bugs we found, but the app sorting feature was still pretty tedious to use and nearly impossible to use if the number of apps on your iPhone exceeded 176.

Apple has resolved this problem by displaying the apps past … Read more

Now in Google search results: Formatted PDFs

Google on Wednesday announced that its search results now feature an option allowing users to view formatted PDFs from within their browser.

Although Google's search results have long featured a "View as HTML" option for documents using the Portable Document Format standard, the company in a blog post said that "option loses some of the formatting from the original PDF, such as graphics, tables, fonts, and other elements."

To solve the issue, a new "Quick View" option has been added to some PDFs in search results. When a user clicks on the link, … Read more

Google bumps up size of search box

Google has enlarged its search box to make it "easier" for people to use, the company said late Wednesday.

In a blog post, Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president for search products and user experience, said the simple change to the company's home page "symbolizes" its "focus on search." She added that the adjustments to the height and width of the search box makes the company's home page "even easier and more fun to use." Yeah, I don't get it either.

Google said in an e-mail message that the … Read more

Improve iPhone backup and restore times by managing your Camera Roll

The iPhone Camera Roll can cause increased backup and restore times in iTunes if not properly managed. It's easy to mismanage the Camera Roll if you--like me--use it store media for showing later to friends or family. Apple did not intend the Roll to be used this way, however, and recommends that users use the Photo app, instead, for storing media you plan on showing off later.

Per this support document, whenever you sync or perform a restore in iTunes, the app creates a backup of the contents of your iPhone. The more pictures, screen snapshots, or video you … Read more

Free Your RAM

Memory Improve Master Free Version brings together several computer settings aimed at improving its performance. This tool is best suited for people familiar with Windows performance management.

Like most memory optimizers, the program operates on the debatable principle that the greater the amount of free RAM, the more efficiently applications will operate and the lower the chances your application or system will crash. Using Memory Improve Master, you can ensure free RAM by manually forcing memory release, "deep compressing" system memory, and setting thresholds and letting the application run in the background. A real-time graph displays the effects … Read more

IceBreaker system wards off pesky deadly icicles

Apparently, those who live in climates where it regularly freezes in the winter are at risk of death via icicle. It appears that larger icicles can break off of gutters and plunge into people's bodies, killing them coldly on contact.

A company called Gutterglove, which ironically is California-based, has a new add-on called the IceBreaker for its already advanced guttering systems. Using a self-regulated heated cable, the IceBreaker keeps water on the outside of the gutter just above freezing, meaning icicles don't form, fall off, and kill you and your loved ones as you build your snowman.

The … Read more

New iPhone app scores sexual performance

We are all insecure.

Our noses are too big, too small, too pointy from the side. Our hair is too thin, if it exists at all.

And as for our ability to please a member of our target gender in the bedroom, well, admit it, we are all a bit freaked.

So a highly caring and simultaneously enterprising man called Chris Alvares has released an iPhone app that scores us objectively as we strive for sexual Kilimanjaro.

It's called Passion. And its heart is very simple.

In the hard sell at the Apple App Store, Alvares lays it on … Read more

iPhone OS 3.1 adds video editing and Voice Control options

Thanks to a few iPhone Atlas readers, we've learned of some of the new features in the beta release of iPhone OS 3.1. Though the changes are fairly substantial, we don't know if they'll be included in the software's final release. Here's what we've heard so far.

After editing a video on the iPhone 3GS, you have the option of saving your edited clip as a new file or replacing your original video. Though no AT&T support is evident, MMS is now enabled on the phone as a default setting. The … Read more

Celtic zodiac tool

MB Celtic Astrology aims to help users learn more about the world of the stars according to Celtic mythology.

The program's interface is delightfully simple, which we really enjoyed. Where some astrological programs require information like the longitude and latitude of your birth, this one merely requests a name and birthday. These fields were easy to fill out and we got to the results page quickly. The results page is static, which made it simple to read, since there was no navigation required. Any users looking for further guidance can check out the online Help file, though it doesn'… Read more