Applications

Apple's iLife '09 to ship Tuesday

The latest version of Apple's iLife--shown off at Macworld earlier this month--will ship Tuesday.

The new software comes with updates to iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand that Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller detailed during Macworld. For example, you will now be able to sort photos by the faces of your subjects in iPhoto and take $4.99 lessons from famous musicians in GarageBand.

iLife '09 will be bundled with all Macs starting Tuesday and will cost $79 if you're planning to upgrade from an earlier version. If you bought a Mac after the new version was announced on … Read more

Bluetooth File Transfer Coming to the iPhone

One of the iPhone's more ridiculous limitations is its inability to sync with host computers and transfer files back and forth. An enterprising developer, however, has written an application that allows not only computer-to-iPhone file transfers via Bluetooth, but also iPhone-to-other mobile device file transfers.

Unfortunately, the Bluetooth file transfer application will only be available through the cydia distribution framework for jailbroken iPhones.

A video, embedded below, of the transfer tool shows files being moved from a Mac to the iPhone, and subsequently from the iPhone to a Sony Ericsson phone:

The tool appears to be based on the … Read more

Apple issues critical security update for QuickTime

Apple has issued a critical security update for QuickTime media player, aimed at resolving vulnerabilities that could potentially allow a malicious attacker to take control of a person's computer, according to an Apple advisory released this week.

People running QuickTime 7 for Windows and for Mac OS X, are affected, as well as those who are using Mac OS X 10.4 or Mac OS X 10.5, according to Apple.

Apple is advising people to update to QuickTime 7.6 for Windows, QuickTime 7.6 for Leopard, or QuickTime 7.6 for Tiger.

The update seeks to address … Read more

iPhone's Air Mouse 1.5: A universal PC, Mac remote

Forget the iTunes Remote. The newly released Air Mouse 1.5 ($5.99) makes a mean universal remote out of the iPhone and iPod Touch. With it, you'll be able to control almost any program on your Mac or Windows computer.

I was always a big fan of this app, which works with the help of a Windows and Mac servers to establish a local network between the computer and the iPhone. It then gives you two modes for controlling the keyboard and mouse: a touch pad, and a slightly less effective (read: higher learning curve) and more traditional air mouse that you activate by pressing a button and arcing your arm. Version 1.5 completely blows away every competitor we've seen by adding an incredible array of new features without bumping up the price.… Read more

Six must-have iPhone freebies

How do I love thee, iPhone (and iPod Touch)? Let me count the ways. Hmmm. Well, space doesn't permit me to list all 12,503, so I'll settle for six. As in, six free apps you absolutely positively gotta get. (Note: as with my previous batch of iPhone freebies, all links go straight to iTunes.)

Mancala FS5 I love the Mancala board game, and this iPhone edition is even better. It teaches beginners the basics, automatically moves your beads, and supports Internet multiplayer! (You can even play against your AIM buddies.) Consider splurging on the $1.99 full version to enjoy ad-free play. NPR Mobile Though not an official NPR app, it lets you browse broadcasts by topic, series, and even commentator, then stream to your heart's content. It can also do a location search, great for when you're traveling and want to tune the car radio to the nearest NPR station. Slacker Radio Best. Streaming music app. Ever. I know some folks prefer Pandora, but I've always loved the Web-based Slacker and its robust custom-station building. The new iPhone app (pictured) is just plain fantastic. Read my full review here. Sportacular At the risk of ruining my geek cred, I do follow (and even play) some sports. Sportacular gives you scores, standings, schedules, stats, and more. It also lets you designate favorite teams so you can track them more easily.… Read more

iPhone Drag and Drop File Transfer Tool Debuts

What is perhaps the easiest-to-use computer-to-iPhone file transfer tool has debuted. File Magic, a new Mac or PC and iPhone tandem application purportedly requires only three steps:

Launch File Magic on the desktop and the handheld. The handheld application will ask you to allow the connection. Drag and drop any file into the File Magic desktop and it will be transferred over Wi-Fi to the device. You will see the progress of the transfer on both the desktop and handheld applications. Tap the folder, then the file you wish to view on the handheld.

The application is available for both … Read more

UStream.tv live viewing comes to the iPhone

First announced last week, live video streaming service UStream.tv's iPhone app is finally out and free for downloading. It lets you view live and pre-recorded UStream content from the comfort of your phone. I was using it to watch some of the inauguration coverage earlier this morning, however for most it will simply be a way to get at pre-recorded content from their device.

The app lets you both search and browse through UStream content, and will begin playing shows almost immediately. Included is live user chat, which is displayed below or to the side of the video, … Read more

First 3rd-party iPhone Mail Client: Send Multiple Photos

A new iPhone application allows users to bypass the iPhone's inherent one-photo-per-email limit. Appropriately dubbed "Multi-Photo Email," the applications works by connecting to a user's SMTP server and sending photos as simple attachments. Users can designate a subject and body, in essence making this application the first third-party email client for the iPhone.

Multi-Photo Email includes the following features:

Pick photos directly from the library Import recipients from the Address Book Adjust photo quality and reduce photo size

The new app is priced at $0.99 and is available through the iTunes App Store.

iPhone apps of the week

When I was at Macworld a couple of weeks ago, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I had my eyes peeled for upcoming iPhone apps. Certainly the new 17-inch MacBook and the updates to iWork and iLife were at the top of my priority list, but once I started walking around the show floor, my mind quickly turned to iPhone apps.

There were several on display, but one game at the Freeverse booth from developer Strange Flavour caught my eye immediately. I didn't say anything about it in previous posts because I wanted to wait until it … Read more