This is an easy install and works very well with the NetFilx movie play. While Silverlight seems like is weird solution to this problem, obviously it works, so who cares!
As a NetFlix subscriber, this changes everything. I no longer have to have every movie sent to me. Now, I can just press play and watch my movies in good quality, right on my computer. I am psyched. Here are some screenshots of the new player:
TouchArcade gives a good summary of the gameplay in Kroll:
In Kroll you play the hero in a side-scrolling 3D environment. The objective of the game is to defeat your enemies across 3 stages to “learn the secret behind the legend of Kroll”. The gameplay, however, is quite simple. Virtual buttons on to the left and right of the screen allow you to move forward, quick swing and hard swing in either direction. There is no jumping. You are either moving your character forward/backward or swinging at your enemies. There is a special attack that can be invoked at times by shaking your iPhone.
Kroll does not feel like a mobile game to me. The real time strategy really is what makes the game amazing. I have to figure out exactly how to kill a certain guy and come up with a strategy that works best. This is what good games do. Good games make you think, they have good graphics, and they are challenging. Kroll meets all of these necessities.
Kroll is unbelievable. Buy it.
As you can see, the way I did this was by simple splitting and cutting out the parts of the video that shows the page loading. I only kept the short parts of the video where the page changes.
You can also see that in the unedited version of the video, the iPhone and the camera does not move. This is essential because if there was movement, you would see jerking in the final video. In Apple’s ad, we can see the hand, the iPhone or the camera does not move a bit. This is a hint that the video was edited similarly to the way mine was edited.
Watch Apple’s ad and you will see that not only the safari bit was edited, but the whole thing. As you can see in the maps part, the video cuts right he presses the locate me button and then start up again right as it has found him. It is as easy as cutting out the waiting time. The downloading of the file is also obviously false and it was done the same way as the others.
Do you think this ad is false? I don’t see how you couldn’t…
]]>
Apple’s intentions with the iPhone 3G was not to revamp the iPhone, but just to give the simple improvements it needs. The second generation iPhone will need to have new hardware that is way ahead from it’s competitors. I am thinking of a front facing camera that will allow video chatting on the 3G network. Apple has to come up with new innovations just like they did with the iPhone for the second iPhone. A 3G and GPS chipset it not exactly innovation on Apple’s part. A black and white color is not innovation either. The second generation iPhone needs to be distinctively different for it to really be second generation.
From this graph, hopefully you can understand exactly what I am trying to say in this post. Apple is stirring up something great for the second generation iPhone, but were not quite ready to put it in the next release. Apple new the iPhone 3G was not as breakthrough as their normal releases and they made up for it with the price drop. That is why the iPhone 3G is still just, the iPhone. It is not the second generation, it is just something to make it level with it’s competitors. It is an answer to people’s complaints and that is only ONE of the jobs of a second generation device.
UPDATE:
I got a great comment from Hair and I would like to add a little of what he said. When I talked abut how the second generation iPhone needs new innovation, I forgot to give examples of what I mean. This is from Hair’s comment:
Do expect next summer in a 3 Gen, or later in a 4th Gen:
1) Video recording
2) iChat AV (dual camera)
3) Better quality camera (not just more megapixel)
4) Faster processor
5) 32GB
6) Copy and Paste
7) Turn-by-turn GPS 
Stereo BlueTooth
9) Tethering (with optional $$$ plan)
10) Voice command (not just dialing)
I think this is a good list of things that should be included in the next release. This post’s main purpose was to express my opinion of the iPhone 3G. I believe it needed more innovations and new features for it to really be second generation.
Thank for reading 
My Top 20 Best iPhone Applications has been getting a ton of traffic ever since the app store came out. I like this, but at the same time, I am not giving readers what they are exactly looking for. My post was specifically for apps in installer.app, not for the App Store. The majority of this traffic is coming looking for the best app store apps, not for installer apps. Since I hate having traffic not be satisfied with my content, I am almost forced to do this post. Remember a few thinks, I cannot test all the apps since I do not feel like downloading them all and I am not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on iPhone apps. At the same time, I like to download a lot of iPhone apps, so don’t worry about my lack of testing… Here are my Top 20 Best APP STORE iPhone Applications:
I did a mini demo/review of this app a few weeks ago and it blew my mind. The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is just what you are expecting. I have never seen such quality of a game on a mobile device. Since this is a poker game, it has a ton of depth. If you like playing poker, this game can last you years. This game is not worth $10, it is worth $20.
This is a pretty obvious one. Super Monkey Ball brings the best out of the iPhone’s accelerometer. The tilting takes a little to get used to, but once you do, it is easy and fun. A little secret is to realize that when you tilt your iPhone, you are not physically moving the ball, but more the level itself. Pretend the whole level is on a fulcrum and you are simply putting more weight on the side you tilt. That should help you a lot when first trying to play. The levels start from stupidly easy to annoyingly hard. At first it seems like you will finish the game in no time, but then you realize that no only is there a TON of levels, but as levels get harder, it takes more and more time to finish a world. This was definitely a great buy, but I would suggest it more if you have not played Super Monkey Ball much before. It may feel a bit repetitive if you have played the levels before.
Pandora Radio is amazing! If you have not used Pandora before today, you will start using it now. Pandora is a service that analyzes artist and songs that you like and creates “radio stations” that play full songs that are musically similar to those artists are songs that you like. This is a great way to find new music that you can buy and download on iTunes. Pandora has brought Pandora mobile and man did they do it well. Pandora Radio is fully featured and works just like it would on your computer. This is a must have for music lovers.
4. Remote
Remote does exactly what you need it to do, perfectly. Even though I myself do not use it much, if I did, it would suit my needs perfectly. Lets put it this way, it is almost like opening up your iPod and having it play on external speakers. I say this because it you have so much control. It is not a simple remote with a pause/play, next/back, it is much more. This “remote” app is like wireless iTunes.
5. Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D
Out of all the racing games out, Crash Bandicoot is the best. The controls are dead on, the graphics are great and there are a ton of options. This game is a mix of Mario Kart (one of my favorite games ever) and Crash Bandicoot (also on of my favorite games). This game is challenging and a ton of fun, buy it.
6. Enigmo
Enigmo is a great game mostly because of the concept. The simple task on getting bouncing droplets of water into a bowl seems so simple, but it Enigmo makes is as intricate as it can be. After the 10th level, this puzzle game gets HARD. I am totally stuck on the 11th level and I love it since I know it is possible. Oh and I almost forgot, this game is stunning and the controls are perfectly fit for the iPhone. There are about 8 apps (as of now) I think are really worth buying. This is one of them.
7. BoxOffice
I love this app! I could not imagine a better app for getting movie show times, theater locations and movie reviews. It gives you the most information you could want before seeing a movie with an incredibly simple UI. One thing I love about it is the integration with Rotten Tomatoes. On the left side of every movie, it will show the Rotten Tomato score. This is great because you can list the movies by rating, something the other movie apps lack. Oh, and guess what… it doesn’t cost a penny.
8. Twinkle (vs. Twitteriffic)
In my opinion, Twinkle is a better, more richly featured version of the popular Twitteriffic. Twitteriffic is defiantly good, but Twinkle offers so much more that are essential to big twitter users. Twinkle offer the ability to view public tweets, view nearby tweets and tweets from people you are not subscribed to. These are 3 features Twitteriffic lacks. Also, don’t forget, they are both free, but Twitteriffic has small ads that can get a bit annoying. Twinkle is free, ad-free and absolutely beautiful.
MotionX Poker utilizes a new amazing motion technology that is the powerhouse of the app. When shaking the iPhone, your dice roll as if they were actually thrown. You will be stunned the first time you roll. The game is a little bit repetitive, but since the rolling is just so cool, you will find yourself rolling, and rolling, and rolling. Yes, this game is very very addicting. At first, 10,000 coins seems impossible, but with a little bit of work you will find that nothing is impossible.
10. Units
At first look, Units seems like a simple calculator, but with just a few clicks, you realize that it is much more. Units allows you to convert just about anything to anything. This conversion app has on of the cleanest, simplest UI I have ever seen. For only $.99 this is a steal. If you travel a lot, this app is essential.
11. Labyrinth
Labyrinth is a game that shows the full potential of the iPhone. Just like Super Monkey Ball, it uses the iPhone accelerometer to its fullest. If you wanted to show anyone how cool the iPhone is, this is the app to show. Labyrinth’s controls are so perfect, it actually feels like you are using a real labyrinth table. With over 500 levels, Labyrinth almost never gets old and is definitely worth the $7.
Midiomi and Shazam both help you find songs that you do not know the name of, or who it is by. If there was a mix of the two apps, it would definitely be worth money. The reason is that they both have features that the other lacks. Shazam is a little more reliable than Midomi and also has a better “results” interface than Midomi. At the same time, Shazam lacks the ability to sing or hum a song, which Midomi supports. This is HUGE because this app’s purpose is almost always when you do not have the song playing. This is why I suggest Midomi. It almost never fails when I sing a song to it and will work just perfectly when in need.
13. Tips
I have tested almost 15 different Tip apps and this one is my number one. A Tip app needs to be simple, easy and fast. Tips looks good, gets the job done and has a nice, easy UI. It is as simple as that.
14. Tap Tap Revenge
The reason Tap Tap Revenge is on this list is because it is free and has a ton of potential. It’s concept came from a game called Tap Tap Revolution and in my opinion, Tap Tap Revolution was a lot better. This is because anyone could make tap playlists for any song and you could tap to your own music library. Nevertheless, this is a very fun game as it is and since it is free…download it.
15. FaceBook
Almost everyone now of days has a FaceBook. Everyone changes their status, uploads pictures, comments on people’s walls, etc. With a new update that just came out, FaceBook.app has become the only thing you will ever need for FaceBook on your iPhone. Even your friend list looks just like your contact list. Trust me, this app is great and if you use FaceBook, DOWNLOAD IT.
16. WordPress
Wordpress is a must have app for everyone who owns a Wordpress blog. This app works very smoothly and has the key features that are needed when posting to your blog. You can have as many blogs as you want and save posts as pending for review so you can check it when you get home. This is a perfect app for your “on the go” post that you just need to get out there.
17. NetSketch
NetSketch is a wonderful application for people who love to draw. One of the coolest things about NetSketch is the ability to draw as big as a picture as you want. It is as simple as zooming out. Your original drawing will get smaller, as if you have unlimited paper space. Once you are done with your drawing, you can share it and upload it to your NetSketch account. If you have two iPhones on the same wifi network, you can both simultaneously draw on the same piece of paper, in realtime! I could play with this app all day.
18. Garf
Ok, I know what your thinking…”how could a Simon game be on a Top 20 Best App Store iPhone Applications list.” Well, I will tell you. Have you ever wondered why Simon was so popular back in the day? It is because it was simple, but brilliant. That is exactly what Garf is. Garf is a simple memory game, but since it is so brilliant, it is very…. Addicting. This game is well done, has tons of levels and will keep you wanting to come back to get higher scores. Hey, if you don’t believe me, read some of the reviews.
19. Versus Chess
Here is the reason this game is worth buying: You can play a simple, but elegant game of chess with a real human being anywhere around the world as long as you have an edge or wifi connection. Are you sold?
20. Trism
My last app is a one of my favorite games on my iPhone. Trism uses all of iPhones technologies to create a bejeweled like game that will blow your mind away. The graphics are amazing, the gameplay is very original and it is a hell lot of fun. You use the iPhone accelerometer to choose which way the rows and column will fall. This type of control is very unique and fun to use. I find this game to be flawless and deserves every penny. Buy it.
If I had the time, I would add 40 more apps to this list. Hopefully you found this useful, whether you were trying to find some apps to download or just wanted small reviews of them. Thanks for reading
I am really sorry for all the confusion in the last day, but I was notified by some people that I could get in some trouble for what I was doing so I decided to be a little safe and take down the posts content. I guess it doesn’t really make a difference any more, so I have now updated the post for the last time and putting back what was once there. Sorry about that.
]]>
I’ve been loving my MacBook for a year now. I have a white MacBook with a 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB of RAM and a 160 GB HD. It is fast, light and very reliable. Although sometimes, I do wonder how much more I would have gotten with a MacBook Pro. Since I had never used a MacBook Pro over an hour, I really did not know how much better a MacBook Pro was compared to my MacBook. I had just expected that you get what your pay for. The more money you pay, the faster and better your computer is going to be.
After using a MacBook Pro for a more extensive amount of time and researching more about it, I have come to realize that $1000 more for a MacBook Pro may not have been such a good idea. With the specs and prices that Apple has as of now, the MacBook may be just fine for a lot of the work you need to do.
If you’re deciding between a MacBook Pro or a MacBook, you are probably considering the highest end MacBook and the lowest end MacBook Pro. Lets compare both of these devices. The highest end MacBook is black one with an Intel 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB of RAM and a 250 GB HD. This is all for $1,699.00. The lowest end MacBook Pro has a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB of RAM and a 200 GB HD. So, you lose 2 GB of Ram, 50 GB of HD space and you have to pay $300 more! Lets say we match up the specs and give the MacBook Pro 4 GB of RAM and a 250 GB HD. Now it is $2,249.00, a whole $549 more! How is this possible? Well, lets look at what you get for that $549. You get a 15-inch screen as opposed to 13.3-inch screen, a Backlit keyboard and a NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card, which is superior to the MacBook Intel GMA X3100. So, this $549 is not giving you any more power or speed, just looks. Is the $549 really worth it? This is why I think the MacBook has a better value than the MacBook Pro.
I run my MacBook with Final Cut Express all the time for various projects. Remember, this is with a 2.16 GHz machine with 2 GB of RAM… not 4. These 2 GBs are well enough for Final Cut. If at all it will take up half of my memory with a full GB left for other apps. So in fact, I disagree that you NEED a MacBook Pro if you want to do video editing. A lot of people will buy MacBook Pros just for this reason. I believe this is a waste of money. I also believe you are loosing a lot of taste when buying the MacBook Pro. For a lot of people, this will not matter, but MacBooks are lighter, sexier and smaller. The MacBooks actually have a much better ratio of power/space compared to the MacBook Pro, which is very important to me. Why pay more for something that looks and feels worse? Oh, I almost forgot, the MacBook’s keyboard is 10X better than the MacBook Pro’s.
There are some reasons you would want to buy a MacBook Pro, which you defiantly should know about.
1) If you want to play games, you may want a MacBook Pro. MacBooks are not able to process a whole lot of visuals. The MacBook’s video card is just not enough for a whole lot of games and you may be really disappointed when your favorite video game starts to lag as soon as it starts. All MacBook Pros can handle your games, whether they are PC virtualized games or native Mac games. For example, Diablo III…
2) If you want to virtualize Windows XP/Vista along with Mac OS X, you may want a MacBook Pro. Sometimes, it may be hard to have a virtual machine running along with Mac OS X. For one reason or another 2.5 or 2.6 GHz can really help everything run smoother.
3) If video editing is your job, you may want a MacBook Pro. I still believe that MacBooks can run Final Cut perfectly fine, but don’t get me wrong, you can always run it better. Final Cut Express and Pro are very different. Express can be run easily on a MacBook Pro, but Pro is a little different. Final Cut Studio comes not only with Final Cut Pro, but also Motion. You can only run about 1/3 of Motion’s filters on a MacBook, so it really is unusable. At the same time, it is mostly only professionals who use Motion. If spending $1000 more for a 2.6 Ghz machine for a little better performance is necessary for your job, a MacBook Pro may be the right computer for you. If you use Final Cut Pro for side jobs or just for fun, there is no reason you need to spend that kind of money.
In conclusion, I really think the MacBook has a ton more value than the MacBook Pro. It is sort of like Apple adds $500 just for that “pro” feel. I am still waiting for some necessary changes that I wrote about here. I think Apple really needs to rethink their notebook product line because I do not see a big enough difference between the two notebooks that makes me want to spend that extra money.
If you are deciding between a MacBook or MacBook Pro, I highly suggest a MacBook. Save your money and get a great, quality machine that will not disappoint you.
]]>
Just recently, Secure-Mac and Intego discovered two Mac trojans. This seems hard to believe since a lot of people always thought that Mac OS X is free of all viruses and Spyware, but this is not true. Mac OS X is surely a lot more secure than windows, but there are some flaws. This is why you always see Apple releasing security software updates. Mac OS X is much harder to infect with a virus, but it is definitely possible. There has just not been enough hackers out there to figure it out.
Secure-Mac discovered a virus called “AppleScript.THT Trojan Horse.”
The Trojan horse runs hidden on the system, and allows a malicious user complete remote access to the system, can transmit system and user passwords, and can avoid detection by opening ports in the firewall and turning off system logging. Additionally, the AppleScript.THT Trojan horse can log keystrokes, take pictures with the built-in Apple iSight camera, take screenshots, and turn on file sharing. The Trojan horse exploits a recently discovered vulnerability with the Apple Remote Desktop Agent, which allows it to run as root.
Yeah, thats one hell of a trojan… Let’s look at the one Intego found. The trojan disguises itself as “PokerGame”
The Trojan horse, when run, activates ssh on the Mac on which it is running, then sends the user name and password hash, along with the IP address of the Mac, to a server. It asks for an administrator’s password after displaying a dialog saying, “A corrupt preference file has been detected and must be repaired.” Entering the administrator’s password enables the program to accomplish its tasks. After gaining ssh access to a Mac, malicious users can attempt to take control of them, delete files, damage the operating system, or much more.
You have to say to yourself, how is this possible after so long that there has been no trojans or viruses? Is Leopard less secure? No, it’s even more secure than Tiger. How is it easier to make viruses for Macs? The answer is that it is not easier, it is just that there are more people to figure out Mac OS X’s flaws.
There is no OS in the world that is perfect. They all have hidden openings and flaws. Once all the hackers and virus makes get frustrated because no one is downloading their viruses, they will switch over and study Mac OS X. It’s only a matter of time until Apple has to really get serious about security on their operating system. With Snow Leopard coming out in about a year, supposedly having major security updates, maybe this will hold the hackers back a while.
As you can see, AppleScript is very dangerous, so you better start downloading your anti-virus now… I suggest ClamXav.
]]>
I am a long time Safari user, but after the FireFox 3 release, I have decided to switch over for a least a while. This is because of all the awesome new features that FireFox 3 has that make it a better browser than Safari. In this list, I will give you my 5 reasons why I switched to FireFox 3 and why you should too.
1) The Awesome Bar
Yes, that’s its real name. The Awesome Bar replaces the address bar because now… its awesome. Instead of a place to simply put address and show the progress of opening pages, it now automatically searches your history as you type. As simple as this seems, it’s actually extremely handy. Here is an example of the great things the Awesome bar does for you:
Lets say I want to go to my wp-admin page for my blog. Instead of actually typing in “http://www.gabejacobsblog.com/wp-admin/,” I can simply search “admin” and firefox will find it for me. You also notice that there is the same link under the first one. This is because the Awesome Bar also searches your bookmarks (site admin is one of my bookmarks) and the tags of your bookmarks. You will never need to type in a full address again with your new Awesome Bar, in FireFox 3.
2) The best pop-up blocker
Even though Safari has a good pop-up blocker, it is not nearly as good as FireFox’s. I don’t quite know why, but I do know that I get some pop-ups on Safari that I don’t get on FireFox. I value this a lot because I hate pop-ups! I am constantly contacting owners of sites that I view a lot and telling them to get rid of the pop-ups. Now, I don’t have to worry because I am confident FireFox will take care of them all. Mozilla has done a great job with the pop-up blocker.
3) Customization!!!
Can you say plugins! Can you say themes! This isn’t new, but when coming from Safari where there is almost no customization, it’s a big deal. I have already gotten used to searching for great plugins and themes. Here are the good ones I have found so far.
Plugins:
Themes:
- GrApple (the one I am using)
- myFireFox
- Aero Fox
- Aquatint Black
4) Safety
Even though I am not worried about viruses because I have a lovely Mac, I do worry about phishing. I am starting to use PayPal a lot more and online services that require me to put in my social security number. Because of this, I have to be really careful what where I am putting these things in. FireFox helps me with their new, anti-fraud system. Here is what I see when I go to PayPal, a secure site:
When I go to a risky site, FireFox will warn me before I can enter any secure information. Since FireFox has a good community, this is updated all the time with the right information. This will keep me safe from getting my identity stolen.
5) It is just as fast as Safari
I used to really feel that Safari was faster than FireFox, but FireFox 3 has changed my mind. I feel that with the new performance upgrades of FireFox 3, it is now just as fast as Safari. I cannot tell the difference when I use the two and since FireFox has so many more features, I am forced to use it. Some people will argue that FireFox is faster now, but to me they are exactly the same and if you only care about speed, either one would work fine.
Some new features that I love, but didn’t make it to the list are:
- Full Zoom
- One-Click Bookmarking
- Apple+Shift+T = Retrieve exited tap (love this!)
- New Password Manager
- New Original Theme
You see all the top features in this Mozilla screencast.I think you would love FireFox 3 so download it here:
The MacHeist II bundle was an amazing bargain. For $49 dollars, us users got 12 great apps including Pixelmator, Awaken, Coversutra, CssEdit, AppZapper and Snapz Pro X. Now that MacHeist has such a good reputation, everyone is just waiting to see what they will do the next time around. MacHeist III will probably hit sometime this year and I am even more excited then I was last time. Here is my wish list for MacHeist III. Note: this is a wish list and is not based on any rumors.
1. Coda
While Panic has been known not to like MacHeist, it is possible they will change their mind. If they do, I would love to see Coda get into the bundle. Coda is an all-in-one website editor. Coda is HTML/PHP/CSS editor and an FTP client bundled up into a beautiful package. If Coda was to make it into the bundle, it would be a locked at for sure
2. ScreenFlow
Another unlikely wish is ScreenFlow, the screen recording app that everyone has been talking about. I wrote a review about ScreenFlow a few months ago, praising it from top to bottom. It not only records your screen better than any app out, but has an amazing video editor for all of your Screen Casting needs. The problem is, ScreenFlow is $100 and that may be a little expensive for MacHeist.
3. Hazel
Hazel is a really sweet app for doing all of your Mac chores. There are so many amazing things Hazel can do, but my favorites are the simple ones. The simple ones including moving files around without having to manually tell it to. For example, setting any application in the Downloads folder to move to the Applications folder instantly. It just makes things a lot easier and I would love to see it in the bundle.
4. MarsEdit
Even though I already have MarsEdit, I think it would be a great app for the bundle. It is one of my favorite apps on my computer and I am sure everyones would love it just as much as I do. MarsEdit is a beautiful, convent blog editor that will make you want to never use an online bog editor again. Go here to see my full review on MarsEdit.
5. Things
Things is a beautiful task manager and it would be much better than the task manager in MacHeist II, Task Paper. There are a lot of task managers out there, such as Omnifocus, iGTD and Midnight, but I believe Things is by far the best. It is easy to use and learn, uses a system-wide quick entry which is really nice and has an amazing UI.
6. Picturesque
Picturesque is a great app for people who want to do simple things to make pictures look good. Examples could be, reflection, shadow, perspective, crops, backgrounds, etc. These are things that are easy to do without buying photoshop. It has a good interface and is easy to use. To me, this is the perfect app for MacHeist
Delicious Library 2 is a really innovative app. It allows users who have a large catalogue of movies, books, games, etc., to catalogue them on their computer. This would be horrible if you had to put in everything manually… thats where Delicious Library 2 shines. Delicious Library 2 has a built in bar code scanner using your isight camera. It will put in all the information for you allowing you to organize everything for your liking. Although I would have no use for Delicious Library 2, I know a lot of people would appreciate it being in the bundle.
Think 1Password (an app in MacHeist II) for your serials and licenses of your applications. License Keeper is great if you love shareware. It will keep all of your licenses save and stored away. It will automatically detect the license and import it for you just like 1Password. You can also export into XML or .txt for backup.
9. Candy Bar
Another Panic app, Candy Bar lets you customize your mac. You can change all of your Leopard icons to custom builds, change your dock color and style. It will also always let you revert to default making it safe to do what ever you want! Again, i don’t think Panic will do MacHeist, but if they do, it would be killer.
10. Times
Times is the new RSS reader that turns RSS into a newspaper. I did a review of this app a while ago and I had some problems with it. It had a lot of potential, but kept crashing whenever I tried to delete a page. I am not sure if it is different on other computers (I have a year old MacBook) so if it is I think it would be great for MacHeist. It created a lot of buzz when it came out and hopefully they can update it to stop the crashing.
Some apps I thought about putting on the wish list:
This is a WISH LIST. It would be a miracle if this were to be the actual list!
]]>