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NOOK App Now Available for Android

Carter Sprunger — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:00:26 +0000

Already available many other mobile platforms, Barnes and Noble’s eReader application has finally come to Android devices. The free eReader application, branded as NOOK for Android, grants Android users access to more than one million digital titles. It also offers the unique ability to share eBooks with friends.

Barnes and Noble entered the eReader market with its NOOK. After providing versions of its eReader software for Apple iOS 4 devices, the iPad, Blackberries, PCs, and Macs, the company has finally released a version for devices running Google’s Android operating system. As this application is called NOOK for Android, other Barnes & Noble eReader software will follow suit in future updates to reflect the NOOK brand.

NOOK for Android brings many of the features found on the company’s dedicated eReader, the NOOK, to devices running Android OS 1.6 and higher. Users can shop Barnes & Noble’s eBook library, using either the NOOK or their Android device, as books sync between all of the user’s devices. Users can customize text with many font styles and sizes. Other NOOK for Android features include:

Easy-to-use navigation bar
Landscape and portrait modes
Graphical page turns
Access to your personal B&N digital library
Pick up where you left off

A feature that the NOOK for Android app has that the Amazon Kindle and Apple iBook apps lack is the ability to lend eBooks to friends. LendMe technology allows users to share eligible eBooks with friends for up to 14 days. The friend can view the eBook on a NOOK eReader, Android device, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC, or Mac with B&N eReader software.

NOOK for Android is currently available for all devices running Android OS 1.6 or higher. For information on Barnes & Noble eReader software for other devices, click here.

How To Install:

Click the “Market” icon on your Android device.
Select the search icon and enter “NOOK” in the search bar. Select the “NOOK for Android” app.
Select “Install” on the app download page.
Once the app is installed, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your BN.com account

Via Engadget

How to Choose the Right Mac for College

Carter Sprunger — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:00:53 +0000

Apple is becoming increasingly popular with the college crowd. If you are thinking about getting a Mac for college, there are many things to consider in choosing the right computer.

With the Macbook being the most popular Mac of all time, it’s no wonder that this is the first choice among college students today. For those of you wanting a little bit more computing power, or just a more durable, stylish look, the MacBook Pro is another viable option for college students.

MacBook

MacBook Pro

First, assess how much you are willing or able to pay. Apple gives students $50 off MacBooks and up to $200 off MacBook Pro models when the educational discount is applied. For more information on how to get Apple’s Education pricing, as well as all of Apple’s other back to school promotions, visit our Ultimate Apple Back to School promotions list.

If you are on the fence about getting a laptop or a desktop, take into consideration how much you will be traveling, whether that be to class or back home for the weekend. Sure, the iMac may offer more value when looking at sheer computing power, but you can’t just throw your iMac in your backpack and make a presentation in class.

How do you decide whether you should stick with the basic MacBook, or upgrade to the MacBook Pro?

This may come down to personal preference. The MacBook offers the computing power and features that should suffice for pretty much any college student. However, for $150 more, the MacBook Pro offers an extra 2GB of RAM, a more durable, eye-catching look, a backlit keyboard, an all glass display, an SD card slot, and a FireWire 800 port. It very well may be worth the extra cash to upgrade to a MacBook Pro especially when you consider the harsh college environment and demands of college life. The MacBook Pro’s Aluminum body can withstand a bit more abuse and the backlit keyboard is perfect for all the late nights writing papers. If you need more help deciding on which notebook to go with, MacRumors has an excellent guide spelling out all of the features and prices of the MacBook family. Apple also has a very straightforward comparison page that lets you see the specs of all of the Mac models side by side.

One thing to consider in buying your new Mac is that customizing a Mac on Apple’s website may be more cost efficient than going to an Apple Store and purchasing one there. For example, if you are looking for the anti-glare screen option on an entry level 15″ MacBook Pro, you will most likely pay a premium in store because that option is only put on the higher end pre-configured MacBook Pros kept in stock instead of the $135 cost you’ll find online. If you are looking for a 15″ MacBook Pro with an anti-glare screen, you would be better off ordering it online so you don’t pay for options you don’t need or want. Sure, you may have to wait a few days or even a few weeks, but the money saved is well worth the wait.

Glossy Display (left) and Anti-Glare (right)

Alternatively, check out your college or university’s bookstore. Many schools offer significant deals on Macs, some even better than what Apple offers with their educational discount. Look into this as a possibility, especially if you will be attending a large University.

Another thing to consider is that your new Mac probably won’t last you the entirety of your college career. Don’t select the highest end MacBook Pro thinking that you will save yourself money in the end. Buy for your current needs instead of what you think you will need in a few years. Two years into school, you may take a Graphic Design course and find out that your Mac has been rendered obsolete and can’t run the appropriate software as well as it should. Mac product life cycles have a frequent refresh rate, seeing an updated model every year, if not twice a year. Instead of pricing yourself into a hole, stick with the basic MacBook, low-end 13″ MacBook Pro or whichever larger MacBook Pro meets your needs and budget. After a few years if you see that you need more power or storage, look into getting a new Mac.

Got your Mac all picked out? Head on over to our Ultimate Apple Back to School promotions list to see how to get the most savings with your new Mac purchase.

iWork Apps for iPhone Soon to Become Reality

Carter Sprunger — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:00:02 +0000

Rumors have surfaced of Apple creating iWork apps for the iPhone. Now, with screenshots to prove it, it looks as though the rumors may be true.

Apple iWork is a collection of productivity software, similar to Microsoft Office. The iWork collection includes Pages (for word processing), Numbers (spreadsheets), and Keynote (presentations). Until recently, iWork was only available for Mac computers. Then, Apple released the iWork suite for iPad. Now it looks like iWork’s functionality will be brought to the iPhone.

Earlier this month, Apple posted a picture with an iPhone screen reading “Open in Keynote”. Though the picture was quickly replaced, it was pretty clear that Apple had a plan for iWork applications on the iPhone. Apple still has not released iWork for iPhone yet, but 9 to 5 Mac has posted 12 screenshots of Pages for iPhone. For the full gallery of pictures, visit 9 to 5 Mac’s iWork for iPhone post.

As the screenshots suggest, it looks as though the iWork suite may be available for iPod Touch users as well. Since iWork for iPhone has not been officially released yet, no information on price or release date have been given, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see iWork for iPhone arrive before students go back to school.

Via Wired, 9 to 5 Mac

How To Transform Your Favorite Websites Into Mac Desktop Apps

Carter Sprunger — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:00:05 +0000

Ever get annoyed with switching through tabs in your web browser or creating multiple browser windows to keep track of your favorite websites? Fluid, a free application for Macs, allows you to turn those websites into desktop applications that sit on your Mac’s dock or in the menu bar, sort of like apps on an iPhone.

Fluid is a freeware application for Macs that allows the creation of Site Specific Browsers (SSB). Basically, SSBs create a simplified browsing experience by eliminating menus, toolbars, and anything else that is external to the workings of a specific website, like Facebook or Gmail. This is particularly useful when trying to keep children from straying away from safe websites. Also, I know my grandparents struggle with browsing the web. Creating simple, specific apps for their frequently used websites could keep them from getting lost.

In this how-to guide, I will show you, step-by-step, how to create your very own applications, based on your favorite websites. The website I will be creating an app for is Facebook. Note that Steps 2-5 are shown in video form at the end of this article.

Step 1 Download Fluid for your Mac

Visit Fluid’s Website and click on the “Free Download ” button, located on the right side of the page. Your download manager should pop-up and begin the download.

Locate the Fluid application in your downloads folder. Open up a second Finder window and drag Fluid from the downloads window to the Applications folder to the second Finder window.

Step 2 Create an Application

Open Fluid from your Applications folder.
When Fluid opens, enter the URL of the website you want to create an application for.

Give it a name.
Select where you would like the application to be stored. By default, Fluid will save your app to your Applications folder.
By default, Fluid retrieves the website’s icon (if available). If the icon is really grainy, or you just want a different icon, you can search for one at iconsPedia, or create your own and select the file under “Other…”. For this example, I left the Facebook icon as the default “Use Website Favicon”.
Once everything is set to how you would like it, click “Create”.
If it was successful, the following options appear. “Reveal in Finder” will take you to where the application is stored. Clicking “OK” will allow you to create another application. “Launch Now” will launch your newly created application.

Step 3 Use Your New Application

If you are not set-up to be automatically logged in, your Facebook application will look like this:

Once you enter your log-in information your application will sign you in as normal, giving you the full functionality that you would find visiting Facebook through your web browser.

If you would like to keep this application in your dock, right-click the application icon in the dock and select Options > “Keep in Dock”.

(Optional) Step 4 Install UserScripts

Certain websites have UserScripts that you can download and install in your new app. These UserScripts allow you to add badge updates, Growl notifications, and a lot more. For full functionality, Userscripts.org recommends that you download the Firefox browser and GreaseMonkey. For the sake of time, I will be using Apple’s Safari, though not all UserScripts are written for Safari.

With your created application open, click on the scroll icon in the menu bar.
Select “Browse Userscripts.org…”

In the window that pops up, search the name of the website your application is based on. For example, I searched “Facebook”.

A list of the available UserScripts for that website will appear. To install one, click the name of the UserScript. For this example, I’m installing the “Facebook – Photo Rollover” script.
Click the Green Install Button.

This window should pop up, in which you click “Install”.

Quit the application and relaunch it.
The new UserScript should now work. Even in Safari, the Facebook – Photo Rollover works as described.
To manage your UserScripts, click the scroll in the menu bar > “Manage Userscripts…” Here, UserScripts can be added, edited, or deleted.

(Optional) Step 5 Convert to Menu Bar App

If you want, you have the option of putting the application in your Mac’s menu bar, allowing easier access.

Open your newly created application (Facebook).
Click “Facebook” in the menu bar.
Click “Convert to MenuExtra SSB…”

Click OK to the Prompt asking if you really want to do that.
A Facebook icon will appear in your menu bar. When clicked, the Facebook application will drop down. You can resize the window that drops down by dragging the bottom left corner.

If you would like to convert the menu bar app back to a normal app, right-click the menu bar icon.
Select “Convert to Normal Application…”
Click “OK” to the pop-up confirming that you want to Convert the MenuExtra SSB back to a Normal Application. Note that you can only do one, or the other. You cannot have a normal application AND a menu bar application, UNLESS you create two separate applications for the same website.

Video Tutorial of Steps 2-5

(less a few minor sub-steps)

Be sure to watch this in either 720P or 1080P so that the text and icons are readable. Note: When the Facebook – Photo Rollover UserScript is installed, mine says Override because I had already installed it. Yours should say Install.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In addition to creating a Facebook application, like I did, Fluid can be to create many other useful website-based applications. A few ideas to get you started are Gmail, YouTube, and Pandora. Let your imagination run wild and have fun feeling like a computer programmer while you create your very own applications for Mac OS X.

Sprint Rolls Out Dual-Mode 3G/4G USB Mobile Modem

Carter Sprunger — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:30:47 +0000

Not too long ago, Clearwire announced their 3G/4G USB Mobile Modem, and their plans to put WiMax 4G connections in all Intel Core notebooks sold at Best Buy. Sprint is hot on their trail and has just announced its own WiMAX 3G/4G USB WWAN modem.

Allowing users to get online at the fastest speeds mobile devices are offered, the new 3G/4G dual-mode WWAN stick, manufactured by Sierra Wireless, is currently only available through Business Direct and Business Solutions Partners. Full availability is expected to come mid-July.

What makes this new modem more special than other WiMAX enabled modem in Sprint’s line-up? This USB modem, like the similar one sold by CLEAR, is compatible with Mac OS X (in addition to Windows-based), the operating system found on all Apple computers. The In addition to the Mac compatibility, the Sprint 3G/4G dual-mode WWAN modem has dual antennas, giving you more reception wherever you go. The advantage of a 3G/4G modem over just a 4G modem is that you can use 3G reception wherever Sprint’s 4G signals are not available.

The new USB modem is free after $50 mail-in rebate with the purchase of a two-year contract. $59.99 a month will get you unlimited 4G data and 5GB of 3G data.

Via Engadget and MobileCrunch

CLEAR Adds New 4G/3G Dongle for Mac, Two New Modems

Carter Sprunger — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:00:14 +0000

CLEAR, a mobile internet provider, has just released a new 4G/3G USB Modem for Macs, enabling 4G and 3G coverage for Mac products. In addition, the company also released some new WiFi/4G hot spot sticks. All of these new devices enable unlimited data use, with data plans starting at $30 a month.

Despite mobile providers, such as AT&T, nixing the whole idea of unlimited data, CLEAR has decided to continue to offer their unlimited data plans. In support of their unlimited data plans, they released a Mac compatible CLEAR Spot 4G+ Mobile USB Modem, allowing everyone with a Mac to surf and download at 4G speeds without limits. Clearly, this could be rough on AT&T, as well as other providers, as they will probably see many of their mobile broadband customers looking to Clearwire for better, faster data plans on notebook devices. The CLEAR 4G+Mobile USB Modem is priced at $115.

Mac-Compatible CLEAR Spot 4G+ Mobile USB Modem

In addition to the new Mac-compatible 4G/3G USB Modem, CLEAR also announced new WiFi/4G hot spot sticks. The CLEAR Spot 4G is priced at $100 and the CLEAR Spot 4G+ comes in at $225. The difference between the two is that the CLEAR Spot 4G+ can use 3G signals when 4G is not present, where as the CLEAR Spot 4G can only use 4G signals. This could be an issue if you are not near a larger city where 4G coverage is available. You can pre-order these two devices on CLEAR’s website.

CLEAR Spot 4G

CLEAR Spot 4G+

Both the CLEAR Spot 4G and 4G+ will be available in July. The Mac-compatible 4G/3G Mobile USB Modem is available today. Visit these links for the CLEAR Coverage Map, as well as data plan prices.

Via Gizmodo

How to Watch World Cup Soccer on Your PC, Mac or Mobile Device

Kevin Purcell — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:36:04 +0000

My boys and I love soccer. It is the one sport everybody in our family has played on an organized level. So when the World Cup comes along we get pretty excited. The only problem is that with the time difference between North Carolina and South Africa means we can’t always sit in front of a TV to watch them. Many of the games will be live during the work day. That’s where the Internet and mobile devices can play a big role in keeping up with the tournament.

So how can American Soccer fans watch games, or at least track their progress during work hours?

It all starts with FIFA.com, the official site of the soccer tournament. This web site has comprehensive coverage of the news surrounding the tournament and highlights of the games. There are videos of the pre-tournament press conferences up already. There will be video highlights of the games once they get under way as well. There is a mobile version of the site located at m.fifa.com. The mobile site is mostly limited to news, highlights and live scores.

ESPN and ABC have the US broadcast rights this year. They also have an iPhone app that shows you the live game scoring, tournament info and brackets, and video highlights of all 32 teams in the tournament. The free version gives you scores and schedules. To get some of the cooler features you have to upgrade for a $7.99 in app purchase. This gives live audio, in game video highlights, text of the play-by-play commentary, and push alerts for all of the games. It also has Facebook integration if you want to inform your Friends or do a little online bragging or crying about your team.

The ESPN app isn’t the the only game in town for iPhone apps. Mashable has a list of the top 6 iPhone World Cup apps. The ESPN app is included but click to see the other five.

If you are on a Mac, you can add the dashboard widget 2010 FIFA World Cup.

All of this is interesting, but what a real soccer fan wants is the games. You can view them on ABC and ESPN on your TV, but on the road that may not be possible. So ESPN is offering what they call GameCast via their SoccerNet World Cup 2010 site. Unfortunately for iPhone and iPad users the site requires Adobe Flash. So bring along your notebook if you want to watch online. Android users should be all set.

If you are running some version of the Android OS, there are apps for you. BestAndroidAppReview.com has a couple listed. Not sure about their quality, but the site says they have schedules, news, and team info. The app will also remind you when your chosen games are starting. You can get real-time scores sent to you and other things including when goals are scored or when a team has a substitution. It too has Facebook integration.

This World Cup will be the most digital friendly in history. “Things have changed utterly,” said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN Digital Media. ”This is going to be the biggest and most powerful demonstration of this, and it’s just the start,” Kosner said. “It’s the play book, it’s the blueprint for what’s coming.”

Another option is to connect a SlingBox to your home television set and network. A SlingBox lets you take your home TV channels on the go, including ESPN if you’re a subscriber. SlingBoxes can be accessed from any PC or Mac, iPhone, iPad or BlackBerry.

If you are a soccer fan, you will have plenty of digital tools to follow the World Cup no matter what platform you use.

Steam on Mac Tested

Kevin Purcell — Tue, 18 May 2010 00:04:06 +0000

One of the arguments that PC fans have been throwing in the face of Mac users is the lack of gaming support. Then Steam announced a Mac version. Suddenly one of the biggest arguments is gone. Or is it?

Image source: Tom’s Hardware

Tom’s Hardware put the new version of Steam through the paces and found that it is somewhat lacking, but usable. As they point out, porting the gaming store/platform to the Mac had some big obstacles. Most PC games are made for Windows and thus take advantage of PC specific hardware like DirectX video cards. Steam is still working on the platform with multiple updates since its release just last week.

So what is the verdict? Not great. Testing the game Portal on both versions produced a 2 to 1 ratio in favor of the Windows based Steam running on a MacBook Pro. On a Hackintosh (a PC with a hacked version of Mac OSX running on it) the difference is not nearly as pronounced, but still convincing. The PC version of Steam is much faster at this early stage.

Despite this the folks at Tom’s Hardware consider the Mac version playable. You can get all the details by following the link above to Tom’s.

Steam for Mac Released; Free Portal

Josh Smith — Thu, 13 May 2010 01:02:03 +0000

Great news for gamers with Mac’s; Valve has finally released Steam for Mac — and as an added bonus they are including a free download of the hit game Portal through May 24th.

Steam is a game download service which offers easy access to many popular games and now with a Mac version users can purchase a game once and play it on both platforms as part of SteamPlay. Not all titles are currently part of SteamPlay, but more will be added each Wednesday as Valve ramps up Steam for Mac.

There are currently 57 games available on Steam for Mac:

And Yet It Moves
Atlantis Sky Patrol
Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
Bob Came in Pieces
Bookworm Deluxe
Braid
Brainpipe
Chocolatier: Decadence by Design
Chuzzle Deluxe
City of Heroes: Architect Edition
Civilization IV: The Complete Edition
Cooking Dash
Diaper Dash
The Dig
Diner Dash: Hometown Hero
DinerTown Detective Agency
DinerTown Tycoon
Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child
Escape Rosecliff Island
Fairway Solitaire
Fitness Dash
Football Manager 10
Galcon Fusion
Gemini Lost
Guns of Icarus
Hotel Dash Suite Success
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
KrissX
Loom
Luxor
Luxor 3
Luxor: Mahjong
Machinarium
Mahjong Roadshow
Max and the Magic Marker
My Tribe
The Nightshift Code
Nightshift Legacy: The Jaguar’s Eye
Parking Dash
Peggle Deluxe
Peggle Nights
Portal
Professor Fizzwizzle and the Molten Mystery
Quantz
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse
Tales of Monkey Island Season 1
Toki Tori
Torchlight
Trijinx: A Kristine Kross Mystery
Unwell Mel
Valarie Porter and the Scarlett Scandal
Wandering Willows
Wedding Dash 2: Rings Around the World
World of Goo
Zenerchi
Zuma Deluxe

Valve opens up Steam to run on Macs

Amy — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:07:53 +0000

Good news for all of the Mac gamers out there. It looks like Valve Software, the company behind the Steam game distribution engine, is finally coming to the Mac platform. There has always been a complaint about gaming on the Mac platform. None of the major game companies design for the platform. The game choices have always been limited. Even now with all of the online gaming, there is still a limited number available for play on a Mac system.

Right now, there is a closed beta going on for Steam on the Mac, and according to MacRumors, here is what is going on behind beta closed doors:

Reports confirm previous claims that Steam and the Source gaming engine will run natively on Mac OS X using OpenGL instead of relying on a wrapper such as Cider to translate the Windows versions to Mac. That commitment and designation of Mac OS X as a “Tier-1 Platform” offer evidence that Valve is seeking to make the Mac gaming experience as equal to the Windows experience as possible.

Steam itself will also be Intel-only and require Mac OS X Leopard, although individual games may require newer versions of Mac OS X. Reports also indicate that systems using Intel’s X3100 or 900-series integrated graphics will not be supported for Source-based games, although testers have been able to get the Mac version of Portal running at 10-15 frames per second on lowest settings on these systems.

Other details coming out of the beta testing are confirmation regarding Steam Play, which will allow users to purchase a game only once and play it on multiple systems, as well as corroboration that Windows and Mac users will play on the same servers with the ability to join the same lobbies.

Here is some video on what Steam for Mac will look like:
The following games have been confirmed for Mac:

Counter-Strike (presumably Source)
“The Half-Life Series”
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead 2
Portal
Portal 2 (upcoming)
Team Fortress 2

There’s currently no release date set for the Steam on Mac, but we’ve been told that an open beta take place before the actual launch, so expect that to happen first.

UPDATE: Valve Software announced Steam on Mac due May 12, 2010.