If you’re a Douglas Adams fan, there’s a point fairly early on during iPhone ownership where you realise that you’re holding in your hands the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which is a nugget of information that hits you suddenly, rather like having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon, wrapped around a large

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Section: Software + Apps , Miscellaneous , Third-Party , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Mac + Computers , Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for October 13, 2009: Macintosh Emmy Award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc. has announced that its entire line of products is compatible with Snow Leopard, Apple’s latest operating system for Mac. All software for kids, home users and professionals were thoroughly tested and proved to be running smoothly on the new operating system. Only Toon Boom Studio and its plug-in required a new build which is available to all Studio 5 customers. Severn Software Limited has released That Tune 1.1 for Mac OSX. That Tune is a customizable way of showing what song iTunes is playing. Unique to That Tune is that it can make any screen saver show iTunes songs. In addition, That Tune will play iTunes songs as Alarm. That Tune will pop up a configurable notification window on the screen. There is no need to CMD-TAB back to iTunes to see what is playing. Yummy Software has announced Yummy FTP 1.8 , their popular FTP client for Mac OS X. Version 1.8 gains over 30 new features and enhancements as well as full Snow Leopard compatibility. Built as native Mac OS X software from the ground up, Yummy FTP was designed with the goal of providing a reliable, powerful, yet easy to use file transfer utility. Since its release, Yummy FTP has gained a reputation for being the fastest, most reliable, and most flexible FTP client available. Maintain has announced Cocktail 4.5.2 (Snow Leopard Edition), the latest maintenance update of Cocktail for users running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

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It’s time to take a look at my recommendations for the iPhone, hand-picked from the week’s App Store releases. This week I’ve been looking at Gomi, Ustream 3GS Recorder, Simon the Sorcerer and Minigore. Gomi ($1.99) I’ve been waiting for Gomi for what seems like an absolute age now. The game’s developer, Bovine Dragon, is a regular tweeter and so when I woke up this morning to read that Gomi had finally been approved by Apple and released to the App Store, without even rolling out of bed, I immediately purchased the app. I’ve mentioned it a few times over the past few months, but to recap over the premise, the game blends Katamari Damacy object-rolling with planet hopping à la Mario Galaxy. The graphics are so lo-fi they look to be drawn using MS Paint on an old IBM running Windows ‘98. It’s charming, fun from the start and really easy to get to grips with. Plus, for two bucks you get over 140 levels, eight minigames and loads of achievements and unlockables. Ustream 3GS Recorder (Free) We’re going to start seeing more apps that are exclusive to the iPhone 3GS as the weeks roll, on and Ustream 3GS Recorder is most definitely one of them. The app makes use of the iPhone 3GS’s video functionality, enabling you to record video on the fly.

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Section: Software + Apps , Games , Mac + Computers , Software It’s a rare moment these days when I get to talk to about Mac games. As major Mac game publishers continue to fade into the ether or shift their focus to the iPhone, Mac gaming has found itself in a rut nearly as deep the one from which we barely escaped in the late 90s. But a few companies have recently thrown us a rope in the form of new product releases or major announcements. Do the names Warhammer, Sid Meier, and Star Wars mean anything to you? On July 30th, Mythic Entertainment (an Electronic Arts Inc. studio) announced they’re bringing the critically acclaimed MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning to the Mac. The game is currently being offered in beta, and the final Mac version of WAR is scheduled for official release in the fall of 2009, when players on both Mac and PC will be able to battle and quest together on the same servers. The beta of the Mac version of Warhammer Online will allow current players to download a client to their Mac computers and play with their live game accounts. Players who do not have an existing live account, but are interested in playing WAR on the Mac, will be able to participate in the beta version of WAR on Mac by downloading a 10-day beta trial account.  As part of the WAR Mac beta event, players who participate will receive an exclusive title and trophy reward for their characters within the game. The beta version of WAR for Mac and a 10-day beta trial is available now . Not available now in final or beta form is LucasArts’ Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , coming to PC and Mac gamers this fall from Aspyr.

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If you look at the amount of advertising out there these days, you’d think the Mac vs. PC war is a mere slap fight compared to the war being raged for your data backups. They want your data, and they want it now! In one corner you have Mozy , which shares corporate DNA with former Mac backup champion, Retrospect. In the other corner is Carbonite , which began supporting the Mac this year. Mozy had almost a 2-year head start on Carbonite, but the software race doesn’t always go to the first one out of the gate. I gave both products an intense 3-month test. Which one deserves your data? Read on.

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Outside of the iPhone brouhaha, much of the buzz at WWDC today has been about whether the system-level support for Microsoft Exchange e-mail and calendaring in OS X Snow Leopard and various encryption options for Mac and iPhone would finally allow Apple to make serious in-roads in corporate America. Well, at least if corporate IT guys will give them a chance, that is. In spite of Lonnie’s optimism , I think Apple is just as far today from mainstream adoption in big business as it was yesterday and pretty much every day of its entire history. As I’ve written before, the Steves founded Apple in large part because they thought that the IBMs and HPs of the world were holding back the potential of computers to transform our society. Consequently, the organization’s entire self-image and frame of reference over time has been that big business is all too willing to adopt mediocre technologies based solely on a reputation for reliability. Macs have long provided superior tools for creative endeavors like graphic design and video editing, which is why Macs have a huge niche in corporate marketing departments, but the same can’t be said for other business pursuits. Apple has a huge opportunity right now to make serious in-roads in the enterprise market while corporations resist upgrading to Windows Vista and don’t yet know whether or not they can trust Windows 7. But Apple won’t make big gains unless they take more drastic measures, three of which I outline below. Bear in mind, I’m not saying this is what Apple should do, just that this is what it would take to succeed in business. Start making cheap computers with standardized parts. From the early 1990s until the sale to Lenovo, IBM’s ThinkPad line of notebooks defined the look, feel and attitude of computers for business. They were black, rugged, and nearly identical in industrial design. A machine from 1999 looked pretty much the same as one from 2003.

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Filed under: Gaming , Apple , iPhone , App Store , iPod touch EA brought a few iPhone games to the show in Los Angeles this week — first up, we got a look at the Mass Effect entry for the iPhone , recently titled Mass Effect Galaxy . The game takes place in the same universe as the popular console game (and its sequel), but it focuses around a separate, non-customizable hero named Jacob Taylor. And while the game was designed by Bioware, it plays very differently from the regular console versions. It’s much more action-based, and while it does tell a pretty enticing story, it’s much less of an RPG. While Mass Effect played as a third-person shooter, Mass Effect Galaxy actually goes with a top-down view, and takes basic aiming controls out of your hands completely. Instead, you send the main character running around the map with the accelerometer, and he aims and fires at enemies for you. Along the side edge of the touchscreen are your bionic abilities, and you can throw them in as you fight, but mostly, the game is just about navigating Jacob behind cover by tilting the accelerometer. Continue reading TUAW at E3: Mass Effect Galaxy on the iPhone TUAW at E3: Mass Effect Galaxy on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . TUAW at E3: Mass Effect Galaxy on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

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Sure the Command Line can be confusing and even a but scary, but every once in a while, it gives the world something magical with very little effort on the end user’s part. Started in July 1997 , the ASCII version of Star Wars: A New Hope is a great way to kill time and remind yourself that if you put your mind to something, you can do anything.  read more

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App Quick Stats The Void $2.99 iTunes Link An epic RPG has arrived on the iPhone, featuring battles, leveling up, upgradeable weapons and online features. Forget goblins and warlocks though, The Void takes the adventure to the final frontier. The gaming section of the App Store has been subject to a serious cute overdose as of late, with Rolando , Topple and even Zombieville USA leading the colorful pack. Now it’s time for everything to get a little darker — a little more Star Wars Episode II — with the release of The Void. Beaming down to the App Store, The Void is an RPG that aims to blend traditional leveling up with Asteroid-esque space combat. Launch Configuration Before even purchasing your first ship, you’ll discover that the instructions are bewildering, and the size of the soon-to-be-conquered galaxy, overwhelming. This blend of information and visual overdose culminates in the idea that you’re about to delve into an epic adventure. In fact, it’s a multisense overdose as the music — a sci-fi soundtrack featuring ’80s-esque sweeping orchestral synthesis — instantly sets the scene. While the in-game sounds are somewhat lacking, the music is to be applauded, as it draws the player in and intensifies the atmosphere. Flight Path Jumping into a battle and making your way across the galaxy requires a ship and considerable weaponry. The game hub is where all of the planning, purchasing and managing occurs. The hub is broken down into four sections: Galaxy Map, Weapons, Equipment and Shipyard. The Galaxy Map provides access to different areas of The Void’s sprawling world. The galaxy is, however, separated into stages that need to be completed in order to advance. As such, it’s worth noting that The Void is not free-roaming, à la Elite, but takes a more traditional, non-RPG approach.

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We warned you that this day was coming (OK we were actually off by one day, but that only means you had more time to buy that coveted All-American Rejects track), and now it’s here: Apple has finally made good on their promise to introduce variable track pricing in the iTunes store. Songs now range from 69 cents to $1.29, with most still occupying the 99-cent mid-point that, up until today, was the only price tag available. The pricing change just feels weird, but that’s probably because I’m so used to the old ways. For instance, I clicked on a Lady Gaga album (not because I was keen on buying it, honest) and saw that of the 14 tracks available for individual purchase, seven cost 99 cents and seven cost $1.29. I’m not really familiar enough with Lady Gaga’s career to say, but I suspect the higher-priced songs are singles or popular club songs. If you buy the whole album, you still pay only $9.99. Conversely, Flo Rida’s latest CD is $11.99, and every track costs $1.29 individually. While examples of $1.29 songs are plentiful and hard to miss, I failed to locate even a single 69-cent song, despite checking Weird Al Yankovich’s back catalog and looking through a number of albums priced under $6.99.

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