ios4 get latest from apple

No Comments »

No Comments »

First came the Bob Marley song, and then came the typography-related pun. But have you come across the iPhone game that takes the joke quite literally?

Shoot the Serif by London-based creative studio To The Point is a game that both designers and non-designers can enjoy. Similar in slant to Helvetica vs. Arial, Shoot the Serif has you shooting letters with serifs while sparing the sans-serif ones. In the off chance that you’re not familiar with the definition of a serif, it’s simply the slight extension of a stroke of a letter rendered in a serif typeface such as the widely used Times New Roman.

Hold it right there, serif!

Recently updated to improve its stability on iPhone 4S, Shoot the Serif has three difficulty levels: junior, middle-weight, and senior. Each level contains five stages and has its corresponding time limit and error margin. You get promoted to the next level upon finishing all stages in a level, except, of course, for the last level. In the senior level, you effectively beat the game as soon as you conquer all five stages. I should remind you, though, that doing so doesn’t make you a bona fide designer — unless you already are, that is.

Featuring different serif and sans-serif typefaces, Shoot the Serif is available for free in the App Store. If you somehow happen to be having trouble remembering the game’s basic rule, singing it is bound to do the trick: “I shot the serif … but I did not shoot the sans-serif.”

Via: DesignTAXI

• shoot the serif
• Helvetica vs. Arial

No Comments »

No Comments »

No Comments »

The multitasking tray in Apple’s iOS is great, but most people agree there’s room for improvement. Because of this, folks like Brent Caswell like to imagine ways the multitasking tray could be improved, and every now and then – if the concept is good enough – a jailbreak developer will bring the idea to life. This is the story behind Switchy, according to iDownloadBlog.

Switchy is a new jailbreak tweak that promises to greatly improve the multitasking tray, and this is what it does. Once downloaded and installed, the tray is transformed into a much wider space (as you can see in the above image), where users’ apps are displayed in a grid, rather than in a line. Because of this, apps in the multitasking area occupy fewer pages: you can see them all at a glance (or two), making the area much easier to navigate.

Just like in the original multitasking tray, in Switchy, you can swipe left to view music controls. A further swipe to the left allows users to access a shortcut for the Settings app, and a brightness toggle. Swiping over to the right reveals the app icons that are currently in the multitasking area.

If you’re not a fan of the multitasking tray in Apple’s iOS, consider taking Switchy for a spin. Currently, the tweak is available to purchase in the Cydia Store for .00. For more information, take a look at the video below.

Source: iDownloadBlog.

No Comments »

It was in February that we got our paws on the second update to FDG’s three-dimensional puzzler, Blueprint 3D. Today, the third major update to the game is now in the App Store, and it’s filled with an all new level pack.

From pianos and guitars to xylophones and zithers, this latest set of levels is all about instruments. Consisting of 36 total levels, the Instrument pack requires you to twist and turn schematics of an alphorn, kazoo, violin, bagpipes, and various other musical instruments in Normal, Advanced, or Pro difficulty. Your trophy for succeeding will be an electric guitar.

With 10 different level packs, plus the tutorial, it was getting a bit tedious to scroll through and select packages. So, FDG Entertainment has revised the level pack selection screen. Containing only small preview icons, the package name, and current star progress, the new grid view can display multiple packs in a single screen. Tap on a level pack to show the details, and then tap play to select a level.

Along with these additions, FDG has done some maintenance for stability and more.

Blueprint 3D is designed for iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 3.1 or later, and available in the App Store for .99. Blueprint 3D HD is compatible with iPad running iOS 3.2 or later, and available in the App Store for .99.

• Blueprint 3D
• Blueprint 3D HD

No Comments »

Following the big VNC Viewer v2.0 update in November 2011, RealVNC has fixed several issues and made small alterations to features.

Before we get into the latest update details, we’ll do a quick recap of v2.0.1 and v2.0.2, released mid-December and late January. The updates primarily focus on correcting problems, but do add one feature: logging. Logging is enabled within the VNC Viewer pane of the iOS Settings, and logs can be exported using iTunes File Sharing.

All changes for the two updates are listed below:

• Connection information can now be logged to files available when a device connects to iTunes.
• The VNC Viewer version number is now available from Settings > VNC Viewer.
• FIXED: Connections to VNC Free Edition or to community VNC-compatible Server projects are now more reliable.
• FIXED: The performance of VNC Viewer has been improved across slower networks.
• FIXED: VNC Viewer now enables you to control the mouse cursor more responsively.
• FIXED: VNC Viewer no longer unexpectedly terminates a connection on switch back in.
• FIXED: Connections from iPhone 3G devices no longer occasionally fail.
• FIXED: Splitting the iPad virtual keyboard no longer disables the toolbar.

 
With all of that out of the way, we move onto v2.0.3. Released earlier today, this latest update adds support for the third generation iPad’s Retina display, adds a toolbar hiding gesture, and includes some keyboard label modifications.

Streamlined in the v2.0 update, the toolbar would automatically hide when no input was detected. This was nice, though it appears users wanted an option to pin the bar open. As a result, RealVNC has added a pin to the left of the keyboard show and hide button. This pin enables or disables the auto hide feature. To show the toolbar while it’s hidden, use a three finger downward swipe on the iPad or a single finger upward swipe when using an iPhone or iPod touch.

As for the keyboard, certain labels have been changed to help stay consistent with other keyboards. More specifically, keys such as shift, tab, and option now have the familiar symbols instead of the function written in text.

The final mention in the v2.0.3 update description deals with connectivity. Noted as a fix, RealVNC states that setting the Picture Quality setting to “Let the computer decide” within the Viewer app increases reliability when connecting to certain third-party and community VNC servers. The Picture Quality setting can be accessed by tapping on the Info “i” or Options “>” for a connection bookmark.

As a reminder, you’ll need VNC hosting software on computers to use VNC Viewer for iOS. RealVNC offers VNC Free Edition for basic connectivity to systems running UNIX flavors or Windows XP and older, VNC Personal Edition for users who want more capabilities and need compatibility with systems running newer versions of Windows, and VNC Enterprise Edition for consumers interested in the most features and need Mac OS X compatibility. An alternate method for Mac OS X is to enable the built-in Screen Sharing function and then log in using your Mac OS X account credentials, though this method isn’t encrypted.

VNC Viewer is a universal app compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch running iOS 4.0 or later, and available in the App Store for .99.

• VNC Viewer

No Comments »

No Comments »

No Comments »