Category Archives: Tutorials

Review: DevonAgent Pro 3.5 a powerful search engine and browser combo

Posted on May 16, 2013 by admin

Back in 2008 when I last reviewed DevonAgent (version 2.3), I said this unique application had powerful research capabilities but was less successful at being a day-to-day Web browser. Now, many revisions later, this app (now called DevonAgent Pro ) has matured and improved considerably, so I went back for another look. DevonAgent Pro’s main function is to search for information on the Internet—but not just from a single search engine such as Google. DevonAgent Pro can collect data from all the major search engines as well as from dozens of specialized sources, such as USA.gov (government data; formerly called FirstGov), Lexis Web (legal data), MedlinePlus (medical data), Scirus (scientific data), the U.S. Patent Office, various online libraries, and so on, not to mention Facebook and Twitter. You start a search by selecting or creating a Search Set, which tells DevonAgent Pro where to search and what to look for. The Search Set can include Boolean operators (AND, OR, XOR, NOT), proximity terms (BEFORE, AFTER, NEAR), and wildcards; it can also specify whether and how deeply to follow links, whether to search inside documents such as PDF and Microsoft Word, and how to present the results (for example, displaying only images or audio files). Besides filtering the search results according to your preferences, DevonAgent Pro ranks all the results in order of relevance and provides a brief summary of each one. You can construct fabulously complex searches in DevonAgent Pro; the results include a relevance list, a map of connected topics, and page summaries. A search might take anywhere from seconds to hours, depending on how thorough you want a given search to be. But searches can run unattended on a schedule, and can even look for only newly added items since the last search. You can ask DevonAgent Pro to cache all downloaded pages (optionally clearing that cache—which can become quite large—when you quit), and you can also archive any search results within DevonAgent Pro or in DevonThink Pro , the document management app from the same developer. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Continue reading →

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Review: For charting data, Chartsmith is capable but outdated

Posted on May 14, 2013 by admin

Chartsmith is a Mac app designed to do one thing, and only one thing: make charts. If your charting needs are casual and infrequent, this is not the app for you; you’ll be more than happy using Numbers, Excel, or any other spreadsheet to create the occasional chart. Conversely, you’d assume that if your chart needs are serious and frequent, Chartsmith would be the app to use, right? The answer to that question, unfortunately, isn’t an automatic yes. Launching Chartsmith is a bit like stepping into a time machine: Chartsmith’s interface seems dated, with a two-window setup (plus a nearly-required Inspector window), a drawer for chart notes, and an odd toolbar-like thing that floats next to the chart window, yet is attached (with a delay) when you move the chart window around. Although everything works, there is a learning curve, and there’s this general feeling that the interface is out of date. The flashback extends to the tutorials, too. Remember Aqua’s stripes and bright blue 3D-esque tab buttons? You’ll find them alive and well in the screenshots in the tutorials. (Thankfully, the app itself doesn’t share the appearance of the tutorial’s screenshots.) The whole thing just feels somewhat dated and dusty, though everything works. Using Chartsmith is unlike using a spreadsheet to create charts. Once I learned the interface, though, Chartsmith was relatively easy to use. The aforementioned two windows contain the chart viewer (which holds the charts) and the data viewer (for entering/editing data), and the inspector is used to customize every element of your charts. The chart viewer window shows real-time changes as you make edits in the data viewer window, and you can change text (but not values) directly on the charts, if you prefer. Creating a chart is as simple as adding rows and columns in the data viewer, entering your data, and choosing a chart type. Want to change one bar of a three-bar chart to line? One click of a button in the data viewer window, and that task is done. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Continue reading →

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BlackBerry Messenger Coming to iOS This Summer

Posted on May 14, 2013 by admin

BlackBerry has announced that it will bring its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) platform to iOS this summer. BBM was one of the first proprietary mobile messaging services — not unlike Apple’s iMessage service — and remains hugely popular. The company reports that BBM has 60 million monthly active users and that BBM users send 10 billion messages per day. In January, Apple claimed iMessage users were sending 2 billion messages per day. Moreover, there are a number of popular so-called ‘over-the-top’ messaging services including WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger — both of which move billions of messages a day. BBM set the standard for mobile instant messaging with fast and reliable service and an added layer of engagement with delivered and read statuses. You’ve shared with us your stories about how BBM has kept you connected when it mattered most to you. Upon release of the multi-platform BBM service, you can broaden that real-time connection to friends and colleagues on other supported mobile platforms. In the first version of multi-platform BBM, iOS and Android users are expected to be able to experience the following BBM features: – The immediacy of BBM chats – Multi-person chats – Voice note sharing – BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more The team here at BlackBerry has definitely been working hard to bring the much-adored BBM experience to a wider group of mobile users. It was rumored back in 2011 that BlackBerry was planning to port BBM to iOS. BlackBerry Messenger for iOS and Android is expected to be released this summer.         Continue reading →

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Philips ‘Hue’ Receives Major Update With Geofencing, Visual Alerts, and More

Posted on May 14, 2013 by admin

Late last year, Philips launched its “Hue” lighting system , offering sets of wireless-enabled LED lightbulbs that allow users to remotely control their lighting, including adjusting to a rainbow of colors, from an iOS app. Hue has been exclusively sold through Apple’s online and retail stores, and Philips has been working hard to both bring more features to the system and to open it up to developers to build even more functionality. Philips today announced the “next phase” of Hue with a major update bringing a number of new features. Perhaps most interesting is integration with If This Then That (IFTTT) protocols to allow Hue to provide visual alerts for a wide variety of situations. The next generation of the Hue app (version 1.1) can now hook up to your essential internet services via your smartphone or tablet, meaning your bulbs can act as indicators for weather, stock quotes, sports scores, email, social media and more. They can be set to behave in any way you choose. For example, to change color if it’s going to rain; to blink if you receive an urgent email, Facebook message from someone special; illuminate gradually as the sun sets; or even flash in your sports team’s colors when they score. The new Version 1.1 of Hue also adds geofencing, automatically turning lights on as the user approaches their home and turning them off as they leave, as well as other customizable options. The update also brings recurring schedules, allowing users to simply set a schedule once and have it repeat each day. Philips is also announcing an expansion in availability for its Hue lighting system, with a number of new outlets including Apple resellers and Amazon.com now offering starter packs and individual bulbs. The Hue starter pack ($199.95) with core hardware and three bulbs and single bulbs ($59.95) are available through Apple. The Philips Hue universal app for iOS devices is a free download from the App Store. [ Direct Link ]         Continue reading →

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Sketchy Rumor Claims Sapphire-Covered Capacitive Home Button for iPhone 5S

Posted on May 14, 2013 by admin

Cult of Mac points to a report [ Google translation ] from Taiwanese site TechNews claiming that Apple will be including a sapphire-covered capacitive home button on the iPhone 5S in order to accommodate the fingerprint sensor rumored to be coming as a differentiating feature for the device. Apple is expected to do away with the traditional physical home button, which has long been one of the most unreliable components on iOS devices. It’s thought that using sapphire crystal, which has a hardness second only to diamond, will prevent the button from getting scratched and ruining the fingerprint sensor. They insist Apple will employ a capacitive touch home button for the first time with the iPhone 5S, eliminating one of the most unreliable components in an iOS device (the physical home button has a tendency to fail after long periods of use). TechNews has not, however, been a regular source of Apple rumors, and thus it is difficult to place much faith in this rumor. Rumors of a capacitive home button to replace the physical button that has been a staple of iOS devices since the launch of the original iPhone in 2007 have circulated for several years, but have never gained serious traction. Reports of a fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S have been gaining steam following Apple’s acquisition of mobile security firm AuthenTec last year, with high-profile Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo repeatedly predicting that the device will include such a feature “under” the home button, although details on exactly how it will be incorporated into the device remain unknown. Sapphire crystal as a scratch-resistant covering has also been a popular topic of conversation since Apple began using the material for the rear camera on the iPhone 5 and fifth-generation iPod touch last year. Earlier this year, we noted that the material may someday replace glass as the protective layer for mobile device displays, although it will take some time before costs become reasonable for such an expansive use of sapphire.         Continue reading →

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Apple Seeks to Add Samsung Galaxy S4 to U.S. Patent Lawsuit

Posted on May 14, 2013 by admin

Just weeks after the launch of Samsung’s latest Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone, FOSS Patents reports that Apple is seeking to add the device to a patent lawsuit already underway against Samsung in the United States. Judge Lucy Koh has already ordered Apple and Samsung to narrow their case, which is expected to go to trial in March 2014. Each side will ultimately be required to limit their cases to ten targeted devices, although the current stage is seeing the companies pare their lists to 22 devices each. The filings reveal a major new disagreement: Apple has analyzed the Galaxy S4, Samsung’s new top-selling product, and “has concluded that it is an infringing device and accordingly intends to move for leave to add the Galaxy S4 as an infringing product”. Apple’s current list of 22 accused products does not include the S4, but a footnote contains the statement from which I just quoted. Apple says it will drop another product from its list of 22 accused products once it has permission to add the S4 to this litigation. The two sides are also continuing to disagree over what constitutes a single product, with Samsung arguing that each carrier version of its devices should count as a separate product, seeking to shift the balance by taking advantage of its significantly larger number of devices compared to Apple’s lineup. Apple’s list of 22 products currently covers a number of Samsung’s smartphone and tablet devices, while Samsung’s own list includes virtually every device and service offered by Apple, including all iPad and Mac models, all iPhone models dating back to the iPhone 3G, the last three iPod touch generations, 1st and 3rd generation Apple TV models, and even iTunes and iCloud. While the battle between Apple and Samsung has focused mainly on mobile devices until now, Samsung’s counterclaims have sought to bring Apple’s Mac lineup and services into the dispute by asserting infringement of a patent related to multimedia synchronization across devices.         Continue reading →

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Apple Continues Building iWork Team, Adds New Job Listings

Posted on May 13, 2013 by admin

Apple has been beefing up its iWork team since early February, and has posted several new job listings in recent weeks. The latest job posting, which was added this morning, seeks a software QA engineer. As noted by Apple Bitch (via AppleInsider ) the position specifies that the engineer will work on “the next generation of Desktop, Mobile, and Web application/services.” Apple is currently hiring a number of employees for its iWork team, including three QA software engineers, a Production Specialist, a Technical Production Ninja, a Verification Engineer, and a Visual Motion Designer. The company also has a job listing for a HiDP Image Specialist, a position that requests a person who will prepare “approved artwork and specifications for engineering implementation on both Retina and non-Retina display devices,” suggesting that the next version of iWork will support Retina devices. Apple’s iWork suite includes Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, for both iOS and Mac. The software is overdue for an update as it was originally released in 2009 and has seen only minor improvements since that time.         Continue reading →

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Tim Cook Coffee Auction Closes Tomorrow, Current High Bid at $605,000

Posted on May 13, 2013 by admin

With one day to go before bidding closes, the CharityBuzz auction for coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook is at $605,000. Bidding has slowed considerably since the first couple of days, with only one bid — the current winning mark of $605,000 — since April 26th. The current high bid for coffee with Tim Cook is worth twice as much as the total of the current high bids on all 118 other auctions supporting the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights in the current campaign on CharityBuzz. The site running the auction was also forced to implement financial verification checks for bids on the Tim Cook listing after a bid was placed using a stolen credit card . The auction’s bidding quickly rose to $500,000 in the first two days with a number of bidders affiliated with third-party accessory makers looking for publicity or simply a business meeting with the Apple CEO. Bidding closes tomorrow, May 14, at 1:08 PM Pacific Time.         Continue reading →

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AT&T to Discontinue ‘Facebook Phone’ HTC First?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by admin

AT&T is planning to discontinue the HTC First, better known as the “Facebook Phone,” reports BGR . Released on April 12, the HTC First was touted as the first device to come with Facebook Home preinstalled, a feature that has not enticed buyers to purchase the phone. Our source at AT&T has confirmed that the HTC First, which is the first smartphone to ship with Facebook Home pre-installed, will soon be discontinued and unsold inventory will be returned to HTC. How much unsold inventory is there? We don’t have an exact figure, but things aren’t looking good. According to our source, AT&T sold fewer than 15,000 units nationwide through last week when the phone’s price was slashed to $0.99. When contacted, an AT&T spokesperson gave MacRumors the following statement in regards to BGR ‘s report: “As mentioned previously, we do pricing promotions all the time and have made no decisions on future plans.” The Facebook Home software, which can be installed on a number of Android devices, has also proven to be unpopular with Android users. The app has a two star rating in the Google Play store and has seen just a million downloads since it was released last month. Facebook is hoping to drive additional downloads with an upcoming software update, which was demoed last week at a small press event. The upgrades are intended to make Facebook Home less intrusive, reports the LA Times , namely by making apps easier to find with a quick access dock at the bottom of the home screen. The upgrades were designed to address the chief complaint from users: that Facebook takes over the phone at the expense of every other app on it. Facebook’s director of product, Adam Mosseri, said Chat Heads -– little bubble pictures of friends -– have proved popular but users have complained it’s tough to initiate a conversation. He showed off a new feature that will let users more easily access a buddy list from Home. According to Engadget , a large portion of Facebook Home’s installs can be attributed to early adopters. At the aforementioned press event, Facebook execs declined to reveal how many active Facebook Home users exist, but did reveal that Home encouraged users to spend 25% more time on Facebook. Facebook has brought limited Home functionality to iOS with the introduction of Chat Heads into its iOS app, and has talked to Apple about the possibility of bringing additional Facebook Home features to the iPhone in the future.         Continue reading →

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New York Attorney General Presses Apple and Google on Smartphone Thefts

Posted on May 13, 2013 by admin

With New York City seeing significant increases in the theft of Apple products in recent years — up 40 percent in 2012 from the prior year — New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has written to a number of smartphone manufacturers to ask what the companies are doing to combat the thefts of their devices, reports Bloomberg . San Francisco district attorney Georce Gascón has previously pressed Apple about the possibility of a ‘kill switch’ in iOS devices to disable them if stolen, but said he was ‘underwhelmed’ by Apple’s response. A national stolen phone database that was rolled out recently has reportedly had little effect on smartphone thefts. In his letter to the companies, Schneiderman cited the April 2012 murder of a 26-year-old chef at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan who was killed for his iPhone on his way home, and a February incident this year in which three people were stabbed on a subway platform in the Queens section of New York in a fight over an iPhone. Schneiderman said he would be “especially concerned” if the companies, which may have failed to live up to representations to consumers about safety and security, have benefited from increased sales of replacement devices. While Apple and other smartphone makers would receive some minor monetary benefit from victims purchasing replacement phones, the revenue would be a drop in the bucket compared to the overall smartphone market. Additionally, the goodwill generated by disabling stolen phones would more than outweigh any fiscal impact. Apple does offer a free service called ‘Find My iPhone’ that can erase or lock stolen phones, but erasing a phone does not render the phone unusable.         Continue reading →

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