What do you do after you spending a billion dollars buying a popular photography app? If you're Facebook, you then release your own branded app that does the exact same thing. Yes, Facebook has just launched the Facebook Camera app. The app allows you to take photos or select current photos from your iPhone's camera roll and upload them directly to your Facebook Timeline. Like Instagram, Facebook camera allows you to apply filters (though there are only 16 for now) before uploading your pics.

Besides filter support, the app also allows you to crop and rotate your photos, batch upload them (something the current Facebook app can't do), and follow your friends' photo feeds. All in all, if you're an Instagram fan, you won't be too impressed with Facebook Camera because Instagram can do much more (such as hash tag, tilt-shit, etc). And fans of Instagram, worry not. The Instagram app is still alive and kicking on the App Store and shows no signs of going anywhere.

Facebook Camera is a free download.

Facebook launches Instagram-like "Camera" app originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 May 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has pulled Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil Speakers Touch from the App Store. The app, which made it possible to stream from a computer to an iOS-capable device using Airfoil, had been on the store since 2009. Airfoil Speakers Touch 3 was released last month.

The developers say that Apple informed them of the removal on Tuesday, but did not receive a clear answer as to why Apple removed the app. As far as they can tell, they're in full compliance. Airfoil Speakers Touch 3 added the ability to receive audio from other iOS devices and iTunes.

We'll have more on this story as it develops.

Apple pulls Airfoil Speakers Touch from the App Store originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 May 2012 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coming on the heels of Facebook’s $1 billion Instagram acquisition, but otherwise pretty much out of nowhere, the social networking giant just released a brand new Camera app called Facebook Camera… and it’s so much like Instagram that you have to wonder if Facebook bought the up-and-coming app just so it could put a bullet through its head before it became a real threat.

This really is Facebook’s Instagram. Load it up and you see a beautiful feed of all of your friends’ photos. Want to upload your own? No problem: you can upload multiple images at once and even apply one of fifteen filters to the snaps, all of which are almost identical to Instagram’s. Once and image is up, you can do the usual: tag friends, add captions, do some light editing, etc.

It’s a pretty solid app, but to be honest, if Facebook was working on an app like this, why did they bother buying Instagram? If they had this in the works the whole time, the most likely reason is to drain Instagram’s talent and tech, then kill it off before no one shared photos on Facebook anymore.

RIP Instagram.

Source: iTunes

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For those exasperating situations when you just can't be bothered to get up out of your seat and reach for the iPhone or iPad you're using to watch video or listen to music, accessory manufacturer Satechi has just the answer. It's the Bluetooth Multi-Media Remote Control (US$39.99), another product that seems to be the definitive answer to a nonexistent problem. As with the person in the photo above, you too can use a Bluetooth remote to control an iPhone that is within grabbing distance.

One feature is rather cool -- the ability to use the remote as a shutter button for taking photos with an iPhone up to 33 feet away. Of course, just make sure you're not on a cruise when you leave your iPhone unattended for photographic purposes.

Some of the other intended uses for the Satechi Bluetooth Remote appear to involve controlling a docked iPhone or iPad that is pumping out music or your favorite action flick. For some reason, I thought that beaming tunes or movies to your Apple TV from the iOS device would do the trick, but obviously I'm not a Satechi PR person.

The biggest laugh in the list of use cases is "Siri activation," presumably for those times when you can't be bothered to push the button on your iPhone to have Siri bend to your will. Instead, you'll be holding the Satechi Bluetooth Remote in your hand, and you'll use that to tickle Siri. Sigh.

Still, there may be TUAW readers for whom this device is the answer to their prayers. For those individuals, Satechi has thoughtfully provided a video.

[via Gizmodo]

Satechi Bluetooth Multi-Media Remote for iPhone, iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to build an iPhone & iPad game but didn’t know how to code, you’ve come to the right place. The latest Cult of Mac Deals offer is a video course featuring over 8.5 hours of information that will teach you how to build an iPhone/iPad game using Game Salad – a free third-party piece of software.

This course is aimed at beginners who want to make games today but have no desire to program (or want an easier starting point than traditional coding courses). This offer is aimed at people who want to save money in the process, as you’ll get access to The iOS Games Workshop for only $79 for a limited time!

What You’ll Need:

• A Mac computer: The software only works on a Mac
• Game Salad: The free third-party software that you need to download

The man behind The iOS Games Workshop is John Bura, who has been programming games since 1997 (and teaching since 2002). He is the owner of the game development studio Mammoth Interactive, a company that produces games for the XBOX 360, iPhone, iPad, Android, HTML 5, ad-games and more. So you’re learning from one of the best in the business!

Learning how to program can take months if not years and let’s be real…we just don’t have that much time on our hands! With this video course you’ll learn how to create iPhone & iPad games without using a single line of code – and you’ll save 55% off the regular price while doing so!

So don’t delay – grab this Cult of Mac Deals offer today!

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Telegraph.co.uk

Yahoo's Axis app searches for an easier way to get results Los Angeles Times By Michelle Maltais Yahoo's latest entry into mobile search hopes to find the Axis of easy with its new iPhone and iPad app plus a desktop plug-in. Yahoo's Axis aims to make search easier, director of product Ethan Batraski told The Times. Yahoo launches the first Pinterest-integrated mobile Web browser, Yahoo AxisBetaNews Review: Yahoo Axis is little more than a glorified toolbar for desktop, laptop ...Washington Post Yahoo launches Axis 'search browser'CNN Shreveport Times -ExtremeTech -ValueWalk all 449 news articles »

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New York Times

Facebook launches camera app; Instagram to be unaffected Los Angeles Times By Salvador Rodriguez Facebook has launched its fourth individual iPhone app, and this time it's a camera, the company announced Thursday. Facebook Camera is an app intended to enhance the Facebook photo experience on smartphones, a company spokeswoman ... Facebook introduces own Instagram-like photo-sharing app despite acquisitionSan Jose Mercury News Life goes on after IPO: Facebook launches camera app for iPhoneWashington Post Facebook launches iPhone camera appmsnbc.com Mashable -SlashGear all 23 news articles »

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Pascal Cagni, Apple's vice president of Europe, has stepped down, reports French newspaper, "La Figaro," as noted by "CNET." No word on why he resigned or what he has planned.

Cagni joined Apple back in April 2000 to head up the company's European operations. According to reports at the time, he was hand-picked by Steve Jobs for the post, notes "CNET." Prior to his time at Apple, Cagni served as vice president of consumer products for NEC/Packard Bell Europe.

You can read more at http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57440986-37/apples-vp-of-europe-cagni-... .

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This little slip of a thing will put the world's best lenses on your Fujifilm X-Pro 1

Apologies in advance for yet another camera adapter post, but this one — as you’ll see — is a biggie: The Fujifilm M-Mount adapter. But first, a short bit of history.

When Fujifilm launched its X-Pro 1, if was obvious to many that this camera was the real modern successor to the Leica M-series. The digital Leicas are lovely cameras and all, but seem to be deliberately stuck in the past. The X-series, on the other hand, brings all that is good from the Leicas — manual control dials, a bright optical viewfinder — plus a hybrid viewfinder for full-digital or overlaid shooting info and a low (compared to Leica) price

The new M-Mount adapter completes the takeover, letting you use Leica’s frankly stunning lenses on the X-Pro. And it doesn’t just make a mechanical link either. Electronic contacts tell the camera that the adapter is in place and set it to the "Shoot Without Lens" mode automatically. You can also hit a button on the side to bring up a lens setting menu on the camera.

An upcoming (June) firmware update for the camera allows it to store info for up to six lenses. This not only makes the metadata for your photos correct, it also lets you store per-lens settings to correct for distortion, color and vignetting in-camera. And if that wasn’t neat enough, the camera also displays the correct framing for each lens in the optical viewfinder with automatic bright lines based on the lens’s focal length.

The adapter will be available in June for $200.

Source: Fujifilm

Via: DP Review

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Quirky is a design shop that uses ideas from a crowd of contributors and influencers to create new products. In the past, it's come up with some incredibly useful Apple-related accessories like the US$12.99 Power Curl, which has made its inventor almost $80,000 in royalties. Now the company is evaluating a new idea -- a touchscreen stylus called the Cipher (expected price $4) that fits in your wallet like a credit card.

That's because it is a credit card, made with a capacitive material that acts just like your finger or a more traditional stylus. When you want to draw on your iPhone or iPad, you grab the Cipher from your wallet and go to town. There's less chance of losing the Cipher like a regular stylus, and the fact that it will be sold in a 2-pack means you can always have at least one in your wallet.

At this point, Cipher's still in the product evaluation phase, but keep your eyes open for the clever flat stylus in the near future.

Credit card-sized stylus in the works at Quirky originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 May 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad growth offer advertisers new kinds of opportunities

Lead by the iPad, tablets, and other non-phone devices accounted for 20% of mobile ads during the first quarter of 2012. That number is up 5% from the first quarter of last year. The increase reflects a change in the mix of mobile devices that people use to consume content and may have implications for the entire ad industry – mobile and otherwise.

The numbers from Millennial Media are based on the ad impressions sold delivered through the company’s advertising platform. The company’s report also includes a handful of other interesting data about the mobile market.

The iPad continues to lead in tablet ad impressions, followed by the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Amazon Kindle Fire. In addition to being the most frequently used tablets, all three were also among the top 20 mobile devices overall – a category that includes tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices like the iPod touch.

The iPhone remained the top smartphone and Apple remained the top device maker. Android delivered more ad impressions as a platform (nabbing 49%). Not surprisingly, Samsung was the second biggest manufacturer after Apple. Samsung devices represented 4 of the top 20 smartphones.

Perhaps the most interesting point of the results is that while the iPad and other tablets are typically seen as being in competition with MacBooks and notebook PCs, they are also becoming a stronger competitor to smartphones in terms of accessing information and content on the go as well as at home or in the office.

The results highlight a need for advertisers to address tablet-specific browsing, reading, and gaming – something that many companies have avoided. A report on iPad and tablet advertising issued earlier this spring showed that most advertisers don’t take advantage of tablet screen sizes and other features like video that can be leveraged to create more interactive ad experiences.

Source: MarketWatch

Via: IP Carrier

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The Hindu

Google Adds In-App Subscription Support For Developers, Managed Through Google ... Android Police About a year ago, Apple debuted in-app subscriptions on its App Store - now Google is following suit with the introduction of in-app subscription support on the Play Store. Developers can take advantage of this system very easily, by simply adding a ... Google Play adds in-app subscription billingThe Verge Google Adds Subscription Billing To Its Android App StoreCentralia Chronicle Partnerpedia Intros New App Management Options for BYOD WorkplacesEnterprise Apps Today Patch.com -Wired News all 149 news articles »

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Sydney Morning Herald

SpaceX capsule zips through practice drive by space station Reuters * Smooth maneuvers and flashing strobe lights signal success * Astronauts will use crane to capture Dragon capsule Friday * SpaceX is one of two firms with NASA cargo contracts By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 24 (Reuters) - Space Exploration ... SpaceX rocket prepares to dock with International Space StationSan Jose Mercury News SpaceX's Dragon craft is a star performer, so far (+video)Christian Science Monitor SpaceX Dragon set for rendezvous with stationBBC News The Associated Press -EE Times -Telegraph.co.uk all 1,443 news articles »

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SlashGear

Diablo III auction house and Monk pushed back SlashGear Blizzard Entertainment isn't making any new friends with its newest update which cuts out the Real Money Auction House promised to fans at the launch of the game Diablo III. This update also contains news of a patch that fixes up a couple of “bugsâ€� ... Geekology 101: So finally, my 'Diablo 3' reviewHeber Springs Sun-Times REVIEW – Diablo 3Crave Online The Hotfix is in: Blizzard Reveals Diablo 3 Tweaks, RMAH Bumped Back AgainGamespy.com Forbes -CNET -Baltimore Sun all 195 news articles »

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Globe and Mail

What the final decision on Oracle v. Google really means InfoWorld The jury finally decided yesterday that Google did not infringe on any of Oracle's patents related to Android. Fantastic news -- but the wider view offers little comfort By Simon Phipps | InfoWorld As James Niccolai reported yesterday, the jury in the ... Viewpoint: Google and Oracle's Java clash must be resolvedBBC News Google didn't infringe on Oracle patents, jury rulesFox News Google gains a victory, while Oracle wins by losingTheServerSide.com PC Magazine -Retirement Planning -DailyFinance all 610 news articles »

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