To go along with the shiny new iTunes 9.0.2 and Apple TV 3.0 software released today, Apple has also bumped their Remote app [Free - iTunes link] to version 1.3.2, which:

“provides bug fixes and compatibility with iTunes 9 and Apple TV 3″

If you have an Apple TV and haven’t tried the latest version of Apple’s Remote app, download load it and do it. The lag for Wi-Fi to connect between sessions is annoying (though you can disable auto-lock, burn battery, and stay connected if you choose), but using the iPhone or iPod touch as a slick touch surface controller… gesture bliss.

[via @WyattLeCadre]

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Apple iPhone/iPod touch Remote App Updated to Support iTunes 9.0.2 and Apple TV 3.0

Went into the App Store and what did I see, why an updated Remote app for iTunes and Apple TV! One of the first apps in the App Store at launch, the latest update for Remote [free - iTunes link] turbo charges the cool factor with support for gesture-based Apple TV control. Very slick:

• Hold down “Menu” to bring up main menu. Swipe to move around.
• Tap to play or pause music or video.
• Drag left or right and hold to rewind or fast-forward music.
• Flick left or right for previous or next music track.
• Flick left or right or drag and hold to rewind or fast-forward video.
• Flick down to show chapter markers, then flick left or right to skip through video.
• Drag two fingers left for 10 second reply.
• Tap “Exit” or “Options” for those actions.

If you hit exit, you get similar functions, art display, etc. to the previous version of the Remote app. Hitting Options brings up a new overlay menu on the Apple TV. Speaking of which…

The new Apple Remote app’s gesture features require iPhone 3.0 and the latest Apple TV software update, also released today (which seems to have gotten a UI over haul as well). Get that, or you won’t get the nifty new interface.

I’m trying it. I’m liking it. How about you?

More screen shots after the break!

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Quick App 3.0: Apple iTunes/Apple TV Remote Adds Gesture Support

iPhone 3G S comes with typical shiny white Apple headset buds, but for the first time these earbuds sport the new “remote”, which includes volume controls and more.

Apple previously introduced iin-ear headsets with remote and mic for the second generation iPod touch (and aluminum MacBooks) in September 2008, but clearly labeled them as not-compatible with the iPhone 2G or iPhone 3G because the “remote” part was useless.

What a different a generation makes.

Now the full control scheme introduced with the 4th gen iPod shuffle is available to iPhone 3G S owners with one notable difference — holding down the center button activates Voice Control.

(Thanks Bruce for the tip!)

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iPhone 3G S (Finally!) Supports Full Apple Headset Remote Features

The short of this one is that you plus your DSLR camera (Canon currently, Nikon in development) into your computer), run a server on your computer, and then run DSLR Remote on your iPhone and — Boom! — you can get the live preview right from the camera lens on your iPhone, adjust all sorts of settings like white balance, ISO, etc. and “fire” pictures off when you’ve got it set up, and set on, just exactly what you want.

The long of this is, with iPhone 3.0 coming and it’s APIs for peripheral connection via dock and Bluetooth, we ain’t seen nothing yet. It’s not hard to imagine more and more gadgets (and even appliances) suddenly taking advantage of what could be one of the most flexible and powerful “remote controls” on the market.

If iPhone 1.0 was multi-touch and the interface, 2.0 was App Store, 3.0 is still looking to be all about the accessories.

[via GeekBrief.tv]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

The Future is Now: DSLR Remote for iPhone

Hot on the heels of the premium “App Store Plus” (TM Erica Sadun) $19.99 rumor we helped propogate yesterday, in his (its?) weekly column, the Macalope pulls a follow-up rumor out of his rear port (actually makes it up on the spot) for a concept that’s actually pretty darn intriguing:

You know how Apple’s still trying to figure out the Apple TV? Sure, you do. You’re smart and sexy and you keep on top of these things. Well, last summer the brown and furry one’s old sparring partner Adrian Kingsley-Hughes actually hit on a great idea: making the Apple TV into a gaming platform and selling games from the App Store. The only thing Adrian thought was missing was a controller. [... The controller is] your iPhone or your iPod touch with a brand new game-controller app. Remember how Apple likes to make its products interdependent so you have to buy all of them to unlock Super Steve God Mode? And, really, who has an Apple TV and doesn’t also have an iPhone or iPod touch?

Personally, I’ve got an Apple TV and an iPhone, and I love the Apple Remote App for watching video, so this idea appeals to me quite a bit. Casual gaming, Wii-style, on the big screen, with an amazing multi-touch controller? Yes please.

Anyone else want this like now?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

How About the iPhone as Controller for Apple TV Gaming Console?

I’ve never found a good compact headset. The default Apple ear buds that ship with the iPhone (and every iPod) just don’t stay in my (must be mutant) ears. Likewise every other earbud I’ve tried had fallen out in the matter of seconds. Even the ones with over-ear hooks flop to the sides with annoying consistency. And Apple’s original in-ear headset? Didn’t quite fit in my ears so I gave them to my sister.

So it was with great and possible anticipointment that I decided to brave this world again and hope beyond hope that not only would Apple’s new In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic work well and be convenient, but that it would work at all.

Did it? Find out after the break!

Not iPhone Compatible

No, that’s not a typo. Apple clearly lists the new In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic as not iPhone compatible. However, I am using it with the iPhone and it does work, except for the volume controls (which double as the skip forward/back). Hopefully this will be addressed in the next iPhone OS update, as it’s a pretty puzzling omission.

Hardware

In the box are two plastic capsules. The first is a rounded triangle that contains the ear pieces in the center and the cord wrapped around the edge. With no indentation between the clear top and white plastic bottom, getting this capsule apart is tricky. If you intend to store your headphones in this handy container, the lack of an even more handy finger recess or other easy-opening point could prove consistently annoying.

The second capsule contains smaller and larger silicone ear tips in case the default ones don’t fit you properly. While also seamless clear and white plastic, the cylindrical makes this container much easier to open — ironic since you will likely need to open it much less frequently, if ever again.

Lastly, kudos to Apple for providing 2 extra replacement mesh caps for the headphones. Hopefully you’ll never need them, but if you do, having them included is priceless (well, technically, worth the price of a new headset!)

The headphones themselves are quintessential Apple — white, plastic, with that special firmness that resists tangling.

New to this model is a small control module attached. The center of the module has a recessed play/pause button. The outer outer sides provide the volume up and down buttons (which are NOT supported by the iPhone) and, if you double-click, track forward and back.

Daily Use

Over the last week, I’ve found Apple’s new In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic to be quite good, and an excellent value for the price (something many joke is impossible for Apple). Sound quality is very good, mic quality acceptable given the type of device, and best of all — they mostly stayed in my ears.

Not having used in-ear headphones before (because they never fit right for me), I did find the experience a little distracting at first. The sound of the cord being tapped, of eating, of everything going on in my head took me out of the experience. However, I’ve come to notice this less and less as time goes on.

I did find that, when walking around, I would typically take one earpiece out so I could hear and keep track of my surroundings. For people using them for outside, safety alone would make this a must.

Bonus for MacBook Users

When Apple introduced these near earphones, they were quick to point out that they’re fully supported by the new (late 2008) MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. In tests, I found them to work well for making Skype calls and recording audio. They supposedly allow iTunes control as well, but I could not get this functionality working on my late 2008 MacBook Air, however the internet seems to show many people having better luck with it (maybe my set has a problem with the volume control?). If they work for you, anyone owning a recent Apple laptop may consider these killer just for the multi-tasking functionality.

Conclusion

I finally found a compact headphones that I can use! Granted, there may be others towards the higher end, but for their price, especially with the added MacBook compatibility, these will become my new standard headphones. Now if only Apple would fix the iPhone compatibility…

Note: I haven’t had a chance to try them with VoIP on an iPod touch, but I hope to in the near future.

Pros

• Excellent sound quality for the price
• Elegant remote control features
• MacBook compatibility for some

Cons

• Limited iPhone compatibility

TiPb Review Rating

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Review: Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic

You saw the epic liveblog, now see the photos.

We have the deets in photo on the new 17″ MacBook with the ridiculously large 8 hours of battery life, the fact that iTunes is going 100% DRM-Free, the new iLife with GarageBand Music Lessons, iMovie’s stunning upgrades, and iPhoto’s geo-tagging and face-recognition, and also the new iWork with Keynote — which now has an iPhone-based remote for switching slides and reading your notes.

Um, yeah, this was a huge Macworld for Mac people — and the iTunes DRM news and the Keynote news were incredibly great upgrades for iPhone owners.

Makes you weep that Apple will never go to a Macworld again, don’t it?

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Macworld 2009 Keynote Photos

It looks like Apple’s new in-ear headset will begin shipping any day now, according to what Macrumors is reporting. Yesterday Apple end-of-life’d the old headphones which simply means they will no longer be shipping them to resellers and when that happens, it generally means the new product is on it’s way.

In case you missed the announcement of these new headphones, here’s the deal:

The new Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic are engineered for superior acoustic accuracy, balance, and clarity. So you hear details you’ve been missing with other, lesser headphones. And the biggest breakthrough? They’re just $79.

Are you willing to drop $79 for these bad boys?

[Via Macrumors]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple’s New In-Ear Headphones to Begin Shipping Soon

[This is an iPhone blog App vs. App review! Last week, we ran our Shazam vs. Midomi showdown, with Midomi scoring the win. But which commenter won an iTunes gift certificate? Congratulations Patrick! Want your chance to win the winning app this week? Comment below!]

Ever used a laser pointer? Ever used a wireless mouse? Ever wish you could have both in one and more? Well, there are some apps on the iPhone that allow you to do just that! These devices work great! They turn the iPhone into a remote mouse with a virtual touch pad. You use your finger to control the mouse; left-click, right-click, scroll, it makes no difference! You can even create macros to automate launching applications! Let’s take a look at two of these apps: Air Mouse [iTunes Link] and Snatch [iTunes Link]

Function

Snatch (ver 2.1): This app offers a slightly different approach. You get your track pad, but lose out on the laser pointer. But what do you gain? Macros baby! That is right, you can program Snatch to launch your favorite apps with the touch of the screen!

Specifics

The “laser pointer” feature is quite nice. It uses the accelerometer in the iPhone to track your movements onscreen, thus replicating the effect of a laser pointer with your mouse. Simply point the iPhone at the screen and make your gestures; tilt to the left or right, up or down and the on-screen cursor responds accordingly. I found this to be effective, but a little fickle and practice is definitely need, but it does work as advertised. Having the instant switch feature really enhances its usefulness as well. Switching on the fly from pointer to mouse is really an added bonus.

Snatch (ver 2.1): Though similar to Air Mouse, Snatch offers a few more  configuration options for the remote mouse. For instance, you are not limited to just portrait, you can also use landscape as well. How many mouse buttons would you like? You can create up to three virtual buttons with Snatch.

Multiple mouse buttons one of the advantages over Air Mouse; there are more options too. Air Mouse offers virtual no options where Snatch gives you just about any option you can think of. Let me give you a small selection:

• Button placement (top or bottom)
• Inertia (on/off)
• Speed
• Cycle between text or numerical keyboard
• Plus a few others!

{Update: For those that are interested, there is also a free version of Snatch that can be found here [iTunes Link]. It is missing scroll, keyboard and macro functionality, but hey, it is a free mouse }

Configuration

One more thing, and this is really important: These apps only work on your LAN. For example, you are at your house and the computer and iPhone are using Wi-Fi though the same router. These apps MAY NOT work at say, Starbucks or your corporate environment. However, Snatch does offer the ability to create your own Ad-Hoc network with your Mac, so this is not much of a problem for Mac users.

Conclusion

Air Mouse Rating

• Solid app
• Fast
• No-hassle setup

Snatch Rating

• Portrait and landscape
• More configuration options
• Macros

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

App vs. App: Air Mouse and Snatch

Needless to say, the announcement from Sonos that you can now control all of this via your iPhone is really exciting! I personally don’t use Sonos, but I have a friend that does, and he filled me on on the scoop…

I have 5 zones of Sonos in my house. And let me give you a break down of why I use this product versus others. Sonos allows me the ability to access several sources of music via a wireless hand held controller. 

This controller has hard buttons, a touch sensitive scroll wheel, and a large LCD display for metadata and navigation. Now with the controller I can access some amazing things. First, I can access any shared music files on my personal computer including my itunes library. Beyond that the music selection is near limitless. I can access several on-line subscription services (free 30 day trials included with the purchase). Rhapsody, Pandora, Napster, Sirius, and 1500 pre- loaded internet radio stations, all from my handheld controller(s)!  I can search via all the expected criteria, and build Pandora stations right from the controller! The Sonos system transmits this data wirelessly from a sending unit my router out to each room, or “zone”. In each room is a Sonos receiver/amplifier connected to various speaker types depending on the specific room.  This is where it gets fun.  With the controller I can turn each zone on or off, select the music of choice, and control the volume of each zone independent of one another! I can “link” zones to have them all playing the same music, or not!

Now that I have explained the Sonos concept you are wondering where the iPhone comes in to play right? Well, enter the new Sonos controller application!  Being that the controllers are a cool $400 apiece (and worth it!), how much cooler would it be to have Sonos at my finger tips from the moment I walk in to my wifi network right here on my $200 iPhone! Well, being that Sonos is wifi based, 801.11-ish, its is all possible.

Pros: I get total control of my zones on my iPhone. I love this, its brilliant.

Cons: I use Sonos as my alarm clock (thats right), but I can’t control the alarm via the iPhone application.

Also, the iPhone should be a zone in itself! I could be mowing the lawn listening quite literally to almost anything I could ever want.  Hopefully these changes are just an update away!

You can find out more about Sonos and other cool “entertainment solutions” by visiting Entertainment Solutions in their store or online.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Sonos for your iPhone