[MyAppleMenu] Dec 22, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Four Alternatives To Apple’s Podcasts App ****
<http://tidbits.com/article/13475?rss>
Josh Centers, TidBITS


> In terms of overall value, my money’s on Downcast. It’s cheap, works well, and has most every feature you could ask for. While the options can be overwhelming, its interface is relatively clean and simple.

> If you don’t mind paying a premium for simplicity, then Instacast might be worth the extra cost. For me, it’s almost worth the money just for the automatic storage management.



**** Apple Now Allows 30-Pin And Lightning Connectors On Accessories, POP Charger May Be On The Way ****
<http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/21/3793488/apple-changes-iphone-accessory-guidelines-is-not-standing-in-the-way-of-pop-accessory>
Bryan Bishop, The Verge


> Apple spokesperson Tom Neumayr told us that the an earlier version of its iOS accessory guidelines had indeed prevented the use of both 30-pin and Lightning connectors on the same device — a selling point of the charging station — due to "technical issues," but that those problems had been solved and the guidelines since changed.



**** The End Of The Map ****
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324461604578191471150162626.html?mod=WSJ_Books_LS_Books_2>
Simon Garfield, Wall Street Journal


> Maps have always related and realigned our history; increasingly, we're ceding control of that history to the cold precision of the computer. With this comes great responsibility.



**** Google Finds Its Design Voice On iOS ****
<http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/12/22/google-gets-its-ish-together-on-ios/>
Matthew Panzarino, The Next Web


> Creating a suite of apps that combines its web design sensibilities with interfaces that make sense on iOS for the first time in a long time. Some small elements still stand out as foreign. the drawer tab in Maps, the clever but different tab browser in Chrome. But overall the interfaces feel like they’re being more honest to the underlying iOS platform and obeying the conventions there.

Google is demonstrating that it can be trusted to provide good internet services on iOS.


**** Make Use Of The Built-in VPN Service In OS X ****
<http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57560544-263/make-use-of-the-built-in-vpn-service-in-os-x/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title>
Topher Kessler, CNET



**** MacPilot 5 Review ****
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/reviews/?reviewid=3417611&olo=rss>
Karl Hodge, Macworld UK


> If you’re a fan of tweaking your Mac, you could spend a happy afternoon or two trawling through these features - or you could just go straight to one of the main categories and instantly fix an issue or two that’s been niggling you.



**** Microsoft Brings Wordament To iPhone, First iOS Game With Xbox Live Achievements ****
<http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/22/3794664/wordament-iphone-xbox-live-achievements>
Tom Warren, The Verge


> Available for iPhone, Wordament is the first iOS game to use Xbox Live achievements. Similar to other Microsoft iOS apps, you simply sign in using your Microsoft Account and the game is then linked to your gamertag.

Come on, Microsoft. Let's have a flight simulator for the iPad. :-)


**** Confessions Of An Apple Store Employee ****
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/news/confessions-of-an-apple-store-employee>
Popular Mechanics


> We aren't paid on commission, but you fear for your job if you're not selling enough. We're supposed to sell AppleCare product support with just about everything, and honestly, those aren't that hard to sell, since they aren't a bad deal. But we're also supposed to push MobileMe, and that's really hard to sell. Nobody ever sells it.



**** How To Delete An iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Or Mac From Find My iPhone ****
<http://www.imore.com/how-delete-iphone-ipad-ipod-touch-or-mac-find-my-iphone>
Allyson Kazmucha, IMore



**** The Wall Street Journal Signs Up For Apple’s Subscription Service ****
<http://allthingsd.com/20121221/the-wall-street-journal-signs-up-for-apples-subscription-service/?mod=atdtweet>
Peter Kafka, All Things D


> Like other publications, the Journal will be able to ask subscribers to submit their email addresses, a strategy that publishers say has been effective.



**** New iPad Mini Ad: “I’ll Be Home” ****
<http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/12/21/new-ipad-mini-ad-ill-be-home/?utm_source=loopinsight.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+loopinsight%2FKqJb+%28The+Loop%29>
Jim Dalrymple, The Loop



**** Review: 1Password For iOS Keeps Your Digital Life Safe ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/2021484/app-review-1password-for-ios-keeps-your-digital-life-safe.html>
Marco Tabini, Macworld


> Perhaps my favorite user-interface feature, however, is a built-in browser that allows you to navigate the Web and allows 1Password to automatically fill forms for you using your secure data. This is a major step forward compared to the previous version—which required you to painstakingly copy and paste your data into Safari—and one that dramatically improves 1Password’s user experience.



**** What The End Of Google Sync Means To You ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/2022321/what-the-end-of-google-sync-means-to-you.html>
Joe Kissell, Macworld


> Even though Google Sync will be discontinued, you will still be able to access all of your data with your favorite iOS apps on any new device you set up; you’ll just have to go through a slightly more complicated configuration process because you’ll be using different protocols.



**** Bugs & Fixes: Turning Power Off Turns Trouble On ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/2023033/bugs-and-fixes-turning-power-off-turns-trouble-on.html>
Ted Landau, Macworld


> I’m still not certain what the linkage is between a surge protector, the brightness level of my display, and a weird sound inside my Mac Pro. But at this point, I don’t intend to pursue it further. I’m just glad to have everything working again.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Great Unexpected By Sharon Creech - Review ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/dec/21/the-great-unexpected-sharon-creech-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
SF Said, The Guardian


> Creech's epigraph seems to anticipate the latter reaction by posing the question: "What is 'real'?" Don't let her light touch fool you into thinking that her work is somehow lightweight; there's substance here, too.