Author Archives: Steve Lawrence
App Store Essentials: LogMeIn Ignition lets you take your Mac or PC with you
If you’re not familiar with LogMeIn, you’re missing out on one of the best online tools around. Available in free or paid-subscription versions, LogMeIn lets you access your Mac or PC from any other computer in the world easily and securely. And I don’t mean just accessing your files and folders, but the whole thing – your entire desktop environment. Through the web browser of the computer you’re sat at, you can log in to your home computer and control it just as if you were at the computer itself.
Well now LogMeIn is available for both iPhone and iPad. Both versions come bundled together as one app, and at $38.99 it sounds expensive but it’s an investment that is certainly worth consideration. If you want to be able to access your computer on the move, you’ll forget about the cost after just a few minutes of use.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Reviews
Police seize Gizmodo blogger’s computers following iPhone 4 leak story
Well, this is starting to pan out like a semi-decent conspiracy movie. Last week, Gizmodo leaked the 4th generation iPhone to the world following some shady shenanigans in a bar not far from the Apple campus in Cupertino, California. Now, police have swooped on the home of Gizmodo reporter Jason Chen and have seized computers and servers on the grounds that they were ‘used as the means of committing a felony’.
Gaby Darbyshire, COO of Gawker Media (the parent company of Gizmodo) has written a legal response to the detective who issued the warrant citing legislation that he believes exempts Chen from this kind of action, and furthermore points out that the goods were seized during a “night search” which was not authorised in the warrant.
Chen himself was not arrested, but boy this is getting exciting. Hit up the link after the break for copies of the warrant, Darbyshire’s full response and Chen’s account of the whole thing. While you’re there, let us know your thoughts in the comments.…
Read MoreKiwi App review: Resene ColourMatch
If you’re looking for some inspiration to freshen up your home with a lick of paint but are lacking in the old colour-coordination department, then this new Kiwi-coded app from Resene could help. By matching colours in objects and pictures that you come across in everyday life to a colour within Resene’s extensive range, Resene ColourMatch can help you achieve the look you thought was reserved for the home and garden magazines. How? Read on.…
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Posted in All, iPhone, iPod touch, Reviews
iPhone 4 found and shown to the world by Gizmodo?
Believe it or not, what appears to be the next iPhone (expected to be launched June / July) has been obtained by tech blog Gizmodo, who are convinced that this is the real deal. According to their article, the phone was found in a bar disguised as an iPhone 3GS in a specially-crafted case and is recognised as an iPhone when connected to iTunes and XCode, sports a front-facing camera (yay!), a bigger camera lens and flash, and a glass (or ceramic) back.
It is also completely flat with no curved back and seems to echo the design of the iMac / MacBook Pro. At this point, we’re pretty convinced but hit ‘read more’ for the link and be sure to tell us what you reckon in the comments.
[EDIT: If you weren't convinced this was the real deal, perhaps Read More
Apple updates MacBook Pro range with Core i5 and i7 processors
Not quite iPhone-related, but Apple have quietly updated their MacBook Pro range overnight with new models featuring Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. Pricing starts at $1,999. Hit ‘Read More’ for the full Apple Press release or click here to whizz over to the NZ store and see these beasties for yourself.…
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Posted in All, Other News
Opera Mini: The web browser made for New Zealand?
We all love Safari on our iPhones with its ability to bring the ‘real’ web to our devices, but that ‘real’ experience comes at a real cost for those of us on a lower mobile data plan who can’t justify spending any more. As websites become more heavily loaded with photos and graphics they chip away at our mobile data dollar ever faster. So what is the solution? Well, one solution could be Opera Mini which was added to the App Store just today. Here we’ll take a look at the key differences between it and Safari and find out whether the savings add up.…
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Posted in All, iPhone, iPod touch, Reviews
Heads-up: Our bundles don’t work on iPhone iOS 4… yet
This is a heads-up to let you all know that our carrier bundles don’t work with iPhone OS 4 right now. To be super-clear: iPhone OS 4 isn’t out yet, but a beta (preview) version of it is out for registered Apple developers. We haven’t had the chance to install it ourselves yet but reader simonwhite has and unfortunately he has advised that the carrier bundles don’t work with it. So: if you need our carrier bundles working, do not install the preview of OS 4 yet.
We’re updating our iPhones today and needless to say, it looks like we have a few coffee-fuelled nights ahead of us to get this thing working again but the good news is the public release of this is at least a few months away (probably July if previous years are anything to go by). We’ll keep you posted on progress, but bear in mind that until the final release is out we still won’t know for sure if we’ve done it. Until then: continue to enjoy OS 3.1.3 with fully-working bundles!…
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Posted in 2degrees, All, Digital Island, iPhone, Telecom XT, Vodafone
Confirmed: XT issues north of Taupo [updated 1:11pm - service restored?]
We are hearing unconfirmed rumblings about XT issues this morning, this time north of Taupo. We have asked Telecom for comment and will let you know if we hear anything but in the meantime let us know in the comments if you’re experiencing any issues. Everything seems sweet down here in Christchurch and Dunedin but we’re interested to know how you Northerners are going!
[UPDATE 11:57am] Telecom have acknowledged the reports and are investigating. More when we get it.
[UPDATE 12:03pm] NZ Herald have had confirmation from Telecom of issues in Auckland area.
[UPDATE 1:11pm] Telecom’s service status is now reporting that service was restored at midday..?…
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Posted in All, iPhone, Telecom XT
TIP: What to look for when buying a second-hand iPhone
If you’re in the market for a second-hand iPhone, you’ll no doubt have found yourself bewildered by the options and jargon-laden ads out there. Here, we try to clear the waters and provide some pointers to make sure you don’t end up with an iLemon.…
Read MoreFit more music onto your iPhone with new feature enabled in iTunes 9.1
If you’ve got a large music collection and you’re struggling with space on your iPhone, a new feature introduced in iTunes 9.1 could be just the ticket to help you shoe-horn more tunes into your iPod app. Read on for the details.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
Ask iPhonewzealand: If I buy an iPhone from overseas will it work in NZ?
Every week we receive dozens of emails from people who are considering buying an iPhone from overseas, or who currently live overseas and are moving to New Zealand with an existing iPhone, and they want to know whether or not said device will work here in New Zealand. Unfortunately, the answer is almost always ‘no’, but read on for the full lowdown.…
Read MoreExclusive: Telecom to launch iPad with subsidies and all-you-can data on April 12th [April Fools!]
A very reliable source at Telecom has let us into a little secret… Telecom have just signed a deal with Apple to offer the iPad with term-contract subsidies and a range of data plans including an as-yet unpriced all-you-can-eat plan – the first of its kind in New Zealand. According to our source, Telecom has secured enough Micro-SIMs and 3G-equipped iPads to begin selling the device from its retail stores at a midnight launch on April 12th.…
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Posted in All, iPad, Telecom XT
Opinion: What do iPad apps mean for the future of ‘traditional’ computing?
Looking through the first wave of iPad app screenshots that have been hitting the likes of TUAW and Gizmodo over the last few days got me to thinking: is the way we connect to and view online information on the verge of a paradigm shift? Is the very concept of viewing the internet through a web browser an outdated idea that is about to go the way of the dinosaur? Maybe the signs are not blindingly obvious at this point in time, but make no mistake: it is happening and it’s happening before our very eyes. Perhaps unwittingly, Apple has sparked a revolution in the way that we view and consume online media with the launch and success of the iPhone OS and the respective devices it encompasses, and the iPad could be the protagonist of even bigger change.…
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Posted in All, Other News
TIP: App Gifting now available via iTunes NZ – we show you how
Last-minute-gifters rejoice! Back in December we explained how to buy email or printable gift certificates in specific denominations via the iTunes Store, but now Apple has added the ability to gift specific iPhone apps via iTunes, the New Zealand store included. This means you can now buy a friend or family member a specific paid-for app, which feels so much more personal than sending a monetary amount. After the ‘read more’ link we’ll look at how you do this, what the recipient receives and how they retrieve their gift.…
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Posted in All, Other News
Telecom’s IT subsidiary Gen-i about to sell and support iPhone?
Computerworld are currently running a story which states that Gen-i, Telecom’s IT arm, are to sell and support the iPhone as of this coming Monday. The piece is light on details but Gen-i are quoted in a statement made to Computerworld this morning, so it seems legit. In the statement Gen-i confirm that this is not a formal agreement between Apple and Telecom but “allows clients to take advantage of Gen-i’s extensive plans for its business clients”, so it seems that this is not a consumer offering. Hit ‘read more’ for the link.…
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Posted in All, iPhone, Other News, Telecom XT
App Review: Radio New Zealand
Despite what some 1980s pop-star madmen will try to tell you, video did not kill the radio star. Neither did cassettes, CDs, DVDs or even MP3s. In fact, radio is so un-dead, that despite Apple’s dogged determination to ignore it into obsolescence, people are still clamouring to be able to listen to it on their iPhones and iPod touches. Rumours of radio integration seem to arise every time a product refresh is on the horizon, and there has even been talk of radio being ‘enabled’ in a future firmware update for iPhone and iPod touch, but until those pigs sprout wings and fly, radio lovers will continue to be forced to look to other means of getting their ‘wireless’ (in the sense that your Grandma means it) fix.
Up until now there has been a handful of free apps that deliver streaming for specific radio stations such as George FM and The Edge, but now there’s a new solution on the block in the form of Radio New Zealand. Not to be confused with the actual Radio New Zealand, this is a paid app that streams several major Kiwi radio stations including ZM, The Breeze, Newstalk ZB, Classic Hits, More FM, Radio Hauraki and a great deal more. But is it any good? We take a look.…
Read MoreWelliBUS app creator aims for real-time information via crowd-sourcing
tmro, the cats behind Wellington bus timetable app WelliBUS are seeking feedback on what could potentially be a very cool solution to adding real-time information to the app. Founder Nick Parfene tells us that users of the app, of which there are around 4,000, are very vocal about their desire to see not just when the bus is scheduled to turn up but when it is actually going to turn up. It’s a need we can all identify with… so what’s the solution?…
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Posted in All, Other News
