iOS

iTunes 9’s default white grid background. To change the background color for the grid view in iTunes 9.0.2, do this: Launch iTunes. Go to iTunes > Preferences. Select the General tab.iTunes 9.0.2 Grid View color option. Now choose Dark from the Grid View pop-up menu. Click OK. The grey grid background restored.Adding in an option…

The site wrote, “Here we go again. Apple has updated iTunes to version 9.0.2 and Palm Pre sync is dead again using webOS 1.2.1, despite Palm’s Hurculean efforts to spoof nearly every aspect of USB identification known to mankind. As with previous breakages, iTunes does launch when you connect a Pre with Media Mode, but…

One of the things I liked about this app was the glossary of scientific terms. I liked that more than just a collection of random facts because random facts, while seemingly impressive in some circles, don’t really stem from a deep understanding. At least with a glossary, one can dig into specific area of knowledge.…

The battle to be the top player in the Twitter client battle on the iPhone is pretty intense, so developers vying for the number one spot have their work cut out for them. With the release of Tweetie 2, atebits shows it has what it takes to be a contender. Tweetie 2 is an iPhone…

iPhone OS 3.1.2 is available as a free update via iTunes. To install the update, do this: Launch iTunes. Connect your iPhone to your computer. Select your iPhone in the iTunes Library list. Click the Summary tab. Click Check for Update. Click Download and Install. Some iPhone owners have been reporting that after installing the…

Launch iTunes on your computer. Connect your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS to your computer. Select your iPhone in the Library column on the left side of the iTunes window.iTunes carrier update dialog Click Check for Update under the Summary tab. iTunes should display a dialog telling you a carrier update is available. Click Download…

Smile On My Mac is well known for their TextExpander application for Mac OS X, and now they’ve brought some of that same snippet expanding magic to the iPhone and iPod touch. The app may not be quite as full featured as it’s Mac-based brother, but it’s still a handy utility that’s sure to save…

If iTunes isn’t seeing the update, odds are it isn’t available yet. You can click the Check for Update button under the Summary tab in iTunes while your iPhone is connected to keep checking for the update. Once the update is available and installed, you’ll be able to start sending pictures in your text messages…

Faces is a feature in iPhoto 09 that groups photos based on who is in them. Each person gets their own category, so it’s easy to look through your library and see just the people you want. To sync a Faces group to your iPhone or iPod, do this: Connect your iPhone or iPod touch…

To enable Genius for the App Store, whip out your iPhone or iPod touch and do this: Tap App Store Tap Featured Tap GeniusGenius is hiding in the Featured section in the App Store app Tap Turn on GeniusGenius is disabled by defaultEnter your iTunes Store account password Agree to the Terms of Service As…

Update Genius enables the Genius Mixes feature If you don’t see Genius Mixes in iTunes’ Library list choose Store > Update Genius. iTunes will gather new Genius information for your Library from the iTunes Store, and automatically add the Genius Mixes option to the Library list for you.Genius Mixes shows your 12 pre-made mixes Once…

However, supported by the release of iPhone OS 3.0, the iPhone’s navigation options go beyond Maps. There are now several third-party apps that much more closely mimic the features of stand-alone GPS devices. The first of these apps to arrive was Navigon’s MobileNavigator, currently at version 1.1. For this article, I am asking: Is MobileNavigator,…

Not everyone is happy with the idea of using the Apple MobileMe Cloud to sync personal data, especially if the contacts list contains sensitive personal or family data. Also, for those who don’t need the capability of push notification between an iPhone and a Mac, a direct iPhone sync to a Mac is satisfactory. Under…

Back when His Steveness announced the feature ladened iPhone OS 3.0 the salivary glands of the iPhone Faithful kicked into overdrive and vendors of other smart and not-so-smartphones started wringing hands again. See, iPhone owners knew their devices were cool and all, but there were still so many things their Wunder-Phone couldn’t do that other…

Home screen. Nothing’s changed here from when I wrote the prior column. The search feature is as solid as it promised to be. And it serves as an adequate app launcher. But, more than ever, the iPhone needs a better way to organize the (now up to a maximum of 11) Home screens. Trying to…

Spotlight Search Spotlight Search is a great addition to the iPhone, allowing you to search virtually all the content on your iPhone, from apps to contacts to mail messages. That’s why you’ll want to be able to navigate to the Search screen as quickly and conveniently as possible. There are multiple ways to get to…

Instead of seeing their settings when accessing the MobileMe online accounts page, many users saw a message saying “MobileMe Account is currently unavailable.” The Account page is where MobileMe subscribers go to access the new Find My iPhone feature.Find My iPhone is a new feature for iPhone OS 3.0 users that displays their iPhone’s physical…

Today, however, I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve up to his eyeballs in a flood of anticipation for what Santa will bring, except in this case it’s early Summer, I’m a hell of a lot older, and “Santa” hails from Cupertino, California, not the North Pole. I’m waiting, of course, for iPhone OS…

We met on the second level of Moscone West during WWDC, and Mr. Chaffee (pronounced Chay’-fee) gave us a sneak preview of BusyCal before we started recording the interview.John Chaffee, President, BusyMac TMO: Is this a new product? Chaffee: Yeah, it’s kind of the successor to BusySync, although BusySync will continue to be available. That’s…

Each of the utilities is stored in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder. Or much easier, you can enter the name of the utility itself in Spotlight. If you find that you use one or the other of them frequently you can drag the icon from the Applications folder to your dock so you…

To change your default RSS reader application from Safari, do this: Install the RSS reader you want to use on your Mac. I use NetNewsWire, but there are plenty of others to choose from. Launch Safari. Choose Safari > Preferences Click the RSS tab. Choose the reader application you want to use from the Default…

I was not allowed to take the book to another area. The librarians already knew they could not tell the gentleman not to read out loud because he did not understand them. I was under a very tight deadline and could not leave. I kept thinking about how handy the library’s scanner would be. I…

Jibbler’s speech capability is said to be similar to the new iPod shuffle’s ability to speak playlist and track names, with the added feature of real-time voice synthesis. Ars Technica said that the existence of Voice Services functions in OS 3.0 may allow developers to access the technology too. Whether this new technology will work…