application

On first read, the patent application (uncovered by AppleInsider) seems to underwhelm. Apple describes a form-fitted case that would contain an opening that aligns with the microphone on the device (in this case, an iPhone).

The opening would contain a thin mesh, foam, or featherlike screen that would reduce the amount of wind noise that makes its way to the device's microphone.

Apple leaves the door open for many variations of its case, stating that it could be made from rubber, silicon, polycarbonate, acrylic, or plastic.

The mesh windscreen would be embedded into the case and extend across the … Read more

Apple's App Store might be causing some trouble for application users.

Marco Arment, the creator of Instapaper, reported yesterday that he was "deluged" earlier this week by users who had downloaded Instapaper 4.2.3 and found that upon opening it, the application "crashed immediately." The issue even occurred after users removed the application from their devices and reinstalled it with a clean version.

After inspecting the issue, Arment found that the problem was due to what he said was a corrupt update Apple distributed through its App Store. According to Arment, the update he … Read more

When you open a document in OS X, the default application for that file type is used to read the file; however, you may have alternative applications installed for handling the document, which can be accessed from the Open With menu when you right-click the document in the Finder. For instance, a text document may open in TextEdit by default, but if you right-click the document, you may see programs like Pages, Word, TextWrangler, or others you have installed listed as options for opening the document.

These behaviors in OS X for handling documents and applications are done by the … Read more

After taking down a speech therapy application designed for children, Apple might eventually reinstate it, according to a new report.

The Register is reporting today, citing sources, that Apple plans to bring the Speak for Yourself iPad application back to its App Store if the company behind the program -- Speak For Yourself LLC -- wins a patent case brought against it recently.

Apple earlier this month removed the Speak for Yourself augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) language app from its store after Prentke Romich Company (PRC) and Semantic Compaction, companies operating in the AAC field, sued Speak for Yourself … Read more

Apple has filed a patent application that describes a method for obtaining and adding metadata to files automatically using the Internet and various social networks.

The process, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (discovered by AppleInsider), shows Apple's continued interest in creating connections with social networks by inventing a way for users to automatically update their files using data obtained online.

Apple's method, titled "Automatic Discovery of Metadata," seeks to solve an issue that many of us do not likely even know we have. Metadata on files already includes common entries such as … Read more

Some of the best software takes simple tasks and finds a whole new and innovative way of dealing with them. On the other side of the coin, some of the worst software takes simple tasks and needlessly complicates them. Such is the case with Memo2050. This bare-bones program lets you create lists of weekly events, but there are so few features that we can't imagine why anyone would choose this program over a typical calendar.

The program's interface is plain, consisting of a gray square with a few buttons. The program displays dates in a list a week … Read more

Look out Windows XP, Windows 7 is hot on your tail.

After a long reign as the world's dominant OS, XP is in danger of being knocked off its perch by the current flavor of Windows.

Surveying the OS landscape in May, Net Applications pegged Windows XP's market share at 44.8 percent and Windows 7's at 40.5 percent. That's the narrowest gap between the two since Windows 7 debuted in 2009. It's also a significant change from April when XP held a 46 percent share and Windows 7 a 38.8 percent share.… Read more

Apple's "Resume" feature in OS X Lion allows the system to save the current state of a program and, in conjunction with its auto-save feature, will restore both saved and unsaved documents as they were when you quit the program. This feature is convenient because it allows you to install application and system updates, or otherwise quit applications with little interruption to your workflow; however, in some situations it may not be a desired option to have.

Resume works by saving a profile of your current application's state within your user library folder in the /username/… Read more

Microsoft's Photosynth panorama application is now available to Windows Phone 7.5 users.

The Photosynth application has been around for quite some time, but this is the first instance of it coming to Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace. The application lets users snap a photo with their Mango-based device, and continue doing so until they have a full panoramic view.

According to Microsoft, the application helps users share panoramas on Facebook and Twitter, as well as publish them to Bing, so they appear in search results and Maps.

For iPhone users, having Photosynth available isn't all that spectacular, … Read more