News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
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Apple's built its new-found market strength largely on the cachet it's
been able to build with consumers. However, with the iPhone 3G, Apple
is making a push for corporate mindshare. In order for
the iPhone 3G to succeed in that space third-party developers need to
fill the gaps that Apple has left in the iPhone's armour. FileMagnet
and Stage Hand are two apps that help bridge the gap between consumer
toy and business tool.
The iPhone 3G doesn't run some cut back version of a desktop operating system. Under the sleek facade lies a full version of Apple's OS X. However Apple, in its wisdom, has locked a few features of the operating system away in order to deliver a secure mobile computer. One of those features is access to the file system. In other words, there's no easy way to store files for later use on the iPhone.
FileMagnet. FileMagnet is a simple application that lets you copy files to your iPhone. For your $5.99 you get an iPhone application that lets you store and view documents. I tested it with Excel spreadsheets, Word documents and PDFs. All opened without any hassle although support is limited to Microsoft Office documents from older versions. I had no luck opening a .docx file. The developers say that iWork documents can also be opened. It's worth noting that while viewing documents is supported there's no editing capability.
Uploading documents via FileMagnet requires that your Mac and iPhone (or iPod touch) are connected to the same WiFi network. This can either be a regular WLAN or an ad hoc (point to point) network between your iPhone and Mac. Both worked equally well in my testing.
Stage Hand. The second string in our iPhone business bow is Stage Hand and its desktop companion Stage Manager. If you use Apple's Keynote for giving presentations then being able to use your iPhone as a remote control can help you to move freely during your talk and not be tethered to a lectern or podium.
For $9.99 you get Stage Hand — an application that uses WiFi to control a slide show remotely. You'll need to download the free desktop app Stage Manager. Launching Stage Manager causes Keynote to load as well. You'll need to open a presentation from the computer but from that point you can start the slideshow from your iPhone and move from slide to slide by dragging a finger across the screen in portrait orientation. Flipping the iPhone to landscape displays the current slide on your iPhone. Dragging a finger across the screen in this mode moves a spotlight over the slide.
Connectivity between the iPhone and Mac is via WiFi and, like FileMagnet, is covered with both Infrastructure and Ad Hoc wireless networks. For slides with several builds, Stage Hand provides a counter next to the slide number on the iPhone display so that you know how many of the builds are completed. However, one feature I'd really like to see in a future release is the ability to see the next slide.
As I type these words, I am waiting for Apple's Developer Connection web site to ease up sufficiently for me to download the long-awaited Software Developer Kit for the iPhone (and iPod touch, just by the by). In a way, I hate developer-oriented announcements — "here's a really cool thing we're working on, and it's available now, and hoi polloi can have it in about six months". Actually, it's the six months I hate.
Matthew JC. Powell | Mar 7, 2008
This morning Apple released a new version of its iPhone SDK for developers. iPhone SDK beta 2 includes Interface Builder, a component of Apple’s development tools that lets developers create the interface for their applications. That seems to be the only major change in the latest build, according to the SDK’s read me, which continues to list some known issues. Apple says “this second beta is known to be incompatible with installation folders other than the default /Developer.” Given the importance of UI on the Mac, Interface Builder is a pretty critical tool in the development process, and some developers had chosen to hold off on their efforts until the SDK was revised. Apple unveiled the iPhone SDK at a special event earlier this month, allowing developers to begin building applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Several high-profile companies have already jumped onboard, demoing their applications at the event. Highlighting the demos was AOL with a native AIM client; other applications from Electronic Arts, Salesforce.com, and Apple were also shown.
jim dalrymple and Dan Moren | Mar 28, 2008
We don't normally run rumour stories in AMW, but this one's getting a bit too loud to be dismissed as rumbling. The Apple reseller "grapevine" has been abuzz this morning, with numerous sources now telling AMW that the iPhone will be released at the end of June or the beginning of July. While there has been no official public announcement from Apple yet, it is believed that the company has briefed its resellers on more detailed plans. Among the other tidbits: no network will have exclusivity and any Apple reseller — not just telecommunication resellers or Apple-owned stores -- will be able to sell it.
Matthew JC. Powell | Apr 9, 2008
Vodafone has made an iPhone announcement, telling Australia that it will be selling the iPhone in Australia, New Zealand and eight other countries. The release says nothing about 3G, exclusivity, timing or anything else, really — will Voda be the only carrier? And if so, what will it be carrying? And when?
Anthony Caruana | May 6, 2008
