O'Grady's PowerPage

Category: Apps

  • Apple Camp applications go live, sessions available for kids ages 8 to 12

    If you’re looking for something cool for your kids to do this summer, Apple Camp might be the answer.

    Applications for Apple Camp opened on Monday, the camp being available to children aged between 8 and 12 in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

    The camps, which are based out of Apple Store locations, are crafted from three sessions, each session lasting 90 minutes, some of the sessions including the following:

    • Creating Your Own Song with GarageBand
    • Designing Your Dream Park with iPad
    • Coding Fundamentals and Programming Robots
    • Directing Your Own Movie with Clips and iMovie

    Parents and legal guardians can apply via Apple’s web site.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer and Apple

  • iPhones to be able to scan Japanese ID cards’ NFC chips under iOS 13

    This should be nifty if you’re living in Japan.

    iPhones running iOS 13 will be able to scan NFC chips in Japanese identity cards thanks to Apple’s inclusion of broader access to NFC chips via third-party apps.

    As a result, Japanese citizens will be able to scan their identity cards, storing the information on their phones.

    This also marks one of the first times in which third-party uses have been authorized by Apple.

    The identity cards, termed “My Number” in Japanese, but “Individual Number Cards” in English, were introduced alongside a numerical ID system in 2015. All residents of Japan are issued a number on paper that’s used for various administrative purposes such as filing taxes, though it’s not mandatory to hold the card itself.

    The contains an NFC chip that can be read by a government-developed app capable of storing personal information. Certain Android phones already support this, but the popularity of the iPhone in Japan and the broad adoption rates enjoyed by new versions of iOS mean that it’s likely to see a wider user base.

    The Japanese government has confirmed the report.

    Upon its release, the NFC reader in iPhones was originally locked down so that it could only be used for Apple Pay. The readers found on Android-based devices were able to read all NFC tags. With the advent of iOS 13, this restriction has been removed, allowing the device to scan NFC chips in other formats. Apple has stated that it still needs to approve apps that use this feature on a case-by-case basis.

    The company also put in place a protection against scanning without user permission: other than Apple Pay, third-party apps can only read an NFC tag when the app is in the foreground.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and The Verge

  • Apple releases iMovie 2.2.7 app update, adds green screen editing, additional soundtracks, new effects

    Some updates are pretty substantial.

    Apple’s iMovie 2.2.7 adds the following mega list of updates, changes, and new features to the app:

    • Transform your video with the new green screen effect that lets you instantly remove the background of clips shot in front of a green or blue screen.

    • Adjust the green screen effect with a 4-point mask and strength slider.

    • Choose from 80 new soundtracks in genres including pop, chill, and sentimental that automatically adjust to match the length of your movie.

    •Drop in still images with transparent backgrounds to use as logos or custom graphics on top of your video.

    • Add photos as overlays to create picture-in-picture and split-screen effects.

    • Choose to hide the border that surrounds picture-in-picture and split-screen effects.

    • Instantly return to the edit screen of your project when switching back to iMovie from other applications.

    • ClassKit support lets students deliver video assignments to teachers using the Schoolwork app.

    • For users with videos in iMovie Theater, the Theater window is now accessible from the ••• menu at the bottom of the Projects screen.

    • Sharing to iMovie Theater is no longer supported; save your movies and trailers to iCloud Photos to watch them on other devices including Apple TV.

    • Resolves an issue that could lead to a black viewer when previewing your video fullscreen on an external display.

    iMovie 2.2.7 is available for free and requires iOS 11 or later to install and run.

    If you’ve tried iMovie 2.2.7 and have any feedback to offer, please let us know what you make of it in the comments.

    Via The Mac Observer and the App Store

  • Apple posts video of WWDC Platform State of the Union speech, focuses on changes, upcoming tools

    Apple delivered its Platform State of the Union speech on Monday, announcing substantial overhauls as well as new tools for the way developers create apps.

    The company, in turn, has posted a video of the presentation, highlighting the main points it wished to convey.

    In the presentation, Apple stated that they will be eliminating the letterboxing that occurs when using an app that was not designed with a specific device in mind. Letterboxing will now be countered by implementing new layouts and API. Apple stated that by next spring, all apps submitted to the App Store will be required to create content that adapts to different screen sizes.

    The company also announced that it has been updating Xcode, its code editor and debugger, as well as released Swift UI, a coding platform designed for easier, faster development. Xcode will be receiving a fully interactive preview mode, allowing developers to test their apps within Xcode without having to export them to a device first. Xcode also allows developers to export to a device and make real-time changes without needing to re-export their builds.

    Per the video, WatchOS 6 will be getting its own App Store, meaning that developers can write a Watch-focused app without having to create a companion app for the iPhone. Developers will also be able to design Watch apps within the Xcode and SwiftUI environments.

    Apple has also created Swift Packages, which function as reusable components of code that developers can snag and use within their projects. It was also announced that Github will be adding support for Swift Packages within its Github Package Registry, thereby creating libraries of code that can be freely used.

    Over the course of the Platform State of the Union, new features such as improved accessibility features, including voice control, were discussed. These features include a greater control of screen selection, including the ability to overlay a grid to allow for precise region targeting. Developers will have access to the accessibility features and are encouraged to test their apps using voice control in effort to make their apps more accessible to those with disabilities. Additionally, mouse support is going to be added in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 as another accessibility feature.

    Finally, Apple announced that it will be developing a tool called the “Real User Indicator,” which should hopefully cut down on the number of bots creating accounts with both mobile and web services. The tool will be able to check for behaviors and traits that tend to be more consistent within bots than people. Should an account seem suspicious, the Real User Indicator can alert the developer, who can then check to see if the account creator is human.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and developer.apple.com

  • Apple announces first new iPod Touch since 2015

    For the first time since 2015, Apple has released a new iPod Touch.

    The new iPod Touch has received a hardware upgrade, and will run on the A10 Fusion processor, which is a little older than chips found in the latest iPhones, and powers the iPhone 7. The A10 is faster than the A8 chip that the 2015 version ran on, making the new iPod touch “twice as fast as before,” according to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s product marketing vice president.

    The updated iPod Touch  can support Group FaceTime calls as well as augmented reality apps. Apple has stated that it can also support Apple Arcade, its upcoming gaming subscription service. The 2019 iPod Touch also features a 256GB storage option, making it the largest capacity iPod Touch in Apple’s history.

    The new iPod touch looks similar to the older ones with a physical home button, a small four-inch display, and a lower price than most modern iPhones.The new iPod touch starts at $199 for the 32 GB storage option and goes up to $399 for the 256 GB option. It comes in space gray, white, gold, blue, pink, and red, and is available for online order in 27 countries starting Tuesday. 

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via CNN