Griffin Announces iTrip Auto for iPhone

Yesterday, Griffin Technology announced the availability of iTrip Auto for iPhone.

The iTrip Auto simply plugs into the dock connector of the iPhone and offers high-quality audio, intuitive controls and Griffin's trademark station-scanning feature, SmartScan. SmartScan makes setup and operation nearly automatic -- it seeks out the best FM frequencies available, then selects the best of the best for use in transmitting the music to the car's FM stereo.

iTrip Auto automatically optimizes output volume, and the user can select stereo or mono modes for best-quality audio. Listeners can control speaker volume from the car stereo controls, eliminating the need to look at the touchscreen to adjust volume level, and features a large, easy-to-read backlit LCD screen for quick, easy reference on the road.

Simple, one cable design combines easy-to-use FM transmitter and auto charger for iPhone

Plugs into the 12V auto power outlet and charges the iPhone as it plays

Power switch with 3-color charge indicator

Save frequencies to four presets; uses any FM frequency from 88.1 to 107.9

Compatible with: iPhone 3G, iPhone, iPod touch (2G), iPod touch, iPod nano (4G), iPod nano (3G), iPod classic, iPod nano (2G), iPod with video (5G), iPod nano (1G)

For more info see the full press release at Griffins website (although we pretty much copied and pasted the full text) or visit the iTrip Auto's web page. We've never used this type of auto audio adapter before so if you have any experience with these kind of set ups let us know. Either post a comment or fire off an email to AYAAW.

Griffin Announces iTalk for iPhone & iPod and iTalk Sync for Mac

On Tuesday, Griffin Technology announced the availability iTalk voice recording app for iPhone and the iPod Touch. Griffin also announced the immediate availability of iTalk Sync, the desktop companion app to iTalk.

Griffin iTalk turns iPhone or iPod touch into an ultra-mobile, super-compact recording unit. This two-part app allows users to create high-quality recordings, and then transfer the recordings to a Mac or PC. Users will appreciate the one-touch recording controls, and the ability to pause/resume recordings and even append to previous recordings on the fly. iTalk is a two-part software application.

Download the iTalk app from the iTunes App Store and install it on your iPhone or iPod touch, for mobile recording and playback. Its companion program, iTalk Sync, runs on your computer to transfer recordings from iPod or iPhone for editing and sharing. iTalk Sync connects to your iPod touch or iPhone wirelessly via your local Wi-Fi network, and makes transfers a snap: just drag the recordings from iTalk Sync's list and drop them onto your desktop. Recordings are saved as high-quality AIFF files, playable in iTunes and most other media players.

High-quality handheld recording

Easy, convenient user interface and controls

Drag and drop file transfers wirelessly to your computer

User-selectable Good/Better/Best sample rate

Pause/resume and append to existing recordings on the fly

Recording on 2nd gen iPod touch works with the addition of Apple's iPhone headset, or with Griffin's updated TuneBuds Mobile and SmartTalk mic/control solutions

For more info see the full press release at Griffin's website.

For a limited time Griffin is giving both apps away free. They don't say how long the "limited time" is so if you want a pretty decent voice recording app combo for your iPhone or iPod Touch and you don't want to pay for it, download them both while you can. There is a small ad that displays across the bottom of two of iTalks 3 screens so perhaps Griffin is testing this as an ad supported app. The ad is very small and unobtrusive so don't let that stop you from trying it out.

Both apps are very intuitive and using them went without a hitch. Syncing via iTalk Sync was painless other than having to turn on Wi Fi on the iPhone. When the app store first opened I immediately purchased nFinity's QuickVoice and it's desktop companion app for the then special introductory price of $9.99 for both. QuickVoice has been a nice app and now nFinity is giving away the iPhone/iPod touch app. You still have to buy the companion app which is currently priced at $14.95 (nFInity's QuickVoice PC page says the regular price is $25). QuickVoice PC is certainly a more full featured app than iTalk Sync. In fact the only thing you can really do with iTalk Sync is wirelessly sync with your iPhone and then drag and drop your recordings to your Mac. iTalk and iTalk Sync are free, however, so they'll no doubt give the QuickVoice combo and all the rest of the voice recording apps on the iTunes app store a run for their money.

Oh and one more thing. Although the iPhone version of QuickVoice works well and has some pretty cool features (upside down mode for when you want to point the iPhone mic away from you) I can't get the desktop app to import any of my recordings. I go through the motions and it does import something but for the life of me I can't figure out where they go. Add to that the seriously ugly interface and OS X 2002 feel and the desktop app just seems like a bad port from a Windows version. I've filed a support request (there is a serious lack of documentation with the desktop app) so hopefully nFInity will be able to help me figure this thing out. We'll see....

In the mean time check out the iTalk & iTalk Sync screen shots below and the QuickVoice shots below that.

iTalk Sync

QuickVoice iPhone App

QuickVoice Desktop App

Jon Brown Designs Launches Mac Advertising Network

Jon Brown Designs announced today the launch of a free banner and textual ad network for Mac users only: Mac Advertising Network. The service provides a way for Mac related websites to only display Mac related ads. The service is free and allows users to exchange ads with other Mac Advertising Network users.

Mac enthusiasts may advertise their blog, podcast, application and more. Anyone may sign up to the service to place their banner or textual ads. The minimal trade off is adding a banner (or textual ad) to their site. Websites that are on the network will in turn display their ad on rotational basis. The service is free to all comers, and all ads are closely monitored. Only high quality ads related to the Mac community are approved.

"Mac Advertising Network was created out of a barrage of questions from others who were seeking alternative means to advertise their Mac related service or product", cites Brown. "I myself have purchased several apps from ads found on other websites. Hopefully Mac users will join together and help spread the news about all the great websites, apps and more for the Mac community." This is an amazing opportunity for all of Mac Fans.

For more info see the full press release over at prMac. AYAAW signed up immediately. Hey, free is free and you can't buy that at any price! Hopefully you'll soon be seeing the AYAAW moniker on all your favorite Mac sites. Well maybe you won't be all that thrilled about it but we sure will be!

Snow Leopard to Get iPhone-like Text Auto-correction

AppleInsider is reporting that the latest build of Snow Leopard will incorporate auto text correction similar to what's already included on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The revelation comes thanks to the version of Apple's Text Edit that was included in the build. According to AI Text Edit's Preferences sports three new text handling options:

The first, which is already a staple of the company's iPhone interface, offers to correct spelling automatically as a user types. Another offers to automatically insert 'smart dashes' while a user types, while a third feature is simply titled 'Text replacement.'

The features could presumably be extended to all applications that will run on Snow Leopard.

Here at AYAAW we're all for better spell checking and grammar but in our opinion, In order for it to be usable, the auto-correction would have be smarter and less intrusive. Some times you just have to swear and the iPhone is a bit prudish about it. Just let us type &^%$#@ without trying to correct us all the time and it'd be okay.

Snow Leopard and Cocoa

If you're at all interested in Cocoa, Snow Leopard, 64-bit apps, Carbon and that type of goobly-gook, AppleInsider is once again running some nice articles that even the tech-jargon deprived, yours truly, can sort of understand. It's good stuff actually and well worth the read.

One thing I didn't know (ok there are a lot of things I don't know) is that the iPhone is fully Cocoaized. Actually, I'd never thought of it's OS as being Carbon, Cocoa, Vista, whatever. It just is unless it's acting up and then it's a &#$%@!

Apple to sweeten Snow Leopard with more Cocoa (AppleInsider)
Road to Mac OS X Snow Leopard: 64-bit to the Kernel (AppleInsider)

AppleInsider is one of my favorite rumor sites and they also do a bang up job explaining the more technical stuff. Now go do your homework, er... reading for the evening. There will be a quiz tomorrow.

Joseph Henry

New Leopard Tip In The Learning Center

In case you haven't visited there in a while, we'd like to let you know that AYAAW's own Joseph Henry (me), has posted a new tip on the Leopard Tips page of the Learning Center. It's a sweet little tidbit that shows you how to put a virtual aquarium on your desktop (literally): your fish will swim behind the dock, your HD icon, etc., and your starfish will slowly try to climb the glass of your iMac (Cinema display, MacBook screen, you get the picture). Oh and did I mention that you don't have to feed the fish or clean the tank? It's a great visual and your Windows friends will be green with envy.

So head on over to the Learning Center and check out this amazing tip. Pimping your desktop will help you make friends and influence people. Okay, it probably won't do that but it is pretty cool.

Aquafadas Releases BannerZest 1.2.6

Yesterday, Aquafadas announced the availability of BannerZest 1.2.6. The update includes bug fixes to the Accordion, Coverflow and Hanging themes as well as a new scrolling theme and Sliding Sticker theme. The new BannerZest used the newest swfobject (1.2.1) and adds many new options in several themes.

BannerZest comes in two versions, $129 for the Pro and $49 for the Standard, and sports English, French, Italian, Danish and Japanese language support.

BannerZest is a great product and by far the easiest way to spice up your website with flash banners. Aquafadas offers downloads of both the Pro and Standard versions so try before you buy and see what all the fuss is about.