Sep 272012
 

One of the most talked about features, for better or for worse, of iOS 6 is the new Maps – Apple’s first attempt at mapping the world. If you’re a curious user who would like to use this new Apple Maps on your (OS X) computer, without the need upgrade to the latest iOS release (or even own a compatible iPhone or iPod Touch), you can do so with the latest version of Xcode and the iOS SDK, which include the iOS Simulator

First, make sure that you have the latest version of Xcode installed by checking the OS X App Store for any updates. You can also install Xcode free of charge if needed.  Next, open it and load an existing iOS app project, or create a new one.

When you’ve done this, change the setting on the top left menu to “iPhone 6.0 Simulator”, and then press the “Run” button.

After the iOS Simulator starts running, with your app running in it, you can either press the Stop button pictured above, or simply press the Home button on the simulated iPhone, and navigate to the first home screen.  Here, you will see the Maps app, to click and run.

From here, you can experience Apple’s Maps using the standard controls.  Double click for “single-finger double-tap,” and hold option and click to pinch, rotate, or double-finger double–tap.

Apr 262012
 

This post will be a short one. While playing around with iMessage today, I noticed that you can send animated GIFs and they will animate within iMessages both for you and for the recipient. One item of note, however, is that the image will not animate within Photos.app, which seems to include clicking the message to show the image full-screen.

In case you are wondering what source you may use for GIFs, I’ve found that browsing to a website with animated GIFs on Safari works. Simply press-and-hold on the image, and select “Copy” from the resulting menu. Then, in Messages, tap in the text area and choose “Paste”.

Apr 232012
 

Due to unfortunate circumstances, this blog has received another “reboot”.  I’m hoping to get some of the previous content back up soon, and of course, some new material out as well.

Stay tuned!