Just Duke - Mostly Tech Ponderings

My iTunes Got Hacked! Apple Rocked it!

So today, I got an email from Apple. It wasn't one of those Apple spams about specials in iTunes stores. it was one of those that makes you say, oh, oh.  Here is the email. 

Dear Duke Carico,

Your Apple ID, XXXX@XXXX.XXX, was just used to purchase Star Walk for iPad - interactive astronomy guide from the App Store on a computer or device that had not previously been associated with that Apple ID.

If you made this purchase, you can disregard this email. It was only sent to alert you in case you did not make the purchase yourself.

If you did not make this purchase, we recommend that you go to iforgot.apple.com to change your password, then see Apple ID: Tips for protecting the security of your account for further assistance.

Regards,
Apple

iOS app Flipboard

Before I got my iPad, I had heard about Flipboard. A free Magazine like app that took your Newsfeeds from various sources like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Reader and make them pretty to look at. Wrongly, I assumed that this app would be similar to Pulse News for Android phones. So I grabbed it when I received my iPad. Like Pulse? Yea, but better! And I have used it more than any other app on my iPad. And this is the app I compare all other news apps to! 

The interface is incredibly beautiful to look at. It's intuitive, and extremely fast! Launching the app pulls in photos that are tied to the actual articles. It's extremely easy to add additional feeds.  Only want to see photos from your facebook page? Flipboard allows you to set up a feed that does just that! Clicking on any article launches an expanded view of the article. Want to see the full article? Touch it to launch it. But the visuals on how it happens are what really sets this thing apart from others. Articles expand or shrink depeding on your commands. And the customization of the feeds make it very handy for you to focus in on the news that you want to see! 

This app takes Twitter to a whole new level! Links are bits of the articles, photos and videos. Launching them provides the original tweet across the top, with the article appearing below.

iOS Rumors

I've really gotten a kick out of reading the rumors that are being generated from Apple's upcoming WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) that is scheduled for June 6th, 2011. All the speculation is fun, if you are into that sort of thing. (I am!) My thoughts on some of these rumors:

How to use your iPad as a phone

When I posted last week about using Talkatone to make and receive phone calls on my iPad, I also  received some reactions from persons who basically said, "I didn't think that was possible." Not only is it possible but it's just a little more complicated than going to the iTunes App store and installing the appropriate app.  Of all the apps listed here only Skype utilizes both the WiFi and Data Connections. All other apps use VoIP technology,  which means that this only works over a WiFi connection. and not the 3G/4G data streams widely available. I wouldn't recommend that you hold your iPad up to your ear either. If you are hard of hearing, and need to invest in a BlueTooth headset, by all means, do. Personally, I have found the iPad's built in speaker and mic to be more than enough for communicating here at the house. If you are needing an ability to use your iPad as a device to make and recieve phone calls, then there are more than a few options out there. Let's start with some of those: