Directly on the heels of an update for its newest media streamers, Roku has released its official iPhone remote app. Apparently "inspired by user feedback", it allows users to launch or rate channels, control the box with touches and swipes, and add or remove channels from their box directly from the app itself. Probably the best news about it is that it will work with all generations of Roku hardware, and can even pair to multiple boxes. Usage requires the box and iOS device be connected on the same network, and for users to sign in with their Roku account, but that's it. Hit the source link to grab the free app now, or check out a couple more screenshots in the gallery below, then let us know how it measures up to the numerous third party solutions (like DVPRemote) currently available. Roku already promised an Android version is in the works, so we'll keep an eye out for that to arrive soon.
Gallery: Roku official iOS remote app
Roku's official iPhone remote app is available, has gesture control and channel selection for all originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you've read our always up-to-date guide to building a hackintosh you know that installing Mac OS X Lion requires a bit of work. You have install Snow Leopard, then go through a fairly tedious upgrade process rather than just installing from scratch. Fortunately, thanks to a new utility called UniBeast (from tonymacx86, of course), that's no longer a problem. More »

So you managed to get an iPhone 4S today. Congratulations! But once you finish having sex with it and get it all cleaned off, ask yourself: What do you really know about your new phone, in an empirical and (sort of) scientifically tested fashion? Not much, right? Giz has your back. More »

For social media fans, the tight integration between iOS 5 and Twitter is one of the best reasons to upgrade. We touched on this integration in our in-depth iOS 5 review but we wanted to spend some additional time looking at how it works and what it means for users.

Since iOS 5 was released Wednesday afternoon, a number of additional apps in the App Store have been released with native support for Twitter. iOS 5 shipped supporting Twitter from the Photos app, Maps, YouTube and Safari. Since then, The New York Times app for iOS and the new iTunes Movie Trailers [iTunes link] app have both appeared with native Twitter support.

One of the new features for developers in the iOS 5 SDK is support for the Twitter API. Apple has made it easy for developers to add Twitter support to their apps and to allow users to easily control whether or not an app has access to post to their Twitter account.


Mobile Safari


Users can send tweets directly from article pages in Mobile Safari on the iPhone and iPad.
Click here to view this gallery.

With The New York Times app, the integration is easily accessible from any article page. It’s a nice touch to use the official app integration rather than building in a secondary authenticating mechanism.

Likewise, sharing links to movie trailers or to YouTube videos is quick and easy.

The genius part of how iOS is using Twitter, however, comes to control. After using an app that has access to Twitter, that app appears in a list in the Twitter panel of the Settings app. There’s you can turn off Twitter support for an app. Maybe you don’t want be able to tweet from the photos app or share your favorites from The New York Times. You can turn off support for one app without muting Twitter support system-wide.

Now that Twitter integration is so easy, we expect official support to find its way into many more iOS apps.

What do you think of the way Twitter and iOS 5 work together?

More About: apple, iOS 5, ipad, iphone, Twitter

Writing and sending postcards is a traditional vacation ritual and, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, can cost you no more than a little time and energy.

Don’t be forced to choose among cheesy print postcards at your vacation destination — use your own iPhone photos with one of these fabulous, free apps that creates electronic postcards you can email.

While your dear old grandma may still prefer a card of the paper variety, next time you’re on a trip away from home, why not drop a line to your friends, family and colleagues using one of these apps?


1. SodaSnap



SodaSnap offers a simple app interface that matches the simplicity of the final product. To get started, choose an image. You can either select a photo from your iPhone's camera roll, snap a pic of your surroundings, or use your location.

Using your location brings up the maps app from which you can screengrab. This doesn't make the most compelling picture postcard, but it may be a useful tool for meetings and invitations.

Once you're happy with your image, you can add text and hit the "Share" button. The way the app is designed, it's pretty much what you see is what you get, so you'll have a good idea of what the recipient will see in the inbox. As well as email, there are options to share to Twitter and Facebook.


2. Photocards


The Photocards app allows you to snap a pic or grab one from your camera roll. When you've sized the photo to fit the frame, you can choose a background.

The available backgrounds display classic stock photography — the sky, greenery, sand, landscapes, etc. — but the pleasant surprise is that the images are actually decent quality. The not-so-pleasant surprise is that you have to pay for some of them.

With your background and picture in place, it's just a matter of penning a few lines before emailing your creation.


3. Montager


Montager is a little different because it acts as more of a photography tool. However, we really like that it lets you get creative with your pics.

It offers a number of templates that allow you juxtapose three images into a mini-montage. You simply double-tap the empty space you want to fill, and then create your triptych either on-the-fly with photos taken with the iPhone's camera, or from pics saved to the camera roll.

Although there's no built-in text options, you can email from within the app, so add your message there.


4. Current Postcards


Once you've snapped a photo or grabbed one from your camera roll, the Current Postcards app lets you select a font (a big bonus in our book) before opening the theme gallery.

Themes categories include Birthday, Special Events, Holidays, Everyday or Just For Fun. While we'd struggle to pick a theme from most of the clipart-esque options, the simple postcard in the "Everyday" category (as seen above) is quite classic.

You can send your Current Postcards creations via email or post to Facebook.


5. Postino


Creating a postcard with the Postino app is a four-step process. First upload a photo from your camera roll or capture one anew with your iPhone.

Next write the message, and then you're onto the really fun step — adding your signature.

You can scrawl your John Hancock on your iPhone screen with your finger. We think this would be a really nice touch if you're sending postcards with a child — although, if your finger writing skills are as rubbish as ours, your signature may end up looking like a child's anyway!

Once you've added that personal touch, email your postcard.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Steve Moses

More About: app store, apple, iphone, iphone apps, iphotography, List, photography
For more Mobile coverage:Follow Mashable Mobile on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Mobile channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Mac OS X: Google's released the "Canary" version of their popular Chrome browser for OS X, giving Mac users earlier access to advanced features. More »

We're seeing more and more NFC-enabled devices—but it's hard to get excited by anything that goes by three dull letters (notable exceptions: BFF, STD, UFO). NFC, however, is (potentially) quite awesome. Here's how we hope it'll shine. More »

Good news for digital inkers who use an iPad. PhatWare the makers of WritePad, PhatNotes and other digital inking software has just released PhatPad for the iPad. And we’ve got some codes to give away! See below the video for details.

I haven’t had an opportunity to check out PhatPad for the iPad yet, but if the development of this App follows along the lines of what PhatWare has been doing with WritePad, digital inkers will want to check this out. PhatWare is positioning this as a brainstorming and notetaking device. Here’s what PhatWare lists you can do:

Type or scribble notes using a smooth-flowing digital ink technology.
Combine drawing, handwritten text, images, and digital text on the same document page to create media-rich content.
Convert handwritten notes into text with PhatPad’s powerful handwriting recognition software.
Synchronize PhatPad documents with the desktop computer via iTunes or Dropbox.
Share documents between two or more devices on a local WiFi network, or email them to anyone from within PhatPad.
Send documents to a printer on your wireless network via AirPrint.
Export PhatPad documents as a PDF.
Use standard editing commands such as Undo, Redo, Cut, Copy, and Paste.

Check out their video.

PhatWare has given us codes to give away four copies of PhatPad for the iPad. So, we’ll run a little random contest here. All you need do is leave a comment to this post telling us how you will use PhatPad for the iPad. Make sure you leave your email address when you log in to comment so we can contact you. Comments for this contest will be accepted through Sunday, December 19 at 12 midnight EST. There will be four winners selected.

This post is part of the Mashable 10, Mashable’s gift guide of the 10 hottest gadgets that will be on everyone’s wish list this holiday season. We’ll be publishing one new post each weekday until November 26.
It’s the holiday season and you know what that means — gift guide time! At Mashable, we decided to streamline our guide this year and focus on 10 gizmos and gadgets we think will please you and yours well into the new year. We call it, the Mashable 10.
Undoubtedly one of the hottest consumer electronics this holiday season is still the Apple iPad. First announced amidst a flurry of rumors, speculation and skepticism back in January, the device has gone on to sell millions of units over the past seven and a half months.
The device — available in Wi-Fi only and 3G enabled varieties — weighs just 1.5 lbs, has a 9.6 inch backlit IPS multi-touch display and manages to last at least 10 hours per charge. With storage capacities of 16, 32 and 64GB available, you can spend as little as $499 on an iPad (for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model) or as much as $829 (for a 64GB Wi-Fi and 3G model).
Before its release, a lot of people focused on what the iPad isn’t. It doesn’t support Flash. It doesn’t have a built-in camera. It can’t do your laundry. This is all true; the iPad is not a replacement for your primary computer. However, the iPad is more than just an oversized iPhone (as many critics first pegged the device). Read on for our thoughts on the device.
Why We Love It

Here are some of the reasons we’ve come to love the iPad:
It’s a top-notch video player for streaming services (Netflix, Hulu Plus, ABC.com, YouTube, Vimeo, and an increasing number of HTML5 video sites), as well as downloaded or purchased content.It’s an e-reader, with support for third party apps from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, plus Apple’s own iBooks library.It’s a great way to play games.Reading magazines, children’s books and cookbooks is a joy.You can do real work too.You can create music.It’s a great way to surf the web.The iPad is about to get even better. Apple is about to release iOS 4.2, which will bring the iPad in parity with iOS on the iPhone. It will also bring in support for AirPlay and Apple’s new AirPrint feature. This is a free software update that will be available to all iPad owners.

While the iPad was hard to come by for its first few months, Apple appears to have opened the floodgates. In the United States, you can now pick up the iPad at Walmart, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Target, AT&T stores and even at Verizon stores (alongside a Verizon Mi-Fi card), in addition to Apple stores and Apple.com.
Although 2010 was poised to be the “year of the tablet,” the iPad is one of the only devices that has actually managed to make it to market. Not only that, the iPad is competitive — price wise — with its rivals, even though the rivals often feature smaller screens, shorter battery life and lack tablet-optimized applications.
The fact that you can grab an iPad today, it’s affordable and it’s just straight-up fun to use makes it one of our 10 big gadget picks for the 2010 holiday season.
Is the iPad on your wish list this year? Let us know in the comments why you can’t wait to own one.
Reviews: Apple Ipad, Mashable, Vimeo, YouTubeMore About: apple, Christmas, gadgets, gift guide, Gifts, Holidays, ipad, mashable 10, wish list
For more Apple coverage:Follow Mashable Apple on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Apple channelDownload our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Hello, trend. The Crux 360 is the third such device that we've seen in the past two months, and if we had to guess, we'd say it probably won't be the last. That said, it's easily the best looking of the bunch, and it's available to pre-order beginning today. For all intents and purposes, this case transforms your iPad into a netbook (at least, a netbook sans a bona fide operating system), but it's also capable of flipping back in order to become a kickstand. A Bluetooth keyboard is built right into the "lid," and if you're in need of little visual explanation, a video is waiting just after the break. $149 and she's yours... someday.Continue reading Crux 360 case converts your iPad into a netbook for $149 (video)
Crux 360 case converts your iPad into a netbook for $149 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sophos has today announced the world's first free business-strength anti-virus program for Macs.

In a pretty exciting move, we're making a version of our Mac anti-virus product (used by big companies around the world) available for free download to home consumers.

That means your home Macs can be protected automatically in-the-background with the latest anti-virus protection, checking every program you run, every file you download, every USB stick you insert, completely free. Is there a catch you're wondering? Well, nope! There isn't!

I'm really pleased about this, because I love Macs. Back at Cluley Towers we only use Macs at home - they're great for messing around with family photographs, making movies, storing music, the list goes on..

But just like I make regular backups of my valuable data (some of which is irreplaceable and is priceless in sentimental terms to me and my wife), I also run Sophos Anti-Virus on my Macs.

And it's not just to protect my movies and music collection. I'm also aware that there are a growing number of bad guys out there who might consider Mac users a "soft target" and deliberately set out to infect Apple Macs, in the hope of stealing login details to banks and social networks, comandeer your MacBook to send spam or install irritating pop-ups, or simply commit identity theft.

The cybercriminals aren't kids messing around in back bedrooms any longer, they're organised and professional. And - unfortunately - many Mac users may have been too blasé about securing their computers, making the growing Apple userbase an attractive one to target.

Don't believe me? Well, it's already started. Past threats to Mac users have included:

– Websites that pose as legitimate-looking software vendor's sites, but whose downloads are really Mac malicious code.

– Malware disguised as pirated software available for download from P2P file-sharing networks.

– Sexy online video links that urge you to install a plug-in to view the content, but really infect your computer with a Mac Trojan horse.

– Popular Twitter accounts, such as that belonging to former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki, who have tweeted out links to websites designed to infect Mac computers.

(Enjoy these videos? You can check out more on the SophosLabs YouTube channel and subscribe if you like)

– Windows viruses and other malware, which can come in via email, web or USB drive, either being passed on to Windows-using friends or colleagues, or infecting virtual installations of Windows installed on a Mac.

Most people don't know that Apple acknowledged the malware problem by integrating rudimentary protection against a handful of Mac Trojans in Snow Leopard. But 95% of those Mac users we surveyed recently are convinced that more attacks are on the way.

Wise Mac users will secure their computers now, outwitting malware authors – if we make their jobs of infecting Macs damn difficult, they will go elsewhere to make a quick buck.

So, what are you waiting for?

This time you really do have nothing to lose as we've made it free :-) Download Sophos Anti-Virus Home Edition for Mac.

Do you agree that Mac users need to protect their computers? Do you believe that actually they don't need to take any extra precautions to look after their data? Whatever your view, leave a message in the comments below.

Plane Finder AR adds a layer of augmented reality to its previous (and free) Plane Finder app, now charging $3 for the privilege of seeing the flight number, speed, destination and other such details of overhead planes. More »

Here at Mashable, we’ve been putting the iPhone 4 through its paces, and have come up with some handy tips and tricks that can help you get more out of your Apple-flavored mobile.
We’ve covered all kinds of basics, like making search results more relevant, creating shortcuts for your favorite websites, better organizing your apps, and making the most of Maps.
And, as ever, if you’ve got suggestions for more iPhone magic not covered here or in our previous Keyboard Shortcuts post, you know we want to hear them in the comments below.
1. Change the Spotlight Search Result Order

The iPhone’s Spotlight Search functionality is a great improvement from early incarnations, but you can make it even more relevant to you just by tweaking the settings.
In the “Settings” menu, go to “General,” then select “Spotlight Search.” You are then presented with a list of categories. By touching the three bars icon next to each category, you can change the order of how the phone presents search results.

This feature can be an extremely useful time saver, as it prioritizes search results based on what you’re most likely to look for (e-mails, apps, contacts, etc.).
2. Lock the Screen Orientation

A great feature for anyone who reads iBooks in bed, you can now lock the screen on your iPhone to stay in the portrait orientation and avoid that annoying wobble between portrait and landscape you can get in certain situations.
To activate the lock, tap the home button twice, then scroll to the screen on the left, at which point you’ll see a square gray icon with a circular arrow on the far right. Tap this to lock the screen (you’ll see a locked icon in the top right of the display now) and unlock by tapping again.
3. Change the Display to White on Black

This one falls under the iPhone’s Accessibility features as it offers a high contrast, more easy-to-view display, but it can also be employed just to make your phone look a little different.
To make the change, head to “Settings,” then “General,” then “Accessibility” and then toggle “White on Black” to “On.”
The colors on your phone’s display are now inverted, however, the Apple magic that makes this happen must have something to do with the phone’s display, rather than a software change, as you can’t export screen grabs showing this setting. To see the effect in action, you’ll have to make do with our real-life photos.

4. Create a Homescreen Icon for Any Website

This is a really nice option for anyone who regularly visits websites that don’t offer their own app. You can easily add a one-touch shortcut for any webpage to your homescreen in the iPhone’s Safari browser.
Simply load up the site you’re interested in and then press the “+” on the bottom of the screen. Select the “Add to Home Screen” option.

You can then label it something appropriate. Now, as the screenshot below shows, there will be a shortcut icon to the site on your homescreen.

5. Use the Front-Facing Camera for More than FaceTime

The iPhone 4’s front-facing camera isn’t just about FaceTime. You can also use it to snap quick portrait pics (as above) and even record video of yourself.

To access the front-facing camera, go to the main camera and then hit the camera with an arrow icon on the top-right corner. This switches the view to whatever the front-facing camera sees, meaning you’ll be able to see yourself on the screen to press the shutter at the correct moment.
To toggle between capturing stills and video, it’s the same as the main camera — slide the toggle from either icon at the bottom of the phone’s screen.

6. Open and Save PDFs in iBooks

The iPhone offers handy “Quick Look” functionality for viewing PDFs, but what’s even cooler is that you can auto-save them into iBooks and then access and view them from there.
Simply press and hold on the PDF icon and you’ll see the option to “Open in iBooks.” Hit this, and the PDF will be ported over, and be available to view in the app from then on.

7. Turn iBooks Into Audio Books

Another one of the iPhone’s Accessibility options for the visually impaired, the “VoiceOver” feature is a gesture-based screen reader.
Using slightly different controls (double tap to select and three fingers to scroll), VoiceOver essentially reads aloud what is on the phone’s screen.
Aside from the obvious uses for the visually-impaired, this also means that iBooks can become audio books. To activate it, go to “Settings,” then “General,” then “Accessibility” and toggle VoiceOver to “On,” at which point you get options to tweak the settings (the speed of reading) and try out the new controls.
Once activated, if you head over to your iBooks app, VoiceOver will read your selected texts to you. It might not be something you want to employ that often, but tired eyes might appreciate having a book read to them at certain times.
8. Manually Add Pins to Maps to Mark Locations

In the iPhone’s Maps app, you can add pins which make navigating to a point or sharing your location super easy to do.
In Maps, you’ll see a blue Post-It-style note icon on the bottom-right corner. Tapping this will give you the option to drop a pin. Selecting this drops a purple pin in the map, which you can drag to exactly where you want it.

Now that you’ve placed your pin, you’ll see a label that hovers over it. This leads to even more functionality.

Clicking through on the label gives you the options to get directions to that point, from that point, and also share that location via e-mail or text message as well as bookmark it. We think this functionality could be super useful for navigating your way back to your car, or a camp site, for example.

And while we’re on the topic of Maps, here’s a bonus tip. Did you know that hitting the arrow-shaped icon on the bottom-left of your display will activate the phone’s compass and show you on the map exactly which direction you’re facing? Clever, huh?
9. Swipe to Delete

There are some handy features for deleting messages more quickly. The most common way to delete multiple messages in e-mail is to hit “Edit,” select the messages you want gone, and then hit the big, red delete button. Alternatively, you can simply swipe to bring up a delete option.
In your inbox, swipe your finger from right to left across a message and you’ll see a delete button appear. Press it and the message is toast.
Gmail users, however, may only get the option to “Archive,” so if you’re using Gmail you’ll have to tweak your settings first. To do this, go to “Settings,” “Mail, Contacts, Calendars,” “Google Mail” and then toggle the “Archive Messages” option to “Off.” This will now reveal that delete option.
This swiping trick can also be used for phone messages, Notes and more.

10. Add Folders to the Dock

The ability to create folders is one huge improvement brought with iOS4, and is a very popular feature when it comes to organizing and accessing apps. In using folders, there’s a neat trick that will let you have all your most-used apps on your phone’s homescreen.
To create a folder, just press and hold any app until it starts wiggling. Then, drag the app into another app that you’d like to include in the same folder. The iPhone will automatically generate a name for the folder based on its contents. You can edit this name by pressing and holding the folder icon.

Once you’ve got your folders made, if you clear something less useful out of the dock (you can only have four things in at a time) you can drag and drop your folder into the dock for super-fast access.
With clever folder creation (Work, Play, Phone, Tools, etc) you could pretty much have everything you need one tap away from the homescreen, rather than scrolling through endless screens of apps.

More iPhone Resources from Mashable: - HOW TO: Make Free iPhone Ringtones - 10 Useful iPhone Keyboard Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks - 10 Incredible iPhone Portrait Photographs - 10 Incredible iPhone Photographs - 10 Ridiculous iPhone Accessories [PICS]
Reviews: Gmail, SafariMore About: apple, how to, how tos, iBooks, iOS, iOS4, iphone, iphone 4, iphone apps, List, Lists, tips and tricks
For more Apple coverage:Follow Mashable Apple on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Apple channelDownload our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Cupidtino is a new dating website launching next month exclusively for Apple fanboys and girls. Because who needs 29 dimensions of compatibility when you both use a mouse with one button?

Cupidtino is a beautiful new dating site created for fans of Apple products by fans of Apple products! Why? Diehard Mac & Apple fans often have a lot in common - personalities, creative professions, a similar sense of style and aesthetics, taste, and of course a love for technology. We believe these are enough reasons for two people to meet and fall in love, and so we created the first Mac-inspired dating site to help you find other Machearts around you.

So honestly, how many of you guys are gonna give it a go? Let me get a show of hands. And while we're at it, genitals. Oh. WOW. Please tell me those things grow. You guys are gonna drive your dates straight to PCs!

Official Site

Thanks to Greg, I'm a Mac and you're a PC, Erin and rodger, who still find dates the old fashioned way: the classifieds. Great for used farm equipment too.