iPhone iPhone iPhone

I can’t believe I don’t have one yet! I just can’t stand to wait in line for it…

In the meantime, here are a slew of iPhone related items.

MattF passed along http://audiko.net – it allows you to create ring tones for your iPhone from your own mp3s, their collection, or youtube videos.

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MB passed along an amusing commercial spoof that aired on “Talk Soup.”

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ER passed along this awesome excerpt from O’Reilly: iPhone's Location-Aware Apps

Loopt – Free

I saw a quick preview of Loopt's friendfinder app at Where 2.0 and I've been eagerly awaiting it ever since. The Virtual Earth map allows me to see both my friends and Yelp search results together. I can also share my location through the app with friends. Unfortunately, this only seems to work for other Loopt users and Loopt does not seem to be to popular amongst my friends -- yet. I hope that a friendfinder app comes along that will replace my address book and show me a friend's latest status or location before I call them. Loopt has the status, but not the ability to call.

Where - Free

The Where platform was released by uLocate on Sprint last year (Radar post). This one program makes it very easy for developers to build location-aware widgets. The Where app provides the platform and the distribution channel for developers across many phones and carriers. The apps included in the iPhone version include a Starbucks finder, gasbuddy, HeyWhatsThat (a location-aware mountain identifier), SkyMap, Yelp, and a Zipcar finder. If you are looking to test the waters with a location-aware iPhone app I would consider using the Where platform.

Urban Spoon - Free

Urban Spoon is a restaurant picker with a unique twist. After using three slot machine dials to select neighborhood, cuisine, and cost you can shake the app to get a matching restaurant. The app will spin the dials (as shown in the screenshots), while waiting for your pick to come back. I've found the available locations to be limited (for example Santa Rosa, CA is missing), but if you can use the app where you are then its worthwhile.

more location-aware apps

Reflection.js

This seems like a fun utility. (Or are reflections so 2006? J)

“Reflection.js allows you to add reflections to images on your webpages. It uses unobtrusive javascript to keep your code clean. It works in all the major browsers - Internet Explorer 5.5+, Mozilla Firefox 1.5+, Opera 9+ and Safari. On older browsers, it'll degrade and your visitors won't notice a thing. Best of all, it's under 5KB.”

RE: Exchange 2007 Free/Busy Information

I was just reading that Free/Busy information has improved in Exchange 2007.

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2006/10/23/429296.aspx

Siggraph 2007 Retrospective

BH posted some fun videos from Siggraph ’07 on YouTube! Makes me want to go again this year. Here are a few fun people shots. He has some great captures of events/videos, too.

I’d love to own a Cintiq one day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPU4Y1acrc8

Trying out a demonstration of the light ring:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df8XBiIf9NY

Our gang:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKVX6FITs_4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xCaxTwAW3M&NR=1

Gradients in Flash

Gradients!

A blog entry on doloresjoya.com features some amazing examples of (hand made, not code-based) gradients using Flash (and includes a few source files!) and explains the principles behind creating different kind of gradient effects.

“Exploring Gradients” has a nice example of animating gradients (but sadly it is ActionScript 2). A more advanced (to me) but very cool example is offered by “Some Random Dude.”

Adobe Community Help

I stumbled across this site on Adobe today: Adobe Community Help (Beta).

Adobe Community Help is an online service for instruction, inspiration, and support that enables you to find the best answers for your Adobe product questions, no matter where they may be found. Search for help, support, and inspiration across Adobe.com and the best sites on the web.

Currently in public beta, Community Help relies on a new approach to search called Custom Search, an enterprise tool from Google that enables us to selectively index only the most high quality sites and resources.

This search index includes content such as product Help, language references, TechNotes, Developer Connection articles, and Design Center tutorials as well as the best online content from the Adobe community. Searchable content is chosen by experts at Adobe and in the design and developer communities, meaning you find the focused answers you need faster than with any standard web search.

Photojojo's Favorite Flickr Add-ons and Mashups

I thought this was a pretty good list of Flickr Add-ons and Mashups – at least, there are several I haven’t played with.

The most interesting (so far) from a Multimedia perspective is “Islands of Consciousness.”

“The result of this fusion - Islands of Consciousness - is not a simple combination of the two concepts but a great advancement. Sound and Images enter a very close relationship in which the randomly arranged musical phrases are taking direct influence on the visual outcome. So when you look at this piece keep in mind that all the visuals are assembled in realtime using photos downloaded from Flickr.com. All the transitions and effects are entirely random and only happening on you screen. Other people will see a movie and hear a soundtrack that is totally different from yours.”

Many of the innovative sites ER has sent out, such as PicLens, are listed, too!

SharePoint, Meet Exchange: the Team Calendar Web Part 1.0

This web part might be something to keep track of…

MoodStream

An experiment from GettyImages:

http://moodstream.gettyimages.com/usa/

ActionScript 3 Tool Tips

Devon’s blog at onebyonedesign.com has a terrific ActionScript 3 class for generating “tool tips.” It’s part of a UI package that he generously makes available for free. (He discusses it a little in the Kirupa forums, too.) Here’s an extremely simple version:

import flash.display.Sprite;
import com.onebyonedesign.ui.OBO_ToolTip;
import flash.events.MouseEvent;

var _toolTip:OBO_ToolTip;

_toolTip = OBO_ToolTip.createToolTip(this, new LibraryFont(), 0x000000, .8, OBO_ToolTip.ROUND_TIP, 0xFFFFFF, 12, false);

yourmc.addEventListener(
MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER,
function(evt:MouseEvent):void {
trace("hover!");
_toolTip.addTip("Hello");
}
);

yourmc.addEventListener(
MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT,
function(evt:MouseEvent):void {
trace("Bye!");
_toolTip.removeTip();
}

);

Why Was I Dissed?

Heh, I'm not sure I'd WANT to know these answers! Sites like these remind me why I don't miss dating. :)

The novelty of this site, is that they'll contact your ex and try to discover why they broke up with you.

http://www.whywasidissed.com/

API Nirvana: ActionScript 3 Libraries

I ran across this compilation of useful ActionScript 3 Libraries. There are some pretty neat links here – such as APIs for Facebook, Amazon and more.

http://blog.everythingflex.com/as3-libraries/

SWF Object 2

Updating my bookmarks…here is the latest and greatest SWF Object URL:

http://code.google.com/p/swfobject/

Loopt

Very cool…except, do I always want it known where I am?

“Loopt shows users where friends are located and what they are doing via detailed, interactive maps on their mobile phones. Loopt helps friends connect on the fly and navigate their social lives by orienting them to people, places and events. Users can also share location updates, geo-tagged photos and comments with friends in their mobile address book or on online social networks, communities and blogs. Loopt was designed with user privacy at its core and offers a variety of effective and intuitive privacy controls.”

It's All Relative in AS3

Here’s an awesome tutorial entitled “The Power of Relative Positioning at Learning ActionScript 3.0.” The article progresses from simple alignment to dynamic positioning of multiple MovieClips.

AS3 Quirk: navigateToURL + POST

I was experiencing a strange error: when using code similar to Adobe’s example shown below, the URL Request was performing a GET behavior instead of a POST. This only seemed to occur in Adobe’s test environment (e.g. Control > Test Movie). It works fine on an actual web server.

package {

import flash.display.Sprite;

import flash.net.navigateToURL;

import flash.net.URLRequest;

import flash.net.URLRequestMethod;

import flash.net.URLVariables;

public class URLRequest_method extends Sprite {

public function URLRequest_method() {

var url:String = "http://www.[yourDomain].com/application.jsp";

var request:URLRequest = new URLRequest(url);

var variables:URLVariables = new URLVariables();

variables.exampleSessionId = new Date().getTime();

variables.exampleUserLabel = "guest";

request.data = variables;

request.method = URLRequestMethod.POST;

navigateToURL(request);

}

}

}

JW FLV Media Player 4.0 has been released!

The latest and greatest from one of the best FLV players out there.

How to Clear Everything from Your Windows Mobile

A very useful article from WindowsMobileToday…I’m going to need this procedure when I make the switch to the iPhone. J

“From the Start Menu, choose system tools (or Settings, then the system tab). Click on Clear Storage and you should get an explanation of what you're about to do: namely, blast everything off your device and revert to the factory default. “

Importing Data from Active Directory to InfoPath 2007 Form

SG pointed out this terrific blog entry on SharePoint’s ability to communicate with Microsoft Active Directory allowing InfoPath to load current user profile data. (Say that 5 times fast!)

New and Updated Flash Components and ActionScript 3 Utilities in Yahoo! Astra 1.2

I love the Flash Developer Center at the Yahoo! Developer Network. That’s why I selfishly hope that Microsoft doesn’t buy Yahoo!. Here’s a great blog entry by Josh T. explaining all the Astra.

Adobe Assists Google and Yahoo Search Engine Indexing of the Flash File Format

This is a cool development – although, I wonder if I should now go back and think about what names (comments, perhaps?) I might have in ActionScript or unused symbols.

“Adobe is providing optimized Adobe Flash Player technology to Google and Yahoo! to enhance search engine indexing of the Flash file format (SWF) and uncover information that is currently undiscoverable by search engines. This will provide more relevant automatic search rankings of the millions of RIAs and other dynamic content that run in Adobe Flash Player. Moving forward, RIA developers and rich web content producers won't need to amend existing and future content to make it searchable—they can now be confident that it can be found by users around the globe.”

It amuses me that so far Adobe is excluding the most obvious other player in search: Microsoft.

“Is Adobe planning on providing this capability to other search vendors too? Adobe wants to help make all SWF content more easily searchable. As we roll out the solution with Google and Yahoo!, we are also exploring ways to make the technology more broadly available.”

Sources for Public Domain Footage?

The National Archives and Records Administration has an extensive collection of films created for and produced by the U.S. government that are in the public domain, including military films, educational and documentary films (1915-1976). NARA also has gift materials from private sources, such as Universal Newsreel releases and outtakes (1929-67). You can search some of their holdings using the ARC online catalog. For further information, contact:

National Archives and Records Administration
Special Media Archives
Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Unit 8601
Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740
Phone: 301-837-3520
Fax: 301-837-3620
www.archives.gov
Internet Moving Image Archive
Provides near-unrestricted access to digitized collections of moving images. The largest collection is comprised of over 1,200 ephemeral (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) films made from 1927 through the present. Broadcast quality copies can be purchased through Getty Images.

Outlook Web Access URLs

There’s a nice blog entry on blogs.technet.com (from way back in 2003) describing the the URL parameter for accessing web-based views of Outlook using OWA (Outlook Web Access). I’m quoting some of his great examples below.

Iif you want to point at a public folder, you can embed it into a separate web page with an IFRAME:

<iframe width=800 height=400 src="http://myserver/public/mypublicfolder/?cmd=contents">

This displays the list of items and the view (which includes the reading pane) for that public folder. If you want to specify the view that should be used, just append the name of the view as another URL parameter:

<iframe width=800 height=400 src="http://myserver/public/mypublicfolder/?cmd=contents&view=Two%20Line%20View">

You can also specify the view for another folder type, such as a calendar folder. The following URL will display this week's calendar (which could be really useful to embed onto a home page for your browser, to get a quick glance at your calendar without requiring you to go to OWA):

<iframe width=800 height=400 src="http://myserver/exchange/username/calendar/?cmd=contents&view=weekly">

To go to a specific day in your calendar (or any calendar folder), using my son's birthday as an example:

<iframe width=800 height=400 src="http://myserver/exchange/username/calendar/?cmd=contents&d=8&m=6&y=2003">

Free Vista Style Icons

A generous site!

“VistaIcons.com is a collection of free Vista Style icon sets of over 2500 high quality icons in png and ico format. From VistaIcons.com you can freely download 256x256 PNG icons for Windows Vista.”

3W or Not 3W: That is the Question

I had never considered this before. Apparently, search engine ranking and site analysis tools can be affected depending on whether users include a “www” in the URL they are visiting (www.yahoo.com) or instead save a few keystrokes and avoid those pesky four characters (yahoo.com).

Mattfarina.com suggests this workaround:

“Luckily the solution for this is rather easy. Just have all sites that go to the "www." redirect to the non-"www." version or vice versa. Then search engines will see just the one site. For sites using Apache this is a simple site modification.”

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As an aside, some people feel so passionately on this topic that they devote web sites to it!

http://no-www.org/

http://www.yes-www.org/www-is-not-deprecated/