Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with iOS

De-rusting language: what should I use to brush up on classical Greek?

modernhypatia — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:45:18 -0800

Once upon a time, I was a moderately fluent student of classical (Attic) Greek. That was 15+ years ago, and I'd like to get back to that point again. (With some specific goals in mind.) What tools can help me do that? I have been a fan of the awesome Perseus Project almost since they launched, and I've still got my trusty print edition of Liddell and Scott (and two sets of grammar books) but I'm not sure which other books or geeky tools might help me do what I want. (Details within) My goal : to be able to translate text in a way that's reasonably enjoyable (i.e. doing more than a line every 20 minutes would be good), and with a particular attention to all the nuances of language - worldview, things that have particular social connotations, that kind of thing. I specifically plan to start working (once I've gotten some skill back) on Antigone, and after that, I suspect it will be some Euripides, some Homer, and some Plato.

What I'm looking for:

1) What are the really great textbooks for learning Greek these days? (I've browsed online, but it's hard to get a good sense of which ones would work best for me.) I used Athenaze, back when and I have a copy of the venerable if sometimes angry-making Chase and Phillips.

I really loved how Athenaze built from (very simple) created text into 'real' text remarkably quickly, and I liked how it integrated a variety of exercises and relevant background material. However, I'd like something that has a teacher edition as well (to check myself) and more workbook exercises, and it looks like laying hands on all three parts for Athenaze may be complicated. What's newer and does the same kind of thing?

2) What apps/websites/etc. should I be looking at? (I am Apple-ecosystem at home - phone, iPad, and computer - but could do Windows things from my work machine if they were awesome.) I probably do want something to help me quiz vocabulary, but I'm not sure which apps would do well with Greek.

3) Related to 2, best fonts for working in the Apple ecosystem for notes/etc?

4) I'm not sure I really want a full-blown formal course for credit anywhere, but this might be an area where there is some really useful MOOC or related project. (I do work at an academic library, but my campus doesn't teach classical languages at all.)

Help me understand the new Google Hangouts service.

modernnomad — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:21:08 -0800

For a unified messaging service, I am a little confused. So I've downloaded the new iOS Google Hangouts app. Upon connecting to my google account, it shows a list of contacts, some of whom are in Google+ circles (though I never use Google+), but some of whom assuredly do not have any kind of google/gmail account whatsoever (ie my parents). What happens if I send a message through Google Hangouts to them? I sent a message through it to someone with a gmail account but who has not installed hangouts with the question "did you get this as a chat or as an email?". I've yet to receive a response suggesting to me they might only get it when they turn on gchat/gtalk through gmail. But there's no way of knowing this.

There is also no indication in the Hangouts app as to who is actually online or capable of receiving a message, yet when I turn on the hangouts plugin for chrome, it lists who is currently online just as Gchat/gtalk used to.

In sum, how am I supposed to use this app? Is there a setting within the app that will show me only people who have google accounts so I can actually be sure my message will get to them?

Fixing image quality on blogger?

wearyaswater — Sat, 11 May 2013 17:49:35 -0800

While updating my blog today, I noticed that images uploading using Blogger's iOS app are of AWFUL quality. How can I fix this? I updated the app recently, and noticed that it now inserts a picture into the text directly (before it would put a thumbnail of the pic below the post). I tried changing the image resolution in the app, but that just made the blurry pictures bigger. I'm using app version 2.1.7.1 on iOS 6.1.3.

Why can I no longer receive iMessages on my iPhone?

krunk — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:57:06 -0800

As of yesterday I no longer receive iMessages on my iPhone. I get them on my ipad and Mac, however. I didn't change anything on the phone, but I did use the ipad for the first time in a few months and it required me to set up iMessage again for some reason. I've tried rebooting the phone, logging out of iMessage and signing back in, but nothing works. I can send messages too.

I've even tried logging out on the ipad in case it was consuming the messages for some reason. My wife sent me a message during this time and it eventually arrived on the phone as a text message.

Any ideas?

Good Media Catalog App for Iphone

yankeefog — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:21:11 -0800

When I finish a book or a movie, I like to write down my thoughts about it, and I'm looking for an iPhone app to organize my reading and watching notes. My particular picky bookworm/filmgeek requirements inside. In particular, I'm looking for an app that:

1. Works offline. (It's fine if it needs to be online sometimes to download info, and in fact it's a bonus if my notes are kept synced between my phone and my desktop--but I do want to be able to use it in places where I don't have signal. So, it can't be purely web-based.)

2. My thoughts should be kept private, not posted on Facebook or any other website. (This rules out Goodreads, as far as I can tell.)

3. I should be able to export my notes in some widely readable format.

Ideally, I'd find a single app for both books and movies, but I'm open to having separate apps for both.

Any suggestions?

PS: I've read this thread from 2009 but I'm hoping there have been some new possibilities since then.

iOS Games and User Authentication

spicynuts — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:01:35 -0800

What is the best practice in iOS game or app development for authenticating a user when using a 3rd party server for progress/score/status data storage? So I'm building this game in which we are storing some player data on Amazon EC2. This is a critical client requirement (I won't get into why - I've fought that battle and lost) and is non-negotiable at this point. This means I can't use GameCenter for authentication because I have to go out to 3rd party (amazon). Right now my developers have designed a system that asks the player for a username, AN EMAIL ADDRESS and a password. This to me is anathema. The client is also wary of using Facebook Connect (although that may be our fallback option). So all that said, what are the existing best practices for making sure a user is a real user and not bot and authenticating against a 3rd party server WITHOUT asking the player for an email address?

Should my tablet match my phone or my laptop ecosystem?

midmarch snowman — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:18:11 -0800

I am getting a Tablet for work, either a Nexus 10 or an iPad. I'm pretty well versed on the features and drawbacks for both, and I feel like if my other devices were either all Apple or all Google/Windows I'd make the choice based on matching my current device operating system ecosystem. BUT right now, each device I use has a different OS, so is there a better device to match my tablet operating system with? An android phone will be my next smartphone. I used to have an old iPhone 3G and liked iOS, but decided not to stay with iPhones because money.

I still have an old MacBook as a home computer, and I am pretty committed to OSX operating system for that purpose.

Also, at work I will be using windows, naturally.

The work I'm doing on the tablet will almost entirely be reading and annotating PDFs and Google Docs. Although I like holding the nexus better, it sounds like people prefer the PDF apps for the iPad better.

Since most other feature comparisons are similarly a wash, I wonder if there is any benefit of having both my mobile devices in the same ecosystem? Or is there a benefit from having my tablet be in the same ecosystem as my laptop? Or does it even matter?

Dominion for iPhone alternative

Brent Parker — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:48:20 -0800

Dominion (the card game) doesn't seem like it's ever likely to come out for iOS. What are some alternative iPhone games that riff on Dominion style play that are can be played thru game center and are turn based (able to take hours to make a turn.) Thanks!

Where Can I Learn About Mobile Software Development?

COD — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:30:49 -0800

I'm back in the web software development world after about 7 years selling already developed software. Mobile software development barely existed the last time I talked to a client about development projects. I understand the web side of things just fine still. Mobile I'm clueless on. Is there a good book or maybe website(s) that will help get me up to speed, and stay there? I'm running sales, so I'm not going to be writing any code. I actually can write small apps in python or php, and I know my way around the Wordpress codebase. So I'm not the stereotypical dumb sales guy. I mostly need to know what questions to ask when qualifying and sizing mobile projects. We develop for both Android and iOS.

Thanks.

iTunes backups silently failing, all data listed as "Other"

logopetria — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:12:07 -0800

I have an iPhone5 and an original iPad, which I back up to my PC (running iTunes on Windows XP). However, now when I plug in either device to the PC and start iTunes, all the data is listed as "Other" (in an orange bar across the bottom of the window). Further, when I click "Back Up Now" the sync begins, then stops after a second or two with no error message. Can I recover from this without losing my data? More details: the iPhone, iPad and iTunes are all updated to the latest available versions of their respective software. The last reported backup for each device is 11th and 13th February respectively; this date doesn't change when I click "Back Up Now".

I've searched as best I can for a solution, but most of Apple's help with failing backups seems to assume that the user is getting an error message of some kind. I don't get any error message at all. When I click "Back Up Now" the display at the top of the iTunes window simply says "Starting sync" and shows the barber-pole progress bar (as expected), but these appear on screen for only a second or two.

I've also tried switching to backing up to iCloud instead of to the computer, but it's just the same: the sync fails after a couple of seconds with no error message.

The other, presumably related issue is that the bar at the bottom of the iTunes window (which normally shows the storage used broken down into "Music", "Apps", etc.) is showing a single orange bar labelled "Other". This is the case for both devices.

Is there any way to recover from this condition without losing the data I have on both devices? It's probably not a huge amount of data (some notes in Clear, some podcast subscriptions in iCatcher, etc.) but I'd prefer not to have to do an audit of every app I use to ensure that nothing gets permanently lost, if it can be avoided.

If the only solution is some kind of restore/reset process, is there any third-party software you'd recommend to backup the data safely before I try it?

Need an iPhone game that's like Civilization, SimCity, or Age of Empires

Afroblanco — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:39:45 -0800

Need some iPhone games that are as engrossing as Civilization, SimCity, and Age of Empires. (Yes, I already have Civilization Revolution and SimCity DLX.) For the most part, I am not much of a gamer. The only games I've ever gotten into were Civilization (original, Civ 5, and Civ Rev), SimCity (every version), Command and Conquer, and Age of Empires. However, I've found that if I play Civ Rev while working out on the elliptical, the time just flies by. Sadly, I've now beaten Civ Rev on the hardest level, fulfilling every possible victory condition, and haven't found a game to replace it. Do you have any suggestions? I'm not into action games or puzzle games, and am not looking for a game like Go or Chess. The closer a game is to Civ, SimCity, or Age of Empires, the more likely I am to get addicted to it.

The game has to work on the iPhone; I don't have an iPad, and I work out at a gym, so I can't use a proper computer. Also, I would prefer a game I could purchase for an up-front fee, not a game that's always trying to weasel money out of me in the form of in-game purchases.

Foolproof app for video chat between a Samsung Galaxy Tab and an iPad?

jamaro — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:25:49 -0800

After a demonstration with Facetime, my dad would like to regularly video chat with his grandson. Grandson owns an iPad 2. I've tried to talk Dad into buying an iPad too but he's attracted to the lower price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. I'm getting mixed feedback on which app will allow easy and reliable video chatting between a Galaxy Tab and an iPad. Skype was my first thought, however according to Skype's support forums, video chat does not always work on Tabs due to reasons PEBKAC or otherwise.

Complications: Dad lives a three hour drive away and while as sharp as one can be at the age of 91, he's 91 (very hard of hearing, rather stubborn, while not a total tech newb he is new to both touch interfaces and Android UI as well as the whole concept of downloading applications as opposed to installing them from physical media). Assume any setup, troubleshooting and maintenance on his Galaxy will have to be performed by me long distance while shouting into the phone* and I do not own an Android device so that I might play along at home.

Requirements:
#1: Must have an analogous app that runs on iOS
Easy to obtain: should be available in a well known and trusted repository for Android apps, should not require my dad to enter his credit card number (he will not make purchases online, hardstop—if it does require payment, I need to be able to buy and gift credits to his account)
Easy to install: "Click this button to install this app onto your device"
Easy to set up: Default settings will allow the app to make video calls
Easy to maintain: Ideally, it just works now and forever more w/o trying to guess which permissions need to be granted or which settings need to be massaged
Inexpensive: App will have at most a 1x cost at purchase and no subscription fee for continuing access

*dear lord, just buy the iPad, Dad

Best combination food/exercise log app?

Halloween Jack — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:26:46 -0800

iPhone user; I've experimented with exercise logging apps such as MapMyRide+, Cyclemeter and Fitocracy (most of my exercise is cycling-oriented, but I'm also looking at Kinect exercise games and, potentially, weightlifting). Is there a good combo app that logs both exercise and food intake? Or one site that could possibly accept input/imports from both? Pluses include:

- Suggested calorie counts for relatively common prepared foods (e.g. pizza) so that I don't have to depend on stuff with nutrition labels

- iOS, although I do have an Android 7" tablet

- Either free or one-time fee; would look at subscription services if they're really good

Annoying Facebook Bullshit

zenpop — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 22:11:31 -0800

In the ongoing wrangle that is the process of PRIVACY with Facebook I've yet to figure this one out. I have my privacy settings for my "timeline" set to only show my posts to 'friends.'

And yet when I view my 'timeline' as if I'm the 'public' viewing my 'timeline' (a 'convenient' option FB has created to indulge you) all of my posts from the FB app on my iPhone show up on the 'timeline.' IOW, whenever I post anything from my phone it goes public on the 'timeline.' When I post to FB online, all is kept private re my 'timeline.'

Naturally, searching FB for five fucking hours does not offer a clue as to how to turn this 'setting' off in the phone, nor can I find an option within the app itself on the iPhone.

And so, here I crawl to the Metahive.

Anyone?

How can I avoid making an expensive phone call from my smartphone?

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:25:07 -0800

I have a cellphone (iPhone on AT&T) that will cost $0.20 per minute (perhaps more) to make a call from the United States to Canada. I'm a cheap bastard and would like to avoid this charge whilst still using my cellphone to place the call. What options are available for me to do this more cheaply? Would I buy and use a calling card (and are there issues I need to worry about with this option), or are there apps that I can run on iOS through which I can call another country more cheaply than through AT&T?

No I don't want to install your app

cnanderson — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:40:29 -0800

I just got a new iOS device and web browsing is a bit different than browsing on my desktop. When I click on a link, I expect to be taken straight to a webpage, but instead I often get an advertisement to download an app for that websites' homepage. Example: Contra Costa times Is this just the way web browsing works in the mobile era? What are my options if I decide that I always don't want to install an app?

Update/restore iOS devices using Acer Chromebook running ChrUbuntu?

letstrythis — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:13:06 -0800

Long story short- I'm trying to make a go of it with an Acer C7 Chromebook as my main computer. I installed ChrUbuntu, and this is my first foray into the world of Linux. I like it so far, but it does beg the question of what to do with backing-up/restoring my iPhone 4s and iPad (original). Pretty soon I'm going to want to unlock my iPhone so I can switch to a prepaid plan, and I understand you need iTunes for that. Is there a Linux workaround that anyone knows about?

iOS (iPhone) Apps keep getting moved by App Store - why?

cavalier — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:46:54 -0800

Recently my IOS (6.1.2) device (iPhone) has developed a peculiar behavior : Whenever App Store apps are bought/updated, the icons for those apps are relocated to the second page of my home screen. There does not seem to be a setting for this. Why is this happening? I'm a bit OCD about my app layout, and this has started to get on my nerves. I can't recall making any significant change to my phone in months. Awhile back I noticed my second page apps had been moved down after updating something. Now I realize it is reproducible 100% of the time.

It used to be -- new apps would show up wherever there was open space on one of the pages. The first open space gets the first new app, etc. Updated apps would stay where they are and just get updated. Now, both types of app changes result in the app being relocated to the first upper left position on the second page, pushing everything else forward.

Has anyone else seen this?

I restored from a backup, there is no jailbreaking or any other silliness going on with the device.

Gotta lose my mind in Detroit Rock City

spicynuts — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 07:58:31 -0800

Detroit - Anyone know who the big players or up and comers are in terms of small shops doing solid ios and interactive development? I've been scouring the country looking for sharp, hungry interactive or app development agencies because I am unhappy with our current development shop. Unfortunately part of our value prop is that we don't use NYC or SF resources so we can pass savings along to our clients so I've been focusing on places like Baltimore and even the Dominican Republix. However, seems like Detroit is in the news a lot (front page of today's NYT) so I googled and apparently there was an app developers conference in Detroit in February so it looks like there is a fledgling and developing scene of agencies and developers there. Does anyone have connections or at least know who the talented people there are? I've already reached out to Detroit Labs.

Another iPhone Game Recommendation Request

still_wears_a_hat — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:01:17 -0800

I'm looking for some light, fairly simple iPhone puzzle-type games, for a 4th-generation iPod Touch running iOS 5.1. What I like are: games that get harder very gradually, have a lot of levels, and simple (not too busy) graphics. My past favorites tend to be very whimsical: Red Remover, Blocks with Letters On, Cover Orange, Jelly Blocks. And Dooors, though haven't found any other of the doors/floors/exits games anywhere near as appealing.

What I don't like are: RPGs, adventure games, games with plots, scrolling over multiple screens, playing against time, anything that I can't finish at least the easy levels in a few minutes, and anything where the screen is too cluttered or the objects just too small.

What I really don't like are: games that flash and blink, or any games where I can't turn off any sounds that aren't part of the puzzle. I think I would like something like Bejeweled or Piyo Blocks if they just wouldn't blink and flash so much.

I'm fine paying for a game, though it's always nice to be able to try them first. I've looked at everything in this question and this one, and have a few of them on my iPod to try, but would like to stock up for an upcoming trip.

Thanks!

How do I share photos from Dropbox for iPhone?

devnull — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 09:09:01 -0800

A friend has an iPhone. He wants to share a selection of photos using his Dropbox iPhone app with us. How does he do that from the app? (not a browser) He has instant upload enabled, the photos are on Dropbox's servers, he just wants to share them with us.

On Android it's easy: I switch to photo view, tap the photos I want, and choose "create album", then I get a link to share. On iOS, I can only find a delete option, so what am I doing wrong?

Timer app with random durations

booksherpa — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 19:23:45 -0800

I'm looking for a timer app, for either iPhone or iPad where I can set a series of random alarms according to certain requirements. I want to use it to time some solo improv exercises.* Ideally, I could set up minimum and maximum time periods between alerts, and I need to be able to set those to as low as a few seconds. For instance, it might beep after 30 seconds, then 70, then 40, 20, 80, 60, 30, 90, 80, etc.

Bonus qualities: ability to include messages with the alarm and ability to set quiet/sleep hours

Does such a thing exist? Free would be lovely, but I don't mind paying a buck or two for an app that works as I described.

*Specifically, Mick Napier's Solo Character Switch from Improvise: Scene From the Inside Out though I could probably use it for other solo exercises

Open Facebook share links to iOS app from email?

mgriffioen — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:07:29 -0800

Work has had me start building responsive html emails to send to our member list with Facebook share links inside. I know you can open links to iOS native apps from emails and websites within the iOS environment, but is it possible to have those "share to your wall" links work correctly? I've googled around a bit, but not having any luck finding a clear answer.

I get a check on Friday, but it's already spent.

hanov3r — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:44:07 -0800

I'm desperately trying to become an adult (finally!), but I can't wrap my head around 'classic' budgeting software. Suggestions and tips to find what I really need? I have... very poor money management skills. And, by 'very poor', I pretty much mean 'non-existent'. I really need to get a better handle on what I'm doing, since living paycheck-to-paycheck (and only barely making it) just isn't cutting it in the face of turning 46, an owned home, and a toddler.

I've got a pretty decent income, so there's part of me that says this shouldn't be hard. But it is. I'm not managing to save very much money although, for the first time in forever, I'm keeping up with my bills, at least.

Most of the budgeting software I've seen is great at reminding me that I have bills due, and great at telling me what I've spent (and, possibly, what I've spent it on). None of them (to me) have been good at helping me *plan* my spending. I'm hoping to find something that isn't a Google Docs spreadsheet where I can say "I get paid on every other Friday for the foreseeable future starting next week, my net each paycheck is $DOLLAR_AMOUNT, and I have bills A, B, and C due on days X, Y, and Z every month" and have it spit out an estimate of what I should have left over. I can then refine that with additional "oh, and I want to add $25 to my Starbucks card every paycheck, and I want to put $50 in this savings account" kind of things to get me on track with being financially aware.

So... does something like that exist for OSX or the iPhone? Am I just missing the obvious? Thanks, all!

Note: I'm not looking, in this thread, for tips on how to save money or spend more wisely - please don't berate me for my Starbucks example above.

iOS App to Associate Voice recording With a Photo?

imjustsaying — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:11:10 -0800

Looking for an iOS app to associate a still photo with an audio file. Video isn't the answer. I am a photographer who will be shooting some spur of the moment candid portraits, and will conduct a very brief interview with each subject.

I'll be shooting the real photos on a real camera, but I'd love an app that would let me shoot an iPhone shot (purely for reference) and immediately record and associate a small audio file of the interview with the image.

I want to do this because I expect to shoot a ton of subjects and am looking for a relatively painless way to match the interviews with the individual in the still photo.

A paid app would be no problem.

Suggestions?