Sony bringing official PlayStation app to iPhone and Android

Over in Europe, PlayStation fans are getting a treat in the form of mobile apps for iPhone and Android. No, the app won't turn your phone into a PSP, but it does sync up with your PlayStation Network account, which allows you to check trophies and see which of your friends are online. It also loads up announcements about new PlayStation titles. Predictably, there's also social networking, so you can do some volunteer Facebook and Twitter advertising for games you like.

The catch: this app doesn't have a US release date yet. In fact, only the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands will get it at launch. On the plus side, the app is free, and an upcoming version will let you comment on the PlayStation blog. 

Access the desktop version of Google Docs on your iPad

A couple of weeks ago, Google enabled Docs editing on iOS and Android devices through a lightweight, mobile-optimized version. Yesterday the iPad, with its larger screen real estate, got access to the full-blown desktop version of Docs -- there for when the mobile version simply won't cut it. You'll have access to all the formatting features available on the desktop when you need it, as well as formulae in spreadsheets. But Google recommends using it in one-off scenarios rather than as a full-time solution, with the mobile-optimized version staying as the default for now.

If you've ever needed more power than the mobile-optimized Docs will allow, now you have the option, just hit Desktop version, or go to spreadsheet view.

Ben the Bodyguard iPhone app is gorgeous, but security functionality may disappoint

Over at PreCentral, Dieter Bohn has been lucky enough to score some quality preview time with Incredible -- a Swiss-knife social networking app for webOS. The app is another creation from developer Geoff Gauchet, who built the popular Foursquare app our own Nik Fletcher showed you earlier this year.

Incredible supports all the services you'd expect, like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, and Gowalla. It's still a work in progress, but Incredible already looks like an amazing app. Apart from the features you've come to expect from social apps like inline maps and media previews, Incredible offers some serious filtering, rule, and interface options. Display your pals' updates in one color and updates from others you follow in another. You can also filter by service, content type, or account.

Want to post a single update to multiple networks? Just create a group (set up as many as you like) and cross-posting is a snap.Incredible can even build a list of trending topics from all the networks you connect -- rather than a single source like Twitter.

Have a look through the gallery at PreCentral for a better look. For social media mavens with a webOS device, Incredible looks like it could be a must-have app.

How to Move Your iTunes Library to a New Computer

Here at Switched, we've been through countless hard drives over the years. That trusty ol' 400-gigabyte drive is going to fail sooner or later, swallowing your precious, carefully crafted music library as it goes -- unless you've prepared yourself. Fortunately, transferring your fully intact iTunes library to a new drive or computer is a cinch. You can, of course, grab the music files themselves and throw them on your new computer, but you'll probably lose all of your metadata like playlists, playcounts and ratings. Instead, the following technique will preserve all of your hard work, and save you the effort of manually rebuilding your library. (Who does anything manually anymore, anyway?)

Setup

Before starting, make sure that you've been diligently backing up your files and that you've set iTunes to automatically organize your media. We can't stress this enough: all of your media must be organized in a single folder for this to work. It's possible to pull it off without a consolidated iTunes library, but it's an extremely involved process. It's far easier to move thousands of files when they're contained in a single place to begin with. Also, if you happen to have an additional external drive, we recommend backing up all of your media a second time. The following process is straightforward, but you never know when a drive will fail, and it's always good to have a backup of the backup.

You can use iTunes' built-in Backup to Disc option, but that will probably take far too many CDs or DVDs. We recommend the external drive approach; storage is cheap these days. Plus, if you're moving your library to an internal drive, you'll be able to use the extra external for dedicated backup. Windows users, navigate within the file system to the iTunes folder (Your account\music), and copy the entire iTunes folder over to the new drive. Mac users, you'll want to go to your User Folder/Music/iTunes. Depending on your drive speed and library size, this could take a while.

Once backup is complete, disconnect the drive and plug it into your new computer. Now, you've got two options. First, you can keep your library on an external drive. Some externals take a moment to spin up, which can cause a lag while playing tracks in iTunes -- and, of course, you'll have to lug the drive with you if you want mobile access to your tunes. Second, you can import all your music onto your new computer's internal drive. This may not be the best use of space if you've got a giant media library, but, fortunately, most new computers come with hundreds of gigabytes of storage.

External

If you opt for the external drive, quit iTunes and hook the drive up to your new computer. Mac users should hold down the 'option' key and click on iTunes, forcing the app to prompt you about your library location. Windows users, hold down the 'shift' key during iTunes startup. Click Choose Library, navigate to the iTunes Music Library folder on your new drive, select, and wait. After a few moments, iTunes should load with your library intact, complete with ratings, metadata, artwork and play counts.

Internal

The internal drive process is similar. Make sure iTunes isn't running, and hook up your backup drive to your new computer. Make sure the iTunes folder that currently exists on your internal drive is empty of any music or video files you need, because you'll be writing over it. Drag the iTunes folder on your backup drive into your Music folder (under users), and wait for it to copy. Now, open iTunes according to the directions above and repeat. You'll want to navigate to the iTunes folder that now cozily resides on your computer's internal hard drive. While you are at it, take this time to prune and streamline your tunes. Smash Mouth? No one wants to listen to that. Trust us.

Apple's Smart Playlist....... For iPhone,iOs.

Since album art practically defines music (e.g., Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures,' Nirvana's 'Nevermind', even Britney Spears's 'Britney'), no collection is complete with covers in disarray. Artwork is a key component to any obsessively organized music library, and the latest version of iTunes makes it a breeze to sort and add art. While most downloads from the iTunes Store come with artwork, you'll know that any time spent ripping CDs, transferring vinyl or downloading tracks from the Web will fill a library with shoddy and incomplete graphics. Read on to get your lovely library looking top-notch, and wow your friends with a complete Cover Flow.

Getting Started: How to Add Artwork

There are several ways to get images into iTunes, but the most basic involves selecting a track and manually adding it. Once you've single-clicked a track (or tracks) in any iTunes playlist, you've got three ways to do this: 1) navigate to File > Get Info; 2) right-click and select Get Info; and 3) tap Apple + i on a Mac, or CTRL + i on a PC. To add the image, drag or paste the artwork you've found to the 'Artwork' box. Make sure you double-check your selections; you don't want to accidentally apply the wrong artwork across multiple albums.

The first semi-automated, extremely powerful image-finding process is built directly into iTunes. Simply right-click any song and select Get Album Artwork. (This will work with any track you've got, not just purchases from the store.) If available, the art will be downloaded and applied, and you can speed up the process by selecting multiple songs (even your entire Library). It may take a few minutes, but iTunes will display the processing status. Once complete, a window will pop up showing you the albums that couldn't be found.

If your music is impeccably tagged and organized, this trick will quickly cover most of your unillustrated tracks. If you've got a deep collection of obscure albums, EPs, foreign pressings or vinyl rips, you're probably still missing a lot of artwork.

Filter Your Artless Tunes in Seconds

Clearly, adding artwork to your entire library could take a while, and simply finding the albums lacking artwork could take hours of sorting. Fortunately, iTunes 10 introduced a powerful new filter criteria for album artwork, so finding all of your unillustrated albums can be done in a few seconds. Create a smart playlist (File > New Smart Playlist) that searches for 'has artwork' and 'is false.' Rename this playlist 'No artwork' or something easy to find, and click to view all your songs without artwork.

Moving on from iTunes

Grab your drink of choice (we recommend something strong), and dig in; you'll need to manually add album artwork for these stragglers. For high-res art, start with Google Image Search, and set the search filter to large. Ideally, you're looking for images that are at least 500x500 pixels. (You can check in the image info.) Wikipedia often offers decent images for popular albums, and some smart googling can help you track down the harder-to-find covers. Automated third-party tools like GimmeSomeTune, TuneUp and Artwork Gofer will reach outside of the Apple ecosystem to Amazon, Google Images and other services to track down more obscure artwork. Yes, it's probably best to get in the habit of double-checking artwork whenever you add a new album, but these tools and tricks will help any library that's gotten out of aesthetic hand.

Take Control of Your iPod and iPhone's Playlists (With an Ironlike Grip)

This week we've primarily covered iTunes as it exists on your computer, but we've left out an essential component of the iTunes system: mobile devices. Of course, managing music on your iPhone and iPod opens up a brand new set of problems and issues. By default, your iDevice is set to automatically sync with your iTunes Library; if you've got an extremely small media library and rarely listen to music on the go, auto-sync may work for you. For most, though, libraries are showing no sign of slimming down, and auto-syncing all your media is a sure-fire way to get an irritable and error-laden iTunes.

Although iTunes does let you sync specific playlists, you'll end up playing mind games every time you go to hook up your phone or iPod. "Did I add too many songs to the Late Night Jams mix? Will this overwrite my Morrissey B-sides collection? Exactly how many songs have I added to my 'New Albums' folder since last syncing?" Here is a rare Switched recommendation: Going manual is your best bet. This way, you gain complete control over the music you're carrying around, as well as the power to delete and filter without auto sync's playlist-based constraints.

Turn on Manual Media Management

To change the setting, click on the icon of your iPhone or iPod where it's located in the left rail of iTunes, and check Manually manage music and videos under the Options header. Manually managing your music is, to an extent, just like filling your CD binder of yore. You can simply drag and drop songs and playlists directly onto your device. Want to trash a song from your iPod? Select it under the Music folder, and simply tap the delete key. Want to clear out old playlists? Click the sidebar, and trash it. By selecting your iPod in your left rail, you'll see a mini iTunes within your device, with the same rules and ways to organize.

Autofill!

One of the best parts of manual management is the extremely powerful Autofill feature. Autofill is, for lack of a better metaphor, the space at the top of your suitcase, allowing you to cram whatever socks, sunglasses or shoes you can fit. If you are carrying your device, why not fill it to the brim with a selection of tunes? To access it, click your device in the left rail and look at the bottom of the iTunes window.* You'll see an option to select a playlist, as well as a Settings button, where you can adjust the randomness of choices, propensity for higher-rated songs and a slider for precisely filling disk space. For example, augment your hand-picked albums with a random selection of songs you haven't listened to lately. (Just create a smart playlist to grab all the songs you haven't played in the last six months.)

*Note: If you select your device and click the Music tab, Autofill is nowhere to be found. Instead, it's only accessible by clicking the Music playlist. Great design choice, Apple.

Manual Management and Smart Playlists

Earlier this week, we wrote about the power of smart playlists in iTunes, and they're just as powerful on mobile devices. Auto-syncing smart playlists simply copies everything in that filter over to your device. For example, if you try to sync your 200 GB smart playlist of 1980s music, iTunes will balk due to 'not enough space.' Sidestep this by manually managing your music, and creating the smart playlist on your iPhone or iPod itself; select your device, and start a new smart playlist under the Music heading. This will create a device-specific filter that only looks for '80s music already on your device. Or, as a couple of our writers have pointed out, you can create specialized smart playlists (e.g., only songs with five stars, anything from the recently added list or any tune marked "Alternative hip-hop") by manually checking the playlist on your device. These smart playlists, then, will function as live filters that sort new music as you add it, creating a new way to rediscover your favorite songs or find the ones you haven't played yet.

iOS 4.2 Music Bug Got Ya Down? Here's How to Fix It

Chances are that if you own an iPod touch, iPhone or iPad, you jumped up to get the latest iOS update. iOS 4.2, in addition to introducing multitasking to the iPad, brought along a little bug that's making music collections vanish into thin air. A number of iPhone 4, 3GS and iPod touch owners have complained that, after iOS 4.2 brings multitasking from iPhone and iPod touch to iPad. So you can be more productive as you work, have more fun as you play, or do a little of both. Everything happens smoothly and efficiently — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.²
updating to 4.2, the iPod app displays a message reading "No Content" (even if the files are still there, floating about in iOS purgatory.) Thankfully, the Switched team and their precious playlists have escaped the issue, but TechCrunch's MG Siegler couldn't locate any of the 7.8 gigs of music on his phone. After some forum digging, however, Siegler found that there's a relatively simple answer to problem.

Just plug your device into your computer, play a song that's stored on your iPhone or iPod through iTunes on your PC, then resync. Disconnect, and voilà -- your music will have magically reappeared when you open the iPod app. No need to fire off obscenity-laced e-mails to Steve Jobs.

iOS 4.2 Ends the iPad's Wait for Multitasking

Oh, what's that? Are iTunes 10.1 and iOS 4.2.1 finally here, ending months of anticipation for millions of early adopters? Yes, eight months after blessing the iPhone with multitasking , Apple is finally bringing multitasking to the iPad. While iOS 4.2 introduces a slew of media, app and printing updates to the Apple tablet, you'll find that your day-to-day use of the iPad is changed most by multitasking and folders. Neither are anything new, as the implementation is nearly identical to the iPhone, just bigger. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; both features drastically improve the device, and you can finally stream Pandora and check your mail at the same time. Groundbreaking...

Folders, Media and Printing

Upgraders will get access to folders, which can save you from scrolling through endless pages of apps on the home screen. Much as you would on the iPhone or iPod touch, just press and hold an app icon, and drag it onto another one to create a new folder on the home screen. The new AirPrint adds wireless printing capability to the iPad, while AirPlay is an expansion and rebranding of AirTunes that lets you stream music, photos and video to your Apple TV and other AirPlay-enabled devices, many of which will be launching this fall.

Mail and Safari

The iPad Mail app gets bolstered by much-needed messaging, which sorts your mail into conversations. Game Center brings social competition and leaderboards to your marathon iPad 'Angry Birds' sessions, but is otherwise just as underwhelming as the iPhone version. Mobile Safari finally lets you search on the pages you're currently browsing. Start typing in the search bar, and you'll see 'On This Page' results below the stock Google suggestions.

Losing the Hardware Orientation Lock

We've been using a dev version of 4.2 for a few weeks, and we most regret the loss of the iPad's hardware orientation lock, which has been repurposed as a mute button. With all the reclined reading we're doing, the lock was handy for quickly switching from portrait to landscape mode, or locking while going horizontal. The interaction works on the smaller iPhone, but is needlessly complex on the iPad; compare a simple button to a process that will usually involve two hands (one to stabilize) and four actions (double tap, swipe right, tap). While it's interesting that Apple is effectively reprogramming dedicated hardware buttons, it should be an optional, or at least a software-reversible change.

Wrapup

Once Apple pushes the update live, make sure you've recently synced your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, grab the latest version of iTunes, boot up Software Update, and get updating!

FREE Download WinX iPhone Ringtone Maker Worth $29.95

WinX iPhone Ringtone Maker is a professional and innovative iPhone (iPhone, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G) ringtone creating program which empowers users to convert audio to iPhone ringtone file. It supports almost all audio formats, e.g. MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, AAC, MP4, M4A, FLAC, FLA, MPC, MP+, MPP, AIFF, AC3, APE and more.
With this handy iPhone ringtone creator, users can customize ringtone duration depending on individual needs, and beautify the ringtone by adding fade-in and fade-out effect as you like. DSP function supported, it allows users to increase or decrease the original audio volume, removing the original high and low distorted voice that could not be played by iPhone. What' more, this iPhone ringtone maker allows users to define tag information for converted audio.
Generally this software costs $29.95 but now you can get it absolutely free using following link:
Download Link
The offer expires on Dec 10, 2010.

iOS 4.2.1 out today, brings multitasking to iPad

Let the iTunes-powered updating begin: iOS 4.2.1 is here, and ready to install on your Apple device. If you own an iPhone 3, 3GS, 4, iPod touch 2nd gen or newer, or an iPad, you're good to go. Among the big additions to iOS this time around: multitasking and app folder support for the iPad. There's also AirPlay and AirPrint for even more cord-free computing action on your handheld and Game Center integration is now live as well.

The full presser from Cupertino is available after the break.

Apple's iOS 4.2 Available Today for iPad, iPhone & iPod touch

Major Software Update Brings Multitasking, Folders, Unified Inbox, Game Center, AirPlay & AirPrint to iPad

CUPERTINO, California-November 22, 2010-Apple® today announced that iOS 4.2, the latest version of the world's most advanced mobile operating system, is available today for download for iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch®. iOS 4.2 brings over 100 new features from iOS 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2 to iPad including Multitasking, Folders, Unified Inbox, Game Center, AirPlay® and AirPrint.

"iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a completely new product, just in time for the holiday season," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Once again, the iPad with iOS 4.2 will define the target that other tablets will aspire to, but very few, if any, will ever be able to hit."

iPad users can now run their favorite apps and switch between them instantly, while preserving iPad's legendary battery life. Users can organize their apps with drag-and-drop simplicity using Folders, and Mail now features a Unified Inbox, fast inbox switching and a threaded message view.

Game Center allows iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users to challenge and play friends or be matched automatically with new opponents, showcase their scores and achievements, and discover new games their friends are playing.

AirPlay is a new feature for streaming music, video and photos wirelessly from iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to Apple TV®, transforming Apple TV into a great accessory for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. iOS users also will be able to use AirPort Express® and AirPlay to stream wirelessly to any stereo or powered speakers, or directly to AirPlay-enabled speakers coming to market in the months ahead.

AirPrint is a next-generation Wi-Fi print architecture that dramatically simplifies printing by completely eliminating printer drivers. A selection of AirPrint enabled printers including the HP Photosmart, HP LaserJet Pro and HP Officejet will be the first to support printing direct from iOS devices. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users can simply tap to print their documents or photos wirelessly to any printer that supports AirPrint.

The Find My iPhone (or iPad or iPod touch) feature is now free to use without a MobileMe℠ subscription and helps you locate your missing device.* The Find My iPhone app is a free download on the App Store℠ and lets users easily locate a missing device on a map and have it display a message or play a sound. Users can even remotely lock or wipe data from a lost device to protect privacy.

Other new features that iOS 4.2 brings to the iPad include: the ability to rent TV episodes directly to iPad using the iTunes® App with a 30 day viewing window and a 48 hour session window once playback is started; the ability to easily find and highlight specific words and phrases on web pages in Safari®; enhanced enterprise support so businesses can take advantage of stronger security features, new device management capabilities and improved enterprise integration; industry-leading accessibility enhancements; and support for 25 additional languages, including Korean, Portuguese and Traditional Chinese.

The revolutionary iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. You can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, using the innovative Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad weighs just 1.5 pounds, making it easy to carry and use anywhere.

Today, customers have downloaded more than seven billion apps from the groundbreaking App Store and more than 300,000 apps are available to consumers in 90 countries, with more than 40,000 native iPad apps. Over 125 million iOS users around the world can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

Availability
The iOS 4.2 update is available today to download to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch by syncing the device with iTunes 10.1. iOS 4.2 is compatible with iPad, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, second and third generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB) and new iPod touch. Some features may not be available on all products. For example, Multitasking requires iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, third generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB) or later.

*The free Find My iPhone feature is available for iPhone 4, iPad or new iPod touch (4th generation).

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.