Tag: Icloud »

There are many reasons to back up an iOS device. Need to replace that iPhone? Backup and restore! Upgrading to a new iPad? Backup and restore! Sometimes an iOS device just acts weird with no way from the user end to fix them, and a full restore can help a device run in a much smoother manner. As well, the beauty of the restoration process is that a backup can be reinstalled on a completely different device, making upgrading to a new version of the iPhone or iPad easy. It makes upgrading to a new type of device, such as going from iPod touch to iPhone, and even to an iPad possible as well. But how does one go about doing this?

The iTunes backup process is fairly simple. While a backup is created after every device sync, individual full backups can be made by right clicking (or Command-clicking) on the device in the iTunes sidebar, and choosing Back Up. After the lengthy backup process, that backup with its date and time will appear in a list of backups when restoring from iTunes.

iOS 5 introduced iCloud backups and restoring, and these skip iTunes altogether. The advantage to iCloud backup is quite simply that it does not go through iTunes. There’s no weirdness involved with apps and media getting inadvertently deleted from a device unintentionally because iTunes decided to replace them. It’s much more painless when restoring, and handles downloads from multiple iTunes accounts much easier. As well, iCloud backups happen automatically overnight when charging, so if something bad happens, the restored device will not be far out of date.

The downside is that instead of installing from the computer, it downloads apps from the web, which can take up a long amount of time depending on connection speed and depending on how many apps one is restoring. I have too many apps installed (way more than 148) so I usually leave the process to finish overnight. Note that any media synced from a computer will have to be re-added through iTunes. As well, Apple servers tend to get hammered during new product launches, so early adopters may not enjoy a smooth experience. As well, those who take a lot of photographs and videos will find that the Camera Roll takes up a lot of iCloud space. It becomes a choice between either foregoing backing up the Camera Roll (as individual app backups can be disabled in the iCloud menu) or shelling out for more iCloud space.

iCloud backups must be enabled by selecting it as the backup method in iTunes. While the iCloud backup process is otherwise automatic, it can also be manually initiated by going to Settings -> iCloud -> Storage and Backup -> Back Up Now.

In order to reset a device to restore it as new from iCloud, go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Erase All Content and Settings. This will set it up as if it was a brand new device. Enable iCloud while setting back up, choose to restore from iCloud, and choose the name of the device that was backing up to iCloud that you wish to restore from.

iA Writer has made a breakthrough, allowing for writers to seamlessly work between their iPad and their Mac. Because no one's truly a writer without being a Mac owner. But wait, I'm a Windows owner! I might not be for much longer, though, after hearing about this news: iA Writer now supports iCloud synchronization of text files between the Mac and iPad versions of the software, with text files updating on the fly between the two platforms. Text files can even be left open on one device and picked up on the othe, then can be continued on the other as the user desires. While the app continues to offer Dropbox syncing, it does not offer the live synchronization that this app does at the moment. iA Writer is now available on sale for $1.99 for iPad, and $8.99 for Mac. An iPhone/iPod touch version is planned, but not currently available, and so the complete writing synchronization dream goes deferred...

Head in the clouds...

On This Episode:

Carter and co-host Blake Grundman dig into iOS 5's features, discussing the ways that it improves the iOS experience, and how features like iCloud improve gaming on iOS.

Who We Are:

Host: Carter Dotson

Guest: Blake Grundman, 148Apps and Games Are Evil

Music:

"Beatnes7 (Theme to The Portable Podcast)" by The Eternal - Download on iTunes here:

"Nanocarp" by The Eternal

How to Listen:

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Listen Here: [powerpress]

Apps Mentioned on This Episode:

We rather liked Elements Dropbox Powered Text Editor when it was first reviewed last year. Developers, Second Gear Software, were obviously determined to make it all the better by releasing a significant update in August of this year and they've gone one better by releasing yet another major update in the form of Version 2.1.

The most significant addition here is that of iCloud support. Elements 2.1 now allows the user to sync their settings, appearance preferences and scratchpad contents between different devices thanks to such support. Something that's particularly ideal for those who use the app on both iPhone and iPad.

As well as that, there's now the ability to copy the Markdown generated HTML preview to the clipboard enabling writes to transfer their words to the CMS of their choice, ideal for those using an CMS that Elements doesn't yet support.

Along the way, Second Gear Software has also fixed numerous bugs and changed a few minor things. Most curically, Elements now requires iOS 5 to run.

The update is available now for free for existing owners. Those yet to give Elements a try can purchase it for $4.99.

This week at 148Apps.com, writer Rob Rich previewed the upcoming freemium Charlie Brown game, Snoopy's Street Fair. Rich was pleasantly elated by the game's trailer, as he writes, "(The Peanuts characters have) been around a long time. Long enough, in fact, to have spawned more than a couple video game iterations. Now it’s time for the unnaturally bald man-child and his friends to try their luck on iOS with Snoopy’s Street Fair. I’ll admit I was somewhat surprised and confused by the odd choice of gameplay style at first, but after only a few seconds of that trailer down there I’ve completely changed my tune. I’m legitimately excited for this game."

Read the full article on 148Apps.com.

Kid-friendly site GiggleApps plumbed the depths of the mysterious with its review of Boquitas: The Hunt for the Chupacabras. Writer Amy Solomon comments, "There is so much I really appreciate about this app. It is wonderfully colorful, with a bright and lively palette that I greatly enjoy. The look of these illustrations is highly stylized, reminiscent to me of the great, iconic cartoons created by Genndy Tartakovsky, and include clever interactions that add richness, whit and whimsy to this pitch-perfect storybook application. The art direction here is perfectly realized as the reader’s attention is focused in all the right places to further this story along, creating nice moments of suspense and great humor."

Hunt for more chupacabras and read the full review on GiggleApps.com.

Finally, on 148Apps.biz, Rob LeFebvre got some initial impressions of iCloud from a developer's perspective when he spoke to Dave Howell of Avatron Software. LeFebvre writes, "Howell suggests that iCloud is now allowing developers like him to reduce costs, and use iCloud to store information for app usage, including Key Value Storage. This allows developers to leverage the free nature of the basic iCloud service instead of incurring server costs, or using higher priced options like Dropbox and Box.net."

Read the full interview on 148Apps.biz.

With Halloween coming up, don't forget to check 148Apps often for great weekend and holiday sales on the apps and games you love and want. Or, just Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news, contests and more delivered right to you.

See you next week after your early week candy binge!

Apple's new iCloud service is the promise of MobileMe made real. Imagine a PC-free future, traveling our world with an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and yes, even a Mac or PC, without ever having to sync them together again. Apple's got that future started with iCloud, and we spent a little time trying it out. We've untethered our iPhone and iPad and we're here to tell you how to do it and how it works.

Before we start, though, here's a quick video, right from Apple, explaining the concept.

iPhone Unleashed
iCloud wants to be the basis of our wireless future. The basics of iCloud are contained in the settings app on the iPhone and iPad, the System Preferences on a Mac, and the iCloud Control Panel on a Windows PC. First up, we needed to update our iTunes to version 10.5, then our iPhone 4 to iOS 5, via that new iTunes. When activating a new iOS device, users will see a couple of new screens to walk them through the iCloud setup. The best way to do this is to log in with an Apple ID, either one that already exists, or creating a new one from the iCloud screens.

For details on how to deal with Apple accounts in a family or work group, check our article iOS 5, iCloud, and iTunes – Set Up in a Multiple Device Family. If a MobileMe user, transition that account to an iCloud one here: Me.com. In addition, users can use the iCloud web interface if away from their own specific devices: iCloud.com.

Hit the jump for even more info about iCloud.

Sky Gamblers: Rise of Glory, originally developed by Revo Solutions for Windows Phone 7, has made its way to iOS by way of publisher Namco. This aerial combat game, set during World War I, has players dogfighting with their opponents across 12 single-player campaign levels and 100 individual Dogfight Missions. The game, which is a universal app, supports up to 8 players in online multiplayer modes with free-for-all, team deathmatch, defend the base, and capture the flag game modes. These modes can also be played offline against computer-controlled opponents.

The game also takes advantage of recently released hardware and iOS 5 features. A5 devices owners will get HDR rendering, light bloom effects, and light refraction through raindrops. As far as iOS 5 features go, the game supports AirPlay mirroring with controls and HUD displayed on the device screen with the game action displayed on the wireless display. As well, the game supports iCloud for game save synchronization, and Twitter integration.

Who's a big film fan, then? I know I certainly am. I've spent years trawling the Apple Trailers site since back when the idea of viewing film trailers on a website was revolutionary. Now I can do it through a new app by the name of iTunes Movie Trailers.

The app does exactly what the name suggests, offering the newest and most exclusive movie previews in HD at the fingertips of all iOS device owners who choose to download this free app.

Users can browse trailers, clips and featurettes for all the biggest movies, as well as view spectacular HD photos, view a year long calendar of upcoming movie releases and find showtimes at cinemas near them.

Hundreds of movie trailers are available in all and a quick glance already shows the best of the best are on display such as Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Besides tracking what the networks reckon are the biggest hits, users can also browse the charts to see what other people are downloading the most for inspiration as to what to check out.

iTunes Movie Trailers is out now. It's universal, it's free, it's the ideal app for movie fans.

Launched to coincide with iOS5 due to its reliance on such features comes Find My Friends, an app that allows users to easily find their friends and family through their iOS devices. Yup, it's a jealous boyfriend/girlfriend's idea of heaven! But it's also a pretty cool idea for everything from meeting up with friends to simply checking that the kids got home safely from school.

Using an Apple ID that's used with iCloud, users can add a friend then simply send a request to see their location. Users can then always see on a map or via a list exactly where that person is.

Privacy controls and parental restrictions are in there for the safety conscious, and there's also the option to temporarily share information with a group of friends. Everything is encased in an attractive and easy to use format, just as we've come to expect from Apple products.

It's out now and is free and universal to all iOS5 users. Don't forget to sign up to an iCloud account too!