DMA Central

Her calm and capable voice is everywhere these day – she’s Siri. Apple’s synthetic personal-assistant has risen to global prominence in a relatively short time. And fans of the technology know that it doesn’t take long to fall under Siri’s spell.

Siri is the virtual assistant at the heart of the iPhone 4S. 

Cool New Siri Tricks
With this many users, it only makes sense that Siri has become a celebrity unto herself, there’s practically an industry around exploring the technology and discovering cool new ways to showcase Siri’s many unseen talents. Some of these capabilities offer nifty practical uses while others are just for fun:

1. Change your iPhone 4S settings using Siri. Not only can you change your brightness using Siri, you can perform special tasks, such as checking your iPhone’s battery level.
2. Update your Twitter using Siri. You can also perform nine other Siri hacks, ranging from helping improve Siri’s pronunciation of phonetic names to parlor tricks like controlling Siri from across a room.
3. Looking for laughs? The are plenty of Siri tricks to turn her into a comedian.

 
Siri for Other Phones
Don’t have Siri on your iPhone? A new app allows you to turn your iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS into a Siri phone - but you will have to jailbreak the phone – which voids the warranty. Google is also developing a Siri-like assistant, although based on insider reports, the technology will not be as smoothly integrated throughout the phone as Siri is in the iPhone 4S.

Developing Future Siri’s
Siri is a great iPhone app. Future apps like Siri will be created by young app developers. Do you want to learn app development? Why not get started this summer at a app development summer camp like Digital Media Academy. DMA offers hands-on training in app development from industry professionals. They’ll start you on a career and give you the skills to create your own Siri.

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT -or- SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS:

The toy company that announced the Steve Jobs Action Figure has cancelled plans to release the figure. In an announcement posted to their website, inicons explained the genesis of the idea and the action figure.

This announcement greeted visitors to inicons site, and explained the Steve Jobs would not be produced.

inicons announced a Steve Jobs action figure just before the end of 2011 and expected to ship the figure in late February 2012 for $99.00. The figure was a fully detailed 12″ Steve Jobs, right down to his black turtleneck and New Balance sneakers. Other accessories were also included with the figure including, extra hands, a stool (like the one used during the Apple presentations Jobs gave) – and apples.

Apple Approval
The announcement to cancel the figure was not a surprise, as many figured, without the approval of Steve Jobs’ family the figure could not be produced. inicons spoke directly to the copyright issue in a statement they released on their site and defended their position – one that came from a fan perspective.

The incredible detail of the action figure is seen closeup. 

“I created a single figurine of Steve which I placed on my desk next to my Mac,” the toy maker commented. The announcement also explained why there would be no figure:

“Though we still believe that we have not overstepped any legal boundaries, we have decided to completely stop the offer, production and sale of the Steve Jobs figure out of our heartfelt sensitivity to the feeling of the Steve Jobs family. We understand that this decision will cause many of the fans’ disappointment, but please forgive us as there is no other alternative unless to have the blessing from Steve Jobs family…”

The announcement ended with inicons promising refunds to buyers who pre-ordered and thanking all the fans for their support and one last apology.

Apple Toys
The Steve Job action figure would have adorned cubicles and fanboy shelves all over the world. But for now, the only “official” Apple toy fans will be able to get their hands on are apps like Garageband and others created by app development for iPhone and iPad.

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT -or- SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS: 

Long before the iPhone, Apple had another touch screen phone in development. The phone wasn’t the creation of Steve Jobs, but a designer he hired in 1982.

In addition to helping Apple establish a global brand presence, German designer Hartmut Esslinger was instrumental in creating an image for Sony, his work includes their line of personal music products and the Sony Trinitron. 

German designer Hartmut Esslinger created the Apple Phone prototype, along with other signature Apple designs, while working under exclusively under a $1,000,000 a year contract. His first job? To create a design strategy to turn the Silicon Valley start-up into a world-class brand.

Designing the Apple Brand 
Esslinger brought his company Frogdesign to California and set up shop in 1982 and he worked for Apple until Steve Jobs’ was forced out of the company in 1985. Esslinger broke his contract with Apple and followed Jobs to NeXT shortly after. But his designs would live on in Apple products until 1990.

Esslinger and Frogdesign created the “Snow White design” for Apple, this was the style used for all Apple products from 1984 to 1990, starting with the Apple IIc. The essence of the design uses vertical and horizontal lines for both decoration and ventilation. The lines give the illusion that the computer enclosure is smaller than it really is.

An Apple Macintosh IIx with Snow White design elements – off-white color and shallow, simple horizontal and vertical lines give a clean and minimal look.

In addition, the “Snow White design” also introduced Esslinger’s unique Apple logo—a three-dimensional rainbow Apple that was cut into the product case. Still, one of Esslinger’s most interesting designs has only recently surfaced – the prototype for the Apple Phone. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Apple was looking into telecommunication – and their very first phone even featured a touch screen.

The Apple Phone wasn’t a cell or “smartphone” but a landline phone and even though the device was designed in the early 80′s it still has a futuristic look – the handset has a unique angle and the touchscreen even has a small slot to store the stylus when not in use.

This recently uncovered photograph shows off an Apple phone prototype. The prototype dates back to 1983.

Apple has been on the forefront of technology for a long time. The company and it’s innovations have been mainly driven by Steve Jobs and his futuristic vision. In the post-Jobs era, a new, younger generation of designers and those learning app development for iPhone and iPad will design the future of Apple – future designers like those who follow in Hartmut Esslinger’s footsteps.

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT -or- SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS:

In case you haven’t noticed we’re living in the future. Technology continues to change almost every aspect of our lives. With 2012 upon us, let’s take a look into the crystal ball and predict some trends for the coming year:

The Tablet Market Gets Tighter 
While Amazon’s Kindle Fire is making a play to take on Apple, the iPad is still the king of Tablet Mountain. In 2012, more people will own tablets and more and more tablets will replace laptop and desktop computers. Google’s Android Ice Cream OS will dominate all non-Apple devices, with the tablet-optimized Windows 8 nudging it’s way into the market too. Microsoft is rumored to be working on an iPad killer (both from a price and performance standpoint) but when the iPad 3 comes out it won’t matter.

Dual-core Processors Become a Smartphone Standard
The iPhone 4S wasn’t the first smartphone to sport dual-core processors (that honor goes to the Motorola Atrix and the Bionic Droid) but Apple – and naturally the iPhone – is the gold standard that all phones will be compared to. The bottom line is that people do more with their phones and expect more from them. And any manufacturer that’s making a phone in 2012 without a dual-core processor, well, shouldn’t be making phones. And don’t be surprised to see some phone makers up the ante even more, Nvidia recently announced quad-core processors for tablets and smartphones.

Technology Continues to Kill Technology
Why carry multiple devices when you only need to carry one?  As smartphones like the iPhone 4S continue to replace other devices, expect things like the digital camera market to shrink significantly. In fact, it’s already happening. Remember the Flip video camera? They stopped making it back in April 2011. Why? Because of the smartphone.

If you want another example, look no further than the optical drive – they’ll start disappearing from laptops. Why? People are downloading things directly to a machine or to the cloud. Devices are getting lighter, why be weighed down with an optical drive when you never use it?

Mobile Phone Plans Change and New Communication Providers Emerge
Service providers like AT&T and Verizon continue to revise their phones plans to take advantage of their customers and help their bottom line – as Skype, Google Voice and Wi-Fi continue to take a bite of providers profits. New providers will also emerge, in addition, look for partnerships like the one Walmart and T-Mobile forged this past year to spin off prepaid plans and other services.

You’ll Finally Open a Facebook Account
The last few hold-outs that haven’t hopped on Facebook yet, will finally have to sign up. Why? Many web services (like Spotify and Turntable.fm) will require that you have a Facebook account to use their service. It makes sense, it’s easier to stay connected to the userbase this way and it’s an easy way to nix fake accounts and abusive users.

Google Wallet and Mobile Payments Become More Common
Using your smartphone to pay for something will become more common in 2012, as NFC chips become more of a standard in smartphones. In fact, the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, has built in capability for peer-to-peer connections there will also be more apps that utilize the tech.

HTML 5 Finally Comes Out of the Closet
HTML 5 will reinvent the web as web devs start to really grasp and utilize the language. In fact don’t be surprised if you see HTML 5 start to take the place of apps. Need further proof? This past November, Adobe announced it would no longer support or develop its mobile Flash Player because of how well received HTML 5 has been.

The Cloud Gets Control
Think outside the box. In addition to more people adopting the cloud for storage of their music, movies and other media, we’ll also see processing move to the cloud. Look no further than the iPhone 4S and the cool things you can do with Siri. When you ask Siri something, Siri in turn sends your voice request to Apple’s data center, in turn your request is processed there and the reply then sent back to your phone.

Google Googles did the same thing a year before and it’s been recently revealed that Google is working on a competitor to Siri that will do the same thing as the virtual assistant, Google’s new secret project is codenamed “Majel.”

Apps Continue to Dominate
Apps continue to make our lives better – and they continue to replace other forms of media, like games and websites. App development will continue to grow and apps will continue to get better.

Of course, no one can predict the future, but industry analyst echo what is we’ve mentioned here. Do you agree with our predictions or have your own?

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT -or-SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS:

He knows when you’re naughty and he knows when you’re nice. How does he know? Because he’s uses Apple’s iPhone 4S and Siri to help him find the answers. Recently Apple debuted a new commercial starring Jolly Old Saint Nick, and guess what kind of cell phone Santa uses?

“Directions to Raleigh, North Carolina.” Kris Kringle gets sleigh navigation from Siri. 

Jolly Voice Recognition
The iPhone 4S is used by hi-tech CEO’s and politicians, so it should be no surprise anyone that the world’s biggest gift giver also uses it. And why not, with Siri voice recognition you can easily access a library of information without lifting a finger. There are lots of cool things you can do with Siri - including checking the balance of your bank account and finding out where little Charlie Grant lives.

Check out the new Apple commercial for yourself:

What else did we find out from the Apple commercial? Santa has 3.7 billion appointments scheduled for Christmas Eve. Man, those reindeer are going to be tired.

Cleared for Take-Off
With an iPhone 4S in his pocket and the sleigh packed with gifts, Santa is almost ready to make his yearly trip. Santa One – Santa’s reindeer-guided sleigh – has been outfitted with new NextGen technology to make his journey even smoother and Santa has been cleared for flight by the FAA. The Federal Aviation Administration made the announcement Thursday. Santa will be flying at 50,000 feet and using his iPhone 4S for directions, so this year he’s sure to make his faster time ever!

“The satellite-based technology the elves have installed on Santa One will ensure that Santa stays safe and reaches all of his rooftops on time,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the press release. “As a result of this improved technology, Santa will be able to deliver more presents to more children around the world.”

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT -or- SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS: 

Are you looking for a unique holiday gift for the musician in your life? Well, we’ve found it. It’s a gift that blends technology with fashion, for the DJ or rising star on the go. But you won’t find this t-shirt on the rack at Target…

Make beats while on the go using your iPad – or this even cooler Drum Machine t-shirt.

The wearable and washable Drum Machine T-shirt thumps out the bass. It’s a real, working and functioning drum machine – that you can wear. We found the awesome t-shirt online at one of our favorite online shopping spots, ThinkGeek. The Drum Machine t-shirt features 9 different drum kits and allows the wearer to record beats,  loop those drum patterns and layer beats for virtually unlimited tracks.

Check out all these great features:

• Real Working Wearable Drum Machine & Looper
• 9 Different Drum Kits: Rock, Retro 808, Discotek, Techno Punk, Bass Invader, Chiptune, Zapf Dingbats & Scratchy
• Create and record a beat loop (up to 3 minutes long)
• Create a loop, then build and layer beats on top with unlimited tracks
• 7-voices (you can play all 7 drum pads at once)
• Mix and match sounds from the different built-in drum kits in one loop
• Working mini amp clips on your belt and goes to 11
• Built-in analog audio output jack
• Exclusive product invented and designed by ThinkGeek (Patent Pending)
• Fully washable, electronics and drum pads easily remove from shirt
• Requires 4 x AA Batteries (not included)

Making Beats on the Go
How do guys like Jay-Z and Kayne West do it? Music and beat production done right is using state-of-the-art hardware and software like Apple’s Logic. Looking to learn how to make your own music? Why not attend a digital media academy, a music and beat production class could be just the thing to inspire the Elton John in you.

Just getting into making beats? Start your music adventure with a t-shirt! One more great thing about the Drum Machine T-shirt? It even comes with a small portable amp that clips to your belt. Check out the video below top see the shirt in action:

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT -or- SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS:

Even though the cheapest iPad is $499, the iPad is still one of the most popular device on the market today and sets the standard for tablet computers. And while new devices like the Kindle Fire have sparked consumer interest, folks are still flocking to the iPad.

The iPad tops the list of the hottest gifts this season. 

The iPad easily tops the list as the must-have holiday gift of 2011 and based on industry analyst research, Apple will sell 13.5 million iPads in December alone. That’s more than an 84% increase over the same time last year and bring $8.26 billion in revenue to Apple.

iPad 3 Release Date
The iPad runs toe-to-toe with the iPhone as the most sought after Apple product. According to Gene Munster senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray, “the iPad is appealing to more price-sensitive buyers, while the Mac has retained a premium appeal.”

Recent reports indicate a new iPad (what’s being called iPad 3) may hit the market as soon as February, but don’t hold your breath. The original iPad was released April 2010, and the iPad 2 was just released this past March 2011. Analyst say Apple would want to give the iPad 2 at least a year on the market.

iPad 3 Features
These are rumored features, keep in mind, Apple hasn’t announced anything officially:

• A high-resolution retina display like the the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Basically, the iPad 3 will double the screen resolution at 2048 x 1536
• Thinner, sleeker, losing 20 percent of the device’s current mass
• A better 5MP camera (maybe even a flash)
• Improved battery life
• Wireless charging technology
• A new A6 processor

 
Must-Have iPad
You shouldn’t let this put you off from buying an iPad 2 though. The iPad 2 is an incredible device, it features a front and rear facing camera and app development for the iPad is a booming business. More apps are available in the App Store than on Google’s Android, and they’re optimized for the iPad’s HD display.

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT -or- SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS: 

Entertaining the idea of getting (or giving) a tablet computer this holiday? Why not? Tablets like the iPad 2 will be the hottest hi-tech gift this holiday season. Tablets give you the world on a platter, compressing all the processing muscle of a laptop computer into a handy-dandy slate that you can hold in your hand — and which is light and portable enough to take anywhere.

Santa’s not the only one putting smiles on faces this Christmas; the iPad 2 will again light up the holiday.

The real question is which tablet computer is right for you? Apple’s iPad 2 is the market leader but other tablets have come along that solidly compete with it. It’s debatable if these contenders match the iPad’s grace and power. Still, these other devices may prove attractive to consumers since they are priced well below the iPad.

We’ve evaluated the leading tablets and have a side-by-side tablet-comparison chart below for your holiday shopping, but we’ve also listed our picks in order of preference:

1. iPad 2
 
Pros: Apple’s iPad 2 expands upon the original iPad in several ways. For starters, it has two cameras for FaceTime (video chat) and HD video recording. It’s powered by Apple’s dual-core A5 chip and features a 10-hour battery life. The latest iOS 5 adds more than 200 new software features. With the iPad 2 you also have access to Apple’s iCloud. Apple’s App Store showcases games and productivity. Apple has also added more apps (some 140,000 in all) to the store, making it the largest library of content for any tablet. It’s the market leader — and our top pick — for a reason. The interface is graceful, intuitive, easy to use and beautiful. If you’ve never owned an Apple product, this one will make you a lifelong fan.

Cons: The iPad 3 is scheduled for release next year.

Overall Dimensions: 9.50 inches (height) x 7.31 inches (width) x 0.34 inches (depth)
Weight: 1.33 pounds
Display: 9.7-inch diagonal LED-backlit glossy widescreen
Screen Resolution: 1024 x 768 pixels; 132 pixels per inch
Screen Display: Multi-Touch display with In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology. Screen treated with fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Manufacturer: Apple, Inc.
MSRP: $499—$829

2. Kindle Fire

Pros: Incredibly compact (small enough to slip in a purse), the Kindle Fire is as small as its price. Enhanced with Amazon Silk, a “split browser” that divides the tablet’s web-browsing chores between the tablet and the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), the Kindle Fire boasts its own dual-core processor. And since it’s made by Amazon, it’s backed with an incredible amount of content,  including 18 million movies, TV shows, apps, games, songs, books, newspapers, magazines and more (with comics provided by DC Comics). The Kindle Fire offers 8 GB of internal storage; Amazon figures that’s enough for some 80 apps plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.

Cons: No camera for video chat or taking pictures.

Overall Dimensions: 7.50 inches (h) x 4.7 inches (w) x 0.45 inches (d)
Weight: 14.6 ounces
Display: 7-inch diagonal
Display Resolution: 1024 x 600 pixels; 169 pixels per inch
Display Screen: Multi-Touch display with IPS technology and anti-reflective treatment
Manufacturer: Amazon
MSRP: $199

3. Nook

Pros: When you’re the world’s largest bookstore, it’s assumed that content won’t be in short supply and Barnes & Noble estimates its book holdings at more than 2.5 million titles. And at 16 GB of internal memory, the Nook Tablet has twice as much storage as its closest competitor, the Kindle Fire. (We still like Kindle Fire’s resemblence to the iPad.) The Nook Tablet also contains a microSD card slot that offers extra storage, which is noticeably lacking in other tablets, like the iPad 2. Interested in the Nook Tablet for reading purposes? You’ll be happy to know the adjustable fonts customize your reading experience (eight text sizes and six font styles). In addition to what B&N calls the largest digital collection of newspapers and magazines, the Nook Tablet is the tablet home of Marvel Comics.

Cons: No camera for video chat or taking pictures. Interface is sometimes clunky.

Overall Dimensions: 8.1 inches (h) x 5.0 inches (w) x 0.48 inches (d)
Weight: 14.1 ounces
Display: 7-inch diagonal
Screen Resolution: 1024 x 600 pixels; 169 pixels per inch
Screen Display: VividView Touchscreen, fully laminated for remarkable clarity and reduced reflection and glare-read indoors or outside
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble
MSRP: $249

4. TIE: Xoom / Galaxy Tab
Xoom

Pros: Sporting a hefty 10.1-inch display, the Xoom is able to take advantage of hundreds of thousands of apps from the Android Market. Through Google eBooks, the Xoom is able to draw upon a library that ups the ante at more than 3 million titles. To enable video-chat capabilities, the Xoom has front and rear-facing cameras. It’s powered by Google’s Android and has plenty of horsepower. A MicroSD card slot allows for addition storage or moving your media, and it performs more than adequately.

Cons: At 1.6 pounds it’s one of the heaviest tablets out there. Google’s operating system has stability issues and it has other issues like images displaying properly in the Gallery viewer. An added insult, almost all of the Android games in the Android app store aren’t optimized to run on the tablet. (FAIL!)

Overall Dimensions: 9.81 inches (h) x 6.61 inches (w) x 0.51 inches (d)
Weight: 1.6 pounds
Display: 10.1-inch diagonal
Screen Resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels; 150 pixels per inch
Manufacturer: Motorola
MSRP: $499

Galaxy Tab

Pros: Like the Xoom, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 also boasts a 10.1-inch diagonal screen. Samsung claims faster and more stable online connection thanks to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 having both HSPA+ and Wi-Fi access. Also on-board: front- and rear-facing cameras that support video chat functions. Also powered by the Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) platform, which Samsung claims allows quicker processing times because the platform excels at multi-tasking. And speaking of multi-tasking, the Mini Apps used with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 let you perform multiple key functions while working with other applications. It is one of the thinnest Honeycomb tablets available and it comes packaged with earbuds(!).

Cons: The App selection is subpar. During our tests, even with a full Wi-Fi signal the online video playback had issues.

Overall Dimensions: 7.48 inches (h) x 4.74 inches (w) x 0.47 inches (d)
Weight: 13.6 ounces
Display: 10.1-inch diagonal
Screen Resolution: 1024 x 600 pixels
Manufacturer: Samsung
MSRP: $499—$629

5. Kobo Vox

Pros: Love to read? The Kobo Vox has a library that exceeds 2.2 million books.The Kobo Vox is focused on the reading experience and Kobo claims a total library of more than 2.2 million books, as well as more than a million free titles. Magazine content is supplied via thousands of popular magazines from Zinio and newspapers from around the world. Kobo is marketing the Vox as a “free reader,” meaning that once you purchase a Kobo Books title, the user/owner can then enjoy it on any opened reading device. Should you need more external stimulation, the Vox offers unlimited web browsing and open access to Android 2.3, including more than 15,000 apps. It’s a new entry to the tablet world.

Cons: It’s a cheap alternative to the big boys by a relatively unknown tablet maker, which could make for technical-support nightmares. Kobo’s books are more expensive than Amazon’s.

Overall Dimensions: 7.57 inches (h) x 5.06 inches (w) x 0.53 inches (d)
Weight: 14.2 ounces
Display: 7-inch diagonal
Screen Resolution: 1024 x 600 pixels; 150 pixels per inch
Screen Display: Multi-touch screen optimized for reading outdoors. Features extra-wide viewing that its makers say is ideal for shared reading.
Manufacturer: Kobo, Inc.
MSRP: $199

Side-by-Side Comparison

Apps Make the Tablets
In the end, it comes down to two things: a good operating system and (just as important, if not more so) apps. Making apps for the iPad isn’t easy but it is fun. Creative app developers are really driving tablets. Ultimately, buyers should decide which applications or what they intend to do on the device first, then find the tablet that fits their needs.

Bottom line: If you already own Apple products, like the iPhone 4S, you will probably want to get the iPad, mainly because of the App Store, iTunes and iCloud support. If you prefer the Android operating system then the Xoom might be best for you. If you want a much cheaper tablet that kind of feels like an iPad,  then Amazon’s Kindle Fire is your best bet. Whatever you choose, one thing is for certain: you’ll most likely be giving or getting a tablet this holiday season.

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT – or – SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS:  

So you’ve got a new iPhone 4S and you’ve already started putting Siri, apple’s voice recognition technology, through her paces with commands like: ”Can you find me a good Chinese restaurant?” or “Who’s on first?”

You ask, she tells. Need to find the nearest local dry cleaner? Siri knows. Hungry for the best Indian food in Dayton, Ohio? Ask Siri. Ready to tweet out your status? Siri can do that, too. She’s a do-it-all digital personal assistant.

Siri’s Serious Muscle
Siri’s a master communicator; she currently recognizes and “speaks” three languages (English, French and German), but within a year, Siri will also support Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Korean and Italian. Another cool trick: through the iPhone 4S, Siri will take any words you speak and convert them into text.

Siri depends on the processing power of the dual-core A5 chip in the iPhone 4S. Siri also uses 3G, Wi-Fi and Apple’s data centers to find the answers to your questions. With all that processing power, it’s not surprising that users, developers and hackers are all experimenting with Siri’s capabilities. Siri already does plenty of things, like making telephone calls, finding business locations, searching the Internet and scheduling appointment reminders. But Siri can do so much more.

Cool Things You Do With Siri

Update Your Twitter Feed
Want to update your Twitter status but your thumbs are too lazy? In your Contacts list, under the name “Twitter” add 40404. Now text “START” to that number. When you’re prompted, respond with your username and password. Any time you want to tweet, simply tell Siri to “Text Twitter.”

Update Your Facebook
Use Siri to update Facebook in a similiar way. Just add “Facebook” to your contacts and assign the number 32665. Now tell Siri to “Text Facebook” with your update.

Check Your Bank Balance
If updating your Facebook or Twitter status isn’t enough, you can also use Siri to do your banking. It’s true; you can easily learn how to set up Siri to check your bank balance or send money to your friends.

Play Music 
SiriTunes lets you search for music using Siri and it even works if you don’t have Siri. Listen to whatever you like, whenever you like.

Learning How to Hack Apps
There are plenty of other great Siri hacks and tricks you can perform with Siri, although some require jailbreaking your iPhone 4S. No matter how you approach it, this great new technology is just begging to be explored. Learning how to program apps for iPhone 4S and the iPad or for other handheld platforms (like Google’s Android) can change your life.

Want to prepare yourself for a career in app development? Why not start by spending next summer at a computer summer camp like Digital Media Academy? DMA provides expert, hands-on instruction in subjects like app development for the iPhone and uses the iOS for development in its iPhone App courses. Who knows? You could make the next Siri.

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT – or – SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS:   

Halloween is the prime time for terror, and few experiences are more visceral than being scared out of our wits by a great horror film. This Halloween, check out one of the following movies. You won’t be disappointed. Scared out of your wits, yes, but not disappointed.

Warning: Some of the movies are not recommended for younger viewers. 

“Did someone say, ‘Halloween’?” You know we couldn’t leave Michael Meyers out of our Halloween round-up.

Setting Up Your Theater
Granted, there’s no trick to loading up a DVD or streaming a movie, but your viewing conditions do matter. Aside from the popcorn, in order to get the most out of a horror movie, try the following tips:

1. Lights out! Getting the room completely dark helps you concentrate on the screen and sets the mood.
2. Silence those cellphones! just like a public movie theater, turn off all those electronic devices. Horror movies are all about sustaining a mood, which you just can’t do it if you’re busy Tweeting your friends.
3. Make sure everyone’s onboard. Make sure your pals actually want to watch the movie. Wisecracks and tweets don’t add to the movie experience.

And now, our feature presentations…

1.  Buried (2010)
(Stream Buried tonight.)

Ryan Reynolds faces one of man’s basic, primal nightmares — waking up in a coffin — in Buried.

Many of the best horror movies tap into our most basic fears, and one of the most frightening is being buried alive. That’s exactly the predicament that Ryan (The Green Lantern) Reynolds’ character faces in Buried, as an American contractor working in Iraq who is kidnapped and drugged. When he comes to, he’s underground, in the dark, in a big wooden box. All that’s keeping him from a slow and terrifying death by suffocation are a butane lighter and his cell phone. It’s an exercise in mounting tension, as Reynolds frantically tries to contact somebody who can scrape together the ransom money his kidnappers are demanding…before the lights go out for good. Buried is a thriller that excels because of its basic and horrible premise, proving that terror doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. It only has to be terrifying.

2. The Body Snatcher (1945)
(Stream The Body Snatcher tonight.)

Bad Boris Karloff gets down to business in The Body Snatcher.

Proving that old horror movies really can be scary, The Body Snatcher boasts a chilling (and true) story by Robert Louis Stevenson about doctors who need cadavers (in order to further medical science) and the creepy criminals who supply them with dead bodies. But the real reason this film makes our list is the casting of Boris Karloff in the title role. Karloff may be best known now as the voice and narrator of the classic cartoon How the Grinch Stole Christmas, although he rocketed to international stardom decades earlier as the first actor to portray Frankenstein’s monster. (He also was the first actor to play the Mummy.) Karloff is horrific here: in his first scene, he’s all fake smiles and good cheer, helping a handicapped girl into a wheelchair. Scenes later, as he prepares to dig up a freshly buried corpse, the smiles are gone and he’s using a shovel to kill a dog standing watch over his dead master’s grave. Karloff’s sinister voice was an instrument of pure terror — maybe the most frightening in film history.

3. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1991)
(Stream Bram Stoker’s Dracula tonight.)

You’ve never seen a vampire (or vampire movie) that looks like this: Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

One longtime staple of the horror genre has been the vampire movie, which routinely gets updated for new generations of audiences. Recently, the Twilight series has leaned toward romantic themes, making for a kind of teenage, vampire soap opera. Meanwhile, the screen vampires of old (going back 80 years now) are usually not scary enough for modern audiences. So what’s a vampire fan to do? Try this curiosity from Francis Ford Coppola, which stars Gary (The Dark Knight Rises) Oldman in a more faithful retelling of the original vampire novel, which is why author Stoker is mentioned in the title. Rounding out the cast is Keanu Reeves, Anthony (Silence of the Lambs) Hopkins, Winona Ryder and others. The movie has great special effects and a rich, gorgeous look to it, thanks to Coppola, who uses some of his same Godfather tricks to make us root for a villain…whether we want to or not.

4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
(Stream Night of the Living Dead tonight.)

Daylight provides no escape from the zombie onslaught in Night of the Living Dead.

Another mainstay of horror movies are zombies, and although the undead had been featured in horror films dating back to the 1920s, the category really began with a cheaply made “drive-in” movie that contained no stars and only crude special effects. Despite these weaknesses (which may actually be strengths, given the genre), George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead  is among the most influential of all horror movies; it’s spawned a flood of sequels and remakes. The plot is as simple as dirt: Zombie hordes have arisen from their graves and are slowly lumbering across the landscape, desperate to feed on human flesh, while a group of survivors holed up in a farmhouse tries to remain sane and off the zombie buffet. If you’ve only seen the later versions, do yourself a favor and tune in to TCM on Halloween night (9:30 pm, EST) and see where filmdom’s zombie fest began.

5. Halloween (1978)

Turn out the lights: The original Halloween makes more use of shadows than special effects.

This one’s really a no-brainer, given the movie’s title and setting. However, be warned: There’s a hefty difference in quality between John Carpenter’s 1978 film and the many inferior slasher movies that it’s spawned over the years — both within the Halloween series and all the other popular maniac-with-a-knife franchises (i.e., Friday the 13^th, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.). And while villain Michael Meyers has legions of fans — in fact, it’s more appropriate to say that he’s the hero in the Halloween movies, considering that he’s the character that many (if not most) audience members are rooting for — the real star here is director Carpenter, who relies on traditional horror movie elements (such as expert use of spooky lighting and shadows) to get his point across. Does the original still deliver the goods? One viewing will give you the answer.

6. Below (2002)
(Stream Below tonight.)

What if you were trapped with ghosts? And what if you were six hundred feet underwater? Below takes you there.

Yeah, haunted houses are great for giving us shivers, but ghost stories can happen anywhere — such as onboard a claustrophobic U.S. Navy submarine during World War II. In Below, an American sub rescues some sailors from a sinking ship. The Americans quickly learn that no good deed goes unpunished as things start getting super-strange, with all kinds of paranormal activity taking place. Before long, the sub’s crew starts to crack up. The situation becomes so haunted and intense that in one amazing scene, one of the crewmen becomes completely unhinged and runs through and out the sub’s torpedo hatch while the vessel is still submerged. The sailor is so terrified by the ghostly visions he’s just seen that he doesn’t even pause to consider the watery fate waiting for him. Below is consistently tense and delivers a powerful underwater punch…maybe because it was written by Darren (Black Swan, The Wrestler) Aronovsky, who may just be the best American director currently working.

Gotta Have Horror
Horror movies start with an idea, but require the talents and skills of many creative professionals before they hit the big screen. For aspiring film directors and editors, it’s a thrilling time to prepare for a career in the digital arts. The key is receiving expert instruction from trained professionals, with the latest technological tools and cutting-edge software, such as Final Cut Pro. At Digital Media Academy’s summer computer camps, the emphasis is on hand-on training, delivered on some of America’s greatest college campuses. If you want to be there when the cameras start rolling, start learning the industry with DMA.

SIGN IN TO LEAVE A COMMENT – or – SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH OTHERS: