Just discovered, occasionally, some more iPad & iPhone (iOS) functionality in Lion Mac Mail.
If you type in Portuguese but have no PT keyboard, you can correctly write the word "coração" just by pressing down the keys of letters "c" and "a" and consequently stroke on the keyboard the corresponding digit or select the correct character from the pop-up dialogue, just like in iOS.
Example: see the image below...
It looks like the folks at Skype have been working hard this holiday season on an upcoming update to their product, that will allow iPhone and iPod touch users to video chat with desktop Skype users or other iPhones (an iPod touch 3rd Gen) users with Skype installed. Skype hasn’t released the software just yet but maybe they have a post-Christmas surprise? Below is a copy of the help file hosted on Skype's servers that originated the buzz (via Engadget)
How do I make video calls with Skype for iPhone? |
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| The following questions and answers will help you get started with using Skype video calls on your iPhone. | |
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| To make video calls with your contacts, you will need an iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, 3rd generation iPod touch, 4th generation iPod touch or an iPad. Your contacts will only be able to see you if your device has a camera. Make sure your device is running iOS 4.0 or above and that you are using Skype for iPhone 3.0 or above. The contacts you are calling must be using one of the following Skype clients: |
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| You can make Skype video calls by using a WiFi or 3G connection*. The quality of the video will depend upon the available network conditions. | |
| *Additional data charges may apply. Check with your operator for details. | |
| If you have an iPhone or iPod touch with two cameras - front and rear - you will be able to switch between them during a Skype video call. If you have an iPhone 3GS it will always use the rear camera. | |
| If you turn your device into landscape mode, the camera picture will automatically rotate. | |
| In both portrait and landscape mode double tapping anywhere on your screen will zoom the picture to take up the full extent of the screen. Double tapping again will take the picture back to its normal size. | |
| While on a Skype video call the sound will always be played through the loudspeaker, unless a headset is plugged into the device. | |
| During a video call tap your screen to display the camera and microphone controls. Tap and hold down the microphone button to put the call on hold. To resume the call, simply tap the hold symbol on the screen. | |
| Yes, at any time during a Skype video call you can choose to turn off the video. Tap the Camera button and select the No Camera option. To turn the video back on tap the Camera button again and then tap the camera you want to switch on. | |
| When your iPhone is processing a lot of video its CPU (Central Processing Unit) has to work very hard and makes the iPhone become warm to the touch. You will experience the same thing if you stream videos through applications like Netflix or YouTube. | |
| Yes, you will be able to receive screen shares from people using Skype for Windows or Mac OSX. You cannot share what is on the screen of your iPhone with other people and you cannot receive a screen share from another iPhone user. | |
| No, you will be switched to audio only, as Skype for iPhone does not support group video calling. | |
| The quality of the video you send and receive from your iPhone will depend upon the quality and bandwidth available on the WiFi or 3G network you are connected to. For best results, make sure you have nothing else running that might use up your bandwidth. |
Reblogged via analogafrica.blogspot.com
On its ninth release Analog Africa unearths musical gems from Angola, the former Portuguese colony in south central Africa. The compilation 'Angola Soundtrack' includes tracks from 1968 – 1976, arguably the golden era of Angolan music.
Angolan music is truly unique and stands on its own as a sound that can only be found in that part of the world. Rhythms such as Rebita, Kazukuta, Semba and Merengue, all of which are presented on 'Angola Soundtrack', might be unfamiliar to most listeners, but they are superbly melodic, highly danceable, hypnotic, raw, quintessentially beautiful - and totally addictive.
A powerful confluence of traditional rhythms from Luanda’s islands, psychedelic guitar sounds imported from neighbouring Congo, Latin grooves, old school Caribbean merengue and the hard beat of the Angolan carnival bands conspired to create the modern music of Angola. These sounds were immortalized by two excellent recording companies - Fadiang (Fábrica de Discos Angolano) and Valentim de Carvalho.
The nascent Angolan music scene was set on fire by a small group of courageous singers, backed by an array of super tight bands and led by extraordinary guitarists who revolutionized the musical and the political panorama of the 60s and 70s. These great electric bands of Angola were a well-kept secret until the late 90s when France-based music label Buda Musique released a short-lived series of Angolan music compiled by Ariel de Bigault. Inspired and taken aback, these releases proved to be crucially influential to Analog Africa’s founder Samy Ben Redjeb:
“Listening to Angolan music suddenly became part of my daily life and when my label was founded a few years later, the idea of releasing an Angolan compilation was never too far away from my mind.
From the nine Analog Africa releases thus far, 'Angola Soundtrack' has been the most difficult to create. The travel visa was in itself a struggle and logistically and financially Luanda is a nightmare. After two unsuccessful years, I eventually found shelter at a home in Prenda, a musseque (township) outside of the capital. I had come to this former Portuguese colony to meet my favourite Angolan musicians, to convey my love and admiration for what they have created, as well as license some of my favourite tunes for my label while documenting their story.
I had no idea what to expect from the trip - more than once was I told to expect complicated situations, and that if I thought I knew Africa, I should wait until I experience Luanda. I was prepared for the worst. To my surprise I encountered an amazingly positive vibe and, except for heavy traffic jams and high costs, I am entirely grateful of my Angolan experience."
Forget Flash, really, forget it! Your iPad entertainment options just got a whole lot more interesting. VEVO HD is a beautiful app offering you access to all 25,000 videos in Vevo’s huge catalog — and no Flash is required. One big downside of the app: the videos are available only to customers in the USA :(
"We optimized the VEVO experience specifically for the iPad. It’s a perfect match, actually—VEVO’s crystal clear videos played on iPad’s big, beautiful screen. With the portability of the iPad, you can take your favorite videos, innovative VEVO original programming and live concerts with you wherever you go.
The app has a few special features created especially for the iPad, including our favorite one, Music Maps, which gives you a window into what videos people are watching in your neighborhood and around the world."
The full list of features includes:
- Access to VEVO’s entire music catalog. That’s 25,000 videos from more than 7,500 artists.
- Extensive music programming, which includes exclusive videos, live-streaming events, exclusive premieres, top charts & playlists and VEVO original productions.
- Music Maps, a cool interactive map that gives you the ability to explore videos being watched right now in your neighborhood and around the world—in real time.
- Artist tour dates from around the world, with the option to purchase tickets on-demand.
- Up-to-the-minute Tweets, which keep you in the know about all of your favorite artists.
- Create and save customized video playlists for easy on-demand playback.
- Ability to easily share any video with friends via Twitter, Facebook and email.
- Purchasing options displayed within video player seamlessly work within the iTunes store.
- Recall all of your previously viewed videos with the History feature.
- Test your music IQ with VEVO Trivia questions that appear upon video selection.
- Turn on Last.fm Scrobbling to receive recommendations based on your video viewing history.
- Mark your calendar with notifications and alerts about video premieres, live concert events and exclusive VEVO productions.
- Connect your iPad to television for the ultimate living room experience (iPad TV-output cable required).
