Stories by Gary Ng

Susan Kare's work is scattered throughout the classic Mac OS and still prevails in parts of OS X. In an article from PLoS some of her original Mac OS icons sketches are shown off. Here's the back story: Inspired by the collaborative intelligence of her fellow software designers, Kare stayed on at Apple to craft...

Brandon over at fiquett has figured out how to use Siri to control his car via the Viper Smart Start module installed inside his vehicle. I created a new ruby plugin that is used by plamoni's "Siri Proxy", a proxy server for Apple's Siri assistant. This proxy server allows for the creation of custom plugins...

Remember that hilarious Samsung commercial released that mocked Apple 'fanboys' waiting in line for the iPhone 4S? Turns out the original full length commercial was a compilation of smaller clips. Here are the other shorter clips from Samsung USA's YouTube channel (via @stephenbcleary), most likely made to air on TV. One new commercial mocks the...

One of my favourite apps, ScoreMobile (launched in 2008) has been updated for the iPhone. The latest 3.0 update was part of a complete redesign that includes support for iOS 5, alongside a new gesture-based interface. These guys made an already awesome app even better. Here's what's new: What's New In Version 3.0 * Completely...

Yesterday news broke about an app from Big Fish Games that allowed the company to implement a subscription-based model for 'all you can eat games' from its iOS game library. After some speculation about how this was allowed, John Gruber points to an updated Bloomberg story that notes the app has since been removed from...

A new exhibit has sprung up to honour the inventions of Steve Jobs in Alexandria, Virginia. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) unveiled 30 massive iPhone-like models showcasing 300+ patents that lists Jobs as the inventor or co-inventor. It's like a walk down memory lane for Apple aficionados. “This exhibit commemorates the far-reaching impact...

In a recent note to clients, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek writes that manufacturers are "scrambling" to react to claims that Apple is preparing to enter the television set market. Based on our discussions, interestingly other TV manufacturers have begun a scrambling search to identify what iTV will be and do. They hope to avoid the...

The Academy Award winning writer, Aaron Sorkin, has confirmed he was asked by Sony to write a biopic about Steve Jobs in an interview with E! Online: "Sony has asked me to write the movie and it's something I'm strongly considering. Right now I'm just in the thinking-about-it stages…It's a really big movie and it's...

Apple and Samsung are currently embroiled in an endless array of lawsuits over patent disputes. Samsung has previously agreed to not block iPhone 4S sales in South Korea. The legal battle continues and no end is in sight. In their latest marketing campaign, Samsung pokes fun at people who waited in line for the iPhone...

Update 1: Big Fish's subscription app has been removed from the App Store, according to an update from Bloomberg (via Daring Fireball). It appears Apple has allowed developers to sell game subscriptions, reports Bloomberg. The publisher Big Fish Games from Seattle (they also have an office in Vancouver) has been allowed to charge users $6.99...

Apple appears to be in the hunt for senior executives with experience in web-based software, according to the Wall Street Journal. Their sources mention Apple plans to build apps that take advantage of the cloud: In recent weeks, Apple has been looking to recruit senior-level executives with backgrounds in Web-based software, according to people familiar...

Editor of TUAW Steven Sande notes that iBook publishers looking to promote their ebooks by distributing promo codes are out of luck. Unlike the iTunes and Mac App Stores, publishers cannot create promo codes for the iBookstore. Promo codes were created to allow developers a way of distributing their application to would-be reviewers. Before promo codes, developers were limited to...