Chrome is now faster and more reliable on iOS

Apple has 1 billion active devices

Microsoft's iPhone keyboard has a one-handed mode

Web link crashes Safari on your iPhone or Mac

The new 4-inch iPhone may pack a speedy A9 chip

Donald Rumsfeld helped make an iPhone game

Microsoft Selfie app now shares your iPhone self-portraits

Apple's 4-inch iPhone is reportedly a 6 in a 5S case

Japan Display reignites rumors of an OLED iPhone

Remix Massive Attack's new songs with a sensor-aware iPhone app

Facebook wants Sports Stadium to host your big game chatter

Windows Phone's keyboard is coming to your iPhone

More ...

More ...

Daylite 5 adds refinements to the business management app

Marketcircle's Daylite has been around for a number of years, pulling in Best of Show awards at Macworld/iWorld and kudos from happy users. The application, which comes in Mac, iPhone and iPad versions, is a full-featured system for keeping track of your business. Whether it's calendar, email, or contact management; project tracking or following up on business opportunities, Daylite is hands-down the best and most comprehensive tool for managing a business. Now the company has just introduced Daylite 5, the latest version of the multi-platform solution.

Priced at US$299.95 per user, Daylite 5 includes licenses for the Mac, iPhone and iPad apps, as well as for the Mail Assistant (used to link Daylite and Mail) and Daylite Server. Existing Daylite 4 users can update for $199.95, while Daylite 3 owners can make the jump for $249.95.

What does the new version provide? A lot of refinement to an already polished set of apps. The new Insight View is described as a "visual summary of your data" that "helps you discover patterns and answer questions about your business." By displaying a number of graphs on one screen, it's easy to see patterns appear and then make comparisons. Clicking on a bar chart drills into summaries, and dragging across a timeline allows even further focus on project details.

My personal new favorite feature is the timeline, which provides a quickly scrolling list of project information and associated emails to give a history of what went on during a period of time. Hovering on a small graphical timeline to the left of the timeline detail allows you to quickly jump to a specific date, while filters create a way to grab only certain pieces of information -- like emails associated with a project -- while getting the others out of the way.

One feature that Daylite users had been asking for is now present -- repeating tasks. Regularly scheduled tasks such as project status meetings can be set to repeat daily, weekly, monthly or for any other time period.

The iPad and iPhone apps have received an amazing makeover, with a flat, simple design that would make Jony Ive happy. Searching is available from the Daylite home screen, and synchronization with the Daylite server is done in background. Those of us with mature eyes love the way that Daylite now uses the text size that's chosen in the Settings app so that it's possible to read details without squinting or holding the iPhone screen two inches from our faces.

On the Mac app, the sidebar now has the ability to have folders and subfolders added to group items, and since those folders can be opened and closed, it's possible to hide those projects or groupings that are unimportant at a particular time. You can even hide the sidebar altogether to make more room on your workspace.

The Daylite Mail Assistant now has the capability of allowing you to update details in Daylite right from within Mail.app. If a contact's information (email, address, phone number, etc...) has changed, or if you need to change the status of a project, there's no need to jump into Daylite -- it can all be done in Mail.

Marketcircle has also provided more advanced filtering capabilities to allow you to dig into your data -- for example, you can search all contacts that have no opportunity associated with them to provide a list of customers you should cold call.

Finally, the Mac app has received a redesign that provides a visual look and feel that is closer to the iOS apps. Things are less cluttered and much easier to read in the revised app.

Marketcircle has obviously listened to Daylite customers in making the changes to Daylite 5, and all of the apps now have a much more streamlined and polished feel to them. For existing Daylite users, making the jump to Daylite 5 might cause some temporary heartburn as you get used to the new features and find your way around, but you'll quickly get back up to speed and be able to accomplish more in less time.

iPhone 101: Troubleshooting iTunes error codes

Have you ever encountered a weird error code when you connect your iPad or iPhone to your Mac? These may pop up when you are updating your iOS device software or backing up your iPad or iPhone to your Mac. Below you will find a list of these errors, an explanation of what they mean and some instructions to help you resolve them.

Before you start down a rabbit hole of power cycling modems and modifying security settings to resolve errors, you first should try these few simple steps and see if they fix your problem.

1. Download the latest version of iTunes Check your version of iTunes by going Help > Check for Updates on a Windows machine or iTunes > Check for Updates on a Mac. Download the latest version if you don't already have it installed.


2. Check for System Software Updates On a Mac, you can easily check for updates by going to the Mac App Store and clicking on the "Updates" icon in the menu bar. You also can open the Apple Menu and then select Choose Software Update. PC owners can visiting Microsoft's Update website.


3. Unplug any extra USB devices, keeping only your mouse, keyboard and iOS device plugged into your computer.


4. Restart your computer and soft reset your iOS device by holding both the "Home" button and the "Power" button until the screen displays the Apple logo. Restarting your devices often fixes small errors and is often the first thing I do to fix unusual glitches I encounter.


5. Quit virtualization software like Parallels or VMware that is running on your Mac.


6. Try Again. Unplug and plug in your iOS device to try again.

Communication Errors with iTunes Update server

Errors: 17, 1004, 1013, 1638, 3014, 3194, 3000, 3002, 3004, 3013, 3014, 3015, 3194, or 3200.

There errors usually indicate there is a communications error between iTunes and Apple's update server. Along with the code, the error also may say "There was a problem downloading the software," or "The device isn't eligible for the requested build."

You can quickly check to see if your connection is working by typing in "GS.APPLE.COM" into your web browser if you reach a placeholder page or a 404 page on Apple's website then your connection is working properly. If you can't access the internet, then you should check your internet connection to make sure if it active.

Check WiFi on your computer to make sure it is turned on, check your routers and modems to make sure they are plugged in and power cycle your modem. Apple has a list of tips to help with this process.

If entering "GS.APPLE.COM" redirects to another website, then you need to check the hosts file or TCP/IP filtering to ensure there are no communication issues between iTunes, ports, and servers.

Security software

Errors: 2, 4, 6, 9, 1000, 1611, 9006, 9807, or 9844.

Sometimes third-party security software interferes with the connection between iTunes and Apple's servers. While troubleshooting each security software package and individual proxy server settings are beyond the scope of this article, Apple has some handy tips on configuring your software with the proper port information and domain settings for Apple's servers. There's also information on connecting to the iTunes store without using an Internet proxy.

USB connections

Errors: 13, 14, 1600, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604, 1611, 1643-1650, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 4000, 4005, 4013, 4014, 4016, "invalid response," and being prompted to restore again after a restore completes.

Sometimes a loose cable or a faulty USB hub can cause your connection to iTunes to fail. The easiest solution to this problem is often to try a new USB cable and remove all hubs and docks by plugging your iOS device directly into your Mac. If those simple steps don't fix the issue, you can follow these detailed steps provided by Apple.

Hardware issues

Errors: 1, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 1000, 1002, 1004, 1011, 1012, 1014, 1667, or 1669.

Sometimes undiagnosed hardware errors can interfere with the connection between your Mac and your iOS device. Follow the steps above to eliminate any errors with the internet connection, security software, cables and USB hubs before you start considering issues with the internal hardware on your Mac or iOS device.

You also can determine whether you Mac or iOS device is causing issue by connecting different devices to different Mac. For example, you can connect your iOS device to a known working Mac. If you are able to sync with iTunes, then your iOS device is working properly. If it fails, then there likely is something wrong with the hardware or software on your iOS device. Likewise, you can connect another known working iOS device to your Mac to see if it sync. A successful sync rules out hardware problems with your Mac, while a failed sync may indicate of a problem.

If you've gone through extensive troubleshooting and still see an error, then you should contact Apple support for more comprehensive hardware troubleshooting options.

Enter recovery or DFU mode to restore your device

Errors: 1015, "The required resource can't be found."

If you are running a beta version of iOS, have jailbroken software on your device, or are trying to install an older version of iOS, you may have to enter recovery mode of DFU mode to restore your device before you can sync it successfully. This method erases your device, but you may be able to recover your data by restoring a saved backup after you have completed the recovery process. You can read more about the differences between DFU Mode and Recovery mode here. You can also glean some tips from our own Steve Sande whose iPhone 5 entered a continuous boot loop while running iOS 7 beta software.

Daily App: Tipcognito is a tip calculator masquerading as email client

Let's face it, many people are horrible at calculating a tip. Not only is the math sometimes challenging, there also is the added pressure of trying to quickly calculate 18 percent of $17.23 while your dinner party stare you down because everyone but you is ready to pay the check.

Don't sweat it the next time you go out to dinner, come prepared with Tipcognito, a handy tip calculator that is disguised as an email app. Tipcognito has the visual appearance of an iPhone app but cleverly uses the search field, navigation buttons and fake email entries to display the tip and the total amount you should pay.

To use Tipcognito, just enter in the bill amount in the search field and use the "+" and "-" buttons to adjust the tip percentage. The tip amount and your total payment (bill + tip) will replace the date and time stamp in a normal email.

Tipcognito is a wonderful app for those times when you want to calculate a tip quickly and discretely. It is available in the iOS App Store as a free app with advertisements or a paid app without ads (US$0.99). It is compatible with the iPhone and requires iOS 6 or later.

Five stunning landscape photos taken with an iPhone for Earth Day

It's Earth Day today so it is only fitting that we spend some time admiring our wonderful planet. Here are five wonderful landscape photos taken with an iPhone for those who can't make it outside, but wish they could.

A beautiful photo of Garmo Negro in the Spanish Pyrenees taken with an iPhone 4 by Flickr member inakihuarte.

Gorgeous photo of the mountains in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest taken with an iPhone 4 by Flickr member Howard Kang.

Lovely sunset taken with an iPhone 4s and beautified with Snapseed. Taken by Flickr member Aaron McIntyre.

Wonderful panorama shot of Ireland's Dunree Beach taken from Fort Dunree with an iPhone 5 by Flickr member Greg Clarke.

Striking picture of Stout Grove redwoods taken with an iPhone 4s by Flickr member Ray Bouknight.

[Image at top is a baby goat in a cornfield maze in France as taken by by Flickr member "A Guy Taking Pictures" with my added text]

Blue Sky for iOS lets you visualize clearer air

Blue Sky is a free iOS app coming out of China, where skies are often gray and air pollution is often out of control. Of course, China isn't alone with that problem. Blue Sky is sponsored by the World Wildlife Federation and an advertising agency, Ogilvy and Mather, based in New York and Shanghai.

Since it's Earth Day, I thought it might be appropriate to point out this little app. It's simple in concept and execution -- you take a photo or select one from your camera roll. With your finger, paint in a bluer sky on the photo you've loaded. It's easier if you have a pretty flat horizon. The app doesn't let you magnify your photo to work in tight places, and there is one and only one brush size.

Blue Sky for iOS

• 


• 


• 

The app simply serves as an environmental reminder to let you visualize cleaner and clearer skies. The app also lets you add your signature to a petition to state your preference about 'bringing back the blue'. Although the app was designed for a Chinese audience, it works just fine everywhere else. Doug Schiff, Executive Creative Director of OgilvyOne China, said, "Many in China feel only the government can improve the worsening air conditions, but WWF wanted to encourage individuals to think up and support individual initiatives, and this app is a step in that direction."

Blue Sky isn't a sophisticated photo editor by any means. But it packs a little message, and you can certainly do some simple editing to improve your images of cloudy or polluted skies.

The app is not universal, and requires iOS 6.1 or later. It is optimized for the iPhone 5.

Ask TUAW Live is on the air at 5 PM ET today!

"Ask TUAW Live" happens today, Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at 5:00:00 PM EDT. You can check here for showtimes in your area. We're taking your questions now via the Ask Tuaw feedback form, Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

To watch the live feed and participate in the chat, jump over to the TUAW page on Google+. There you will find links to this Google Hangout. Bring your questions, ideas, tips and tricks, or recipes for craft cocktails to share with the rest of the TUAW community.

NOTE: Due to the way Google handles Hangouts for Pages, you will need to add the TUAW page on Google+ to your circles so we can circle back. Is that what they call it these days?