Google has applauded Apple’s relaxation of its mobile advertising policy which previously locked out Google’s AdMob platform from in-app advertising on iOS devices.
Apple’s new terms are set to open up in-app advertising to competitors.
Advertising systems that work across a range of platforms will also be enabled, including IE. iPhone and Android, Google says.
“Today, Apple updated their iPhone Developer Program License Agreement,” Google’s Vice President of Product Management, Omar Hamoui, acknowledges in a blog post.
“Unlike the previous version, these new terms ensure that Apple’s developers have the choice of a variety of advertising solutions (including Google’s and AdMob’s) to earn money and fund their apps,” Hamoui explains.
“Apple’s new terms will keep in-app advertising on the iPhone open to many different mobile ad competitors and enable advertising solutions that operate across a wide range of platforms.”
The Google exec further stresses that, “This is great news for everyone in the mobile community, as we believe that a competitive environment is the best way to drive innovation and growth in mobile advertising.”
According to Google’s VP of Product Management “Mobile advertising has already helped to fund tens of thousands of mobile apps across many different platforms and devices, and it will help do the same for many more in the years ahead.”
Google particularly appreciates Apple’s decision to provide immediate clarification about the status of mobile advertising on its iOS platforms, a move that will undoubtedly benefit users, developers, and advertisers alike.
A breakdown of the benefits for each party is then provided by Google’s Omar Hamoui:
Users will benefit from more free, or low cost, apps that can now more readily be supported by advertising.
Developers will be able to choose from a variety of competitive advertising options and pick the solution that works best for them, to boost their revenues.
Advertisers will have access to simple and effective advertising solutions that can reach users across a wide range of devices.
Hamoui cannot stress enough how pleased Google is to see Apple clarifying its terms, adding that the search giant is 100% committed to developing the best possible advertising solutions and formats for the iPhone.
Hamoui does not forget to mention Android, Blackberry, and Palm devices, as well as hardware that runs Windows mobile. Google anticipates even more platforms to come and make a name for themselves, according to Hamoui.
In related news, an Apple representative reportedly told Sean Kovacs, the developer of third-party Google Voice application GV Mobile, that he was welcome to resubmit the application for review, following Apple’s amendment to the App Store Review Guidelines.
On July 28 2009, two iPhone applications that offered support for Google Voice were silently removed from the Apple App Store. One was Kovacs’, the other was actually Google’s official Voice app.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
iOS 4.1 update
Apple has started rolling out the iOS 4.1 software update for the iPhone and iPod Touch that CEO Steve Jobs announced would arrive this week.
The software includes the Game Center venue for multiplayer games, 99-cent iTunes TV show rentals and HD video uploads to YouTube and MobileMe. It also brings HDR photography to the iPhone (but not iPod Touch), a setting in which multiple exposures are captured into a single, spruced-up image.
And the new software is also required if you hope to make FaceTime video calls between a Touch and an iPhone 4. Indeed, moments after installing iOS 4.1 on my iPhone 4, I successfully made a video connection with a Touch.
To install the new software, connect your Touch, or the iPhone 4, 3GS, or 3G to your computer via USB, click on your device under the Devices list in iTunes and click "Check for Update."
The software includes the Game Center venue for multiplayer games, 99-cent iTunes TV show rentals and HD video uploads to YouTube and MobileMe. It also brings HDR photography to the iPhone (but not iPod Touch), a setting in which multiple exposures are captured into a single, spruced-up image.
And the new software is also required if you hope to make FaceTime video calls between a Touch and an iPhone 4. Indeed, moments after installing iOS 4.1 on my iPhone 4, I successfully made a video connection with a Touch.
To install the new software, connect your Touch, or the iPhone 4, 3GS, or 3G to your computer via USB, click on your device under the Devices list in iTunes and click "Check for Update."
Android vs. Iphone: Not So Easy Call
Google's Android mobile operating system proved a formidable rival to the wildly popular iPhone in a recent real-world test.
Android will overtake the iPhone in sales this year, according to an IDC forecast released Tuesday. IDC predicts that by year's end, Android will have a 16 percent market share worldwide, compared with the iPhone's 15 percent. Symbian will continue to lead with 40 percent, and the BlackBerry platform will hold on to second place with about an 18 percent share, IDC said.
Trying out a Motorola Droid 2 on Verizon Wireless alongside my own AT&T iPhone 3GS over the past few weeks, I found Android a tempting alternative to the iPhone platform, though there were surprises on both sides.
Even leaving aside the improved display and other advances in the latest model, the iPhone is a remarkably easy device to use. It's far more approachable than the Droid 2, which runs the latest Android operating system, Version 2.2. Yet Apple's simpler user interface presents some limitations.
The most obvious additional feature the Droid 2 has is its physical keyboard, which feels well-made, with a nice sandy texture and good-sized keys. Yet it takes some getting used to. Whereas a virtual keyboard like the iPhone's can redraw itself in several modes, the Droid's physical keyboard requires an ALT key to activate numerals and some punctuation marks. Those marks appear in blue on the black keys, and at handheld scale, it can be hard to tell the punctuation marks apart. The phone also has a virtual keyboard, but although it's well-sized in landscape mode, the Droid's narrower screen becomes a liability when it's flipped to portrait mode. Then, the virtual keys become too small to easily use.
The Droid also falls short in its general screen design -- out of the box, at least. The seven panels of the homescreen were cluttered with large, ungainly widgets along with some smaller icons. In a "drawer" that's pulled up by touching an arrow at the bottom of the screen were several dozen more icons. The iPhone's screen, by contrast, has just one level, unless the user adds folders. It also comes with far fewer built-in application icons, and those icons are bigger and more attractive than the ones on the Droid.
However, with a bit of work, the Droid's central homescreen reveals its advantages. The widgets can be removed. And taking a frequently used icon from the drawer to the main screen requires nothing more than pressing it for a few seconds and watching it reappear on the main screen. To send it back, there's a trashcan icon that appears on the main screen when an icon there is pressed for several seconds. On the iPhone, once a user has tapped into the vast App Store and filled up a few extra screens with new icons, getting the most important ones on the main panel requires a whole series of displacements, like a slider puzzle.
The iPhone still has the superior touchscreen in terms of sensitivity and accuracy. On the Droid, it's easier to activate the wrong thing by accident. However, Android 2.2 brought a whole other type of interface for many tasks: voice. Extensions to its Voice Search feature allow users to send an e-mail or text message, go to a Web page, get directions or a map and carry out other functions. These worked fairly well, though the cloud-based speech recognition system wasn't always able to understand a phrase on the first try. But it's not clear how often these tools would be useful. Google gave the example of walking through an airport with no hands free, yet using Voice Search functions requires at least one finger tap and sometimes more. The iPhone's built-in voice search functions are much more limited.
Another tool available for use with Android 2.2, called Chrome to Phone, also is unlike anything in the iPhone, and it might be useful occasionally. With a free app on the phone and a plug-in for Google's Chrome browser, users can send a Web page or a map from a PC-based browser to the phone. There is no tool yet for sending items the other way.
The Droid 2 has something else that can't be found on an iPhone, even though AT&T now allows tethering to one computer. The Motorola handset can act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for several devices at once. This worked remarkably well in several tests with one or two devices at close range to the Droid 2, though connection speeds degraded when three devices were connected. Using Speedtest.net, a MacBook achieved downstream speeds as high as 1.73M bps (bits per second), with upstream links up to 190K bps. The hotspot capability is available at extra charge from Verizon.
Network performance is one trait for which Verizon is often praised and AT&T frequently criticized, and for the moment at least, Verizon's touted coverage isn't available with an iPhone. In informal testing in San Francisco -- ground zero for AT&T-bashing -- the Droid 2 did experience a better online experience and fewer dropped calls overall. However, this wasn't always the case. Some subway stations with usable AT&T coverage were without any Verizon signal at all. In addition, a drive halfway across California into rural and mountainous areas showed Verizon stronger in some locations and AT&T in others.
The distinctions between the phones go on forever, at all levels of the user experience. Add in what's available from the Android and iTunes app stores, and it gets even more complex. But two final examples of telling details demonstrate how differently a smartphone can be conceived of at this stage in the game, and how much more room there is to refine these devices.
In ringtones, the Droid is heavy with electronic and classic-rock bits, many of which sound outdated even in terms of quality, like old polyphonic ringers. The iPhone's selection won't satisfy anyone who really wants to rock, but its tones are by far the better in quality. However, when it comes to wallpaper, Android has taken a step ahead of the iPhone's colorful, static screens: It offers animated wallpaper. This means the background image on the Droid 2's homescreen can change from blue sky at midday, to dim light at dusk, to darkness and stars at night. It's the kind of stylish, ingenious move that might have been expected of a company like ... Apple.
[via PC World]
Android will overtake the iPhone in sales this year, according to an IDC forecast released Tuesday. IDC predicts that by year's end, Android will have a 16 percent market share worldwide, compared with the iPhone's 15 percent. Symbian will continue to lead with 40 percent, and the BlackBerry platform will hold on to second place with about an 18 percent share, IDC said.
Trying out a Motorola Droid 2 on Verizon Wireless alongside my own AT&T iPhone 3GS over the past few weeks, I found Android a tempting alternative to the iPhone platform, though there were surprises on both sides.
Even leaving aside the improved display and other advances in the latest model, the iPhone is a remarkably easy device to use. It's far more approachable than the Droid 2, which runs the latest Android operating system, Version 2.2. Yet Apple's simpler user interface presents some limitations.
The most obvious additional feature the Droid 2 has is its physical keyboard, which feels well-made, with a nice sandy texture and good-sized keys. Yet it takes some getting used to. Whereas a virtual keyboard like the iPhone's can redraw itself in several modes, the Droid's physical keyboard requires an ALT key to activate numerals and some punctuation marks. Those marks appear in blue on the black keys, and at handheld scale, it can be hard to tell the punctuation marks apart. The phone also has a virtual keyboard, but although it's well-sized in landscape mode, the Droid's narrower screen becomes a liability when it's flipped to portrait mode. Then, the virtual keys become too small to easily use.
The Droid also falls short in its general screen design -- out of the box, at least. The seven panels of the homescreen were cluttered with large, ungainly widgets along with some smaller icons. In a "drawer" that's pulled up by touching an arrow at the bottom of the screen were several dozen more icons. The iPhone's screen, by contrast, has just one level, unless the user adds folders. It also comes with far fewer built-in application icons, and those icons are bigger and more attractive than the ones on the Droid.
However, with a bit of work, the Droid's central homescreen reveals its advantages. The widgets can be removed. And taking a frequently used icon from the drawer to the main screen requires nothing more than pressing it for a few seconds and watching it reappear on the main screen. To send it back, there's a trashcan icon that appears on the main screen when an icon there is pressed for several seconds. On the iPhone, once a user has tapped into the vast App Store and filled up a few extra screens with new icons, getting the most important ones on the main panel requires a whole series of displacements, like a slider puzzle.
The iPhone still has the superior touchscreen in terms of sensitivity and accuracy. On the Droid, it's easier to activate the wrong thing by accident. However, Android 2.2 brought a whole other type of interface for many tasks: voice. Extensions to its Voice Search feature allow users to send an e-mail or text message, go to a Web page, get directions or a map and carry out other functions. These worked fairly well, though the cloud-based speech recognition system wasn't always able to understand a phrase on the first try. But it's not clear how often these tools would be useful. Google gave the example of walking through an airport with no hands free, yet using Voice Search functions requires at least one finger tap and sometimes more. The iPhone's built-in voice search functions are much more limited.
Another tool available for use with Android 2.2, called Chrome to Phone, also is unlike anything in the iPhone, and it might be useful occasionally. With a free app on the phone and a plug-in for Google's Chrome browser, users can send a Web page or a map from a PC-based browser to the phone. There is no tool yet for sending items the other way.
The Droid 2 has something else that can't be found on an iPhone, even though AT&T now allows tethering to one computer. The Motorola handset can act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for several devices at once. This worked remarkably well in several tests with one or two devices at close range to the Droid 2, though connection speeds degraded when three devices were connected. Using Speedtest.net, a MacBook achieved downstream speeds as high as 1.73M bps (bits per second), with upstream links up to 190K bps. The hotspot capability is available at extra charge from Verizon.
Network performance is one trait for which Verizon is often praised and AT&T frequently criticized, and for the moment at least, Verizon's touted coverage isn't available with an iPhone. In informal testing in San Francisco -- ground zero for AT&T-bashing -- the Droid 2 did experience a better online experience and fewer dropped calls overall. However, this wasn't always the case. Some subway stations with usable AT&T coverage were without any Verizon signal at all. In addition, a drive halfway across California into rural and mountainous areas showed Verizon stronger in some locations and AT&T in others.
The distinctions between the phones go on forever, at all levels of the user experience. Add in what's available from the Android and iTunes app stores, and it gets even more complex. But two final examples of telling details demonstrate how differently a smartphone can be conceived of at this stage in the game, and how much more room there is to refine these devices.
In ringtones, the Droid is heavy with electronic and classic-rock bits, many of which sound outdated even in terms of quality, like old polyphonic ringers. The iPhone's selection won't satisfy anyone who really wants to rock, but its tones are by far the better in quality. However, when it comes to wallpaper, Android has taken a step ahead of the iPhone's colorful, static screens: It offers animated wallpaper. This means the background image on the Droid 2's homescreen can change from blue sky at midday, to dim light at dusk, to darkness and stars at night. It's the kind of stylish, ingenious move that might have been expected of a company like ... Apple.
[via PC World]
Play Poker on you iPhone
If, just for a chance, you decide not to follow every single game of the World Cup, I think I have just found the perfect place for you…..on your Iphone!
Last night, I spent hours on a new poker application on the Iphone and it is great!
I was always a bit cautious about playing poker in casinos or even with friends because I never really knew if I was good at it. I always wondered where all these people were training to become so good. Well, now I found the perfect tool for that my Iphone…
There are several applications worth the try, such as Poker Texas Hold’em, Absolute Poker or Zinga Poker live is excellent. You can play without spending a fortune and you can train as much as you like to become a real pro.
The best thing is that you get lots of advice and tricks and you really can improve very quickly. I did! You can also choose who to play against, real people, your friends or very realistic players.
Check out this website PokerListings, and especially their quick guide to poker on iPhone to get all the info you need and see you soon on the green carpet…
[iPhone news]
Last night, I spent hours on a new poker application on the Iphone and it is great!
I was always a bit cautious about playing poker in casinos or even with friends because I never really knew if I was good at it. I always wondered where all these people were training to become so good. Well, now I found the perfect tool for that my Iphone…
There are several applications worth the try, such as Poker Texas Hold’em, Absolute Poker or Zinga Poker live is excellent. You can play without spending a fortune and you can train as much as you like to become a real pro.
The best thing is that you get lots of advice and tricks and you really can improve very quickly. I did! You can also choose who to play against, real people, your friends or very realistic players.
Check out this website PokerListings, and especially their quick guide to poker on iPhone to get all the info you need and see you soon on the green carpet…
[iPhone news]
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Apple Updates Find My Phone
Apple has released a minor update to its Find My iPhone app for iOS devices, adding support for the new fourth-generation iPod touch and translation fixes for French, German and Japanese languages. Find My iPhone is a free app that allows MobileMe subscribers to access the Find My iPhone service directly from an iOS device. Users can log in to their own MobileMe account and locate, play a message, or remotely lock or wipe any devices that are registered with their MobileMe account. Find My iPhone is available from the App Store as a free download. A MobileMe subscription is required.
Via iLounge
Via iLounge
Apple iPhone 5 is Not a Reality, But Who Will Convince the Fanatics!
With the Apple iPhone 4 just being a couple of months old (not from the time it was found lying on a dance floor), it is hard to believe that the fanatics have already started talking about the next generation of iPhones. Not just talking, they are readying their own designs (as though to please Cupertino), giving flight to the fancy, to say the least. One of the fanatics has created a design which is much slimmer than even the recently revealed iPod Touch, forget comparing the sizes with the iPhone 4.
His design is to unrealistic to be true at this point in time, however, there is every chance that Cupertino will end up selling a slim iPhone some time in the future and when it happens, that iPhone variant will be the most rocking edition of an iPhone ever.
Another one of the designers has a cartoon-edition of his iPhone 5 ready and he believes that the iPhone 5 will differ from the others with a discreet set of applications which we’ve never come across before. Applications like ‘Attracting UFOs’ and ‘enabling exfoliation and time travel’ are the ones on his list.
Let us just wait for the current generation Apple iPhone to get rid of its problems and probably then, we will like to give the iPhone 5 a more realistic touch. For now, we just intend to enjoy the creativity of these fanatics.
Source: TFTS
Sunday, September 5, 2010
"iCulture" Gives Apple a Tactical Advantage
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled an updated line of iPods this week, including the updated iPod Touch 4 which is essentially an iPhone 4 without the phone function. The range of gadgets available from Apple offer a degree of consistency that gives it a tactical advantage over competing smartphones and tablets.
The iPod is a sort of "gateway" gadget that gets younger users hooked into the Apple culture. Entry-level iPods like the iPod Shuffle and the iPod Nano have a dominant presence in the portable music player market, and begin the process of building comfort and familiarity with iTunes.
Eventually, many users transition from base model iPods to an iPod Touch. At that point, the relationship with iTunes evolves beyond music to include apps and games. Users get indoctrinated into the iOS user interface and conventions, and begin investing in a library of apps that expands the functionality of the device and makes the iPod Touch uniquely personal.
As the young iPod Touch user matures and the time comes to move on to the world of smartphones, the iPhone is the natural choice. There are a wide variety of very capable--and in some ways superior--smartphone options available, but choosing Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 or some other platform would require abandoning the familiar iOS interface and throwing away the cumulative investment in apps.
The same logic holds true with tablets. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is only the first of an expanding array of iPad competitors that will be hitting the market. Tablets built on Android, WebOS, the full Windows desktop OS, and hopefully the Windows Phone 7 mobile OS will all be available soon. But, a user with an extended relationship and indoctrination into the Apple culture is likely to stick with what they know, and preserve the accumulated library of apps by keeping it simple and embracing the Apple iPad.
Other platforms recognize this tactical advantage and are making efforts to establish a similar addictive indoctrination. Microsoft has had marginal success parlaying user comfort with the Windows desktop operating system into Windows Mobile users, and in trying to establish the Zune as a gateway gadget similar to the iPod--especially with the new Windows Phone 7 devices which are built on a familiar Zune-like interface.
Android is the most successful Apple competitor in terms of developing an extensive library and culture of apps. The iPhone may outsell any individual Android smartphone, but there are many Android smartphones and the sheer volume has enabled Android to gain ground on iOS as a mobile platform.
Just as users comfortable with the iOS interface and invested in iPhone apps are likely to adopt the Apple iPad, users that are familiar with the Android OS and have built a library of Android apps are more likely to select an Android-based tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
The genius of Apple's iCulture strategy is that the relationship with iOS and the investment in an extensive library of iOS apps is a much stronger bond than the two-year wireless contract. Aside from the early termination fee, there is no reason most users won't switch wireless providers given a better deal, but switching platforms requires a culture shift that many are unwilling to embark on.
The recipe for success is hook 'em young and keep feeding the addiction.
[via PC World]
The iPod is a sort of "gateway" gadget that gets younger users hooked into the Apple culture. Entry-level iPods like the iPod Shuffle and the iPod Nano have a dominant presence in the portable music player market, and begin the process of building comfort and familiarity with iTunes.
Eventually, many users transition from base model iPods to an iPod Touch. At that point, the relationship with iTunes evolves beyond music to include apps and games. Users get indoctrinated into the iOS user interface and conventions, and begin investing in a library of apps that expands the functionality of the device and makes the iPod Touch uniquely personal.
As the young iPod Touch user matures and the time comes to move on to the world of smartphones, the iPhone is the natural choice. There are a wide variety of very capable--and in some ways superior--smartphone options available, but choosing Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 or some other platform would require abandoning the familiar iOS interface and throwing away the cumulative investment in apps.
The same logic holds true with tablets. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is only the first of an expanding array of iPad competitors that will be hitting the market. Tablets built on Android, WebOS, the full Windows desktop OS, and hopefully the Windows Phone 7 mobile OS will all be available soon. But, a user with an extended relationship and indoctrination into the Apple culture is likely to stick with what they know, and preserve the accumulated library of apps by keeping it simple and embracing the Apple iPad.
Other platforms recognize this tactical advantage and are making efforts to establish a similar addictive indoctrination. Microsoft has had marginal success parlaying user comfort with the Windows desktop operating system into Windows Mobile users, and in trying to establish the Zune as a gateway gadget similar to the iPod--especially with the new Windows Phone 7 devices which are built on a familiar Zune-like interface.
Android is the most successful Apple competitor in terms of developing an extensive library and culture of apps. The iPhone may outsell any individual Android smartphone, but there are many Android smartphones and the sheer volume has enabled Android to gain ground on iOS as a mobile platform.
Just as users comfortable with the iOS interface and invested in iPhone apps are likely to adopt the Apple iPad, users that are familiar with the Android OS and have built a library of Android apps are more likely to select an Android-based tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
The genius of Apple's iCulture strategy is that the relationship with iOS and the investment in an extensive library of iOS apps is a much stronger bond than the two-year wireless contract. Aside from the early termination fee, there is no reason most users won't switch wireless providers given a better deal, but switching platforms requires a culture shift that many are unwilling to embark on.
The recipe for success is hook 'em young and keep feeding the addiction.
[via PC World]
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Twitter for iPhone adds iPad Support
Twitter released Twitter 3.1 on Thursday finally adding an iPad-native interface to the social networking client app.
Version 3.1 adds some new features beyond a native iPad interface such as quick access to account information for other Twitter users, single tap support for opening links in tweets, and a feature that shows other Twitter users that the app deems to share similar profile traits.
Twitter 3.1 is free for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and is available at Apple’s iTunes-based App Store.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Apple's iOS 4.1 ships for iPhone next week, will add HDR photos
Apple announced Wednesday that iOS 4.1 will add a new feature, allowing users to take high dynamic range photographs that produce stunning pictures, and will ship next week for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs showed off the HDR photo capability at Wednesday's keynote in San Francisco, Calif.
He revealed that the new feature will take three rapid photos -- one regular, one underexposed and one overexposed. When the pictures are combined, it creates an HDR photo.
"It's pretty amazing," Jobs said. When taking an HDR photo, both it and the normal photograph will show up in the user's Photos application, so they can compare the two and choose which one they prefer.
Also Wednesday, Apple highlighted GameCenter, showing how easy the application will make it for users to join a friend's game. One title running Epic Games' latest Unreal Engine was demonstrated -- Project Sword -- with a fully interactive 3D environment.
"That's on a phone," Jobs quipped after the title was shown off. "That's pretty remarkable.
The update will also address Bluetooth and proximity sensor issues that currently exist with the iPhone 4.
"All the bugs that we get mails on," Jobs said. "We think we've nailed a lot of them, and we think you're going to be pretty happy with it."
[via Apple Insider]
Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs showed off the HDR photo capability at Wednesday's keynote in San Francisco, Calif.
He revealed that the new feature will take three rapid photos -- one regular, one underexposed and one overexposed. When the pictures are combined, it creates an HDR photo.
"It's pretty amazing," Jobs said. When taking an HDR photo, both it and the normal photograph will show up in the user's Photos application, so they can compare the two and choose which one they prefer.
Also Wednesday, Apple highlighted GameCenter, showing how easy the application will make it for users to join a friend's game. One title running Epic Games' latest Unreal Engine was demonstrated -- Project Sword -- with a fully interactive 3D environment.
"That's on a phone," Jobs quipped after the title was shown off. "That's pretty remarkable.
The update will also address Bluetooth and proximity sensor issues that currently exist with the iPhone 4.
"All the bugs that we get mails on," Jobs said. "We think we've nailed a lot of them, and we think you're going to be pretty happy with it."
[via Apple Insider]
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Rumor: iPhone 4 with New Antenna Coming Soon
Is Apple readying an updated iPhone 4 with a new antenna, one without the much-publicized signal attenuation problemof the current model? A recent report by Mexican tech news site Canal MX, first uncovered (well, in English) byMacRumors, suggests a hardware fix for the iPhone 4's well-known shortcoming could arrive by the end of September.
In the August 25 report, Marco Quatorze, Director of Value Added Services for Mexican wireless carrier Telcel, discusses the iPhone 4 antenna issue. As of September 30, he says, iPhone 4 handsets sold by Telcel will not suffer from the antenna-related reception glitch. However, the Canal MX report doesn't specify how Apple might fix the problem.
Telcel customers who buy an iPhone 4 before September 30 will get the original model. As a result, they'll also need a protective case or bumper to minimize the problem of dropped calls and poor signal strength. When a user touches a spot on the iPhone 4's lower left side--the so-called "death grip"--the cell signal degrades dramatically.
So is a new and improved iPhone 4 on the way? It's unclear. Apple has said it's working on the problem, and a September fix would certainly be a speedy resolution. Then again, it's entirely possible that the true meaning of Quatorze's comments were simply lost in translation. When Apple CEO Steve Jobs addressed the antenna glitch in July, he announced that customers who buy an iPhone 4 by Sept. 30 could get a free case or bumper from Apple.
Was Quatorze referring to Apple's deadline? Or did he spill the beans on a new and improved iPhone 4? We'll know more in a month-or perhaps sooner.
[via PCWORLD]
In the August 25 report, Marco Quatorze, Director of Value Added Services for Mexican wireless carrier Telcel, discusses the iPhone 4 antenna issue. As of September 30, he says, iPhone 4 handsets sold by Telcel will not suffer from the antenna-related reception glitch. However, the Canal MX report doesn't specify how Apple might fix the problem.
Telcel customers who buy an iPhone 4 before September 30 will get the original model. As a result, they'll also need a protective case or bumper to minimize the problem of dropped calls and poor signal strength. When a user touches a spot on the iPhone 4's lower left side--the so-called "death grip"--the cell signal degrades dramatically.
So is a new and improved iPhone 4 on the way? It's unclear. Apple has said it's working on the problem, and a September fix would certainly be a speedy resolution. Then again, it's entirely possible that the true meaning of Quatorze's comments were simply lost in translation. When Apple CEO Steve Jobs addressed the antenna glitch in July, he announced that customers who buy an iPhone 4 by Sept. 30 could get a free case or bumper from Apple.
Was Quatorze referring to Apple's deadline? Or did he spill the beans on a new and improved iPhone 4? We'll know more in a month-or perhaps sooner.
[via PCWORLD]
Slang Machine – iPhone App guaranteed to make you laugh!
Slang Machine is a sound generator that enables you to playback over 30 slang words and phrases from the past 30 years to make you the center of any party or function! Playback words and phrases with 1 of the 4 built-in characters!
Go super high pitched with the “Eyeballin’ Alien” voice or super low with the “Slangin’ Sasquatch”! ‘Keep it real’ with the “Slang Dude” or fake someone out with the robotic sounding “Mr. Roboto”!
It’s up to you!
Choose from over 30 phrases such as:
Giddy up!
Who’s Your Daddy!?
I’d buy that for a dollar!
Straight Pimpin’!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Angry Birds 1.4.1 and Angry Birds HD 1.4.1 hit App Store
Angry Birds for iPhone and its big brother, Angry Birds HD for iPad, have been updated to make it even birdier and, I fear, angrier. New features in version 1.4.1 consist of:
- 15 levels have been reconstructed
- A new golden egg has been added
- Fresh new achievements are included
- And, um… fantastic feathered fun is plentiful
The iPad version hit a couple of days ago. The iPhone version is just hitting now. If you try out either update, let us know what you think.
Iphone Vs Android | How AT&T’s IPhone Exclusivity Ends
UPDATE: Be sure to participate in the comments as we’ve got some interesting discussion going about iPhone vs. Android. Does the openness of Android mean it’s better? I argue it doesn’t. What do you think?
If John Gruber is right , the iPod Touch will be upgraded in a matter of weeks with two cameras and the iPhone 4′s “retina” display.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and call this effectively the end of AT&T exclusivity.
An iPod Touch equipped with a front-facing camera is no longer an iPod Touch. It’s a device for making calls. Video calls.
And with an app like Skype which uses the long-awaited multitasking functionality on iPhone to make and receive voice calls – it’s also a fully functional phone. Apple could even build Internet-based voice call functionality directly into iOS for this very purpose.
Goodbye house phones.
Plus you don’t have as many reasons to let Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint tie you into expensive two-year contracts because you’ll be able to make free voice or video calls when on wifi, shoot and edit video as well as take impressive 5 megapixel photos.
It’ll do everything an iPhone can. Except that it’s an iPod.
And guess what – I bet if you touch the next iPod Touch in the lower left hand corner the signal won’t drop.
All this is conjecture of course.
As a soon-to-be-father the idea that my family will be just a few taps from seeing my baby live on their iPods this Christmas is just too much fun not to think about.
Mark my words, if Gruber is right about the iPod, 2010 is the year the world moves into the future. The way we interact with computers is changing thanks to Apple. And, in all fairness, I suspect Microsoft’s upcoming Kinect could be equally revolutionary. Both are simplifying the way we tell computers what we want them to do. The never-ending headaches we encountered interacting with computers from the 1980s to 2000s will be forgotten. With the iPod
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If John Gruber is right , the iPod Touch will be upgraded in a matter of weeks with two cameras and the iPhone 4′s “retina” display.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and call this effectively the end of AT&T exclusivity.
An iPod Touch equipped with a front-facing camera is no longer an iPod Touch. It’s a device for making calls. Video calls.
And with an app like Skype which uses the long-awaited multitasking functionality on iPhone to make and receive voice calls – it’s also a fully functional phone. Apple could even build Internet-based voice call functionality directly into iOS for this very purpose.
Goodbye house phones.
Plus you don’t have as many reasons to let Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint tie you into expensive two-year contracts because you’ll be able to make free voice or video calls when on wifi, shoot and edit video as well as take impressive 5 megapixel photos.
It’ll do everything an iPhone can. Except that it’s an iPod.
And guess what – I bet if you touch the next iPod Touch in the lower left hand corner the signal won’t drop.
All this is conjecture of course.
As a soon-to-be-father the idea that my family will be just a few taps from seeing my baby live on their iPods this Christmas is just too much fun not to think about.
Mark my words, if Gruber is right about the iPod, 2010 is the year the world moves into the future. The way we interact with computers is changing thanks to Apple. And, in all fairness, I suspect Microsoft’s upcoming Kinect could be equally revolutionary. Both are simplifying the way we tell computers what we want them to do. The never-ending headaches we encountered interacting with computers from the 1980s to 2000s will be forgotten. With the iPod
Click here to view rest of article from original site
Top fourteen bargain iPhone and iPad apps
Here are 14 bargain iPhone and iPad apps that will surely add some fun to your devices!
Scrabble – word game addicts, get this before the price goes up! It’s Hasbro’s classic word game right on your iPhone. Play against the computer, your friend next to you, or even your Facebook friends. Add up points and aim to get the triple letters and triple words all across the board. The person with the most points at the end wins! But hurry, this sale won’t last long! You can play the free version as a Facebook app. iPhone Version (99 cents)
Where’s Waldo – This app brings me back to my childhood when Where’s Waldo books were all the craze. The iPhone version is just as much fun! Search for Waldo and his friends in various scenes. You’ll find them in the funniest places!iPhone Version (99 cents) | iPad Version ($2.99)
Diner Dash: Grilling Green is the first time management game made specifically for the iPad. If you enjoy the Diner Dash series, this one is a must-have. Many new features have been added for the new multi-touch options. Not only are we waiting tables, you have to keep the customers happy and also help grandma with the cooking. Talk about multi-tasking! The game is normally $4.99, but is on sale for a limited time for $2.99. iPad Version ($2.99)
Hexalex – Another word game that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This board is a bit different though. Instead or square pieces, you’re putting pieces down on a hexagon board. Words can go down, sideways, or even diagonally. Play against the computer, or up to four people. iPhone Version ($1.99)
Jojo’s Fashion Show 2 – This one is for the fashion addicts! Create various outfits for your models and send them out on the runway. Be sure to dress them up in the style asked by the judges. Do it quickly to progress to the next round! Full game is free for a limited time.iPhone Version (Free) | iPhone Lite Version (Free)
Fotopedia Heritage – Travel around the world and back in this wonderful little app. It’s an amazingly beautiful way to navigate, explore, and discover the 890 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Swipe to see a new photo from around the world. Tap on the ‘i’ icon to read more about the location. It really is like a Wikipedia with photos! It’s also universal and absolutely free!Universal Version (Free)
Pinball HD – If you’re an avid pinball fan, this is a must-have! The game features 3 pinball tables — Wild West, The Deep. and Jungle Style. Each table has its unique gameplay. Plays in both landscape or portrait mode. The graphics on the iPad version could be more clearer, but it’s definitely worth the sale price for this week! Normally $2.99, both the iPhone and iPad versions are 99 cents. iPad Version (99 cents) | iPhone 4 Version (99 cents)
Color Stream – If you’re a designer, you may be interested in this app. It’s a nifty color palette tool. You can take photos in the app and it’ll pick out 5 colors from the photo for you and give its hex numbers. Very simple to use and no need to pull out Photoshop to take a screenshot. This app was $2.99, but is currently on sale for free! I also linked a lite version in case the price goes up when you read this article. iPhone Version (Free) | iPhone Lite Version (Free)
The Crystals of Atlantis Deluxe – It’s similar to other match-3 games that you played before. Goal is to make crystal matches so your historical artifact pieces fall down to the lower level. Special power-ups are given for matches of 4 or more. Gorgeous graphics; a definite must-download! iPhone/iPod Touch Version (99 cents)
Paperless Lite: Lists + Checklists – here’s a beautiful way of keeping lists and checking them off. Add a cute little icon for each type of list. Very simple and. Straight-forward. Free version allows up to 15 items in a list, paid version allows more. Try it out for free!iPhone Lite Version (Free) | iPhone Version ($1.99)
Price is Right – Never been a contestant on Price is Right? But now you can with this app! See how well your know your prices and play various games to get to the showcase showdown! New in this version is customization of your player’s avatar. It was $4.99 but is currently on sale for 99 cents! iPhone Version (99 cents)
Pocket Creatures – Here’s a virtual pet you can carry around with your on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or even iPad! Teach, play, and explore the world with your new virtual pet. Normally $2.99, now on sale for 99 cents.Universal Version (99 cents)
Zombie Infection – Action-adventure game where you fight your way through hordes zombies. Amazingly realistic graphics that’s a must for zombie lovers. Be aware of realistic violence. Game is available on both iPhone and iPad platforms. Normally $6.99, this is a sale too hot to miss! iPad Version (99 cents) | iPhone Version (99 cents) | iPhone Lite Version (Free)
Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition – Your favorite monkeys are on the loose again! Keep your monkeys rolling in orbs as you collect bananas and race to the finish line. Mini-games include Monkey Base, Monkey Target, Monkey Golf, and Monkey Bowling. Have an endless fun time with this accelerometer game! This iPad game was $14.99 but is now on sale for $3.99.iPad Version ($3.99) | iPhone Version ($2.99)Gameloft’s Zombie Infection On Sale For $0.99
I remember debating on whether to buy Gameloft’s Zombie Infection when it was first released back in May. I’m very glad that I decided not to because today the game went on sale for only $0.99, and this bargain is not going to last!In the game, you find yourself in a zombie infestation city in which you play through 12 campaign levels to kill the bloodthirsty zombies. To be honest, I wasn’t reproachful when it came out because of the price – nope, I was pretty scared by the faces on the zombies after I saw the video embedded below!
Intel to Acquire iPhone Supplier Infineon's Wireless Chip Unit
Intel today confirmed long-standing rumors by announcing that it will acquire the Wireless Solutions (WLS) unit of German firm Infineon for $1.4 billion. The move gives Intel a significant expansion into the market for smartphone chips as it continues to try to build interest in its own Atom platform for mobile and netbook devices.
Through this effort, Intel will pair WLS' best-in-class cellular technology with its core strengths to enable the delivery of low-power, Intel-based platforms that combine its applications processor with an expanded portfolio of wireless options -- bringing together Intel's leadership in Wi-Fi and WiMAX with WLS' leadership in 2G and 3G, and a combined path to accelerate 4G LTE.
The acquisition is notable for Apple, as the company has long eschewed Intel's offerings for its mobile devices in favor of ARM-based technology. Infineon's wireless unit has, however, supplied the baseband controller for supporting cellular connectivity in every generation of the iPhone.While Intel and Apple have been key partners on the Mac platform since Apple began moving away from the PowerPC platform with the release of the Mac Pro in 2006, the two companies have not seen fit to work together on the mobile side of things. Intel has in the past been critical of the iPhone's use of ARM-based processor technology, claiming that any device seeking to access the "full Internet" needs to be based on Intel's technology.
[via mac rumors]
Soon, You’ll Be Able to Play “Starcraft 2″ from Your iPhone or iPad
Playing popular strategy game Starcraft 2 using an iPhone or even an iPad sounds like a usability nightmare, but developer Daniel Hellerman is planning to make it happen regardless of the potential issues.
Hellerman is working on an iOS application called the Starcraft 2 Gameboard that will let you fully control Starcraft 2 from youriPhone or iPad, complete with “mini-map control, detailed unit statistics, and easy touch access to the game’s most important hotkeys and macros,” he claims.
Blizzard, the company that develops the popular Starcraft game franchise, is known for promptly shutting down third-party projects related to its games that don’t follow its terms of service to the letter. The future of the Starcraft 2 Gameboard therefore seems uncertain.
However, the FAQ section of the application’s website claims that the system “does not modify essentialStarcraft 2 functions” and that the device works “almost as another keyboard, therefore it is completely compatible with Starcraft 2.” Furthermore, the site claims the application is “not a hack” and “does not modify any game files whatsoever.”
The app should become available in September. What do you think: Will it be possible to play Starcraft 2 from your iPhone or iPad? Could such an application be useful or is it just a gimmick?
[via Kotaku]
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