January 2009 Archives
Here's a fun addition to your iPhone camera app arsenal: QuadCamera ($1.99, available here) which takes four shots in quick succession. If you like to photograph action sequences, such as a sports competition, you'll enjoy seeing how the scene changes from one shot to the next. We tested it with our pets and with people on the street, and the results were just as fun.
One of the best things about the app is the range of settings. You can set the interval between shots, so that all four shots are taken in rapid succession or with as much as three seconds between them. You can also choose to view the results in a horizontal two on two configuration, or vertically with all four in a row. Shoot in color or black and white, if you prefer.
We found taking pictures with QuadCamera to be just as simple as using the iPhone's built-in camera app, and the results were oddly fascinating. If you're looking to do more with your phone's camera, give this inexpensive app a try.
This app makes us nostalgic for 10 years ago, when ratings sites caught on and we were suddenly spending free time judging people's faces, bodies, cars, and even pets. Apparently the best known rating site, Hot or Not, is still around, and it's just created this fun little diversion.
Hot or Not (available here) invites people, typically attractive young people, to post their photos online for others to judge. You rate each face from 1 to 10, and then you can see how your rating compares with that person's average score.
The site branched into a hook-up stop long ago, so if you're on the market you can try to meet your crushes. We didn't test that part.
Now, the app is far from perfect. You can enter your preferences for whom you'd like to rate (male or female, age range, and so on), but it won't remember your settings from one session to the next. Also, it crashes reliably after a few minutes of use. But for a simple time-killer, a few minutes is all we need anyway.
Now's a great time to buy a car. But, with the volatility in oil prices, making fuel efficiency a priority in your search may be prudent. Not sure which cars are best? Do your research online and then send your smartphone a link so you can remember what vehicles had which characteristics.
At www.fueleconomy.gov, for instance, click on "Find and Compare Cars" at the bottom. Use one of the search strategies on the left (by year, make, model, etc.) to pull up the cars you're considering.
Look at their stats side by side, then right-click on your browser page, select "Send link" (may vary by browser) and send your comparison chart to the e-mail address you access from your phone.
As you test drive different cars and determine which ones actually feel right for you, you can look back at the chart to see whether you're falling in love with a gas-guzzler or to finalize the choice between two finalists.
Provocative and risque material has been banned from the iPhone app store.
Author: Oliver Widder
Post courtesy of Datamation.com.
Apple released a minor update to the iPhone's firmware, version 2.2.1, the other day. According to MacRumors.com, the upgrade holds a nice little secret—a new iPhone may be in the offing.
The firmware's USBDeviceConfiguration.plist indicates that Apple may be prepping a new version of the iPhone.
You see, a mystery iPhone model is referenced as iPhone2,1 in the firmware (see image from MacRumors.com) , the same iPhone designation seen by at least one developer in an ad server report.
The USBDeviceConfiguration.plist references the original iPhone as iPhone1,1 and the iPhone 3G as iPhone1,2. With the mystery iPhone model, the 1 has become a 2 (a new generation, perhaps?) and the 2 in the iPhone 3G designation has become a 1 (making it the first version in that new iPhone series, maybe?). These leaves open the possibility that iPhone2,1 is referring to a new generation of iPhone.
Unfortunately, that's just about all that can be extrapolated from iPhone firmware 2.2.1. Seeing as a new iPhone is probably months a way, its new surprise we're short on rumored details right now.
One thing we know for sure is that the supposed new iPhone model won't be the much-rumored about smaller and cheaper iPhone Nano version of the iPhone. When asked about that possibility during Apple's earnings call last week, company COO put the kibosh on that rumor. Cook said:
You know us, we're not going to play in the low-end voice phone business. That's not who we are. That's not why we're here. We'll let somebody do that, our goal is not to be the unit share leader in the phone industry. It is to build the best phone.
Let's hope the new iPhone model, whatever it turns out to be, is a real improvement over the current model, which -- other than the addition of 3G -- was not much of an upgrade (internally hardware-wise) over the original iPhone.
Rumor has it the next generation iPhone model will feature a quad-core processor, far more powerful than the CPU in the current generation iPhone. It may even get a considerable boost in the graphics department with a jump up to a multi-core GPU as well.
Several online sources say that Sirius XM satellite radio is making the leap onto the iPhone. The newly merged satellite radio company is expected to submit its Sirius XM App for approval this week. It's unclear whether the App will be free to all, be free to current subscribers or have an entirely different rate base altogether. That said, Sirius XM definitely needs the boost as subscriptions have flattened after the hype of Howard Stern and Oprah have well died down. Stay tuned for more info on Sirius XM. Also, for more info on satellite radio, feel free to check out my book, The Pocket Idiot's Guide To Satellite Radio.
Do you sleep better when it's storming out? The creators of the sensational White Noise now present White Noise Storm ($.99, available here) a sound-creation app that lets you produce your own perfect storm. Choose light or heavy rain, the speed of the wind, and the intensity of thunder. Randomized effects make sure no two storms are alike, and a timer lets you get as much storm as you want. The app even saves your settings for the next time you use it.
Free for a limited time, Audiogasm (available here) is a music visualizer for your iPhone. Relax with some songs and let Audiogasm's hypnotic visuals fill your screen. If you see a pattern you like, you can swipe your finger across the screen to take a picture, which is then stored in your photo album. If you don't like what you're seeing, shake your iPhone to change the animation.
As Apple wins a patent for its multitouch LCD gestures (see image below), Palm says it will go ahead with plans to launch its Pre smartphone. The longtime PDA vendor also says it will defend itself if necessary against any legal action by the iPhone maker.
During Apple's recent earnings call, COO Tim Cook had hinted at possible legal action against competition infringing on Apple's iPhone technology. But does Apple have the rights to all multitouch technology?
Meanwhile, the success of the iPhone failed to shield AT&T from the economic crisis, according to Bloomberg.com. The carrier's fourth-quarter profit dropped 23 percent.
The multitouch patent (#7,479,949) granted to Apple on June 20 is titled "Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics." The company applied for the patent on April 18 of last year.
It's abstract reads:
A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, applying one or more heuristics to the one or more finger contacts to determine a command for the device, and processing the command. The one or more heuristics comprise: a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a one-dimensional vertical screen scrolling command, a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a two-dimensional screen translation command, and a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a command to transition from displaying a respective item in a set of items to displaying a next item in the set of items.
Leading off the list of inventors is the one and only Steven P. Jobs himself.
With WiPix ($1.99, available here), you can view all the photos in your photo library's camera roll album (meaning the shots taken with your iPhone's camera) on a computer Web browser as long as you're on the same Wi-Fi network. Open the app and it gives you an address to type into your browser. You'll then get a simple Flash interface that lets you scroll through your photos and download the ones you want. If the app could browse all the picture on your iPhone, it'd be perfect.
Whether it's an auto emergency, a roadside breakdown, or just a small malfunction, RepairPal can help. This app (available here) tells you the right price to pay for your repair, finds you a great mechanic in the area, and gives you one-touch access to roadside assistance. Even better, it covers every zip code in the country.
Apple's quitely rolled out a new firmware upgrade for the iPhone. Firmware 2.2.1 doesn't bring to the table the same type of wiz-bang new features offered in previous updates, though. Rather, it appears to offers some stability improvements. These include a more stable Safari browser, which - as it is - crashes a little too much, and improvements in the way the iPhone's Mail app handles the transferring of pictures to the iPhone’s camera roll.
A version of this firmware update was made available for the iPod touch as well. The iPod touch edition lists a fix to an issue where music in the Apple Lossless audio format skips during playback, in addition to the fixes mentioned in the iPhone verion of firmware 2.2.1.
Train commuters, you know how easy it is to fall asleep on the trip home and miss your stop. But you don't need to worry when you've got iNap ($.99, available here). Just use the Google map embedded in the app to show where you'll be getting off, then take a nap. As long as your iPhone can get GPS reception, the program will track your location and trigger an alarm at preset distance before your destination.
The dancing game phenomenon has finally reached the iPhone. Just place your iPhone on the ground, step lightly on the screen … No, of course now. You play DanceDanceRevolution S Lite (available here) by tapping the screen to the rhythm. Time your taps to the arrows that scroll up from the bottom of the screen. A full (paid) version will soon be released with new songs and characters.
SnappySeeker for iPhone from iambic is an application geared towards providing users with instant search results from multiple sources. It is the longtime mobile software provider's first iPhone program.
The app features an integrated web browser and search-triggering touch & scroll toolbar, allowing users to quickly switch from one source to another and spot the most suitable result in seconds, according to the company.
In addition to "classic" web search results, SnappySeeker retrieves information from the Amazon product catalog, Wikipedia, eBay, blogs, images, news, financial information, and many other mobile-optimized sites.
Along with reducing the number of taps it takes to find what you are looking for, SnappySeeker is designed to take advantage of Google Maps as well as the mobile device’s SMS/text messaging capabilities, to send searches to the Google SMS service for immediate results.
You can download SnappySeeker for the iPhone here from the iTunes App Store. It costs $0.99.
In addition to the iPhone version of SnappySeeker, iambic is in the process of updating the BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, and Android version of the software. You can learn about SnappySeeker for those smartphone platforms here.
Celebrate the lunar new year with Year of the Ox ($.99, available here), a colorful arcade-style game. Since the year of the ox is following the year of the rat, you play as an ox defending your turf from greedy rats. Use the iPhone's tilt controls to charge around and stomp rats, then use the stampede mode for extra power. The app also include a celebratory fireworks simulation. Gung hey fat choy!
Have you ever had to go to the bathroom desperately and not known where the closest toilet was? Now, there's an app to help you find one. SitOrSquat (available here) uses the iPhone's built-in GPS ability to search based on your current location, and then it gives you a map of the address. In our testing, we saw few bathrooms listed for our area, but that should improve as users upload new locations.
Tony's Tips aims to be an indispensable guide to the iPhone. Available as a $2.99 application from the iTunes App Store, Tony's Tips is online help system of thousands of iPhone tips. internetNews.com writes:
From how to synchronize an external account with your iPhone to travel tips to saving battery life (e.g., check your email less frequently), Tony's Tips is designed to provide help for beginning to more advanced iPhone users.
Sections can be downloaded for offline viewing as well.
Get the full story here at internetNews.com.
Although Apple welcomes the competition, it aims to protect its intellectual property, something Cupertino implies Palm may be stepping on with the Pre's multitouch interface.
According to reports, in last week's earnings call Apple COO Tim Cook seemed perturbed when answering a reporter's question about new competition from Palm as that company prepares to launch its Pre smartphone.
Does Apple consider the Pre a rip-off of the iPhone? Although Cook welcomed some competition, he also said, "we will not stand for having our intellectual property ripped off, and we'll use whatever weapons we have at our disposal."
The Pre will feature multitouch gestures similar to that of the iPhone.
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone a little over two years ago, he spoke of how Apple patented the smartphone’s multitouch user interface, along with over 200 other patents for technologies that went into making the iPhone.
It's half game, half teaching tool, and all fun. We're nuts about Pocket Piano Song Universe ($2.99, available here), which makes it easy to tap out favorites songs and melodies on a tiny on-screen keyboard.
Pick the song you want and the notes descend to the correct keys, showing you just where to tap. The spacing between the notes shows you how long to hold each one and gives you a sense of tempo. You can tell the app to play the song for you, or tap the Learn button and play it yourself.
The app comes with a sampling of songs you can play, or you can search its online directory and find many more that other users have uploaded. Players have the ability to rate songs, so you can scan the ratings first to make sure you're not downloading a dud. If you're feeling musical, you can even make your own player files, then upload them for others to enjoy.
While the app doesn't teach fingering or any other piano skills, it could certainly teach you the notes to play for favorite songs so you can tap them out when you're near a real piano. It's a tiny piano teacher in your pocket.
Finally, some serious competition for Pandora. If you've had trouble getting hold of a Slacker G2 player (and boy, do we know how hard it is to get your hands on one), then you'll be thrilled to find you can get the same content on your iPhone for free.
Slacker Radio (available here) is a personalized radio service that goes far beyond the basics. First off, it delivers over 100 stations that actually feel like they were programmed by people, not computers. You'll find music in whatever category you enjoy. But there's more: you can skip up to six songs in each category each day, so you're never forced to listen to something you don't like. You can flag songs you like with a heart, to hear more like that, or ban that song or artist completely.
We like that it feels more like real radio than Pandora. Pandora insists on playing songs in three or four song sets, which cuts down on the variety we want from it. We also prefer Slacker's method of flagging favorite songs. It lets you nudge stations more to your ideal; whereas if you flag a song in Pandora is uses that song as a new starting point for a set, which gives it too much weight.
The biggest downside to Slacker is that it has audio ads in the free version. Pandora only has on-screen text ads, which are easy to ignore. Audio ads are a little too intrusive. An ad-free premium account is available through the Web site (www.slacker.com) for $3.99 per month.
With its Silicon Valley neighbors in freefall, Apple defies gravity and has its best quarter ever. Sells 4.4 million iPhones last quarter for a total of 13.7 million units in 2008. Way past its goal of 10 million for the year. Now hosts 15,000 titles at the iTunes App Store, which has surpassed 500,000 downloads. Get the full story here at InternetNews.com.
If high blood pressure is effecting your health, get BP Buddy ($4.99, available here) and keep track of it. The app contains a log that you can update several times a day. You can even add notes about what stressors were upsetting you. A graph lets you view up to 60 days worth of entries. Ten percent of the proceeds go to the American Heart Association.
The Microsoft Tag mobile tagging system instantly connects you to more information and entertainment without typing long URLs or texting shortcodes. Simply snap the tag with your mobile phone and Microsoft Tag takes you there. Download the app here.
Use this clever photo app to add interesting light effects to a shot. Select the pattern of light and shadow that you'd like to add, then control the brightness, blurring, and other settings. The effects in Light ($1.99, available here) are grouped into the following categories: breakups, foliage, lights, sky, and windows.
What do you want to do with your life? The Web site 43Things.com has been asking people that for years. Members can make a list of the top 43 things that they want to accomplish, then see how many other members have the same goals. Now, members can access their life lists on their iPhones with the 43 Things app (available here). Use it to view goals and mark them as complete.
Without explanation, Google has dropped the iGoogle app for the iPhone. www.google.com/ig/i now diverts iPhone users to www.google.com/m/ig.
In a thread on the Google support Web site, a Google employee writes about the company's efforts to direct visitors to the main iGoogle page rather than the iPhone-specific app. The employee states that Google wants all smartphone users to have the same version. Last year, however, Google released a video showing how the iPhone app would make iGoogle convenient on the device. The version unique to the iPhone was formatted for the Mobile Safari browser.
From browsing to YouTube, the iPhone has gotten enough power and application support to rival a low-end laptop. (In fact, it is sometimes faster than the average one.) Family protection hasn't caught up, however, and there have been no Apple-sanctioned safeguards blocking kids from possibly objectionable content. In short, no NetNanny on the iPhone.
This will change very soon. At CES we met with InternetSafety.com
It will be available through the Apple App Store by this Spring. The price is to be determined.
Learn more here.
Fuze Lite is a free conferencing calling and online meeting application for the iPhone. It allows users to quickly host calls with co-workers and more.
The free download FUZE Lite, from CallWave, is a conferencing calling and online meeting application for the iPhone.
You get a conference call "bridge number for life" and can manage conference calls from your iPhone (that means you get visual representation of who's on the call as well as the ability to mute callers).
Advanced IM capabilities let you use AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk, Jabber and Reuters in a secure environment.
FUZE is a browser-based online meeting application which runs on Macs, PCs and Linux and is compatible with all major browsers.
On the iPhone, FUZE Lite includes the "Fetch" feature, which allows the host to connect attendees directly into the conference call. There's no more of a sign in requirement than the callers type in an access code or PIN.
The company predicts that in the next few months, FUZE on the iPhone will also incorporate application sharing, including the ability to share high-definition images and business applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel.
The software can be downloaded from the App Store.
Apple is finally allowing Web browsers in the App Store, and Incognito ($1.99, available here) is a must-have for sneaky surfers. This anonymous browser ensures that your online time remains your private business. Once you close the browser, it erases your entire session. You won't have to worry about clearing Safari's history by hand; use Incognito and it's done for you.
Here's an app that really brings us back-back to a friend's basement on a sunny Saturday afternoon, when other kids were out playing football. The uber-geeky Dice Bag (available here) lets you simulate rolling all the basic Dungeons & Dragons dice, as well as the most common multi-dice rolls. Good luck and may all your character stat rolls be high.
Cat lovers unite! There are some cold kittens in this game and it's your job to save them. Shivering Kittens ($2.99, available here) asks you to free sweet, little, blue-eyed kittens from their arctic confinement by arranging falling blocks.
The blocks contain two kinds of cats: shivering and frozen. The shivering ones can be freed by grouping them in combinations of five or more. The frozen need to be freed from their ice blocks first, which you do by creating a line of blocks from the left side of the screen to the right. There are 10 levels of difficulty, but the game is pretty challenging right from the start.
The requirements to free kittens are so steep that we could rarely play for long. Still, sweet graphics and simple gameplay kept us entertained.
Shoutcast Radio (available here) is one of the leading online directories of professionally and community programmed radio stations, and now you can get easy access to all of it through your iPhone. There are over 25,000 stations from around the world and over 500,000 simultaneous listeners at any given time. The app makes it easy to search the Shoutcast directory and keep a list of favorite stations. Plus, you can give your iPhone a shake to call up a random station.
If you're Web browsing on the iPhone, you can now switch to a browser other than Safari. As Wired reports, new browser options on the iPhone include Shaking Web, which keeps the browser view steady when your hand shakes.
Another option is Incognito, which keeps your browser history hidden.
Major browsers such as Firefox or Opera have yet to appear on the iPhone. According to Wired, Apple would need to change its iPhone SDK agreement to make that possible.
Your friend just asked if you had heard this incredible story on NPR this morning, but you missed it because, well, you were still in the sack. You could go to NPR’s web site and search for the program, but you’d have to start up the computer, and you’re already late. Why not just listen to it on your iPhone?
NPR Mobile is a new and free application developed by a Pennsylvania software engineer in his spare time. The application calls up news stories by subject matter using the Open API (application program interface) recently released by NPR.
With live streaming, you can listen to radio programs as they are being broadcast.
NPR Mobile allows you to listen to NPR programs that have already aired. NPR archives all of the stories they broadcast on the NPR website. NPR Mobile allows you to access those stories on your iPhone.
NPR Mobile allows access to the stories, by program, series, topic, or person. For instance, a search for “Cheney” yields recent NPR stories on Dick Cheney. The program works well. The interface isn’t fancy, but you can listen to that story you missed.
Version 2.0 is planned for a May release that will have on demand features.
Photonasis is a great way to have a laugh with friends. Snapping a friend's picture and then showing them what they'd look like with their face swirled sounds like a great bar activity. Some of the effects are artistic, while many are bizarre.
While we like the variety of effects in the app, we'd like to see a little more polish. The preview screen lets you preview effects on a sample picture, not the one you've chosen. For that, you need to return to the main screen and apply the effect. That step should be eliminated by putting real previews on the preview screen.
Also, the developers added warnings to some filters, like a warning to the motion blur filter about the length of processing time. These warnings come up every time and become completely irritating. They should be scrapped.
It's Foto Friday!
Darkroom (available here) is the app formerly known as Steadycam, only bigger and better. If you can't stand all the blurry shots you get with the iPhone's camera, this is the app for you. Open Darkroom, touch the camera button, and the app will wait for your iPhone to be perfectly steady before it takes the shot. We've been testing it for days and we get a perfectly crisp, clear photo every time.
The developers have added a few helpful features to this version. You can now have Darkroom autosave your photos to your photo gallery, saving you several taps. Also, it now offers a cleaner interface with a larger viewing window.
For $.99 (available here), you can get Darkroom Premium, which adds a timer and a full-screen shutter touch.
We recommend skipping the iPhone's built-in camera app and using Darkroom every time you shoot. Blurry photos will only be a memory.
When more than 60,000 people come together at a football stadium, how much wireless capacity is needed for all the texting and chatting on iPhones and other mobile devices?
Well, AT&T wants to be prepared for Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The company is beefing up capacity and coverage on its GSM and 3G networks in the Tampa area and setting up two mobile cells on wheels (COWs) at the stadium.
"We realize fans in Raymond James Stadium want to be able to connect with their friends and family during the Super Bowl, whether it's by voice, e-mail, a text message or live video sharing," said Marshall Criser, president, AT&T Florida, in a statement.
As fans make calls, text and send video clips of the action using their smartphones, onsite AT&T employees will adjust the traffic accordingly.
This isn't the first time a AT&T has boosted wireless capacity for a major sporting event. It did the very same thing for the Orange Bowl and BCS National Championship college football games at Dolphin Stadium in Miami earlier this month.
It's also not the only carrier to take such a step: Verizon offered something similar for its customers during the World Series and American League Championship Series last fall.
It's a simple task: write down five things you're grateful for each day. Do this for one month, the makers of Gratitude Journal ($.99, available here) promise, and your life will change forever. You can rate each day, add a personal photo to your entry, and search through previous entries. It's a charming way to remember to stop and count your blessings.
Turn your iPhone into an external brain. Evernote (available here) lets you remember anything that happens in your life. Record notes, ideas, photos, or voice recordings. Use it with the Evernote service (there are both Mac and Windows desktop clients available, as well as an online version) to keep a synchronized list of all your notes. We're impressed by the text recognition feature: snap a photo of a whiteboard and Evernote will make the text in that photo searchable.
One researcher thinks it could happen -- with wide-ranging implications for mobile carriers and the market's current leader, Nokia. Generator Research predicts Apple could hold 40 percent of the smartphone market by 2013, up from around 5 percent today. Meanwhile, Nokia's market share would drop to 20 percent from today's 40 percent number. Get the full story here at InternetNews.com.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking a medical leave of absence, a week after revealing that he suffers from a condition he described as a hormone imbalance.
In an e-mail to employees released today by Apple, Jobs said he was stepping aide temporarily to focus on his condition, which he had earlier said wouldn't hinder his duties. He also said the move would better ensure that rampant media speculation about his health won't overshadow Apple's work.
Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, will run the company until his return in summer, Jobs said, adding that he will continue to retain the position of CEO during that time.
"During the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought," Jobs wrote. "In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June."
"As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out," he added. "I look forward to seeing all of you this summer."
iOwn ($4.99, available here) is a helpful inventory management system that lets you create a detailed list of all your possessions. If you've ever needed to report a loss to insurance, you know the value of having a complete inventory. The app lets you create an unlimited number of locations, containers, and items, then create attributes to describe each item. You can assign up to four images for each item and secure your inventory with a password. Best of all, there's a free online backup, in case you lose your iPhone.
You know that colorful newspaper you read while traveling because it's left free at your hotel room door? Well, now you can get that same content on your iPhone. You can feel like you're traveling every day! USA Today (available here)lets you read stories from the News, Money, Sports, Life, Tech, and Travel sections. You'll even get those cute little graphs. Share your favorites by e-mail, text message, or Twitter.
At last week's CES show in Las Vegas, Monsoon Multimedia announced that its Hava place-shifting TV application will be compatible with Apple's iPhone.
Similar to Sling Media's SlingPlayer Mobile unveiled at Macworld last week, Hava lets you control your home TV or TiVo through an onscreen mobile interface. Monsoon has a similar service for the PC as well as Windows Mobile and S60 Symbian mobile players.
Monsoon has also added the capability for users to export their HAVA DVR recordings to iTunes, so they can watch their television content on their iPod and iPhone without a wireless connection.
Monsoon says the free Hava service will be available in the second quarter. The export to iTunes feature is due to become available this quarter.
SHAPE's IM+ provides a way to receive instant messages when the iPhone's busy doing something else, but it does so in a barebones setting. Get the full story here at InstantMessagingPlanet.com.
When every phone is a bar-code scanner, the world of retail could look very different. Exactly how is still a mystery, but developments like Microsoft Tag seem to indicate that some day we will carry in our phones not only the ability to read a bar code but the technology to create tags and to interact with seemingly static media.
To give it a shot, download the beta of MS Tag: From http://gettag.mobi/ either select your handset (see list of manufacturers) or just download the default client for your device's operating system. MS Tag software supports the Android, Blackberry, iPhone (recently added, see here to download), Java 2 Micro Edition, Palm OS, Symbian S60, and - of course - Windows Mobile platforms.
Using the software taxes your data plan, so be mindful of that. As with many such solutions, its best you're on an all-you-can-eat data diet.
To use the software, aim your camera's phone at any Tag, which maybe embedded in an advertisement, object or billboard. The phone then grants you access to the content embedded in the tag-audio, video, maps, social networks, etc.
Examples from the MS Tag website include "snapping" a For Sale sign to get information about a house on the market and instantly ordering and paying for retail items that then just need to be picked up.
Whatever the boon to consumers, the real value may be in advertisers looking for innovative ways to get digital ROI from existing marketing strategies. Tags on print media, for example, have the potential to inspire instant purchases, without diminishing the ad's traditional impact.
See video below to learn more about MS Tag:
Pet owners know that the sound of a doorbell or fireworks can send pets into excited frenzies, and that getting them used to such sounds is difficult. Calm Pet ($8.99, available here) offers 15 sound samples that you can use to desensitize your pet to problem sounds. Connect your iPhone to your stereo, play sounds on low volume, and go about your day. Your pet will quickly get used to the sound and will lose any fear.
Snap a picture of the cover of any book, DVD, CD, or video game and within seconds get a rating, description, and links to Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, Barnes and Noble, and more. Use Snaptell (available here) while shopping to quickly find more information, compare prices, buy the product, or remind yourself to look for it later.
Smule's announced the winners of the company's "This Contest Blows" Ocarina video contest. The developer says it conceived the contest a way to reward fans of the application that turns the iPhone into a wind instrument. Each winner gets $1,000.
The ten winners are (click to see video):
According to Smule, some entries were so peculiar that its judges felt compelled to add a special category of videos, the 'Oca-razzies.' Some of the strangest submissions include:
Singing, (remember William Hung?), over another entrant's Ocarina playing
For more, see here.
In addition, Smule is extending the contest to Friday, February 13. It'll announce 5 more $1,000 prize winners on February 16th.
AOL says its SHOUTcast Radio app is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch via a free download from the Apple App Store. The Time Warner unit demonstrated the app on the devices at last week's Macworld show in San Francisco.
The Internet-based network provides access to 26,000 radio stations via Wi-Fi, EDGE or 3G. On the iPhone or iPhone Touch, you can use the built-in accelerometer control to change stations by shaking the unit.
AOL's got its instant messaging act together on the iPhone too. It recently announced the development of a version of its ICQ client for the iPhone and version 2.0 of AIM for iPhone.
ICQ will offer real-time IM communication, Contact List access, and the ability to hold multiple IM conversations with anyone on AOL’s worldwide IM network -- whether they are on AOL, AIM, .Mac or MobileMe -- via IM or SMS. Just swipe your finger on the iPhone’s screen to switch between conversations.
AIM for iPhone 2.0 adds SMS notifications to let users know when they receive new IMs, even when AIM is not running. In addition, users will be able to access contacts in their device’s address book directly from AIM and send an IM to a contact’s screen name or an SMS message to their phone number.
It's the traveler's phrasebook that doesn't have any phrases. Find the picture that expresses what you need and show it to someone for assistance. Pictures are grouped into categories such as hygiene, health, leisure, and accommodations. ICOON ($.99, available here) contains over 500 symbols, and is ideal for frequent flyers.
Craigslist meets the iPhone with Craigsphone (available here), a way of sampling the goodness of Craigslist while you're on the go. Use it to post entries or photos, view listings, dial listed phone numbers, and find postings that are near you. It keeps a history file, so you can always check what you've already viewed.
A free service that lets you stream your music library, including iTunes, from your computer to your smartphone is now available from Didiom.
Among the package's other features is a music store called the Didiom Marketplace. It includes a bargaining technology intended to let users set their own prices for the mp3 files they download and the ability to share music previews with friends either via mobile-to-mobile communication or e-mail. Users can also get a notification when their favorite artists put something new up for sale Didiom's mp3 store.
The software is in its beta period. During that time the company's offering a cash bonus program for prepaid users who buy music from the store.
Didiom says over a hundred smartphones are compatible with its service and that it has over 1.5 million DRM-free tracks under management. So you can install any track you buy through the marketplace on to your iPod or iPhone.
Turning Technologies, a leader in audience-response services, announced a service at Macworld last week that brings interactive mobile phone use to the classroom.
Using the company's ResponseWare Web polling application, students can respond to questions from their teachers using the Internet on the iPhone or iPod Touch.
You can download the free ResponseWare software for these devices from the Apple App Store.
When students enter the answers on their mobile device, the ResponseWare generates polling slides so the classes can see the results.
The solution is also compatible with RIM BlackBerry and Windows Mobile smartphones and laptops.
Stop the presses, we had no idea that iPhone was capable of running games this amazing. Rolando ($9.99, available here) is a stunner, and is certainly the best game we've seen yet for the iPhone. Everything about it-from the gorgeous, friendly animations, to the jazzy score, to the intuitive yet challenging gameplay-leaves us wanting to play more and more.
In Rolando, you need to pilot a group of round and eager "Rolandos" through a series of levels. There are obstacles to block your path and many clever ways around them. As "finger," the Rolando's off-screen guide, you help them bounce up steps, twist through gears, and ride up elevators.
The levels aren't long, but doing them in time while grabbing scattered diamonds takes practice. The game offers 36 levels that take you through 4 varied worlds.
If you're open to paying $10 for a game, this is the best we've found. Watch out Nintendo DS, great games are coming to the iPhone.
Looking for some cheap excitement? It's doesn't come cheaper than this free app, which challenges you to catapult penguins to take down some bothersome polar bears.
There are two parts to the game, one where you need to successfully launch your penguins (many of ours didn't make it past the catapult area) and a second where you plan their aerial assault, dropping them down on the bears. We especially like the power-ups, like one that lets you catapult flaming penguins.
Crazy Penguin Catapult Lite, available here, is the perfect snack-sized game: it's easy to get into, the animations are cute, and the gameplay is just challenging enough to keep you hooked. This version includes 6 levels, but if you like it as much as we did, there's a full version for $4.99 that includes 30 levels.
Now you can listen to hundreds of public radio stations from across the country, live and streaming in real time. Just download this free application - public radio tuner from the iTunes App Store.
Of course, the streaming works best with Wi-Fi or on the 3G network, but it works well on the 1st Generation phone too.
The radio stations are listed by state, and listeners have the option of creating their own list of favorites or using the iPhones GPS or triangulating to create on the fly a list of "local" stations, up to 250 miles away. The tuner also gives you the option of searching for a station by its call letters.
You can stream live from the stations' websites or you can tune into content from the major public radio networks; all of which collaboratively developed the software. These networks include the Public Radio Exchange, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Public Radio, American Public Media, Public Interactive, and Public Radio International.
The beauty of this application is that you're neither tethered to one local station whose URL you know by heart, nor cut off from local content by listening exclusively to the national distributors. For stations, the potential to attract travelers offers a new source of web listeners, critical to maintaining the brand recognition of terrestrial stations in an increasingly on-line listening environment.
The latest version of the tuner (1.1) was released January 5, and the developers claim that version 2.0 is on its way.
Amy Mayer contributed to this article.
The creator of the Geek and Poke cartoon series is Oliver Widder. See here for more at Datamation.com.
Author: David Needle
That was the question that the long-running tech trade show's organizers sought to answer this week, which marked the last time the event could count Apple as a participant and its chief exhibitor.
Representatives from show producer IDG Word Expo were joined by several hundred of the Macfaithful, who crowded into a hall here at the Moscone Center this week to discuss and debate the future of the event.
And IDG stressed that the Macworld expo does have a future -- at least as far as next year. The company said it's already received commitments from over 60 exhibitors, including HP, Microsoft and Intuit, to participate in next year's Macworld, set for Jan. 4, 2010 in San Francisco.
Yet IDG is weighing how the show should change now that it's lost the participation of its most important supporter.
See here for the rest of this article at InternetNews.com.
Pandora, the application that allows you to turn the iPhone into your own free personalized radio station—over a 3G, Wi-Fi or even a EDGE wireless connection—has just gotten better. Version 2.0, which adds a number of new features, is now available at the iTunes App Store.
With Pandora 2.0 you can now tap album art to see a progress bar, create a station from a current song or article, or e-mail a station to a friend. It also allows users to view the backside of album art to see artist bios, rotate to landscape to see recently played songs, play song samples for all song bookmarks, and create stations based on genre.
Check out Pandora 2.0 her.
For reasons only known to Cupertino insiders, Apple has launched two versions of the iPhone but still hasn't released a robust calendar/to-do/memo app that syncs with the desktop. That strange void has left the field open to tools like Things ($9.99, available here), the best iPhone to-do manager we've seen yet.
We love that it includes multiple areas, so that you can store scheduled or unscheduled to-dos. You can also store items to be done "someday," perfect for items you want to remember, but don't have the time to do now.
Things will wirelessly sync with the Mac desktop version (available for $49.95 from culturedcode.com), although both programs need to be running on the same local network for that to happen.
Looking for a bite? Or to do a little shopping? This tremendously useful location app (available here) lets you know exactly where to find over 240 national and regional chain stores. You can use it to grab a latte at a nearby Starbucks or find out if the town you're in has a Trader Joe's. ManGo lists restaurants, clothing stores, banks, and sporting goods stores (and more), so it's bound to have stores that you like.
Ever dream of being on a TV game show? Then join Regis Philbin in Million Dollar Password 2009 Edition (currently only $.99, available here) and rake up some cash. You'll partner with celebrities to guess words and earn up to $1,000,000. The game offers over 8,000 passwords to uncover.
Those who know who's really running the world, and perhaps have read some Robert Anton Wilson, will appreciate Fnorder (available here), a playfully sinister app that brings you personal messages from a variety of secret organizations. It was created by Steve Jackson games, which calls it "the I Ching for paranoids."
The iPhone took a significant step forward as a business tool today. Cisco announced at Macworld that its WebEx web conferencing and collaboration suite is now compatible with Apple's smartphone.
You can now obtain the WebEx Meeting Center client for the iPhone through the iTunes App Store. As with WebEx clients for other platforms, the software is free. Download it here.
With the software installed, iPhone users can actively collaborate in meetings by viewing what's being shared, seeing the meeting participant list, viewing the active speaker, and chatting with other meeting participants over a 3G or Wi-Fi network.
In addition, Cisco said users can seamlessly move in-session web and audio conferences from an iPhone 3G to a Mac and Cisco Unified IP Phone, and vice versa.
"This solution highlights Cisco's commitment to bringing business productivity to the user in their preferred environment," said Cisco's WebEx Technology Group vp of marketing June Bower in a statement. "When a powerful collaboration solution is combined with an elegant user experience, and a choice of device, businesses and users both win."
A future version of the iPhone application -- due during the second quarter -- will add the abilities to view a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace participant list and 'dust' Meeting Center and MeetingPlace meetings to and from an iPhone 3G.
See a video demo below to learn more about WebEx for the iPhone:
Sling Media, a company known for its SlingBox, which lets you control and watch content from your home TV and DVR through the Internet, is demonstrating a mobile version of this service on the iPhone at MacWorld.
The company is preparing SlingPlayer Mobile for Apple during the first quarter.
In late December, Sling Media announced support for SlingPlayer Mobile on BlackBerry Pearl, Bold, and Curve models. The app also runs on Windows Mobile, Palm OS and Symbian S60.
The touch-screen capabilities of the iPhone will make SlingPlayer Mobile particularly slick. You can swipe your fingers across the screen to change the channel.
Steve Jobs and several expected products didn't make an appearance: VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller gave Apple's keynote address at the Macworld Conference and Expo -- taking place this week in San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center -- instead of Jobs, who is ill. But one long-rumored development did grace the stage for Apple's last Macworld.
The company is removing digital rights management (DRM) restrictions from songs available on its iTunes music store. So you'll soon be able to copy songs bought at iTunes as many times as you like. And use those songs on whatever MP3 player you own.
Apple is also adding $0.69 and $1.29 per song pricing to iTunes traditional $0.99 per-track pricing model. It'll be up to record companies how much to charge for each track. It is expected the highest price level will be reserved for new songs, while the vast majority of older tracks come in at $0.69.
Last but not least, for iPhoners (at least), you can now buy and download songs to Apple's smartphone over a 3G wireless connection. Before, you could only do this over a Wi-Fi connection. Since its inception last summer, the iPhone App Store's been open downloads over both Wi-Fi and 3G, for example.
See here to get the full story on Apple's final Macworld stand at InternetNews.com.
Waking up in the morning is difficult--which is why we sleep until noon-but if you need to get up with the sun Waken Shake ($.99, available here) is the way to do it. This clever alarm clock app demands that you give your iPhone a shake to stop the alarm, ensuring that you're up and moving. There's a snooze button, six displays, and five alarm sounds.
Free Translator (available here) provides an interface to the free Google Translate API for many languages. Choose from Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polis, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, and Vietnamese. When you come across something foreign that you can't read, you'll have quick access to an English translation.
Delta Airlines has begun rolling out an in-flight Wi-Fi service called Gogo. The broadband Internet access, first available on shuttles between New York, Boston and Washington, will be available on most flights in the continental United States later this year.
The agreement with the service provider, Aircell, includes plans to equip the Northwest fleet (recently folded into Delta as a subsidiary) late in the year
If you just can't stand the down time when you're up in the air, you may want to route yourself on Delta for upcoming flights. But there's no reason to think the airline will be alone in this field for long.
The retailer hopes to cash in on cheap iPhones -- assuming shoppers don't mind buying them used. To sell re-furbished 8GB iPhones for $149 and 16GB models for $249; got to sign on the dotted line for a two-year contract with AT&T, of course. New iPhones go for $199 and $299 at Best Buy. Get the full story here at InternetNews.com.
Wireless memory card company Eye-Fi has been active at Macworld with Monday's announcement of an iPhone app that sends pictures directly from the phone to a PC or Web site. You can send photos to several photo-sharing or social-networking sites.
The app is currently in development and will be a free download from the Apple App Store.
A $79-$129 Eye-Fi wireless card is required to use the service. It's available from retailers such as Apple, Best Buy, and Amazon.com. To receive an email alert when the application is available from the App Store, see here.
Soonr, a mobile services company based in Campbell, Calif., has come out with a cloud computing app for the Apple iPhone. The Soonr service, available for free via the Apple App Store, allows you to back up documents from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other applications and access them on your iPhone via the cloud.
According to Soonr, access speed is fast because the files are stored in the cloud rather than on the iPhone. Soonr even supports remote printing from the iPhone to a co-worker's PC via the cloud.
The company says a full version will be available through partners in the United States and Europe early this year.
You can see a video demonstration of Soonr for the iPhone here.
With Apple making its final appearance at the annual trade show, what will the future hold for the show?
The prospect of an Apple-less Macworld in the future hasn't dampened the rumor mill from speculating about what Apple has on tap for this year's conference. These include the possibility of a new Mac Mini and iMacs, a 17-inch MacBook Pro, an update to the Mac OS and - last but not least - the much-talked about iPhone Nano.
Get the full story here at InternetNews.com.
You're a visual person, so visually organize your iPhone contacts with Peeps ($1.99, available here). It pulls photos from your iPhone's address book to create an animated photo album. You can either view your contacts vertically as a scrolling page of photos or horizontally in an album art view. Tap the contact you want to view their information.
What will you do differently this year? Save more? Help the environment? Have more fun? This year, keep track of your resolutions on your iPhone, so that you can follow them through the weeks. New Year Resolutions - 2009 (available here) comes with a pre-loaded list of resolutions you can choose from, or you can create your own.
Steve Jobs seeks to quash a new spate of rumors, revealing that he's been suffering a hormonal imbalance but remains fit to continue at Apple. Get the full story here at InternetNews.com.
How'd you like a free game for your iPhone, just for being a loyal iPhoneGuide reader? Joe Sriver at DoApp offered us 20 promo codes for his company's game React.
React is a challenging and fun way to test your reflexes. Following the on-screen instructions, you'll need to touch, pinch, poke, slide, and shake your iPhone as directed. You'll be scored by how quickly you react and by how many tasks get completed. The longer you last, the faster the game goes. Play solo or challenge your friends.
This is a first-come-first-served offer, so redeem one quickly, if you're interested. The codes are available after the break.
The original Buddha Machine is a $23 transistor radio-size audio player that offers tranquil loops of eastern chants and songs. Now the Buddha Machine has made the jump to the iPhone with this less expensive version.
As wonderfully odd as the original player is, there's even more to love with this app. For one, you can view the player in any of the seven original colors. Just give your iPhone a shake to change the look. The nine included music loops are in high-res audio, so they sound even better. Plus, you'll always have it with you when you need a little Zen.
We love the calm that this app brings, and have it on whenever we're working or resting. Download the Buddha Machine ($3.99, available here) and bring some serenity to your busy life.
The new year is a great time for new goals, and if you'd like to lose a few pounds you'll love this free food guide. This is by far the most helpful diet guide we've seen.
Start by creating a daily calorie budget that will help you shed the weight you want to lose. Then, each time you eat you record your meals. You can also input your exercise routines, so that you can see how many calories you're burning and understand how that helps your progress.
This is a great app for anyone trying to eat healthy, but we think it's a godsend for people who don't understand the basics. Lose It! (available here) gives you a simple way to track your calories so that you understand how to budget meals, and breaks down what you're eating so that you understand how fats, carbs, and proteins make up your foods.
If you think keeping track of your calories has to be a chore, download this app and find out how simple it can be.
The blogosphere is in an uproar over the latest reports on the condition of Apple's iconic CEO. Who to believe? Get the full story here at InternetNews.com.
Parks Envi Deluxe ($3.99, available here) is your visual guide to U.S. national parks, monuments, and other areas run by the National Parks Service. It offers easy state-by-state access to park overviews and photos, and includes maps of every national park. If you enjoy visiting our nation's loveliest places, you'll be glad to have this app on hand.
Have you ever been stuck in a country wanting to be polite but having no idea how to even say "please" or "thank you"? Or needed to get somewhere but been frustrated because you couldn't ask for basic directions? You don't need to master a foreign language to travel, but knowing a few key phrases will please your hosts. WorldNomads.com has created World Nomads Greek Language Guide (available here) and other simple language guides that give you the basics for a happy holiday.
