The 2nd Gen iPod Touch is Faster than Your iPhone 3G

On other mobile platforms (hi Windows Mobile!) we often spend quite a bit of time comparing the processors of different models, seeing which one is faster and seeing what happens when you set the clock speed of a given phone to a higher number. It’s “fun,” see, because not only can clock speed be radically different from phone to phone, but so can performance even on devices with similar clock speeds.

The nice thing about the iPhone: not doing that. Well, until now. MacRumors reports that the 2nd gen iPod Touch, though it sports the same processor as its siblings, actually has a clock speed of 532MHz compared to the rest at 412MHz. The result is that certain apps like TouchSports Tennis run much better on the iPod Touch 2nd Gen. Which ultimately meant that the developer had to optimize their app for the iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch 1st Gen. All three actually perform differently with the game, with the original iPod touch falling furthest behind.

It’s a bummer, because as apps become more powerful and get closer to testing the limits of the platform, developers will discover that the ’single target’ advantage of the iPhone/iPod Touch platform may go away. We’re not talking about having to code for as many devices as you do with Windows Mobile or BlackBerry, of course, but it’s still worth noting.

Why not clock up the iPhone 3G. In a couple of words: “battery life.” In a lot of words, well, battery life plus when you have WiFi, bluetooth, Quad-band edge and Tri-band WDCMA (that’s GSM 3G to you) all packed together, they have to be finely tuned. Just changing the clock speed could be enough to ruin a whole raft of things beyond battery life. With smartphones, we live in a world where the choice of paint can radically alter signal strength, so it’s no stretch to say the changes in heat, radiation, etc. associated with a faster clock speed could potentially cause problems. Plus, again, battery life people.

It probably wouldn’t completely screw with everything if Apple upped the clock speed — people change clock speeds all the time on WinMo — but it can happen and it’s a bigger deal as they get packed more tightly together. These radios are packed pretty tightly in the iPhone 3G.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

The 2nd Gen iPod Touch is Faster than Your iPhone 3G

First Look: Guitar Rock Tour for iPhone

Filed under: iPhone, App Store

Do you like to rock out with Guitar Hero or Rock Band? If you do, then you'll no doubt like Guitar Rock Tour [iTunes link] for the iPhone. The Guitar Rock Tour experience is similar to that of Guitar Hero, but portable. Unlike Tap Tap Revenge, Guitar Rock Tour gives you 17 licensed songs, including Rock You Like a Hurricane, Beat It, Smoke on the Water, and more.

The nice thing about this game is that you can play either the lead guitar or the drums. There are three difficulty levels for Guitar Rock Tour: Easy, Medium, and Hard. In addition, there is a quick play mode and tour mode. In quick play, you can play any song that you want, using any difficultly level -- assuming you've unlocked the songs.

In tour mode, you go around to different cities playing songs, earning points, and unlocking more songs. When you start the tour mode, you actually sign a contract for the band -- I thought this part was cool. The game play is identical to that of Guitar Hero or RockBand. You simply tap the notes that appear on the screen to make the music play. If you miss a note, then you lose points; if you get a note right, you gain points.

Overall, Guitar Rock Tour is a lot of fun and has great graphics -- I was surprised at how good and fluid the animations were. I experienced a lot of crashes, though this seemed to have been fixed with a reboot of the iPhone. I also found that sometimes the notes were not timed exactly right. This can be distracting, especially when you just want to play the song. If you are interested in Guitar Rock Tour, it is available from the App Store for $7.99 (US).

First Look: Guitar Rock Tour for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

First Look: Guitar Rock Tour for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPhone Blog Week in Review for November 24, 2008

Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Turn your iPhone into a number pad!

Oh yeah! For the geeks out there that think this is cool! hey, if you have an iMac with the Bluetooth keyboard, this can come in useful! Different colors too!

New Google app with Voice Search

This is really cool. I have been using it for a few days now. In my estimation, I would it gets things right about 80% of the time. This is truly faster than typing, and a cool way to show off your iPhone. The location based services are nice too. Get movies and restaurants close by. I love Google, and Google loves me

What is Mobispine?

Don’t worry, I never heard of it either. Apparently they are making a “global” app for MMS on the iPhone, and it is official. However it is unknown if it is coming to the US or not. Why doesn’t Apple just make their own? Oh, that is right, the reality distortion field is in effect.

Do you like crossword puzzles?

Dieter puts them head to head in our latest App vs App review! Dieter pits Crosswords vs 2 Across. Who is the victor? Read on to find out more!

More DRM-free music on iTunes?

Oh how I wish. I love Apple. I love iTunes. I despise the greedy folks that make up the music industry. So, Apple is taking to em’ and sayin’, “Hey, we um, are the #1 music store, why not show us a little more love?”.

BlackBerry Storm vs the iPhone web browser

Who do you think wins? Yup, Safari. By the time everyone catches up to Apple, they will have moved on. Sad really. 

Google doing some shady development with their new Google search app on iPhone?

Well, I am not one to talk, but this looks a little suspicious. To summarize, they used an unpublished API to get the iPhone to “beep” when you hold it up to your ear. Why is this important? Read on, it is quite interesting indeed.

New iPhone firmware 2.2 is out + review!

I am excited! I love Google Street View, tapping once to go back to your main home screen and downloadable podcasts. There are some other features too. Read on to learn more about them and let us know what your favorites are!

Apple working on an always on display?

At first your are thinking that it is crazy, it would eat up the battery in no time. But wait a minute, we are talking about Apple here. There would be a second backlight, but dimmer then the original. Umm, just read on to learn more. Perhaps in next years’ iPhone? Just as long as that model give me my video chat too

Review: BodyGuardz

Looking for a clear protector for your iPhone? Look no further then BodyGuardz! Brian gives us his two cents this week on what he thinks. Read on to learn more.

Have the new firmware? Want to download our podcasts over the air?

Here is how! We explain how to do it and what you need to know!

Speaking of podcasts…

Out latest episode of the Phone Different Podcast is available for download. Click to read our show notes and links to get it!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

The iPhone Blog Week in Review for November 24, 2008

First Look: Got Your BAC for iPhone/iPod touch

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, ipod shuffle

If you frequent the bar, or just like to have the occasional drink, then a new iPhone application has Got Your Back. As a matter of fact, that is the name of the application; except it is spelled BAC (as in Blood-Alcohol Concentration). With this application you will know exactly when you should call a taxi.

When you first launch the application, you'll enter some personal information, like age, weight, and gender, so the application can calculate your BAC correctly. The main display shows four drinks on a table. You can change the type of beverage by double-tapping and selecting a different one -- the icon will also change. Each time you drink a beverage, you drag the icon off the table and onto the screen. The BAC, Carbs, Calories, and number of drinks will be updated in the top-left corner of the screen. As you add drinks, these numbers will increase. The red line across the screen indicates the legal limit -- when you're above this line, a new button will appear called "call a taxi." When tapped, this button will launch the Maps app and search for taxis.

I love subtle UI features, and this application definitely has some: from the icon sets for beverages, to the sloshing liquid when you tilt the iPhone. The application is really great, and I would love to see the developer create a caffeine calculator that does the same thing. I would like to see the ability to input a number for a designated driver, that way you don't have to fumble through your contacts or call a taxi. Got Your BAC is available from the App Store for $2.99 (US). And, remember, the best thing to do is to not drink and drive.

First Look: Got Your BAC for iPhone/iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

First Look: Got Your BAC for iPhone/iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPod touch gets Street View, beats iPhone 3G at tennis

Continue reading iPod touch gets Street View, beats iPhone 3G at tennis

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

iPod touch gets Street View, beats iPhone 3G at tennis originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Nine Inch Nails Revenge for iPhone

As the name implies, this variation on Tap Tap Revenge features music licensed by industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. And if you’re a fan of NiN’s hard-driving brand of music, it’s fantastic.