TUAW goes hands-on with Rolando

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Apple, iPhone, iPod touch

It's no secret that we've been looking forward to Rolando probably more than any other game on the App Store, and now that it's here, we can safely say it doesn't disappoint. From the beginning, Rolando has shown tons of potential as a completely original game that shows off just why mobile game developers should see the iPhone as a dream platform, and creator Simon Oliver has brought that potential to bear in an amazing puzzle/platformer.

There's almost nothing to not like here -- the graphics are colorful and run perfectly, the writing is simple and witty, and the gameplay is not only fun from the beginning, but creatively builds itself over time. Just like any great platformer should, every single level delivers a new way of thinking about the tools you're given, and even when you've conquered the whole game, there are multiple reasons to go back and play again.

TUAW got a copy of the game a few days ago (it's out on the App Store today for the first time since its announcement back in July), and since then we've saved Rolandos aplenty, worked our way through most of Rolandoland, and been charmed endlessly by the App Store's first real, original classic.

Continue reading TUAW goes hands-on with Rolando

TUAW goes hands-on with Rolando originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW goes hands-on with Rolando originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW Interview: Rolando’s Simon Oliver is ready for release

Filed under: Gaming, Features, Interviews, iPhone, App Store, SDK

Rolando has been a long time coming -- we first heard about the game on a tip directly from Simon Oliver, the game's creator himself, while he was working with an unofficial iPhone development kit part time on a little physics-based puzzle game. And now, six months later, he's working full-time as an iPhone dev, his little game has expanded into a full-fledged story-driven platforming game with more hype and expectation behind it than perhaps any other App Store release, published by one of the biggest companies to come out of the iPhone gaming scene so far. Not to mention that the App Store itself has grown from a crazy experiment Apple thought up to distribute iPhone software, to a multimillion-dollar enterprise.

So today, on the release of one of the first games that really got us excited about the potential of the iPhone as a gaming device (yes, you can buy it right now if you want), we sit down again with Simon Oliver for an exclusive interview, this time to talk about the road he's traveled over the past few months, and how far both he and his game about little rolling "Rolandos" has come. He talked with us about the Ngmoco partnership and how it helped him as a developer, the viability of Rolando as a $9.99 game, and the future of both what he's working on and what the App Store needs as a gaming platform.

Continue reading TUAW Interview: Rolando's Simon Oliver is ready for release

TUAW Interview: Rolando's Simon Oliver is ready for release originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW Interview: Rolando's Simon Oliver is ready for release originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone thief thwarted by MobileMe sync

Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, iPhone, MobileMe

To say that MobileMe hasn't made everyone happy may be a bit of an understatement. We don't generally hear from the satisfied customers, but we have received a fair amount of email from dissatisfied users of Apple's "cloud computing" solution. Given the barrage of negativity, it's nice to hear a positive take now and then. TUAW reader Rob had just the thing ...

While at the dry cleaner one day, Rob's iPhone was stolen. He immediately chalked it up as gone forever, and proceeded to purchase a brand new one that same evening. It was the next day when unfamiliar contacts began to appear on the new phone. The (not-too-bright) thief was unwittingly supplying him with names and phone numbers of his or her closest friends, via the magic of MobileMe synchronization from the stolen phone to the cloud and eventually to his new phone. "It didn't take long for me to realize that MobileMe was leading me right to the thief!" wrote Rob.

Thanks to the fact that he caught on to it before he'd had time to remotely disconnect his account, MobileMe provided the groundwork for a little social engineering. Rob made quick work of wrangling a name and phone number from the provided contacts, supplying the police with everything they needed to get Rob his phone back. By the end of the night, he had his original iPhone in his possession.

There you have it, a MobileMe success story! Sure, this doesn't make up for the problems which have plagued MobileMe, but it's a great story. The recovered phone is "pretty much brand new," according to Rob, and is currently up for auction on ebay.

Thanks for sending this in, Rob!

iPhone thief thwarted by MobileMe sync originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone thief thwarted by MobileMe sync originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Chess With Friends for iPhone

Using networking capabilities to challenge others to matches, Chess With Friends is the next best thing to wandering down to the park or local café and sitting down with a stranger for a game.

Macworld 2009: Apple’s Last Year; Steve Jobs will Not be Delivering the Opening Keynote

Quick App: SimCity for iPhone

Concerned that you may not be wasting absolutely as much time as possible on your iPhone? Afraid you’re not draining the battery as quickly as possible? Desperate to prove the iPhone really is a stop-and-use casual gaming monster to rival the DS and PSP? EA’s got you covered with SimCity, the grandfather of them all.

Ready, set, build… for $9.99 at the iTunes App Store.

And when you get back to reality, let us know what you think of SimCity for the iPhone!

(Thanks to Stephen and Sol for sending this in!)

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

Quick App: SimCity for iPhone

Tweetie: Twitter client with “oomph”

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look

Yesterday, Dave published an awesome gift guide for the Twitter addict. It wasn't meant to be an all-encompassing list, nonetheless, the omission of Tweetie [iTunes link] -- one of the newest Twitter clients to hit the iPhone -- generated a ton of response via the comments, our inbox and of course, via Twitter. Because Twitter is my crack, I decided to take Tweetie out for a spin. Developer Loren Brichter was even nice enough to get me in on the Tweetie beta so I could take a sneak peek at some of the features coming in future releases.

My initial thoughts are very, very positive; I now know why so many of you were so vocal about your Tweetie love. No sooner did I crown Tweetsville the current champion in the Twitter for iPhone Battle Royale, Tweetie shows up with some serious moves. At this point, I don't even know if I can adequately name a "champion."

Another Twitter client?

As I've said before, Twitter and the iPhone are a perfect combination -- they just go together. That said, Dave makes a solid point: the number of available Twitter clients for the iPhone is getting a tad ridiculous. I have tried almost every Twitter application available for the iPhone/iPod touch (see below) and they can tend to blur together.

Continue reading Tweetie: Twitter client with "oomph"

Tweetie: Twitter client with "oomph" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tweetie: Twitter client with "oomph" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Had Long Planned to Leave Macworld

As more reactions come in, Apple's stock has dropped in the setting of downgrades by at least one financial analyst from Oppenheimer & Co. Businessweek's Arik Hesseldahl hopes that this might mean that Apple could show up at CES, though this would g...

Walmart to test iPhone sales with employees starting today

Filed under: Retail, iPhone

Engadget is featuring an image allegedly showing details of Walmart's "soft launch" for the iPhone, scheduled to go on sale at 9 a.m. on December 28.

The note indicates that 488 Walmart stores were chosen for a "pilot" exercise, whereby each store will be given five iPhones to sell to Walmart employees between now and the 28th.

Associates will be able to purchase the phones for "full contract price and a two-year service agreement," but they can take advantage of a 15 percent discount on the contract as employees.

The purpose of the pilot program is to sort out any issues with the sales or activation process prior to the public launch date. If anything, it will make for a happy holiday for 2,440 Walmart associates.

Walmart to test iPhone sales with employees starting today originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Walmart to test iPhone sales with employees starting today originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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X-Plane Helicopter, X-Plane Airliner released for iPhone

Laminar Research has released two new lower-priced versions of its X-Plane flight sim for the iPhone and iPod touch, with a focus on jumbo jets and helicopters.

Konami announces Metal Gear, Silent Hill games for iPhone

Konami will introduce four new games for the iPhone and iPod touch based on popular console franchises such as Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill.

France’s Competition Authority: Orange Can’t Sell Apple’s iPhone Exclusively

In France, Apple must let other carriers sell iPhone

Filed under: Apple Corporate, iPhone

The French government's competition watchdog told Apple that it must allow other carriers besides Orange to offer the iPhone. Orange is a subsidiary of France Telecom.

In September, Orange competitor Bouygues Telecom SA filed a complaint with the Competition Council about the exclusivity agreement. While a decision hasn't been reached on the merit of Bouygues' argument, today's order was a "protective measure" as the Council continues its investigation, likely to take a year or more.

Both SFR (the second-largest carrier in France) and Bouygues Telecom (the third largest) hope to begin selling the handsets soon.

In a statement, the Competition Council said that the Apple-Orange agreement posed a "serious and immediate threat" to competition among carriers, and higher costs for customers.

France Telecom plans to appeal the decision.

[Via BusinessWeek and Reuters.]

In France, Apple must let other carriers sell iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In France, Apple must let other carriers sell iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apps for Less: Raging Thunder and BeejiveIM

Well here are two apps to pick up just in time for the holidays. Raging Thunder and BeejiveIM have just dropped in price! [iTunes links]

Raging Thunder is a game you’ve probably heard of before here at TiPb. It dropped in price back in October and once again it has dropped ever further to a deal you should not pass up, $1.99 for a winter blow out sale!

Ok, this next app really needs no introduction, BeejiveIM. From now until Saturday December 27th you can pick this great IM client up for $12.99, saving a few bucks off the regular priced app. The developers also tell us to pay attention to a large update (V2.0) with some changes and improvements coming soon!

Hopefully you will take advantage of these sales! We will continue to keep an eye out for some more sales for the holiday!

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

Apps for Less: Raging Thunder and BeejiveIM

Memento developer offers free holiday greeting card app

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

A while back we told you about Memento, a quick way to send e-cards right from your iPhone. The developer of that application is back at it again with a Holiday card application. Memento Xmas [iTunes link] is a free application that allows you to send holiday-themed greeting cards to your friends and family, just in time for the holidays.

The application acts just like its older brother, Memento, but it is limited to only 4 greeting cards. With each of the greeting cards you have the ability to snap a photo (or use one from your library), and you can also edit the included text.

You can download and try out Memento Xmas from the iTunes App Store. In a pinch, this application could save you from writing out all of those holiday greeting cards (unless you still want to have friends and family).



Thanks, Duncan!

Memento developer offers free holiday greeting card app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Memento developer offers free holiday greeting card app originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange in France loses iPhone exclusivity

The iPhone will no longer be available for just Orange subscribers in France after a decision by the national competition council.

iPhone Buzz Week in Review - Week 49 2008

This week we were happy to announce that the Linux 2.6 kernel has been ported the Apple’s iPhone. So far the development team has managed to get a serial driver, frame buffer driver, serial over USB driver and Interrupts and MMU Clock. Eventually we will be seeing support for sound, ...

Walmart 4GB iPhone 3G rumor debunked

We recently reported on rumors that a 4GB version of the iPhone 3G was going to be sold at Walmart for an unbelievable price of just $99. Well it seems that these rumors are untrue, but Walmart will indeed be selling the iPhone at a discount. December 28th is still the ...

New Google AdWord options for iPhone

Today, the Google mobile ads team announced a new option that allows AdWord advertisers to show your desktop text and image ads on the iPhone and many other mobile devices with full HTML browsers. These ads can point to desktop landing pages so there is no need to create mobile ...

Apple’s App Store getting over 2 million downloads a day

Apple’s App store is seeing more than 2 million applications downloads everyday. Even though people thought that the initial swell in applications downloads would eventually top off and slow down, the App Store is actually seeing more traffic flow than before. It was not long ago that Apple advertised claims of ...