Cloud file sharing on the iPhone, four ways

Filed under: Cool tools, Internet Tools, iPhone, App Store

Among the crowded field of cloud sharing and file synchronization services, there are plenty of interesting options (we've been partial to Dropbox around here, but check around for more), but when you add 'must work well with iPhone' to the requirements list, the choices narrow a bit. I've been testing out two business-focused options in Readdle Docs and box.net, and two other iPhone-friendly options (ZumoDrive and Drop.io) have just poked above the horizon.

Readdle Docs may be on the pricey side for the App Store at $9.99US, but there's a lot of functionality bundled in to that ten bucks. In addition to turning your iPhone or iPod touch into a WebDAV file server -- accessible easily and securely in the Finder, Windows Explorer, or via clients like Transmit -- Readdle lets you access hosted storage on your MobileMe account or other WebDAV services. Once you get the files onto your device, it's easy to view all iPhone-friendly formats, or forward documents and images by email. I'm particularly fond of the full-screen PDF and PPT viewers in the app. Of course, it's no Documents to Go, but it's a good start (and for those waiting eagerly for D2G to arrive on the iPhone, word from DataViz is that the app is on track for a Q2 release).

While you can use Readdle with iDisk or any WebDAV-enabled storage service, you also get a bonus account on the Readdle servers with 512 MB of storage (yes, not much, but it's handy). Upgrades to the Readdle storage start at $5/month for 2 GB. On the other hand, if you need the cloud access but not the onboard server, you can save $2 and get Readdle's OneDisk product for $7.99.

Though box.net is focused on enterprise users, it's plenty functional for personal use; with a free 1GB storage account that permits 5 collaboration folders and files up to 25 MB in size, you've got some room to maneuver (paid plans start at $7.95/mo). The companion iPhone app, also free, lets you upload images from your photo library or camera, view a list of recently modified files, and open up any of your files for viewing (unfortunately the new box.net webdoc format reads in as raw HTML, which is a drag). You can also forward sharing links to your colleagues directly from the iPhone app, which can be extremely helpful in the midst of a collaborative project.

The box.net app is more streamlined than Readdle Docs, but offers a lot less of the bidirectional functionality, and the viewer isn't fullscreen or landscape enabled; it also doesn't appear to cache large documents locally as Readdle does, and it's crashed on me once or twice while downloading large PDFs. Still, if you're already using box.net or you don't have a WebDAV-enabled storage option for use with Readdle, it's a fine app to try.

Details of the two new kids on the block, in the 2nd half of the post.

Continue reading Cloud file sharing on the iPhone, four ways

Cloud file sharing on the iPhone, four ways originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cloud file sharing on the iPhone, four ways originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Forum Review: School of Rock for iPhone

School of Rock Forum Review by cjvitek For more Forum Reviews, see the TiPb iPhone App Store Forum Review Index!

School of Rock (hypothetically based on the movie of the same name) is an app that tries to teach you the ins and outs of music. You progress through a series of “schools” - school of drums, school of guitar, school of keyboard, etc.

Overview

Each of the schools tries to teach you about the specifics of that type of instrument. In each school you progress through a series of excercises, first testing you ability to recognize various cords or note combinations, then testing your ability to play back a series of notes or music (or timing of your playing). Eventually you move on to answer some trivia questions. Going through these trials, you gather points based on your performance. As you accumulate enough points, you unlock the various other schools (you starts with drums, school of bass is the most advanced).

The program also features a “jam” session in the playground, where you can play along with songs inlcluded in the app, or songs from your iTunes library. Unfortunately, you can only play percussion instruments in the jam session - I would have liked to see the ability to play strings, keyboard, or the bass with them. One cool feature is that you can record your jam session, and then listen to it in playback.

I really liked the tutorial features in this game. Rather than just giving you instructions, each help section (for each school and for the playground) provides a short video detailing how to play in each category. I like the video tutorials, it really helps to clarify some things. However, the game assumes a lot of knowledge already. It throws you in the deep in when it comes to trying to recognize cords, for example. There is no information on how to recognize cords or distinguish them from one another, so it was mostly guess work. The trivia also seems rather random, without some knowledge of music and the music industry, I found myself guessing at most of the trivia questions.

It would be nice if you could have difficulty settings, allowing you to choose what difficulty or background you have in music. That way, you could really tailor the program to your ability.

Pros:

Nice inclusion of the jam session, some of the instruments can be fun to play

Cons:

Doesn’t “teach” you enough, limited instruments in the jam session

Conclusion

All in all, I have mixed feelings about this app. I think it is well designed and can be fun, but it wasn’t really what I was looking for. I was looking for something that would both teach me about music as well as enable me to play along and “jam” to some music. The app offers a little of both of those, but not to the degree that I was looking for. In addition, it seems to assume that you have a lot of prior knowledge about music, instruments, and the music industry. It was fun, but the best feature was the jam session (playing percussion along with my iTunes songs). It is currently only $.99, so it could be worth picking up if it sounds interesting. I give it three and a half out of five stars, mostly because I felt it was a little too difficult for my music background and I was guessing a lot during the various schools.

TiPb Forum Review Rating:

[School of Rock is available via the iTunes App Store]

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

Forum Review: School of Rock for iPhone

Dashboard Widgets coming to the iPhone

Want a Free iPhone and $10,000 Prize? Pwn2Own it!

Pwn2Own is a hacking contest which in previous years demanded OS exploits on day one, allowed browser vectors on day two (how OS X was compromised last year — thanks Safari!), and opened the floodgates with 3rd party bugware on day three. First person to successfully hack a machine won it as a prize, along with a nice cash bounty for their troubles.

This year, Ars Technica says Pwn2Own is doing something a little different: they’re bringing in the mobiles!

Apple’s iPhone is front and center on their target list, along with the Google Android G1, and devices from the BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Phone families. Pwn the mobile and you not only win it, but $10,000 to boot!

Not a lot of solid info on the rules yet, but we’ll keep a look out. Any white hats out there eager to try their luck?

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

Want a Free iPhone and $10,000 Prize? Pwn2Own it!

Quick App: TV.com Streams CBS, CW, Showtime, and CNet to the iPhone

While Big Media wants you to stay off their lawn (i.e. not stream their content to your TV’s), it looks like they’re increasingly okay-ish with their streaming it to your PC and… iPhone. Macworld brings word of the latest content streamer to hit the App Store, TV.com (iTunes link):

Most of the content consists of clips, interviews, and promos, but you’ll also find full episodes of some TV shows, such as “CSI: Miami” and the aforementioned [MacGyver] mixed in (well, to be honest, there weren’t many other shows I could find full episodes of at first glance). Full episodes are presented as multiple clips instead of as a single video. You can search for shows using the Search box at the top, or tap on the Shows and Channels buttons to browse in other ways.

Of course, a few more things need to happen to flesh out this category. Getting other networks on board via apps for Hulu and other services is one. Also, realizing it’s the 21st fraken century and NOT restricting streaming apps from international users would be grand. (TV.com is US App Store only).

Anyone tried it yet? If so, how was the quality? Would you use this over your laptop for TV to go? Over your TV for viewing in general?

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

Quick App: TV.com Streams CBS, CW, Showtime, and CNet to the iPhone

Friday Fun Fake: iPhoney Nano

Apple has confirmed repeatedly that they’re no going to make an iPhone nano. So while that means they may or may not, it definitely means the knock-off artists are making them. Register Hardware brings us this little gem:

The Mini’s touchscreen in resistive rather than capacitive, a choice no doubt partly dictated by cost and partly by the need to use a stylus to type on the diminutive virtual Qwerty keyboard which only appears in portrait mode. That’s not to say you actually have to use the stylus – after some practice we managed to finger-type with around a 60 per cent chance of getting the right letter the first time.

Anyone racing over to get one?

[Thanks to Icebike for the tip!]

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

Friday Fun Fake: iPhoney Nano

iPhone Game Roundup: ExZeus, Shooter, Tamagotchi

iPhone games that came to our attention this week included ExZeus, Shooter and Tamagotchi.

Review: QuadCamera for iPhone

Takayuki Fukatsu’s apps add the ability to take multiple shots with the iPhone’s built-in camera. The finished product suffers from some limitations, mostly due to the limits of the camera itself, but for the most part, QuadCamera is a fun way to give your mobile photos a new look.

Blu-ray Licensing to Get Easier and Cheaper

AlleyInsider speculation that licensing changes to Blu-Ray could pave the way to Mac support for the High Definition drives.

A new licence will be established by mid-2009 as a "one-stop shop" for device makers. The licence will includ...

Review: OtterBox Impact Case for iPhone 3G

The OtterBox Impact Series Case for the iPhone 3G is available here at the TiPb iPhone store for only $12.95, in either black or white. It is a case that encloses your iPhone 3G in a soft rubber skin, extra rubber padding on the back and all four corners. Can a skin case for only $12.95 really stand up to the rigors of everyday use that may subject your sleek iPhone 3G to bumps, bruises and scrapes? Read on for the full review!

Case Design

The OtterBox Impact case offers a slim, form-fitting Silicone layer of protection for your iPhone 3G while still providing impact-absorbing features. The back of the case and the corners are impact-absorbing and dissipate impact away from your iPhone 3G. Additionally, the sides of the case are textured for a more secure grip. All ports, buttons, and functions are accessible through the thin Silicone layer, including an opening for the headphone jack, the mute switch, and even a cutout on the back of the case to display the shiny Apple logo proudly. Having the option of purchasing the case in black or white is also nice - if you have a white iPhone, then switch things up with the black case, and vice versa.

Performance

One of my main concerns about skin cases is that, historically, I’ve had poor luck with them. Why? Usually they stretch a bit over time and start slipping around my smartphone like a cheap oversized suit. I’m very encouraged by the OtterBox case design because although the Silicone is thin and flexible, it wraps completely around each end of the iPhone and resists unwanted stretching and shifting.

The feel and grip of the case is comfortable, particularly with the textured sides. The screen is fully accessible, as well as all of the functions, ports and buttons. The additional thickness of the Silicone along the back and corners provide additional impact from impacts and scratching. The case has a stylish look and the open round window on the back for the Apple logo is a nice touch.

 

Conclusion

The OtterBox Impact Series Case for the iPhone 3G is hard to beat for the price. The Silicone skin is protective and comfortably grippy, all ports and controls are accessible, and you have a choice of black or white, depending on your taste. The case is stylish and seems to resist the stretching and slipping that can occur over time with other skin cases. I’m happy to report that there are many positives and nothing negative to report. Especially for the price of $12.95, I can give this case a big thumbs up.

Pros

Available in both black and white

Textured sides add “grippiness”

Case wraps securely around both ends of phone

Good accessibility to ports and buttons

Only $12.95

Cons

Most skin cases can stretch out over time, and it’s uncertain if this one will do the same given enough wear and tear

TiPb Review Rating

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

Review: OtterBox Impact Case for iPhone 3G

Opinion: Apple does the right thing with App Store reviews

The App Store has finally flushed old reviews written by potential non-users—a move Peter Cohen suggested back in September.

Apple purges App Store reviews from non-customers

Five months after restricting people from leaving reviews for apps they haven’t bought, Apple has deleted all existing reviews from non-customers.

TV.com’s iPhone App Allows to Stream Full Episodes of Popular TV Shows like CSI: Miami and Star Trek

Emoji on its way out of the App Store

Filed under: Open Source, iPhone, App Store, SDK

Unfortunately, the Emoji free for all may be over. Gary, from Typing Genius, e-mailed us this morning and he let us know that Apple is cracking down on Emoji activation outside of Japan. According to Gary, Apple is forbidding Emoji-only apps (Emotifun and iEmoji have both been removed from the App Store) and requiring developers for apps that do more than just Emoji (like Typing Genius -- iTunes link) to provide an Emoji-free update immediately.

In regards to Typing Genius, Gary says that:

* Existing Typing Genius users who have already unlocked emoji will not be affected when Apple remove apps from the App Store
* Emoji unlock will remain intact for users who upgrade to a newer version of Typing Genius (without the unlock) later on

Emoji on its way out of the App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Emoji on its way out of the App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Review: Night Stand for iPhone

The customizable Night Stand lets you turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a bedside alarm clock. While the alarm clock features are not without their shortcomings, the app’s interface makes this a worthwhile bedside companion.

Apple Cleanses App Store of Old, Non-Customer Reviews

Seems Emoji aren’t the only thing being scrubbed from the App Store today! MacRumors is reporting that old reviews made my users who hadn’t actually downloaded the app they were reviewing are also being removed. Apple stopped non-users from reviewing apps a while back, this is just retroactively applying the new policy to the old reviews:

Several long standing apps have seen dramatic decreases in their review counts. SEGA’s Super Monkey Ball count dropped from 4197 reviews down to 3710 while Namco’s Pac Man dropped from 395 to 122.

Most everyone involved, from developers tired of no-good-nicks trying to game the system, to users tired of sorting through gamed or off-topic reviews. Maybe this is one rejection done right?

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

Apple Cleanses App Store of Old, Non-Customer Reviews

AirPhones turns your iPhone or touch into a wireless speaker

Filed under: Audio, iPhone, iPod touch

AirPhones is an interesting application for your iPhone or iPod touch that turns your mobile device into a set of wireless headphones. The idea is similar to Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil, but instead of routing audio from your Mac to an Airport Express, AirPhones sends your Mac's audio to your iPhone or touch connected to the same WiFi network.

For this to work you have to install the free Mac server application. It adds an additional output device to your Sound preferences pane. Once that's installed on your Mac you'll also need the mobile application (iTunes link) installed on your iPhone or iPod touch. After they're connected through the same network, your handheld should play your Mac's sound output.

This actually strikes me as a great idea. I spend a lot of time at my work desk listening to music through headphones and I inevitably get tangled up in the cord. My main concern, I suppose, would be running down my iPhone's battery, but that may be worth it to get rid of that cord.

AirPhone is $4.99 from the iTunes Store. You'll also need to download the server application from smashart. Unfortunately, the server app is Intel only, but they're promising both a Universal binary and a Windows version in the future.

[via 9 to 5 Mac]

AirPhones turns your iPhone or touch into a wireless speaker originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AirPhones turns your iPhone or touch into a wireless speaker originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Apple Taking Down Emoji-Enabling Apps (or Making them Remove the Feature)

Lots (and lots) of you have become smitten with Emoji, the cute, extra smiley-faces that come to us from Japan and work quite well on the iPhone. That is to say, they work quite well if you’ve hacked them on or downloaded one of the several apps that turns them on on-the-sly.

Sadly, that latter option is no longer going to be available. Ars Technica is reporting that Apple has issued a global take-down notice on any app that enables Emoji on non-Japanese iPhones. More specifically, they’ve told developers with apps that enable it to immediately remove that functionality:

Existing applications that offer Emoji enabling beyond their base functionality have been ordered to remove Emoji support. Fung told us that Apple has required an immediate update to his Typing Genius program with the Emoji support removed. This same order appears to have gone out to all developers whose App Store marketing text mentions an Emoji feature.

The good news is that if you’ve already installed one of these apps or otherwise enabled Emoji, the little guys should still work just fine for you — that is, until Apple decided to use their best-of-class software updating system for the iPhone to push out a new ROM that, one assumes, will break it.

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

Apple Taking Down Emoji-Enabling Apps (or Making them Remove the Feature)

DataViz Updates on DocsToGo Document Editing on the iPhone

DataViz just pushed out an email update on the current status of their upcoming iPhone document editing software, DocsToGo (which Dieter sneaked a peak at during Mobile World Congress). As most of us on TiPb came to the iPhone from other platforms, such as Palm, we’re all not only familiar with DocsToGo, but big fans of the mobile productivity suite. Needless to say, we’ve been waiting for this functionality to hit the iPhone for a (long!) while now:

We wanted to let you all know that Documents To Go is still on track to be released in the second quarter of 2009. We’d also like to give you a look at a few screenshots so you can get a better feel for what we’re up to.

They promise more updates on more features to come.

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

DataViz Updates on DocsToGo Document Editing on the iPhone

Friday Fun Video: BlackBerry Takes a Non-Subtle Shot at Apple

Wow, the Storm launching to a buggy, bashed start must really have bothered the marketing drones at RIM, especially when the iPhone 3G outsold in its second quarter outsold the Storm in its debut by almost 2 to 1… How else can we explain this cute little “shot” just taken at Apple?

Of course, we all know in the real world the Apple would have spun around, Kung-Fu style, and caught RIM’s little BerryBullet in it’s bitten-out teeth. Then… Skeedoosh! Massive shock-wave leveling everything this side of Waterloo.

Seriously though, why would anyone end any ad for a touch-screen device by saying “no one can touch it”, especially after all the complaints about this particular implementation’s usability…?

Still, hung-over as we are from the CrackBerry birthday bash, we’ll link up the romanticized little RIM version so you can lend us your thoughts…

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

Friday Fun Video: BlackBerry Takes a Non-Subtle Shot at Apple