Apple cracks down on emoji apps

Apple is removing apps that unlock emoji, emoticons commonly used in Japan, from the App Store.

Review: What The Font for iPhone

This font finder has some limitations, mostly related to the iPhone’s built-in camera. But it’s still a worthwhile tool if you find yourself with a desire to identify fonts when you’re out and about.

Print & Share for iPhone prints and shares

Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Another day, another interesting iPhone/iPod touch application. Print & Share [App Store link], released a week ago, lets you print emails, mail attachments, photos, documents, contacts and web pages from your iPhone to your local printer. This works over a wireless network quite seamlessly, and can also be set up to work over the Internet if you are familiar with setting up routers and firewalls for outside access. The developer provides some help on how to do this, and has 24-hour help desk support.

The $6.99US app requires that you run a print server on your Mac or PC. The server software is a free download from the developer. System requirements are Tiger or Leopard on the Mac side; a Windows PC requires XP/Vista and may require some Windows configuration.

On the iPhone side, you need to give the app your basic email information (user names, password, incoming server info) and you're pretty much ready to go.

Read on for more, or check the gallery...

Continue reading Print & Share for iPhone prints and shares

Print & Share for iPhone prints and shares originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Print & Share for iPhone prints and shares originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zen Bound arrives on the iPhone

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

This one's impressive -- Zen Bound originally started out as Zen Bondage, a physics game/sandbox where the goal was to wrap a rope around a 3D shape or object. The game has just recently been ported to the iPhone, and in the process has actually been improved -- the graphics look sharper and the iPhone's multitouch controls really add to the tactile experience.

As a "game," it might be questionable -- it looks like there's a lot of fudging in terms of whether or not the rope has "covered" the object, and the scoring system itself is more or less tossed in as just a reason to get you to interact with the objects. But as an app, and a demonstration of the kinds of interactivity that can be exclusive to a device like the iPhone, it comes highly recommended.

Zen Bound is available on the App Store now for $4.99.

Zen Bound arrives on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Zen Bound arrives on the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Waves Bye Bye to the uSirius StarPlayr App for iPhone

Lately I have been the bearer of bad news. First it was Apple rejecting the official South Park application and now they’re breaking our hearts once more and waving bye bye to Howard Stern and Sirius XM by rejecting the uSirius StarPlayr application that we previously told you was due to be in the App Store in a few short weeks. Yes this is a very sad day, as I am a huge Howard Stern fan like many of you.

“As of yesterday, the uSirius StarPlayr Application for iPhone still had a status of “In Review” with Apple. Late last night, we became aware that the application could not be approved at this time. As fans, we are committed to continuing to work with all parties involved as necessary in any capacity required to see this product to market. It is our goal, as it has always been, to release this application at as low of a price point as possible, if not free of charge.”

With no real reason given why this application was rejected, we must sadly move on. You really have to wonder what exactly made Apple reject this application. Surely it was not Sirius XM as Howard himself loved the idea and was ready to pick up an iPhone just for this application.

Apple, why did you reject this one? This was an application that I been patiently waiting for… oh so much. This news will surely disappoint Howard and many of the other Sirius XM iPhone owners out there.

Hopefully, we will see this application available on Cydia sooner rather than later.

[Thanks to Darren for the tip!]

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

Apple Waves Bye Bye to the uSirius StarPlayr App for iPhone

StarPlayr bounced by App Store

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

In a move that is certain to put a serious dent in the dreams of satellite radio fans, the highly desired uSirius Starplayr for the iPhone has been rejected in its current form by Apple.

In a note on their web site, NiceMac LLC says they were told the 'application could not be approved at this time.' Starplayr is available on other platforms, including the Mac, Windows computers and Windows Mobile phones.

The release of the player was thought to be imminent a few weeks ago, but Apple gets the final word. It may be that Sirius/XM has problems with a third party player, or AT&T may have bandwidth issues. The app was delivered to Apple for review January 31st.

The Starplayr team remains optimistic, and says they will do whatever they have to do to get the app to the iPhone. It's all another headache for Sirius/XM fans who are also worrying whether the two merged satellite companies will survive long enough to make all the effort by NiceMac worthwhile.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

StarPlayr bounced by App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

StarPlayr bounced by App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini Microphone for iPhone

USBfever just launched a Mini Microphone for iPhone 3G, enabling users to get better sound recording quality on their iPhone. Journalists, students, teachers or researchers probably need this tiny gadget. Features: Plug and Play. High Quality Microphone, fine sensibility. Small and portable. No need battery. So conveninent, you can wear it ...

iPod dock can charge your iPhone 3G, too

Now, iPod docking stations support charging capability for iPhone 3G, thanks to Scosche's converter called passPORT Home Dock. It allows users to charge their iPhone 3G on the iPod docking stations. SlashGear wrote: The passPORT Home Dock passes through audio, video, and data functionality to the iPod docks, making it fully compatible ...

iPhone 101: How to Swipe to Delete Email, SMS, or Media on your iPhone

Welcome to iPhone 101, a single point of success for new iPhone users, and for veterans who know new users and need a quick and helpful place to point them. This time Tekzilla Daily went and did the heavy lifting for iPhone beginners, with a quick how-to video showing Apple’s multi-touch gesture for “swipe to delete”.

In any app that supports it, such as email, SMS, or iPod, you can simply touch the item you want to delete, briskly swipe your finger horizontally across the item, and a red “delete” button will appear allowing you to banish the item from your iPhone forever.

It can be a little tricky at first. Too slow and you might open or launch the item instead. Too quick and it may ignore you. But after a few tries, you should be happily ditching anything you no longer feel the need to keep with you.

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

iPhone 101: How to Swipe to Delete Email, SMS, or Media on your iPhone

iPhone apps for Oscars lovers

Are you a big fan of the Oscars? The 81st annual Academy Awards will take place on Sunday. As an iPhone user, there are cool apps for you to enjoy the award's show, trailers, news, history, outfits, wallpapers, games and so on. Here are the apps: iSlumDog Millionaire: The best-picture nominee Slumdog ...

Summizer: Twitter search for iPhone users

Are you using Twitter frequently? Great. Try this app. Summizer, the app's name, will help you tracking the most popular micro blogging service, following friends and trends you care about. Just in case you missed about this service, it's taken from Twitter's site: Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers ...

iPhone Buzz Week in Review - Week 7 2009

If you have a bunch of favorite social networking accounts and you want to access them easily on your iPhone, this new app called Xumii will help you do that. Seems live television could be making its way to the iPhone. PacketVideo (PV) announced its mobile video application for the Apple's  ...

TV.com gives Trekkers a streaming treat for iPhone: full episodes on demand

Filed under: Video, iPhone, App Store

Just as Hulu has more-or-less reluctantly barred boxee from streaming NBC video content to anything other than a browser, here comes the new TV.com iPhone app. It offers full episodes of such classics as Dream On, Night Gallery and Star Trek, and clips from current shows on multiple networks. Compare and contrast with the original NBC mobile site and you'll see that mobile streaming has come a long way, baby.

Sure, the Slingplayer app for the iPhone may be just around the corner, and rumors of a Hulu app have been floated. Does that give you Kirk and Spock during your morning commute? No, I didn't think so.

CBS Interactive's TV.com app is a free download from the App Store, and works either over WiFi or 3G. I have a hunch it's not going to be available outside of the US store, so if you're able to check that out please let us know.

[via Techmeme]

TV.com gives Trekkers a streaming treat for iPhone: full episodes on demand originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TV.com gives Trekkers a streaming treat for iPhone: full episodes on demand originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Removes Old Non-Customer Reviews from App Store

When Apple first opened the App Store back in July 2008, their review system allowed anyone to enter a comment or review on any application. No purchase was required at that time. As a result, many critical "reviews" came from those who had never b...

CBS releases TV.com iPhone app

A new app from CBS offers streaming video clips and TV episodes for iPhone users.

Xumii’s iPhone App Allows you to Connect with Friends on Multiple IM and Social Networks

Review: Stanza for iPhone

This electronic book and RSS feed reader is a first-rate and versatile app. But proclamations that it can turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a mini-Kindle are a little premature.

A fistful of apps: WideNoise, Labyrinth 3D, Penalized, Pure Sleep, Army Knife

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Instead of rounding up 16 apps in one review, I'll just tackle five. Links from the title of the app takes you directly into iTunes and the App Store.

WideNoise measures the noise in an area (using the mic on an iPhone, of course) and registers that online with your location. WideTag will show you regions of loud and quiet on a global, interactive map. My area shows "feather" because I took a recording in an empty house. The app looks like a prop from Fallout, with distressed metal and an analog meter, and I found the readings to be comparable to Decibel, which I've reviewed before. This might be good for finding quiet places in urban areas, provided people take the time to use it. I'm not sure $1.99 will have this flying off the virtual shelves, either.

Wooden Labyrinth 3D is exactly that, the classic game of a metal marble in a wooden, moving maze. We've seen several iterations of these on the store, but I think this version nails it. The physics are superb, the 3D is flawless, and the soundtrack is relaxing and pleasant. Plus, unlike real-world versions, you don't have to keep dozens of wooden mazes around -- there are several themes in the game which lead to several puzzles in each theme. In short, you're looking at a wide range of gameplay in this one app. My only complaint is one of organization: I would have preferred groupings based on difficulty, or some way to know how hard a level is before launching it. Is it worth $2.99? Considering the polish and replayability, I'd say yes. True, there are freebies out there, but none match the elegance of this app (and some which cost more aren't as good).

Penalized is billed as an "adult" party game, but it's a bit less provocative than you might think. There's no explicit adult content, this is merely hinted at. The game is a series of challenges, like "Impersonate Ray Charles" and if the player can't perform the challenge, they must be penalized somehow. The adult part is in the penalty, so removing a piece of clothing is an option. So is chopping a cord of wood, you know, adult stuff. Penalized does include a lot of challenge cards in 6 categories, but the $1.99 may seem a bit much. Especially if you carry around a deck of challenge cards in your pocket already. This is also something you could cook up with TileStack, I think.

Keep reading for Pure Sleep and Army Knife, two apps I use on a daily basis.

Continue reading A fistful of apps: WideNoise, Labyrinth 3D, Penalized, Pure Sleep, Army Knife

A fistful of apps: WideNoise, Labyrinth 3D, Penalized, Pure Sleep, Army Knife originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A fistful of apps: WideNoise, Labyrinth 3D, Penalized, Pure Sleep, Army Knife originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Voice dial on us: TUAW Vocalia giveaway

Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store

In product shootouts between the iPhone and other smartphones, the iPhone usually gets dinged for not having voice dialing built in (although you can get around that with services like Jott). Vocalia, from Creaceed, is a voice-recognition dialing app that has been around for about six months.

Vocalia (click opens iTunes) displays a HAL9000-like glowing "eye" after being launched. When the eye appears, speak the name of a contact you wish to call. Vocalia analyzes your speech, then displays the closest matches to what you said. If there's more than one contact listed, you then speak the number next to the correct one. Are there multiple phone numbers for a contact? Just say "home", "mobile", "work" or whatever to dial.

Creaceed and TUAW would like to give away seven free promo codes for Vocalia.What do you need to do to enter? Just leave a comment on who you'd like to dial using Vocalia. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing your creative answers!

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. (Sorry, we know our international readers want to participate, but promo codes don't transfer outside the US.)
  
• To enter leave a comment telling us what person you'd like to call using Vocalia.
  
• The comment must be left before February 28, 11:59PM Eastern Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Seven winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: Promo code for free copy of Vocalia for iPhone (US$3.99)
  
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Voice dial on us: TUAW Vocalia giveaway originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Voice dial on us: TUAW Vocalia giveaway originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iTunes Gift Certificates Not Accepted at Canadian App Store

You can’t use an iTunes gift certificate to buy applications on the Canadian App Store. I’ve experienced this myself, but never really looked into it before now. But it’s true. There’s even a thread about it on Apple’s Discussion Board.

Highlights include the difference in iTunes App Store Terms of Service between the US:

“10. PAYMENT METHODS. The Service accepts credit cards, payment through your PayPal account, and iTunes Cards, iTunes Store Gift Certificates, and Allowance Account balances as forms of payment.”

And Canada:

“10. PAYMENT METHODS. The Service accepts credit cards as the form of payment.”

Further down, we get what’s purported to be a response from Apple on the issue, which includes:

Due to tax laws and commerce restrictions for software in Canada, customers residing in Canada may only purchase games and applications using a credit card.

So, not only do we get hosed on data rates, don’t have access to US TV networks on iTunes (nor Hulu, etc.), not only do we have to pay more to “upgrade” music to iTunes Plus, but if by some miracle some kindly soul gives us an iTunes Gift Certificate, we can’t even use it on apps? Second class North Americans much?

(Yeah, okay, fine: #firstworldproblem)

Anyone have any deeper insight into these tax and commerce laws/restrictions of which they spake?

(Thanks to @deabush for pointing the ToS out to us as well!)

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

iTunes Gift Certificates Not Accepted at Canadian App Store