Star Defense brings new twist to iPhone ‘tower defense’ games

Star Defense is Ngmoco's forthcoming contribution to the venerable "tower defense" genre; a new game exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch.

iPhone 3.0: Voice Control to Get “Jibbler” With It?

Ars Technica has heard from those ever-enigmatic “sources familiar with” that there might just be more going on behind the rumored new Voice Control feature in iPhone 3.0 than we’ve seen so far:

Jibbler appears be an enhancement to the iPhone SpringBoard application, the Finder-esque app that acts as a launcher and will support the newly announced 3.0 Spotlight search. Jibbler may be controlled via the iPhone headset—button squeezes could be used to record short voice segments from the user, which Jibbler will then interpret. Voice synthesis can then be used to give the user a response, similar to the latest generation iPod shuffle, which can “read” playlists and track names—the difference being that the iPhone hardware itself could handle real-time voice synthesis.

Okay, so the code-name is worthy of a Microsoft de-branding exercise, but the technology is intriguing. Apple certainly has taken steps towards voice implementation with the latest iPod shuffle’s VoiceOver and recent headsets have raised the bar (perhaps too much) on control clicks.

Many users have asked for simple voice dialing. Is Apple providing that and, in typical fashion, wondrously more with “Jibbler”, or is it a case of breaking a simple function by stretching it too far?

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

iPhone 3.0: Voice Control to Get “Jibbler” With It?

Chrysler Peapod turns your iPhone into a car key

The cute (and possibly malicious) Peapod mini-car just got slightly cooler. Apparently, the included iPhone docking station does more than play tunes and monitor EV usage—it turns your phone into a key for the car too. The Car Manual: “Simply dock your iPod for a fun, cutting edge way to start up. Exclusive software designed exclusively [...]

Convertbot Hits 1.1, Adds Convertbot Mini for Free!

Tapbots, one of the most consistently innovative user experience-oriented development houses on the iPhone platform, just let us know they’ve updated their latest app, Convertbot (see our review), to version 1.1.

Convertbot is for those who not only want to get things done, but who want to enjoy doing them. This update adds user-selectable enabling/disabling of categories/units as well as a TON (standard or metric! Convert to your choice!) of new categories/units and new currencies.

What’s more, they’ve released Convertbot Mini as a Lite-as-in-FREE version of the app that gives you the same great UI, albeit without as many different units and categories (hey, it’s free and the full version is a steal at the introductory price!)

Convertbot 1.1 ($0.99 - iTunes link) and Convertbot Mini (Free - iTunes link) are both available now.

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

Convertbot Hits 1.1, Adds Convertbot Mini for Free!

App Incubator allows you to submit your iPhone app ideas

If you have a great idea to build an iPhone app but don’t have coding skills at all, don’t worry, there’s an app to help you. Thanks to MEDL Mobile’s AppIncubator, you can be an iPhone developer instantly and get paid for your innovation and creativity. Quoting from the app itself: “Using the simple interface, you can [...]

More Details of iPhone OS 3.0 ‘Voice Control’ Emerge

Several weeks ago, we mentioned in passing that configuration files for a feature called "Voice Control" had been unearthed in the iPhone OS 3.0 beta. Ars Technica now provides a few additional details about the feature, although the specifics remai...

Non-Update: SlingPlayer for iPhone Still in App Store Limbo

We know SlingPlayer for iPhone was built (we saw it in action at Macworld and shot the video above). We know SlingPlayer for iPhone was submitted to the App Store (SlingMedia disclosed that). But its current status is anyone’s guess. Users got upset they’d need to upgrade to the latest SlingBox. AT&T futzed with their Terms of Service but then backpedaled. BGR reported that it might or might not have been denied at AT&T’s request. SlingMedia responded that they hadn’t heard anything yet. So what’s changed?

Nothing. TUAW checked in with the folks at SlingMedia and the official word is that there’s still no word, and with an app as complex as SlingPlayer for iPhone, there could be no word for quite a while still.

So why post on it? Two reasons. 1) We get asked about it a lot. SlingPlayer is popular with the tech enthusiasts. 2) We hope that the minute blogs start posting that there’s no word, Apple will release it just to make the blogs look silly. Hey, it happens!

Maybe we should start a little informal drop pool. Pick the day you think SlingPlayer will finally be released in the iTunes App Store and post it in the comments. Let’s see if anyone can nail it!

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

Non-Update: SlingPlayer for iPhone Still in App Store Limbo

Tweetie for Mac Shows Where iPhone Twitter is Headed?

We generally don’t cover Mac or Windows news on the site, even though most people who have an iPhone will at some point plug it into a laptop or desktop. And we almost never cover software that isn’t directly involved with that plug in connection. Why the exception? Tweetie for Mac began as Tweetie for iPhone, one of the most popular and robust iPhone Twitter clients in the App Store, and as much as the iPhone version set the foundation for Tweetie for Mac, it looks like Tweetie for Mac rebuilt that foundation for the next iPhone release.

Everything that’s good about Tweetie for iPhone is in the Mac version, including support for multiple accounts, an easy way to trace back conversations and fetch user data, and elegant solutions for tracking your timeline @mentions and direct messages. However, though some have complained about it on the iPhone version, I have found myself missing the big honking refresh button that tops all iPhone list views in Tweetie (you have to use a key combo or go to the menu for refresh or refresh-all on the Mac).

My wish list for the future? Double clicking sidebar icons to collapse or expand the reading panel so the application could be truly tiny but still informative when not in active use. Likewise, — tip of the hat to lgreenberg) iPhone style numbered badges to count unread replies and direct messages would be swell (though they may not scale nicely if you let them hit the thousands).

Overall, I’ve never had much use for desktop Twitter clients in the past but it’s been a day now and I’m still using Tweetie. I’m not a huge fan of Adobe Air-based apps, so the idea of a native application appeals to me greatly, and one that gives such an iPhone-like experience, with iPhone roots, just seems like such a natural fit to my usage style.

(Note: Tweetie for Mac has just been updated to fix an issue with SSL encryption)

Of course, come iPhone 3.0, Tweetie for iPhone may not just roll up all the re-engineered goodness from it’s big desktop brother, but we’re hoping it gets some Push Notification love as well.

Meanwhile, if you have a Mac, give the free, ad-supported version a try or take advantage of the reduced, debut-pricing of $14.95.

If you give it a try, let us know what you think. I still haven’t found a Windows or Linux client that feels “right” to me either, so if you have a recommendation, drop that in the comments as well!

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

Tweetie for Mac Shows Where iPhone Twitter is Headed?

SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone. What’s the deal?

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Rarely has an iPhone/iPod touch app seen so many ups and downs.

People have expected Sling Media to provide a version of their streaming video player for Apple since the iPhone first launched, but it has yet to materialize. In January, Sling demonstrated a beta of SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone at MacWorld and created a flurry of excitement.

Three weeks ago Sling announced with a great deal of fanfare that the app had been submitted to the App Store, but so far, all we're hearing are crickets...

Earlier this month AT&T changed its published Terms of Service to directly prohibit apps like SlingPlayer Mobile from operating on the AT&T network. After a major meltdown from AT&T customers, all the carrier could say was "whoops, we didn't mean it -- that was a mistake".

Last week, an anonymous tipster with a dubious domain told TUAW that he worked for Apple and stated that the company was going to reject the app because AT&T couldn't support the bandwidth demands. Of course, carriers do support the SlingPlayer on other phones, including the BlackBerry and several Windows Mobile phones.

So, here we are, more than three weeks after SlingPlayer Mobile was submitted to the app store, and there's still nothing. Nada. Bupkis. Zlich. In the meantime, Sling Media has alienated many Slingbox owners by intimating that a lot of their older gear won't work with the iPhone app when (or if) it is released.

Continue reading SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone. What's the deal?

SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone. What's the deal? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone. What's the deal? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: FlipBook for iPhone

Providing powerful tools and layer-based drawing system, FlipBook, which enables you to make short animations from still drawings, gives users a canvas for creating something special.