Postcards from the EDGE network

Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Freeware, iPhone, App Store, First Look, App Review

Two new apps both provide the same service to iPhone users -- sending postcards to U.S. addresses from your iPhone. I'm not talking about virtual electronic postcards; instead, these are real postcards that are printed at a location near your recipient's address, then delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. All you need to provide is a photo taken by your iPhone, the address(es) of the recipient(s), a personalized message, and a credit card number.

The two programs are both free, although there is a cost to send those postcards. Continue reading this post to learn more about Go Postal and TapTap Cards.

Continue reading Postcards from the EDGE network

Postcards from the EDGE network originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Postcards from the EDGE network originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swine flu? There’s an app for that

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

The folks at IntuApps have responded to the Swine Flu pandemic in the way that only a developer could: By building an app!

The forthcoming Swine Flu Tracker for iPhone and iPod touch (it's pending App Store approval as of this writing) will do 3 things. First, it will display the current threat level as determined by the World Health Organization. Secondly, it drops pins onto Google maps to represent confirmed or suspected cases.

Finally, it tracks and reports on Swine Flu news from around the world. If you're traveling or simply concerned about this problem, it sounds like you might find Swine Flu Tracker useful. Of course, we haven't played with it yet, so the app's actual performance remains to be seen.

We can only hope that Apple's notoriously long review process won't keep Swine Flu Tracker out of our hands for too long, as we want to live to see it.

Swine flu? There's an app for that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Swine flu? There's an app for that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A pretty darned good trick

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

When I was a kid growing up in Missouri I used to spend a lot of Saturday afternoons at the magic store. I'd ask to see one trick after another, and after awhile I got a dandy magic show. Of course, I was often shamed into buying something, then running home, practicing the trick in my room, and inflicting my proud possession on friends and family. It was fun, except when I blew the trick and sheepishly left the room for more practice.

That brings me to this particular Saturday afternoon, where I was able to browse the iTunes store for a good trick. It's more of a digital than a tactile experience, but it's fun just the same. If you're a magic buff, be sure to get a look at Magic Compass, [App Store link] a new addition to the collection of tricks for the iPhone and iPod touch.

This $0.99US piece of legerdemain has a spectator put a coin, or any other object to the bottom, top, left or right of the iPhone. A tap of the finger reveals a compass which rather magically determines where the object is. The trick can be repeated. The object doesn't have to be metal, so any thought of some electronic homing device goes out the window. To some spectators, it will look like physics, to some like magic. I think most people will find it hard to explain. The trick has a well produced video tutorial to teach you the secret, and then gives you a way to hide it from prying eyes.

Here's a link to a video from the developer that shows you a demo of the trick. It is easy to learn, and a great thing to just pull out of your pocket when you get together with friends.

For me, it was a great reminder of many happy Saturday afternoons in another time and another place.

Here are some screen grabs:

A pretty darned good trick originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A pretty darned good trick originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iTunes Connect now lets developers see crash reports

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

Apple has offered developers a glimpse as crash reporting since the iPhone 2.0 firmware was released, however, it was a kludge to get users to email you the crash reports from their ~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MobileDevice directory. Apple has a solution that will make this a lot easier.

Enter iTunes Connect, where Apple recently added the ability for developers to view crash reports from users. iTunes connect is where developers can manage applications they have on the App Store, check their sales, and get promotional codes for their apps. When you log into iTunes Connect you will be presented with the following information regarding crash logs:

Crash logs for applications are now available. To view them, go the Manage Your Applications Module below, click to view the desired application's details, then click View Crash Report.

When you navigate to Manage Your Applications > your app details > View Crash Report, you will be presented with a few items that could help you debug apps. Namely, developers can view most frequent crashes, timeouts, and memory usage right from iTunes Connect. You can find out more about crash logs on the iPhone by going to Apple's Developer tech note.

Thanks to Erica and others for sending in this tip!

iTunes Connect now lets developers see crash reports originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iTunes Connect now lets developers see crash reports originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s New iPhone will Allow Users to Easily Record, Edit and Share Movies?

Apple’s new iPhone chips may not appear until next year

Apple’s fairly public plans to design a family of exclusive chips to power its next-generation iPhone and multi-touch handheld products may not fully materialize until sometime next year, according to the Wall Street Journal, which provides an overview of the matter with a few additional details. The report published Thursday recaps the company’s acquisition of the [...]

Terminator Salvation iPhone Game Trailer

With the release of Terminator Salvation only a few short weeks away — May 21st to be exact — Gameloft has gone and sent TiPb the very visually-pleasing trailer for their new iPhone game tie-in.

This game looks to be the most impressive iPhone game to date, we can only hope that the controls will be half as good.

There is no word on pricing (We’d expect it to be in the $9.99 price range.) or a release date but you can only assume it should be hitting the App Store on or around the movie’s theatrical release.

As for the movie, it is looking pretty decent, if you can get past the PG-13 rating…

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

Terminator Salvation iPhone Game Trailer

Could Apple Secretly Be Working on an iPhone Camcorder?

No. Despite the Washington Post’s provocative headline, Apple’s no more “secretly working on an iPhone camcorder” now than they were “secretly working on an iPhone camera” in 2006.

Technology advances. Early digital cameras had very low resolution, now they’re in the double-digits for megapixels. When VGA cameras were no longer of any value as stand-alone products, they were integrated into cellphones. Now 2, 3.5, 5 megapixel, and even higher resolution optics are becoming likewise obsolete as anything but integrated options, and so are finding their way into the iPhone, Nokia, or SonyEricsson devices.

Those same camera kits have been used by other smartphones to shoot video for a while now. And as the low-end, highly-pocketable stand-alone devices like the Flip turn their sights to HD, the older, lower-resolution technologies get integrated away.

It’s likely Apple will provide video shooting, editing, and sharing in the next generation iPhone (we’ve seen lots of screen shots to confirm that), and fans of the iPhone, low-end camcorders, convergence devices will no doubt celebrate. Others will keep their 1080p units handy…

At least until 2011 when Apple and RED announce their partnership to produce the iPhone 4K (2160p)… on Verizon…

(Joking!)

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

Could Apple Secretly Be Working on an iPhone Camcorder?

Saturday Fun Video: iPhone RC Plane and Copter Controller

myauntishot (via TUAW) shows an innovative guy using his iPhone to take his radio-controlled planes and helicopters to the sky.

Check out the link above for the scoop on why he did it and how…

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

Saturday Fun Video: iPhone RC Plane and Copter Controller

Found Footage: Controlling radio control aircraft with an iPhone

Filed under: Odds and ends, Found Footage, iPhone

Take one radio-controlled airplane or helicopter, add a Wi-Fi router and some custom software, then mix in an iPhone's accelerometer and touch interface. What do you get? An R/C aircraft controller.

Joshua Ziering loves to fly radio-controlled 'copters and planes, and he describes exactly how he went about developing an app and the associated hardware to control their flight by tilting his iPhone and moving throttle controls on the screen in a post on his blog. Check it all out in the video below.



Gary Z. at MacMost.com -- thanks for the tip!

Found Footage: Controlling radio control aircraft with an iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Found Footage: Controlling radio control aircraft with an iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 02 May 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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