Quick App: Kindle 1.1 for iPhone

Amazon has gone and updated their iPhone Kindle App [iTunes link] to version 1.1 and added in some nifty new features to boot:

• Read in portrait or landscape mode.
• Select alternate background and text colors to improve reading comfort in low light conditions.
• Tap on either side of the screen or flick to turn pages.
• Pinch to zoom images in books.

Still free but also still requiring purchases through Amazon’s web-based Kindle Store, it’s never the less a good point release and overall improvement. And our resident Chadman was kind enough to provide some screenshots, so check out the gallery after the break!

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

Quick App: Kindle 1.1 for iPhone

Kindle for iPhone 1.1 released

Amazon adds landscape mode, new text colors, and tap to flip to Kindle 1.1 for iPhone.

Asahi Kasei to Supply Magnetometer for Next-Gen iPhone?

AppleInsider claims that Japanese manufacturer Asahi Kasei will be providing the Magentometer (digital compass) for the upcoming next-generation iPhone. This is based on header files found in the latest iPhone 3.0 beta.

People famili...

Easter Egg in Lyrics - iPhone App Raises Concern about Apple’s App Store Approval Process

Popular ‘Braid’ Game Now Available for Mac

A very popular Xbox video game has made its way to the Mac. Braid for Mac was released today alongside a free downloadable demo. The full version costs $14.95.

Explore the human condition and manipulate time in the lush, painterly...

Review: Sheep Abduction for iPhone

This puzzle game's silly premise and lovely look keep things fresh, and the challenge of its 20 levels is fun to figure out.

Laser Matrix instructions will help you make an incredibly facile projector of your iPhone

Continue reading Laser Matrix instructions will help you make an incredibly facile projector of your iPhone

Filed under: Cellphones

Laser Matrix instructions will help you make an incredibly facile projector of your iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Easter eggs can bypass App Store approval

Lyrics developer Jelle Prins points out that sneaking hidden features into iPhone applications is easy, and Apple has no way of finding them.

Put nature in your head

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

Naturespace [App Store] for the iPhone and iPod touch is a free app that lets you sample very natural and realistic sounds to relax to. They come from the folks at Holographic Audio Theater, who produce some very serene audio tracks for meditating, relaxing, or helping you sleep.

The app itself is attractive and easy to use. It provides 5 different audio environments for headphone listening. While there are some other nice apps that provide similar features, I thought this had the best audio and the most enveloping sound I had sampled. I especially liked the sound of waves lapping on a beach because of the gentle right to left movement.

I listened on both regular headphones, and iPhone earbuds. The software has a switch to turn earbud equalization on, and it did seem to deepen the bass and improve the realism of the presentation.

The app is very well thought out, and if you change to one of the other ambient recordings the sounds slowly fade down and then the new selection fades up. You can go to sleep using these sounds and turn on the iPhone sleep timer. The developers will be glad to sell you additional low cost ambient recordings, but the free app is not crippled in any way and has no advertising. The positive reviews at the App Store are a pretty good indication that this is a well conceived piece of software.

This app will be worth a couple of bucks to many people, but since it is free, I think it's a no-brainer to try and see if you get swept into the sonic environments that are provided. The loops are seamless, so there is nothing to interrupt your reverie as you s l o w l y... r e l a x... a n d... b e g i n... t o... n o d... o f f ...........

Here are some screen shots:

Put nature in your head originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 May 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Put nature in your head originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 May 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Unpatched OS X Java Vulnerabilities Drawing Attention

Programmer and former Apple engineer Landon Fuller has released a proof-of-concept exploit demonstrating vulnerabilities in Apple's current implementation of Java that allow arbitrary code execution in Java-enabled Web browsers. While the vulnerabil...

Stanford iPhone class hit 1 million downloads

Stanford University's iPhone Application Programming course began April 1, and it's already racked up 1 million downloads on iTunes U.

Kindle app for iPhone updated

Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch

Amazon's Kindle app for iPhone [App Store link] was updated this week to include, among other things, landscape mode! Hooray! Additionally, you can change the color of both the text and the background. I like the "Sepia" option; it's similar to the way Classics looks.

Finally, you can turn pages by tapping on either side of the screen (I still prefer to swipe). You'll remember that the Kindle store for iPhone is still only accessible via Mobile Safari, and was optimized a few weeks ago.

Kindle for iPhone was introduced in March of this year and has been popular since.

Kindle app for iPhone updated originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kindle app for iPhone updated originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iPhone Doubles Share of Smartphone Market

While I still firmly believe Apple’s primary currency is mindshare and their primary concern is profit share, analysts fill their plates with metrics and so it’s dinner time once again for smartphone marketshare reports!

And how is Apple doing? Up from 5.3 to 10.8 according to Gartner, while the smartphone market as a whole was up 12.7%.

Of course, when you don’t sell below-cost, margin eating goods, high market share goes hand in hand with high profit share, so Apple is no doubt enjoying both at the moment.

Other big winners included RIM’s BlackBerry, up from 13.3% to 19.9%. Falling in share were Nokia, down from 45.1% to 41.2% and “others” dropping from 28.1% to 18.8% (we have to figure Palm is hidden in there somewhere, and will no doubt rebound when the Pre hits the market starting June 8).

[via Apple Insider]

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

iPhone Doubles Share of Smartphone Market

Review: DLO SlimCase for iPhone 3G

The DLO SlimCase for iPhone 3G is available from The iPhone Blog Store for $39.95. If you are looking for a case that allows you to easily remove your iPhone while still keeping it secure when in the case, this one might be for you!. Let’s see how it measures up after the break!

Design

The DLO SlimCase comes with the case and wrist strap. There is a nice leather finish on the outside of the case and a soft, non-scratch material on the inside. This material allows the iPhone to slide into the case smoothly, yet holds it in place securely as well. The included wrist strap attaches at the top of the case and does not impede placing the iPhone in or out of the case.

Daily Use

When I first looked at this case I was perplexed as to why the whole top half of it was open. As you can see in the pictures, there is no flap or clip to keep the iPhone from falling out! However, after spending some time with the case, I feel this design was done for three reasons; 1) easy access to remove the phone as needed for docking, etc. 2) to keep the form factor compact 3) complete and unobscured access to the iPhone’s external buttons.

The DLO SlimCase is durable and stylish. The removable wrist strap comes in helpful too. The smooth leather case allows it to easily slip in your pocket and I feel it is protected. The only concern I have is if the case is dropped. I feel fairly confident that the iPhone will stay in the case, but the issue is the top corners; they are unprotected and if it takes the brunt of a fall, could harm the iPhone’s shell.

Using this case daily, I did not encounter any problems. It didn’t get stuck in my jeans pocket and it held up well under the daily abuse a case can get. I kept the wrist strap attached, but found that the case gave the iPhone sufficient grip so I did not use it. The Big question I know is on your mind: with a gaping opening at the top of the case, did the iPhone stay in securely? The answer is yes. The iPhone does fit securely, I had no issues with it coming loose.

Conclusion

This iPhone case is a double-edged sword; easily removable and slim, yet a compromise on the top corners if dropped. I am giving this case a 3 instead of a 4 because I have concerns if I were to drop the case, would the top corners be protected? If this is not a concern for you, then this is a great case that looks good, has a nice finish and allows you to remove the iPhone easily for docking or other activities.

Pros:

• Nice leather finish
• Easily remove the iPhone as needed
• Case is compact
• Openings for accessing everything you need on your phone
• Wrist strap

Cons:

• Top corners are exposed
• Not dockable

TiPb’s Rating:

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

Review: DLO SlimCase for iPhone 3G

Stitcher 2.0, now with 100% more TUAW

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

In our discussions of radio apps for the iPhone we've briefly mentioned Stitcher, a great app for accessing a wide variety of audio programs on the go. In fact, Stitcher has been kind enough to add our TUAW Talkcast in the app and on their site (where you can stream via your browser). Stitcher is currently available for the iPhone and several of the latest BlackBerry models, although the Storm version is still pending. I've been using Stitcher 2 for a while, and if you're a news junkie, you will be pleased.

Check the gallery for a screen-by-screen analysis, but here are some winning points for Stitcher:

• A large library of podcasts. Why listen via Stitcher? Well, you can get them on the go and you don't have to download them.
• A library of headlines -- posts read aloud from sites like TechCrunch and Macworld. It might seem silly to some, but for commuters it's a great way to hear what your favorite sites are writing about.
• Even more content from people like NPR, MSNBC, Fox News, Slate, CNN, The Onion and many others.
• A "station" model like Pandora. The idea is to "stitch" together a station of the stuff you like. Maybe you like a little offbeat humor, a little financial news and then wind down with Engadget headlines. Stitcher can do that.
• Stitcher is also pretty good at recommending content, so it becomes a discovery tool (again, like Pandora). The pre-configured stations are excellent and grouped around content. One of note: Short Attention Span -- all shows are under 3 minutes.
• You can choose to enable an account with Stitcher, providing a connected experience from the web to your iPhone.
• The app itself has a history feature (handy and underrated), an excellent search function and a way to favorite stations.
• Since Stitcher has a web presence, you're also able to get alerts via email or SMS when fresh content arrives. You can set this for any station or broadcast.

Stitcher [iTunes link] is free, setting up an account is free, and all the content is free, so you won't lose anything by trying it out. While you do, be sure to check out the TUAW Talkcast on Stitcher and Engadget's headlines.

Stitcher 2.0, now with 100% more TUAW originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Stitcher 2.0, now with 100% more TUAW originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Yahoo shifts gears on mobile app

Yahoo is discontinuing an application for smartphones because it thinks browsers are good enough to run the Web-based app.

iPhone acts as Park Tour Guide with ZionQuest

If you’ve ever been to the state of Utah in the USA, one of the most beautiful parts is Southern Utah, also known as “Red Rock Country”. Zion National Park includes stunning mountains and adventurous trails and climbing. Many leave Zion National Park awe-inspired by its grandeur. Now your iPhone can act as a tour [...]

Apple looking to expand global carriers with next-gen iPhone

With just weeks to go before Apple is expected to take the wraps off its new family of touchscreen handsets, the iPhone maker remains engaged in talks with carriers vying to join its expansive fleet of authorized wireless providers. Word of the ongoing discussions was leaked Tuesday evening via a Twitter blast from Telecom New Zealand, [...]

Gartner: iPhone Doubles Share of Smartphone Market Over Year-Ago Quarter

Research firm Gartner today released a report covering mobile phone sales for the first quarter of 2009. As part of the report, Gartner released sales figures and market share for the smartphone category, which includes Apple's iPhone. According to...

Yahoo stops development on Blackberry browser app to focus on iPhone app

In the latest sign that the iPhone is emerging as the platform of choice for companies of all sizes, Yahoo on Wednesday will reportedly cease work on its Mobile app for BlackBerry and other smartphones to concentrate its resources on iPhone and browser-centric development. Word of the move was picked up by blog site TechCrunch after [...]