Apple Celebrates First Anniversary of App Store

Apple has started celebrating the first anniversary of the App Store with a special section on iTunes [link] highlighting their favorite applications and games. While the App Store officially launched on July 11th 2008, many MacRumors reade...

Hero of Sparta for iPhone: An Entertaining, Graphic Rich Game [iPhone Game Review]

Giant Bomb makes an app (and, more importantly, a commercial)

Filed under: Humor, Multimedia, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store

Unless you're a fan of their website, you probably don't need the Giant Bomb iPhone app. It's a pretty limited use piece of software. While it does offer easy access to everything on their site, including videos, reviews, previews, and so on, it actually costs $1.99, and we can't really justify a purchase like that. Isn't browsing sites what Safari is for?

But we are thankful that they made the app, because, at the very least, it encouraged them to make the commercial above. It features a few spot-on parodies (the first one overstays its welcome, but stick with it), and even has some nice iPhone-related humor. I don't know about you folks, but I winced when Apple's device went in the drink during the ShamWow parody. The app itself might not be worth the price, but the commercial is definitely worth every penny.

Giant Bomb makes an app (and, more importantly, a commercial) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Giant Bomb makes an app (and, more importantly, a commercial) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WWDC Demo: Ow My Balls!

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

Yeah, so did you see Idiocracy? While I'm convinced it's merely a documentary sent to us from a future Mike Judge, warning us of the dangers of Brawndo and poor math education, one of the takeaway phrases from the movie has made its way into an iPhone app. Yes, Martha, you can say "balls" on the App Store. While tasteful slideshow apps like Minipops are rejected without so much as a "get bent," somehow Ow My Balls! became the first app on the store to use "balls" in this sense. Apple: always on the cutting edge.

Anyway, I wound up trying Ow My Balls! (iTunes link) on the plane back from San Francisco, and guess what? It really is strangely addictive. Not like Fieldrunners-grade addiction, mind you, but it's a low level thing that makes you play for a much longer time than you'd ever think you'd be playing. Is it worth $.99? Yeah, if you're into this sort of thing.

The game mechanic is simple: kick the guy off a ledge (in the aforementioned nether regions), tap him to "fart" and make him stay in the air longer. You have small goals like hitting every target and getting maximum rackage by hitting more stuff on the way down. That's really about it, but as I said, it's more fun than you'd imagine. My only problem: I can't find the very last object to run into. Ow, my finger!

The video of the app in action is next...

Continue reading WWDC Demo: Ow My Balls!

WWDC Demo: Ow My Balls! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

WWDC Demo: Ow My Balls! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone vs. Pre: The best air-travel companion

Filed under: iPhone

What are your tips for traveling with your iPhone?

iPhone vs. Pre: The best air-travel companion originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone vs. Pre: The best air-travel companion originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sirius XM app soars even without Howard Stern

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Sirius XM reports today that the iPhone app [App Store] it released June 18th has become the top free download in the Music Category on iTunes.

It has been grabbed more than 1 million times either by Sirius XM subscribers or people who did not have Sirius hardware and simply wanted to pay the US$13.00 a month fee for access to the 120 plus channels available.

"Reaching more than 1 million downloads so quickly is a strong testament to our world-class programming and SIRIUS XM's instant brand recognition," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer of SIRIUS XM Radio. "Our goal is to give people access to the best audio entertainment wherever they go with what we think is the best music and audio entertainment application available on the App Store."

The numbers are impressive but the subscribers still can't listen to Howard Stern who is one of the big draws to the satellite broadcaster. Sirius really hasn't had any substantive comment about omitting Stern, but the issue appears to be Stern himself, who wants more money to be offered on cellular devices. On his daily show in June he said "It was a rights thing, a contractual rights thing, It was a rights issue and a whole entanglement thing. So, we're not on it. Maybe one day we will be."

Although the app is a very popular download, it has very negative reviews at the App Store. As of this morning more than 38,000 reviewers gave it one star, more than twice all the other ratings combined.

Sirius XM app soars even without Howard Stern originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sirius XM app soars even without Howard Stern originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Factron iPhone case packs interchangeable camera lenses, built-in excess

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

Factron iPhone case packs interchangeable camera lenses, built-in excess originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FinalPrice shopping app released

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

For those of you who still frequent brick and mortar stores, Jimmi Rehman has released the new FinalPrice 1.0 shopping app for the iPhone/iPod Touch at 99 cents. It requires 3.0 software to run.

This app is a useful one-trick-pony. If you find a sale, the idea is to have your iPhone figure out how much something will cost after the item is discounted and after adding your local tax.

The calculations are solid but I had some trouble with the interface. Tapping the info button didn't work well at first. I had to tap it a number of times using various amounts of pressure for it to be recognized. The other buttons are not as unresponsive, but it still takes a number of taps for any of them to be recognized.

The info screen tells you to enter the original price and then tap the check mark to the right. When you do, the full amount gets displayed on the top green window. Next, enter the sales tax and click the check box to the left. After a few tries, when the click was accepted, a picker with discount percentages in five percent increments is displayed and you can choose the discount percent. Lastly, click on the 'What's the Final Price' button and your calculated price is displayed in the top window.

This is a very useful app and for those who like to peruse shopping malls, which doesn't include me, I can see a good deal of value here. Along with the Amazon app, (previously reviewed) you'll be carrying a nice toolbox to check prices and find out if you are getting a deal or not.

I just wish the buttons were more responsive.

What apps do you take shopping? As an iPhone newbie I would like to know, and I'm sure so would many of our readers looking for another way to simplify their shopping trips.

FinalPrice shopping app released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

FinalPrice shopping app released originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Need to know when nature is most convenient to call? Get RunPee

This is an ingenious website that tells you when to head for a bathroom break during a movie so you don’t miss any good parts? The site has now released its first mobile version for iPhone users. Built on the same premise as the website, RunPee’s iPhone app tells you the most opportune times to head [...]

Apple to possibly add micro projectors to iPhone and Touches?

With the storage capacities of iPhones and iPod touches on the rise, consumers are likely to begin carrying more and more of their digital video content on the devices, and could soon have the capability to project those videos for friends and family just about anywhere. According to Taiwanese rumor site DigiTimes, Foxlink, a subsidiary of [...]

reQall app gets Push notifications in growing trend

reQall, the speech-to-text-powered task manager, has updated its free iPhone app to push reminders and tasks to your phone at any time, along with a few welcome features for fans of the memory-jogging service. Along with the push notification, something we expect to see many other task management apps pick up on, reQall for iPhone 3.0 [...]

WWDC Demo: Dive Log, Trimix and Nitrox for iPhone, iPod touch

Filed under: Cool tools, WWDC, iPhone, iPod touch

Living in a landlocked state I was never much of a diver. But if you are an active SCUBA diver, you may find Dive Log (and companions Trimix and Nitrox) useful. Dive Log (iTunes link) does what you'd think: it logs your dives. If you've never been diving this may seem trivial. Dive logs, however, are far from trivial, as they contain crucial data related to dives -- like how much weight you added to your belt in a given location. Dive Log will import/export your data in UDCF format, and offers full sync with Diving Log 4.0 (unfortunately only on Windows). Plus, the developers have a free app for backing up your logs, and you can import logs from MacDive.

Nitrox Tools and Trimix Tools (both iTunes links) are more specialized diving apps for the serious SCUBA guy or gal, who may mix their own tanks. I'm certainly not one of them, but the tools look sufficiently hardy for those folks, plus there's an online version of Nitrox here (for Safari) that will give you a taste of the app's capabilities.

WWDC Demo: Dive Log, Trimix and Nitrox for iPhone, iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

WWDC Demo: Dive Log, Trimix and Nitrox for iPhone, iPod touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 8Bitone for iPhone

This audio sequencer certainly isn't aimed at everyone. But if you're interested in music -- particularly old-school computer sounds -- you'll be amazed by how 8Bitone packs a synthesizer onto your iPhone or iPod touch.

iPhone 3GS Video Recording Technical Breakdown

Automatic Filmmaker — you may remember the from the Technologic Overkill music video filmed entirely with an iPhone 3GS — have put together a technical breakdown of what they think so far as well a comparison with the Flip MinoHD.

If you’ve been putting the iPhone 3GS video camera through similar paces, let us know your results as well.

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

iPhone 3GS Video Recording Technical Breakdown

CNNMoney offers iPhone app

CNNMoney.com now offers a free iPhone app.

iPhone Beats Palm Pre at Air Travel?

iPhone vs. Palm Pre combat and comparison is nothing new, but is the latest rivalry in smartphones ready to take to the skies? Ars Technica certainly thinks so:

Ultimately, traveling with the Pre made me want my iPhone back

Though user-changeable, battery life on the Palm Pre was cited as one of the biggest disadvantages, draining rapidly under the onslaught of the famed Synergy and Card systems, and an estimated death in just 30 min. of Sprint TV viewing(?!). Lack of Apps was another.

Far from negative, however, the article gives Palm lots of suggestions to help the troubled Pre traveller out. (Ours, of course, would be actually getting that iPhone back…)

If you have any travel tips of your own to share, drop them in the comments!

[Thanks to Icebike for the tip!]

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

iPhone Beats Palm Pre at Air Travel?

Manage your iPhone’s clipboard with Snippets

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

The cut, copy, and paste features (finally) included in version 3.0 of the iPhone OS greatly improve the productivity of the iDevices. However, there is room for improvement. Enter Erich Bratton with his clipboard manager app, Snippets, available now in the iTunes App Store [iTunes link].

Snippets offers a way to organize bits of text that can be accessed quickly to paste into emails, text messages, notes, and other places. The clips can be categorized into a number of pre-determined or user-created folders as well. To help get new users comfortable, the app comes with a variety of canned responses and other text pieces, some of which are hysterical.

The real power of Snippets lies in the ability to paste or create text in the app for later use. Think of it as boilerplates for your iPhone. If you find yourself writing similar things over and over, simply create an entry in Snippets. When you need to write that same text next time, visit the Snippets app first, view the desired text block (which automatically copies it to the clipboard), and then paste it into whatever app you'd like. It really couldn't be much simpler.

The canned responses included with Snippets are worth its price of $.99 alone, in this blogger's opinion. But even if you are wittier than I and appreciate original pieces of text, Snippets is a great app with a very easy-to-use interface that I plan to use again and again. In fact, I might just start using it to write some generic paragraphs that I can use in every review. What a time-saver!

Manage your iPhone's clipboard with Snippets originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Manage your iPhone's clipboard with Snippets originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U.S. Department of Justice Reviewing Wireless Carrier Exclusivity Agreements

The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has opened a preliminary inquiry into potential anti-competitive practices by the country's largest wireless carriers. One of the major issues being investigated is the existence of...

AT&T: Best sales ever on iPhone 3GS launch day

The exclusive service provider for the iPhone in the U.S. said it had its best-ever day of sales when the iPhone 3GS launched, according to a leaked memo.

Shoot steady iPhone video with Zgrip iPhone PRO

Filed under: Accessories, Multimedia, iPhone

ZGrip iPhone from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago, I shot a video of myself riding a bike around. The result was a bit jumpy, as you might imagine, so I used iMovie 8's stabilization feature to eliminate the shakiness. The result is nice and smooth, but also artifical looking. I assure you, I was not moving that slowly. If only there was a steady cam-like apparatus for the iPhone.

Check out the Zgrip iPhone PRO by Zacuto. The fully articulated arm holds the iPhone in place and several adjustable pivot points allow you to get interesting angles. We haven't played with one, but it sure looks pretty cool. Before you scoff, check out what some people have done with video on the 3GS. The Zgrip iPhone PRO is available now and costs $295US (a low-cost consumer version is forthcoming).

[Via Coudal Partners]

Shoot steady iPhone video with Zgrip iPhone PRO originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shoot steady iPhone video with Zgrip iPhone PRO originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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