Google Announces Google Chrome Operating System

Google announced that they are getting into the Operating System business with Google Chrome Operating System. The new OS is described as their attempt to "re-think" what operating systems should be.

Google Chrome OS will be an open s...

Next Generation 3,1 iPod Model Detected in Logs

PinchMedia announced that they had started detecting the "iPod 3,1" version number in their analytics reporting from App Store applications. The details are as follows:

- the first time an application using Pinch Analytics was run b...

Amazon Spits Delicious Library for iPhone Out of App Store

Amazon, citing new provisions of their API/data terms of use, informed Delicious Library developer Wil Shipley that if he didn’t immediately remove Delicious Library for iPhone from the iTunes App Store, they’d remove his ability to use Amazon APIs and data from all of his products, including the long-standing Delicious Library for Mac.

Just when we thought Apple had a hold on mind-boggling app blocking. Sigh.

TUAW quotes the relevant new passage:

(e) You will not, without our express prior written approval requested via this link , use any Product Advertising Content on or in connection with any site or application designed or intended for use with a mobile phone or other handheld device.

So, according to Shipley:

Delicious Library for iPhone isn’t coming back as long as we’re using Amazon’s APIs, unless they decide to make an exception to section 4e.

Which he says he’s been told they aren’t going to do at this point.

Is this just another big company stumbling about in confusion about new mobile technology and how it’s used, ready to rectify it when public outcry makes them aware and uncomfortable. Or is this a sign that Amazon has big plans for this new mobile technology themselves, and they don’t plan to share?

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

Amazon Spits Delicious Library for iPhone Out of App Store

Quick App 3.0: G-Map East and West Now Feature Turn-by-Turn, Voice-Guided Navigation

G-Map from XRoad sent us a postcard from their drive up highway 3.0 and let us know they’ve come back with great new features like real-time voice guidance and turn-by-turn arrows.

And as always, since G-Map 1.3.1 downloads its maps to your iPhone, you don’t need a data or Wi-Fi connection to use them, which comes in handy when in-between cities and off the grid.

Both G-Map East [$34.99 - iTunes link] and G-Map West [$34.99 - iTunes link] are currently on sale at a reduced price in the App Store. So, if no-subscription, download-to-your-iPhone turn-by-turn GPS navigation appeals to you, and you decide to give it a try, let us know if it gets you where you’re going.

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

Quick App 3.0: G-Map East and West Now Feature Turn-by-Turn, Voice-Guided Navigation

Another turn by turn app with voice for the iPhone

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review

Many months ago I received a review copy of G-Map for the iPhone. It had its own maps and turn by turn directions, but no voice guidance, and North was always up. Apple was limiting nav apps at that time, and I had real trouble with G-Map. I couldn't load it on my iPhone. It kept locking up about halfway through the process. Extensive back and forth with the developers in Japan came to nothing, so I gave up. Finally, last April, my colleague Steve Sande was able to load it, and reviewed it for TUAW.

Now, with iPhones having new hardware and new software, G-Map [App Store] works and is certainly a competitor to the subscription-based AT&T app. You buy G-Map in one of several editions. G-Map West, at US$34.99, covers the Western States, and G-Map East covers, you guessed it, the Eastern U.S. It is also priced at 34.99. It gets a bit tricky, because some states like Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee and Wisconsin are split. If you travel all around those states you will probably want both editions.

There is also a California edition for $19.99, and one at the same price for New Jersey and New York. Versions for Canada and Europe are coming. All the G-Map modules require iPhone software version 3.0.

So how does it work? Pretty well, but with some caveats. It's accurate at getting your position. The voice directions are quite audible, especially compared to the distorted AT&T app. The on-screen display gives you your speed limit, distance to your next turn, distance to destination and time to destination. It also plots major intersections in a very detailed 3D view, which is helpful. This works in the largest 185 metro areas.

Another plus is that all the maps are on your phone. If you slide out of AT&T's service area the maps are still there; in contrast, the Telenav-based AT&T Navigator app will not work if you don't have data coverage, as the maps are downloaded on-demand.

There are some downsides. The POI database is pretty thin in smaller towns. From Southern Arizona it couldn't find the Phoenix Airport. It probably would have found it when I was closer, but even a POI search didn't bring it up. As I was sitting at a long established car wash, it said no car washes were nearby. It did better with restaurants, banks, and hospitals. Like the AT&T app, there is no landscape mode, and you can't get access to your address book, which is just plain silly.

It looks like the database, which comes from Navteq, has some errors, as do all such systems. Navigating to a restaurant, G-map reported it was on the left, when it was actually on the right.

Unlike the AT&T Navigator, G-Map has no real time traffic, but it does provide info from Navteq's traffic statistics to predict trouble areas.

Even with some weakness, G-Map is a worthy competitor to the AT&T iPhone app. If you have the room on your phone (G-Map West is 824 MB), you can navigate without worrying about cell network access.

It's cheaper than a monthly subscription would be over time, although there is no word when maps will be updated and what the cost will be. If the G-Map developers clean up the POI database, and add a lot more to it, I think they may sell a lot of apps. As it is, for getting to places where you know the address, it works about as well as the AT&T Navigator at a fraction of the cost. Of course more choices are coming, including the much discussed TomTom app, so you may want to wait it out and see what other offerings come along.

Here are some screen shots that show some of the major features:

Another turn by turn app with voice for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Another turn by turn app with voice for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Delicious Library iPhone app yanked from App Store

The iPhone companion app for the popular Delicious Library media-cataloging application has been removed from the App Store, but not at Apple's request.

WWDC Demo: Coolness Test and Spin the Ball

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Coolness Test (iTunes link) is a well-executed game of skill where you tap a green button as it moves around the screen. You have to avoid the red button, and both move around the screen with each tap. The developers found people were playing for extraordinary lengths of time, and I can see why. You can enter a sort of trance as you focus on the movement of the buttons. It might even improve hand/eye coordination, but all videogames say that, don't they?

Unfortunately Coolness Test, despite the low price of being free, suffers from over 3,000 negative reviews and less than 600 positive ones. Why? If you read the reviews, it's pretty much the deal with any of these one-trick pony apps: you either love it or hate it. I think it's unfortunate the developers called it a "coolness" test, when wrapping it in the obvious skill test it is would have been more apropos. But it is free, and if you're into button-induced trances, it'll do the trick. There's nothing functionally deficient about the game that I saw, so the reviews are simply people who thought it would determine their actual coolness, I guess.

Spin the Ball (iTunes link) is a bit more toy than game but it is what it is. Swipe your finger quickly across the ball on the screen, then use the accelerometer to "balance" the spinning ball on your finger. Just like a Globetrotter, you can keep spinning the ball with your finger, thus infuriating the Generals. Spin the Ball is also free, and seems to summon less rage by reviewers than Coolness Test, but I'd say it's the lesser of these two apps.

WWDC Demo: Coolness Test and Spin the Ball originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

WWDC Demo: Coolness Test and Spin the Ball originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple to Build $1 Billion Server Farm in North Carolina

Apple's plans for a $1 billion server farm in North Carolina has been officially announced.

:“This opportunity is… fabulous,” Catawba County Economic Development President Scott Millar said at a joint meeting of county commissioners a...

Apple to Build $1 Billion Server Farm in NC

Apple's plans for a $1 billion server farm in North Carolina has been officially announced.

:“This opportunity is… fabulous,” Catawba County Economic Development President Scott Millar said at a joint meeting of county commissioners a...

First Look and giveaway: iShotgun Pro

Filed under: Gaming, Software, iPhone, iPod touch

I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to iPhone games. For example, I've had Monopoly [App Store] on my iPhones since the app first appeared, and so far I've played 201 games. My other favorite? Apple's Texas Hold'em. So why would a shooting app be interesting to me?

iShotgun Pro [US$1.99, App Store] is a fun little shooting game from developer Yossi Malki in which you use a pump-action shotgun like my trusty Remington Model 870 to shoot clay targets. You go through 15 timed rounds shooting at single and multiple clay targets or falling bullseyes and bombs. There are three different levels of play so you can build your skills.

Just like in real clay pigeon shooting, you can yell "Pull!" to have the targets launched. There are also ways to launch the clays automatically or by tapping a button on the screen. You get different point levels for hitting various colors of clays, and try to avoid the black targets which reduce your point total. In the rounds where bullseyes and bombs are dropping, you need to avoid hitting the bombs. To aim, you can either use the iPhone's accelerometer or just tap where you want to shoot.

Continue reading First Look and giveaway: iShotgun Pro

First Look and giveaway: iShotgun Pro originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

First Look and giveaway: iShotgun Pro originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Put Things Off for iPhone

If you value more powerful task management features, then Put Things Off will offer you very little. But if the complexity of many current task managers leaves you feeling overwhelmed, Put Things Off is an enjoyable way to manage things.

Opera CEO: Major US carrier deal imminent

The Opera Mini browser will soon have widespread distribution on mobile handsets in the U.S., according to the company's chief executive.

Singing the iPhone battery blues

Filed under: Bugs/Recalls, iPhone

"My iPhone's been draining awfully fast since I installed 3.0," I commented to a fellow TUAW blogger just a few days after the release of the iPhone 3.0 firmware. At first, I wanted to think it was my phone. But, my iPhone 3G wasn't even 90 days old at the time of the observation and I'd been able to keep it on standby for several days before it needed a charge. Now, I could barely make it through a 10-hour workday before rushing out to the car to hook it up to a power source.

Aaron Vronko of RapidRepair says that this isn't an isolated incident. The iPhone 3G may now deplete its energy supply in roughly two hours, and the first generation iPhone lasts less than a day. Vronko tells Macworld that the cause is most likely push notification placing a drain on the battery's reserves. The issue has also led to complaints on Apple's support forums.

I've definitely noticed the difference. If I leave myself logged into BeeJive IM while I'm at work, my phone drains much faster than it does if I'm logged out. Regular push mail notification from MobileMe doesn't affect the battery level all that much, even with the high volume of e-mail I receive through TUAW. So, to save on the battery for now, I'm avoiding the push applications as much as I can if I don't have a charger within reach.

Vronko believes that the 3.1 release will solve the battery issues.

[Via MacNN]

Singing the iPhone battery blues originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Singing the iPhone battery blues originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some doubt whether DOJ has case to reform exclusive phone deals

There is keen interest in whether the U.S. Department of Justice Department will investigate large telecom companies for anticompetitive practices, which could...

Quick App: Prowl Provides Push Notification for Growl on iPhone

Prowl ($2.99 - iTunes link) sends Growl alerts to your iPhone via Push Notification. That’s right, duck and cover, we’ve just found the nu-cu-lar option.

Growl is a well known 3rd party alert system for Mac OS X and provides heads up display of incoming email, twitter, file transfer, chats, downloads, and just about anything you can shake an “I want to know” at. And Windows users, don’t you fret — they’re working on a beta for Microsoft’s platform as well.

Prowl takes Growl alerts and send them on to your iPhone (or iPod touch), and you can configure the type and priority level you want to get. Up to 30 days of notifications are logged, and links remain active in the alerts.

For hardcore status trackers, this might just be a dream come true. For those who think one more alert will send them over the cliffs of insanity… best stay well clear.

If you do try it out, Mac or Windows, let us know how it works for you.

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

Quick App: Prowl Provides Push Notification for Growl on iPhone

Dev Team Release RedSn0w to Jailbreak iPhone 3GS & UltraSn0w to Unlock iPhone 3GS

iPhone 3GS-compatible redsn0w jailbreak released, not announced

You won't find an official announcement anywhere on the iPhone dev-team's blog yet, but a new version of the redsn0w jailbreak, 0.8, has just been posted to its official torrents that apparently includes 3GS compatibility (in addition to support for the 3G and original iPhones plus the second-gen iPod touch, as before). Whether it's better than GeoHot's purplera1n jailbreak is unknown, but hey, the more, the merrier -- even the iPhone hacking community isn't immune from brutally competitive market forces, eh?

[Via iPhone Download Blog]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

iPhone 3GS-compatible redsn0w jailbreak released, not announced originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Falling in love all over again with the Mac Classic iPhone case

Filed under: Accessories, Odds and ends, iPhone, iPod touch

For those of us who are old enough to remember it, the classic "smiling Mac" was the face that first made us fall in love with a boxy little beige computer. Now Colorado designer vanMourik on Etsy.com has created a felt iPhone case that brings back that first love...

Available for only US$25, the Mac Classic iPhone case [link to Etsy] is a handmade work of art. While it's cute enough to grace the purse of a fashionista, it's also cool enough to be found in the cluttered laptop case of any Mac geek. There's even a embroidered Apple rainbow logo!

If some enterprising developer could create an iPhone app to go along with the case that would play the startup beep of the original Mac when the iPhone is removed from it, that would bring tears to the eyes of legions of Mac faithful.

Well done, vanMourik!

[Thanks for the tip, Seth. Via iPhoneSavior]

Falling in love all over again with the Mac Classic iPhone case originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Falling in love all over again with the Mac Classic iPhone case originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boston plans iPhone app — will anyone use it?

The city of Boston will soon release its very own iPhone app, letting residents send complaints about potholes, graffiti, and other indignities of urban life to City Hall.

Macworld’s iPhone Superguide gets 3.0 update

Macworld's iPhone and iPod Touch Superguide, freshly updated for iPhone 3.0 and the iPhone 3GS, is now available.