Apple asks (demands) developers remove “Free Memory” functionality from apps

In another seemingly controversial App Store approval decision, Apple has forced iPhone developers to remove functionality that allows users to “free memory” on demand. While third parties are limited from developing background applications for the iPhone, Apple allows their applications such as the iPod, Safari, and Mail applications to continue to run. After prolonged use, these [...]

OpenCL Benchmarks and Support for Both MacBook Pro GPUs

With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, we're getting our first look at the possibilities behind Snow Leopard's OpenCL technology. OpenCL is a framework that allows applications to more easily harness the power of multiple GPUs and CPUs found in...

iPhone turns Pittsburgh man into Columbo, helps cops catch robbers

Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone, MobileMe

The MobileMe Find my iPhone service certainly paid off for a Pittsburgh area man. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that police said the man was robbed at gunpoint in Shadyside (a neigborhood on the east side of Pittsburgh, home to an Apple Store) by two men who asked for his credit cards and the PIN numbers.

Police say he turned over his wallet, PIN numbers, and his iPhone. Later the man used his computer and MobileMe to find the location of the phone, and police located the crooks at a gas station. Officers recovered a pellet gun, stolen ID cards, credit cards and cash.

Three men have been charged in the incident with device fraud, conspiracy, receiving stolen property and possessing instruments of crime. 2 of the 3 are also being charged with robbery.

The victim, not identified by the police, is probably a happy guy, and will no doubt renew his MobileMe subscription when it comes up.

One caution. If something similar happens to you, don't go chasing the thieves by yourself. Confronting criminals is serious police work & nothing for the amateur sleuth to try.

[Via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and thanks to Sean for the tip]

iPhone turns Pittsburgh man into Columbo, helps cops catch robbers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone turns Pittsburgh man into Columbo, helps cops catch robbers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alive 4-ever, TapDefense, UFC, Facebook 3.0, Snow Leopard, Brushes 2.0 - TiPb Picks of the Week!

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: Alive 4-ever

Alive 4-ever is the latest zombie erradication game for the iPhone! You can choose between different characters, level them up and buy equiment and weapons. The game borrow heavily from iDracula, but really takes it to another level with its customization options. If you love blowing away zombies with added depth and customizations, check out Alive 4-ever! [$0.99 - iTunes link]

Chris’ Pick: TapDefense

This tower defender game is entertaining and FREE! Try to prevent various demons and other underworld minions from entering Heavan with well placed archer towers, canon towers, and more! With a variety of game boards, modes, and goals you can mix and match to create a wide array of game options. It is add supported (and includes two new towers that you can only get my “filling out a offer”) but even on the basic level it is still good for passing the time. [Free - iTunes link]

Jeremy’s Pick: UFC

Not home to watch the fights? The UFC app has you covered — stream live events directly from your iPhone via 3G or WiFi. (Normal ppv fee does apply) - [$0.99 - iTunes link]

Justin’s Pick: Facebook 3.0

I’m not that big of a Facebook user as Twitter consumes most of my social networking time. I think I use Twitter more because I really love social networking “on the go” vs sitting in front of my computer and the pre 3.0 app version was pretty awful. Before this version my main interaction with Facebook was via selective Twitter updates, but now the Facebook app is fun to use again and will pull some time away from Twitter. [Free - iTunes link]

Leanna’s Pick: Facebook 3.0

As you probably know, Facebook for iPhone got a huge update this week. Finally, I can visit Facebook on my iPhone without any feelings of anger! Notifications are no longer a disaster and it’s just a quick tap to “like” a post. For the past couple months, my Facebook usage (both on iPhone and computer) has gone down, but with Facebook 3.0, I’m back in business! [Free - iTunes link]

Rene’s Pick #1: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Had. To. Be. Picked. No, not because it’s refined or enhanced, but simply because with Snow Leopard Apple Shows that, as much as OS X helped make the iPhone (and iPod touch) OS, all the work that’s gone into optimization and UI for the iPhone is being brought back to the Mac as well. Win. Win. From the compressed files that take up less space, to QuickTime X and its trim and share features, to ActiveSync support for Exchange, the iPhone’s tiny footprints are all over this big cat and gosh darnit, that just makes us proud. [$29.99 - Apple Store link]

Rene’s Pick #2: Brushes 2.0

The original Brushes, a finger-painting wonder for the iPhone and iPod touch, gained attention when it was used to make the cover for the New Yorker. Deservedly so. Brushes 2.0, however, says “meh!” at it’s predecessor and ups the finger-painting ante with layers, a better brush panel, and more powerful zoom. If you want to let your inner iPhone artist out, give this a whirl. Or a dap. Or any stroke you feel like! [$4.99 - iTunes link]

Your Pick?

You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

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

Alive 4-ever, TapDefense, UFC, Facebook 3.0, Snow Leopard, Brushes 2.0 - TiPb Picks of the Week!

Yelp Sneaks Augmented Reality Feature in iPhone App Through an Easter Egg

Facebook 3.0 released for the iPhone

We knew it was coming in all of its glory. With additions such as events, creating photo albums, photo zoom, and a new home screen, how could we not be excited for the Facebook for iPhone 3.0 update? Well, the wait is over: Facebook 3.0 for the iPhone has arrived. The new update completely upgrades the [...]

Apple claims “exploding” iPhones due to screen pressure, not battery overheating

Last week, reports surfaced that Apple was investigating reports of “exploding” iPhones, spurred by publicity surrounding the case of a French teenager who had reportedly received an eye injury when the screen of his iPhone shattered. French news agency AFP reported earlier this week that additional claims of exploding iPhones had surfaced and that France’s [...]

FCC to launch wireless competition investigation; could impact Apple

The Federal Communications Commission signaled this week that it will look into major U.S. wireless carriers in an attempt to increase competition, innovation, and consumer protection in the market. “Wireless mobility has become central to the economic, civic, and social lives of over 270 million Americans,” an FCC press release stated. “We are now in the [...]

Official deal: Apple and China Unicom agree to 3-year pact to sell the iPhone

Following weeks of speculation and false reports, Apple and China Unicom have finally hurdled the Great Wall for a three-year deal to sell the iPhone. Multiple reports have confirmed the agreement on behalf of both China Unicom and Apple. According to The Wall Street Journal, the carrier will offer two versions of the iPhone in the [...]

Snow Leopard Does Not Break iPhone Jailbreaking & Unlocking Tools

Dev-Team: Snow Leopard Safe for Jailbreak or Unlock

On Friday, Apple launched their new Mac operating system, OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, and whenever that happens, Mac iPhone Jailbreakers everyone wonder if, on purpose or by accident (oh, hi DFU bug!) Apple will somehow break the Jailbreak. Well, good news this time around — Snow Leopard looks to be Jailbreak safe according to the Dev-Team:

Snow Leopard, the OS released for Mac on Friday, poses no new wrinkles for the redsn0w jailbreak or ultrsn0w unlock. [...] We’re glad to see Apple joining in on the “snow” theme. If only Apple had called their new OS “Sn0w Leopard”!

Indeed!

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

Dev-Team: Snow Leopard Safe for Jailbreak or Unlock

Apple Claims Exploding iPhones Due to External Force; Denies Battery Problems

Stupid and unjustified App Store rejection letter of the day

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Bad Apple, Developer, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

TUAW has covered the fine iPhone apps from Tapbots more than once. ConvertBot is a beautifully-designed and functional app to do a myriad of unit conversion calculations, while WeightBot is my personal favorite app for keeping track of my incredible ballooning body.

Tapbots posted an entry on their blog today stating that the most recent version of ConvertBot (1.4) had been rejected by Apple. What was Apple's reason for the rejection? As you can see in the graphic at the top of the page, the ConvertBot icon for time conversions looks very similar to the Phone app icon for recent calls. This is the same icon that has passed Apple's scrutiny in previous versions, so it is ridiculous for the company's eagle-eyed app inspectors to suddenly decide that the icon is unfit for iPhone consumption.

Mark Jardine of Tapbots noted "So what's the plan? I need to redo the icon, I suppose. But Convertbot icons were meant to use as little lines/shapes as possible to identify the category. I feel that our current icon represents time as simply as possible. So how can we make Time different? What if it's set at 9 o'clock instead of 3? Is that acceptable? The big problem here is the only way I can get that answer is by making the change, resubmitting the app, and waiting another week or 2 for Apple's verdict."

What gives, Apple? You release a couple of amazing apps to the world this week (Facebook, Spotify, TUAW, and Yelp), but you hold up the next release of an established app over an icon. I'm giving the App Store approval people the "idiots" tag on this post.

Stupid and unjustified App Store rejection letter of the day originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Stupid and unjustified App Store rejection letter of the day originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW’s iPhone app: it’s alive

If you love TUAW, iPhones, and apps (and let's be honest... you do), then today should be filled with wonderment and excitement. Why you ask? Because our homeboys and girls over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog have released their very own iPhone app -- and it's pretty darn slick. If you know what's good for you, you'll get to downloading it right now. It's what Steve Jobs would want you to do.

Read - TUAW's post on the app
Read - iTunes link

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

TUAW's iPhone app: it's alive originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Closer Look at Snow Leopard’s Wake on Demand Feature [Updated]

MacUser provides an in-depth look at one useful new feature in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: Wake On Demand.

[Wake On Demand] is Apple's name for a new networking feature that lets a Snow Leopard Mac go to sleep while a networked base ...

A Closer Look at Snow Leopard’s Wake on Demand Feature

MacUser provides an in depth look at one useful new feature in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: Wake On Demand.

[Wake On Demand] is Apple’s name for a new networking feature that lets a Snow Leopard Mac go to sleep while a networked base ...

Review: Joyland Bounce for iPhone

In Joyland Bounce, you control a bouncing orange ball trying to gather up stars that have fallen from the sky. It's a simple concept that some players may tire of quickly, though the game does boast 35 levels and interesting animation.

Hell freezes over; Now X Client for Mac now shipping

Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Blast From the Past, iPhone

In a surprise move after years of breathless anticipation by users of Now Up-To-Date and Contact, Now Software released Now X Client for Mac on Thursday, August 27, 2009. In case you're wondering, yes, this was the calendar and contact app formerly known as Nighthawk.

Why the snarky tone? Well, Nighthawk Now X has been one of the biggest examples of vaporware in the Mac community for at least two or three years. Many users of Now Up-To-Date and Contact, which was a relatively powerful set of applications for managing calendars and contacts, have waited patiently for the promised app, only to have their hopes dashed year after year. All of my clients who used NUDC have moved on to other Mac / iPhone or cloud apps.

Even this announcement is somewhat tainted. There's no Windows version of Now X for people in multi-platform offices, the much-touted server module isn't done, and the FAQ page states that "Now X runs on both Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard." Uh, guys, while you were developing this application, Apple came out with something called Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Now Software also states that Now X syncs to iPhone, but there's no iPhone client -- it simply syncs Up-To-Date info to Calendar and Contact to Contacts. Most other apps of this type, including Marketcircle Daylite, have an accompanying iPhone app. The company says that the app "is being designed." From past experience, Now X users looking for an iPhone version may have a very long wait ahead of them.

A TUAW First Look of the Now X Client for Mac will be posted soon.

Hell freezes over; Now X Client for Mac now shipping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hell freezes over; Now X Client for Mac now shipping originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China Unicom Strikes Deal with Apple to Finally Bring the iPhone to China

Apple Resellers Report iPod Stocks Dwindling, All SKUs Being Discontinued

Ars Technica reports that Apple resellers are currently reporting low stocks of most iPod models, and no additional shipments of the existing models are reported to be available. Additionally, resellers report that the stock-keeping units (SKUs) for...