Quick App Update: Boxcar 2.0 Push Notification for Twitter, Facebook, and Email — Via In-App Purchase

Boxcar [$2.99 + In-App Purchases - iTunes link], a push-enabler for iPhone and iPod touch originally launched with support for a couple of Twitter clients. Then it added a bunch more. As several Twitter clients now offer support for push themselves, what’s Boxcar to do for a 2.0 encore? Add Facebook and Email push, of course, as well as Twitter Search and Twitter Trends.

Okay, sure, some major Twitter clients like Tweetie and Twitterrific still haven’t added push support, so if they’re your go-to apps, Boxcar may still be a go-to middleapp. Likewise, while Google supports Gmail now via GoogleSync, Exchange users can’t hand over their only ActiveSync slot, so email push-enablers still have their place. Lastly — and it’s a big lastly, while Facebook 3.0 for iPhone just launched, it did so without push support, and so if you don’t want to wait for 3.1 to get your push on, well, here’s your middleapp for that as well.

But… it comes with a price. The $2.99 app price comes with one service built in. If you want to add another, like Facebook, you need to make an additional $0.99 in-app purchase. Email, that’s another $0.99. Twitter Trends and Twitter Search likewise. And since you can have multiple Twitter, Email, Twitter Search, etc. set up, you can go from that base $2.99 to $4.99, even $9.99 or more. Basically, you pay for what’s valuable to you. If you’re working customer service and being push-alerted when your company (or your competitor!) and the word “problem” hits Twitter, $0.99 is a steal. If you don’t care about trends or searches, or Facebook for that matter, you get a cheaper entry price for the app.

So, whether this particular app is worth it to you, and whether or not the in-app purchase upgrades are worth it to you, we’re liking options and being able to choose — and pay for — only what we find of value.

So, if you need push now and you decide to try Boxcar 2.0 out, let us know how it works for you, and what you think of the pricing model!

More screen shots after the break…

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

Quick App Update: Boxcar 2.0 Push Notification for Twitter, Facebook, and Email — Via In-App Purchase

New Apple and the Environment Website Shows It’s Easier Being Green

Apple has set up a new, environment-focused section of their website, which covers their full product range and life-cycle — including TiPb’s titular iPhone [PDF link].

Give it a look and let us know how you think Apple’s doing.

[Thanks everyone who sent this in!]

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

New Apple and the Environment Website Shows It’s Easier Being Green

iPhone Plans in China Starting at $20/month — Aiya!

Looks like China Unicom is set to launch the iPhone 3G 8GB (sans WiFi) for $300, which might sound expensive compared to the US $99 price, but here’s the no-shadow kick — the monthly plan is $20.

Granted, there’s likely no one in the world who feels their iPhone plan is cheap — and many who likely feel it ranges from expensive to exorbitant, but $20 a month compared to $70 or $100? Taken for one year that maths up to $240 vs. $840 or $1200. Two years, that’s $480 vs. $1680 or $2400. Three years… you get the idea (likely painfully and right in the wallet). Makes that $200 up front savings pretty insignificant doesn’t it.

Of course, the aforementioned lack of WiFi may make non-Chinese iPhone owners feel a little better about themselves, and there’s still no way to know how the Internet in general, never mind the App Store will survive the Great Firewall of China.

Hao bu hao?

[Xinhua via Fortune]

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

iPhone Plans in China Starting at $20/month — Aiya!

TomTom iPhone Car Kit Pricing Revealed

TomTom has finally gotten around to revealing the price point for their much anticipated iPhone car kit, which provides its own GPS as well as iPhone charger, loud speaker, and hands-free dialing.

TomTom car kit for the iPhone will have a recommended retail price of EUR 99.99 or USD 119.95.

The TomTom car kit will be available this October and will be sold separately from the TomTom app. It will be compatible with the iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS.

When you add in the price of the TomTom iPhone app, that more than $200 for the combo, not exactly a bargain compared to a stand-alone GPS device. Then again, this saves you having to carry around a second device just for GPS, so does convenience trump cost, or does TomTom need to rethink their business model here?

Could they offer a second version of the TomTom app — one that only works with the car kit — at a greatly discounted price for those who shell out for the car kit? More importantly, should they?

[Via GPSTracklog via TUAW]

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

TomTom iPhone Car Kit Pricing Revealed

iPhone TCG to charge $9.99 for in-app purchases

Filed under: Gaming, Software, iTunes, iPhone, App Store

iPhone TCG to charge $9.99 for in-app purchases originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone TCG to charge $9.99 for in-app purchases originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The (Slightly Evil?) Competition: Google Targeting Hackers Too?

UPDATE: Google’s response, with commentary from Casey.

According to sibling site Android Central, Google has sent a cease & desist order to well-known Android custom ROM maker, CyanogenMod.

Google is not happy that CyanogenMod is distributing closed source Android applications like Gmail, Android Market, YouTube, etc. [...] CyanogenMod explains that he’s not breaking any copyright issues because he develops specifically for Google Experience devices (G1 & myTouch 3G), devices that already include said closed source applications.

Casey asks if this could be a sign of Google finding their inner evil. We re-hash our own cliche: any company sufficiently powerful is indistinguishable from evil. It’s just that Apple (and Microsoft) tend to get called on it more.

But, hey, if any clever Android modders want to port that Gmail app over to the iPhone Jailbreak community, we promise we won’t object…

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

The (Slightly Evil?) Competition: Google Targeting Hackers Too?

AT&T Strikes Back: Asks FCC to Investigate Google Voice

AT&T, according to the WSJ, has asked the FCC to investigate Google Voice for violating federal call-blocking rules. Basically, Google isn’t letting Google Voice users connect to pricy adult chat lines and conference services. (The nerve!)

Slapped around by the FCC a couple of years ago on the same charges, AT&T wants Google to get a taste of that medicine, and likely wants to throw some of the heat they caught over the whole Apple rejection/still-studying Google Voice debacle right back Google’s way.

Google’s blog responds thusly:

AT&T is trying to make this about Google’s support for an open Internet, but the comparison just doesn’t fly. The FCC’s open Internet principles apply only to the behavior of broadband carriers — not the creators of Web-based software applications. Even though the FCC does not have jurisdiction over how software applications function, AT&T apparently wants to use the regulatory process to undermine Web-based competition and innovation.

Ah, new technology and the laws that trail far back behind it. Google may be technically right in that they’re something new and different than what the law was originally designed to govern. Clearly the spirit of openness — which Google pays enormous lip-service to when it suits them — is what’s important, though. Isn’t it Google?

[Via Gizmodo]

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

AT&T Strikes Back: Asks FCC to Investigate Google Voice

Bionic Eye: Clever idea, flawed execution

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, App Review

Bionic Eye [iTunes link] is an augmented reality app for the iPhone that displays businesses around you superimposed over a live camera picture.

It sorta works, but doesn't solve any problem I have. It's cool to rotate around and see a Burger King logo or a Hilton Hotel logo pop up when the actual locations are nearby. The problem is, I can get that kind of information from Google Maps and hundreds of other free or paid apps that can give me the same info, although not in such a sexy way.

Even worse, the app is very, very slow. It takes Bionic Eye anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute to fully launch. If I go to the settings menu to change something, it takes another minute to absorb that change and bring me to a usable screen.

If you turn your iPhone horizontally, you can see all the nearby locations in a list, and when you select one a blue arrow points you to the actual location. Whee!

I had a couple of lockups when I went to the setting screen to make a change, which only added to my frustration. The points of interest you are searching for are limited to about a 2 mile range, so it will only guide you to places that are really close. Usually I could look up and see the destination, so I really didn't need the app in the first place. It has a limited list of locations, and they're all brand names, so if you are looking for a restaurant that is not a franchise or a hotel that is not part of a chain, it's tough luck for you.

For an additional fee, you can get guidance to subway stations in New York, Washington and Chicago. There are also versions of the app for the U.K., France and Tokyo.

Bionic Eye is only US$0.99, but it doesn't answer the first question you should ask of any app -- does it solve any real world problems I have. An app should be a novel solution to a problem or great entertainment. Bionic Eye is neither, but it has potential if it can be given a larger database, much faster load times, and crash a lot less frequently. To be fully functional, Bionic Eye requires an iPhone 3GS.

Bionic Eye: Clever idea, flawed execution originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bionic Eye: Clever idea, flawed execution originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Parks Envi puts national parks in the spotlight

Open Networks and Project A plan to release a series of national parks apps based on their iEnvision Web browser to coincide with next week's Ken Burns documentary about the parks on PBS.

Review: Convert for iPhone

This unit conversion app is a piece of iPhone beauty and useful to boot.

GameSalad engine launchs membership plan, iPhone games

Gendai Games announced the launch of GameSalad’s Early Access Program, granting its members the ability to create and publish games to the App Store.

MMS arrives: What it means for you

The long-awaited ability to send images, video, and other content via Multimedia Messaging Service is now supported for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in the U.S. The new capabilities work so seamlessly you'll wonder why they were delayed in the first place.

MMS finally comes to the iPhone

Filed under: Multimedia, iPhone

MMS finally comes to the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MMS finally comes to the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next-Generation iMac With SD Slot, Quad-Core, Possible Xeon? New Mouse and Remote in Pipeline?

French site Mac4Ever reported [Google translation] earlier this week that it had received a number of tips from sources regarding Apple's upcoming product plans. Among the most near-term topics of interest is the iMac, which has been rumored by seve...

MacBook Update to Be Released Alongside New iMacs?

In a follow-up post to yesterday's report that the iMac may see an update within the next several weeks, AppleInsider claims that Apple may be planning to introduce upgraded MacBooks at or around the same time.

The new models, which a...

iPhone MMS is now live!

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_MMS_is_now_live'; All you've gotta do is plug that iPhone 3G or 3GS into iTunes, run the teensiest of updates, restart the phone, and you can at last make that fashionably late entrance into the 21st century you've always dreamed of. That's right folks, MMS on the iPhone is live on AT&T at last.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iPhone MMS is now live! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMS feature is Now Live for AT&T’s iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS Customers

TomTom announces iPhone car kit pricing

Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Peripherals, Odds and ends, iPhone

The TomTom navigation app [iTunes link] for iPhone has been available since August of this year, but many TUAW readers have told us they're holding off on a purchasing decision until they can see how the announced iPhone car kit enhances the use of the app.

The car kit, which includes a secondary GPS receiver and speaker as well as a mount for holding the iPhone, is scheduled to ship in the U.S. in October. TomTom International B.V. has announced the pricing for the mount, which has a suggested retail price of US$119.95 or €99.95.

Several GPS blogs are already questioning the pricing, noting that the total price for the kit and app will be US$219.94, more than some much more capable personal navigation devices. On the other hand, the car kit isn't patented, so other companies may come out with less expensive options in short order.

[via GPSTracklog]

TomTom announces iPhone car kit pricing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TomTom announces iPhone car kit pricing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T iPhone MMS Carrier Update Now Available via iTunes!

The AT&T Carrier Update (v5.5), required to enable MMS on the iPhone is now live and can be installed via iTunes. Just plug in your iPhone and if it doesn’t pop up immediately, hit the check for updates button.

Note: You need to be running iPhone 3.1, so if you haven’t updated your firmware yet, do that first.

Once loaded, reboot your iPhone and then head on over the Messages app and you should see the new (for the USA!) camera icon on the bottom left.

For more info, see Apple’s support article on the matter, and TiPb’s iPhone MMS Walkthrough from earlier today!

Then let us know how iPhone MMS on AT&T is working for you!

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

AT&T iPhone MMS Carrier Update Now Available via iTunes!

iPhone GPS app market heating up

The iPhone GPS app market unleashed by the iPhone 3.0 software update is getting more interesting. Jason Snell has the latest on what the three biggest app makers have in store for you.