Step By Step Guide to Upgrade Jailbroken iPhone 3GS to iPhone OS 3.1 Using PwnageTool 3.1.3

Star Walk still out of this world (and you might get it for free!)

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

Star Walk [iTunes link] has been updated and improved with new features that let you leave the earth and look back at our home planet in beautifully rendered views.

Star Walk uses GPS to get your location, and shows you the current sky above your head. Since we last looked at Star Walk the app has added augmented reality, so as you orient your phone to the sky (iPhone 3GS only) you see star maps that show just where you are pointing. You can zoom into any object and get a closeup view of the surface details of planets, or even close-ups of deep sky objects like star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. You can click on a button and get more info on the object, and if that isn't enough you can connect to Wikipedia for even more.

Star Walk is one of the great demos of Apple technology. Standing out on any clear night, exploring the skies, and easily finding out what you are looking at is a real treat.

I think the earth view is nifty, but frankly, it probably isn't a feature you will use a lot. On the other hand the augmented reality features, the detailed star maps, and close-up images of objects in our solar system are very compelling features.

I still don't like that the app switches to Safari for the Wikipedia info. It would be nice to see the browser built in, but that's a small price to pay for the rest of the deep information provided.

Star Walk works on any iPhone or iPod touch with version 3.0 or later software. The augmented reality feature, as I said, only works on the iPhone 3GS.

At US$4.99 there is a lot to like in this program. Even better, we have ten free licenses to give away to our readers. Here are the rules:

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment on this post.
• The comment must be left before Monday October 5 at 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
• You may enter only once.
• 10 winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: One copy Star Walk (Value: US$4.99)

Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Hare are some more screen shots of Star Walk to whet your appetite:

Star Walk still out of this world (and you might get it for free!) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Star Walk still out of this world (and you might get it for free!) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mega-super TUAW shootout of the iPhone UI sketchbooks

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Reviews, Developer, iPhone, Graphic Design, SDK, iPod touch

Part of my work requires me to mock up iPhone apps, often to show developers how I would redesign a user interface to work better than something they've come up with. Over the past few months, a number of paper sketchbooks have appeared on the market, all designed expressly for this purpose. I decided to try out all of the sketchbooks that I could find in a cursory Google search, just to see which one would work best for me. Of course, that meant that I had to write a review!

The three products I discovered and tested were App Sketchbook (US$16.99), iPhone Application Sketch Book (US$14.99), and The Developer Sketchbook for iPhone Apps (US$19.99). All of them are designed for the same reason, to let iPhone devs or business analysts describe how they want an application's user interface to look. Follow along as I take a look at these three sketchbooks, as well as a metal stencil template for drawing UI elements.

Continue reading Mega-super TUAW shootout of the iPhone UI sketchbooks

Mega-super TUAW shootout of the iPhone UI sketchbooks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mega-super TUAW shootout of the iPhone UI sketchbooks originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Cat and Mouse Game Continues: Palm Pre Syncs With iTunes Again

Online Ad Evidence of Imminent iMac, Mac Mini and MacBook Updates?

Feeding into recent rumors of imminent iMac, MacBook and Mac Mini updates, some new online ads have been spotted at Google.nl that potentially point to new versions of these products. While Apple's Google text ads always refer to their products as...

Palm webOS 1.2.1 fixes iTunes sync…again

Filed under: iTunes, Software Update, Apple, iPhone

Okay kids, this is starting to get a little out of hand now. Palm has once again pushed back at Apple, releasing webOS 1.2.1 today that "resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with the latest version of iTunes." What's that issue you might ask? Well, I'd say the fact that Apple isn't too happy that Palm is breaking all sorts of rules to make their device appear as an iPhone.

It all started back in May, when it was determined that plugging a Palm Pre into a Mac will allow it to sync content with iTunes with no issues. This honeymoon period didn't last too long and once Apple figured out what was going on, Apple swiftly released an update to iTunes that prevented syncing from non-Apple devices.

Apparently, that wasn't good enough for Palm and it was determined that they were trying to make the Pre appear to be an Apple device when it was plugged in for syncing. Palm turned around and released yet another webOS update that fixed the sync and it worked well until the USB-IF got involved and sided with Apple, telling Palm they had to cease and desist.

Looks like Palm is back on the attack and this latest release is sure to stir up the pot once again.

Palm webOS 1.2.1 fixes iTunes sync...again originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Palm webOS 1.2.1 fixes iTunes sync...again originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maps Application on iPhone Starts Displaying Sponsored Links Courtesy Google

Galcon Labs in the App Store now

Filed under: Gaming, Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Galcon (App Store link) was one of the most popular games of last year -- it presented a fascinating mix of strategy and real-time arcade gameplay onto the iPhone just as it was starting out, and along with games like Fieldrunners and Flight Control, really cemented a place for the platform in the gamer's arsenal. It's been described as "real-time Risk in space." The basic premise is that you can drag little ships around from planet to planet, conquering planets of various sizes and thus producing more and more ships to take over with.

And now it's back. Galcon Labs is available now on the App Store, and it's pretty much exactly what you want in a sequel to a game you love: updated graphics and sound, more game modes, more online multiplayer, and just generally more of the same great gameplay, in a nice new package.

So yes, odds are that if you sunk quite a few hours into Galcon, Galcon Labs is a no-brainer. Just in case you don't want to make any financial commitment at all, there is a trial available for the original game, but given that Labs is just 99 cents right now, if you have any interest at all in dragging little ships around to fight wars between planets, it's probably worth the buck.

Galcon Labs in the App Store now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Galcon Labs in the App Store now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 3GS 3.1 Jailbreak has been released - sort of

The word is out and the prisoners are overjoyed: The iPhone 3GS jailbreak for OS 3.1 announced yesterday and confirmed earlier today is now released for public consuption, compliments of the ever hard-working Dev Team. There is one caveat: The iPhone 3GS is now supported in PwnageTool 3.1.3, assuming the phone was pwned at 3.0 or [...]

iLickit might not be sanitary, but brings new meaning to ‘oleophobic’

Filed under: Gaming, Humor, Software, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store

If you're the kind of person who complains in the comments whenever we post a useless app, then just move right on from this weekend post (or go check out Paradise Monkeys, it actually looks like a good one). But as weird and pointless as this app may be, we have to give the folks behind this iLickIt game credit -- they really took the multitouch screen to a place it probably shouldn't go. The idea is that you get a plate of food from Grandma, and then you have to lick it clean... by actually licking your iPhone or iPod touch. No thanks.

Actually, iLickIt isn't the first app that's asked you to lick something that's been in your pocket (and who knows where) all day long -- there's other ice cream-licking related apps on the store already. But its claim to the very first "iPhone game you play with your tongue" may actually be legit -- it actually times how long it takes you to lick up the food and turns it into a little game. Though we can't really recommend it, it is coming to an App Store near you, so just in case your tongue hasn't had enough to do lately (and yes, I'll just let that one go), there you have it.

iLickit might not be sanitary, but brings new meaning to 'oleophobic' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iLickit might not be sanitary, but brings new meaning to 'oleophobic' originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone Game - FIFA 10 by EA Sports Available on the App Store

PwnageTool 3.1.3 for Mac OS X Released by Dev-Team: Supports iPhone 3GS 3.1

It was just one day ago we mentioned that a new PwnageTool was on the horizon and for those iPhone 3GS owners who stayed on 3.0, your patience has paid off as the latest PwnageTool for Mac OS X has been release by the Dev-Team. If you couldn’t wait and you updated your iPhone 3GS to 3.1 via iTunes, you have a slight problem as you will not be able to jailbreak.

The iPhone 3GS is now supported in PwnageTool 3.1.3, assuming the phone was pwned at 3.0 or 3.0.1 – PwnageTool does not support the 3GS out of the box. If your iPhone 3GS has 3.1 preinstalled and is not Pwned then there is no tested jailbreak solution at the moment.

For the full details be sure to check out the Dev-Teams blog and make sure you fully understand what you are getting yourself into before attempting a jailbreak.

If you don’t understand the process, do not attempt it, and as always – TiPb takes no responsibility for the outcome. Need help? Check out our iPhone Jailbreak and Unlock forum.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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

PwnageTool 3.1.3 for Mac OS X Released by Dev-Team: Supports iPhone 3GS 3.1

Palm webOS 1.2.1 Re-Hacks iTunes 9 Sync

Palm has just updated their software to webOS 1.2.1, and according to PreCentral.net, the changelog reads “Resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (9.0.1)”

Congrats Palm, just after we went and praised you for finally putting users ahead of your own ego, for spending your limited resources on solidifying your own software rather than hacking someone elses, after the USB-IF slapped the hand you yourself raised, you went ahead and showed your desire for blog press and whatever “daddy issues” exist between you and Apple, Rubinstein and Jobs, are what’s most important to you. Kudos. Golf clap.

Bored now.

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

Palm webOS 1.2.1 Re-Hacks iTunes 9 Sync