Apple Tablet Mockup: A Giant iPod Touch Running iPhone Apps

Mac OS X 10.7 Appearing in Web Logs, Dev Release at WWDC?

As we reported earlier, it's no surprise that Apple is actively working on Mac OS X 10.7. Bug reports from the early builds were spotted in November and as early as December Mac OS X 10.7 signatures have appeared in web logs from Apple-owned IP addr...

Research Firm Blames AT&T’s Poor Network On Disproportionate Wired Network Spending

A DIY iPhone car mount for just $2

Filed under: Hacks, Tips and tricks, Odds and ends, iPhone

So, like me, you've been doing a lot of driving around with your iPhone lately, and you've come to the conclusion that just having it sit next to you on the seat isn't the best way to do things. You need an in-car mounted dock, but you're not ready to shell out a bunch of money for something with "premium" in the title. Solution? Follow these directions and make your own. For just a couple of bucks in materials, you can build what looks like a pretty worthwhile way to mount your iPhone in the car.

It's basically a little PVC pipe with some foam to hold it in place on whatever extra ridges or slots you might have free in your dashboard, and some plastic coated wire at the top to hold your phone for you. Hey, you get what you pay for -- it won't pair with your iPhone, and any charging it provides will have to come from an external charging cable that you buy. But if you just want something to keep your iPhone handy and up off of the seat next to you -- or out of the cupholder, I do that one a lot, too -- this weekend project might just do the trick.

[via Lifehacker]

A DIY iPhone car mount for just $2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A DIY iPhone car mount for just $2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google CEO – Relationship with Apple “Stable, Stable”

AppleInsider reports that during Google’s quarterly earnings call, CEO Eric Schmidt was asked about Google’s relationship with Apple, and responded:

“I, as a former board member, have a special spot for Apple in my heart, but I will tell you Apple is a very well run company. They have a lot of very good stuff coming. We have a couple of very good partnerships with them, and we also compete with them in a couple of areas. My guess is that is a pretty stable situation for awhile.”

And in regards to the rumor Apple is talking with Microsoft about making Bing the default iPhone search engine:

“We are not going to speculate on the marketshare of Apple mobile products. That is for Apple to discuss with you. As far as I can tell, our business structures with Apple are quite stable. I am not going to speculate on any deals of any kind — rumored, true, not true, you name it. We are not going to talk about it.”

So the “stable” card gets played twice. Well vetted in comparison to the sensational claims of Steve Jobs hating Eric Schmidt.

Meanwhile the two mega corporations still seem to be, if not locked on a collision course, then certainly ricochetting off each other with increasing frequency. Analyst Yair Reiner phrases it well:

“Apple seeks to be the “special box in a world of generic services,” while Google aims to become the “special service in a world of generic boxes.”

And the New York Times blog shows it, alongside Microsoft and Yahoo — in handy blue-dotted fashion — in the graphic up top. [via Giz]

Are frenemy partners and managed coopetition “stable”? Are Apple and Google? Let us know your thoughts.

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

Google CEO – Relationship with Apple “Stable, Stable”

Apple Tablet Likely to Generate $2.8 Billion Revenue In First Year

Cogs for iPhone, a mechanical puzzle game

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

Cogs is a brilliant game that's had an award-winning run on the PC, and it's due out on the iPhone any day now, say developers Lazy 8. If you like puzzle games, you'll probably see in the trailer above why this one is so fascinating: it takes the old idea of slide puzzles (moving a grid of pieces around one by one) to form actual machines of all kinds, from pipes that blow up balloons to actual gears that run simple engines and even more complex mechanical designs. The core gameplay is simple -- just move those pieces around by switching them -- but you're always building towards an overall picture that pays off with a nice mechanical reward.

Good stuff. The game is apparently up for approval right now and will be out very soon. There's no word on price yet -- the PC version of the game sells for about $10 as a digital download, but we've contacted Chillingo to see how much they'll be charging on the iPhone. We'll keep our eyes out for it and try to get you a hands-on review when it releases.

Cogs for iPhone, a mechanical puzzle game originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cogs for iPhone, a mechanical puzzle game originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Palm Pre Plus smartphone

The Palm Pre Plus is really more of an update of the original Pre on Sprint than a completely new smartphone.

Review: NDrive USA Navigation for iPhone

(Ndrive Navigation for iPhone Forum Review by cjvitek. For more Forum Reviews, see the TiPb iPhone App Store Forum Review Index!)

NDrive USA [$32.99 - iTunes link] is a new GPS app which features turn by turn direction, entering the already crowded marketplace. NDrive prides itself on a simple interface, and when looking at the map, that is readily apparent. The map itself has little of the clutter that some of the other apps have – no different colors for different land types, no buildings popping in, no markers for POIs, etc. Just you, the map, and the route. Some people may prefer this approach, others may not. I will point out that in some locations, you do have 3D buildings appear – certainly not in Edinburg TX, however.

The primary menu of NDrive is also focused on simplicity – four buttons, one for mapping, one for settings, one to “find” something (address, POI, etc), and one for “My NDrive”. This is one of the best things about NDrive. The buttons are easy to hit, easy to use, a key feature in any GPS app.

My Ndrive lets you create and store itineraries, define your home location, and other user focused activities. Once you get into some of the detail menus, however, the simplicity seems to vanish. In the settings menu, you have a lot of options of the screen, requiring you to really focus on adjusting things (often with a small plus or minus button to adjust the settings). This detracts somewhat from the great menu buttons in the original screen.

Like many of the recent apps, NDrive loads the maps onto the phone so no data connection is required. The maps themselves are multitouch active, so the commands you have learned (such as pinch and zoom) still work. The keyboard when typing directions is their own, and it is not qwerty. This may not be a problem for some, but for people who are getting used to the iPhone keyboard, it may prove difficult to adjust.

While using the app, the routes it suggested in town were reasonable, and the ETA’s seemed pretty reasonable as well. It did recognize Terlingua, TX (my mystery small town) so the maps seems pretty accurate. It also had my home street, which (being new) some maps are missing. The turn by turn directions didn’t say the street names or anything, simply giving distance and the direction of the turn. While driving, there is a lot of information on the screen – ETA, miles till the turn, distance left, speed. I liked having my GPS app display this information, although I also like being able to adjust it on my own, something that is not possible in NDrive. The map did occasionally stutter a little bit, but this only happened a couple of times during use.

In my mind, however, the main benefit of NDrive is the price. Many of the major GPS apps (which are also downloadable maps, not pay per use/month) are around the $70 to $100 price range. At $32.99, this is by far one of the cheaper apps. Give the features that it does have for this price, it is almost a no brainer for people who have been holding off on some of the more expensive apps because of the price.

On a side note, I was very happy to see that included with the “calculate alternative” you can choose to avoid or block certain roads. This is a great feature, especially if you simply don’t like driving on a certain stretch of road, and I wish more apps utilized this.

Conclusion

All in all, while NDrive seemed to lack a lot of the bells and whistles that some of the other maps have (such as lane assist) the simple interface, cheap price, and inclusion of some key features (like speed limit warnings) really make it shine. Some drawbacks include the second layer of menu options (especially in settings) which don’t make it easy to make changes quickly, but the main menu is a thing of beauty for GPS apps. At $32.99, the price is great compared to others, and that is one of the primary reasons for the four star rating. If you are looking for a lot of bells and whistle, you may want to look elsewhere, but if you want a reliable, usable GPS turn by turn app without breaking the bank, look at NDrive. Four out of five stars.

Pros:

• Competitive price
• Great menu
• Simplicity in action

Cons:

• Settings menu is difficult
• Lacking some features found in more expensive apps

TiPb Review Rating

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

Review: NDrive USA Navigation for iPhone

RedSn0w 0.9 Released to Jailbreak, Unlock & Customize iPhone OS 3.0 & iPhone OS 3.1.2