TiPb Apps 5.2: Paypal Mobile for iPhone (Macworld 2010)

Our last Macworld 2010 video! Rene and Leanna talk to Kent Griffin, Product Manager, Paypal Mobile, about their new iPhone offering that will allow developers to add easy Paypal payment integration right into their apps.

Watch along and let us know your thoughts!

YouTube link

TiPb Apps 5.2: Paypal Mobile for iPhone (Macworld 2010) is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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CoPilot live is updated and continues 30 day free trial offer

Filed under: iPhone, App Review

A new version of CoPilot Live enhances and fixes a lot of issues in the previous versions. According to the company, the app now includes improved guidance at complex intersections, Facebook status updates, free local search, and the latest maps of North America. More than 15,000 miles of roads have been added, 73 completely updated counties and hundreds of map improvements submitted by the CoPilot Live User Community.

If you want to try a sophisticated nav app but don't want to shell out any money right away, ALK technologies is continuing to offer a free version of CoPilot Live Directions for a month. The app is full featured, and includes things like voice guidance and 3D mapping.

If you decide not to buy the app, you'll lose the voice guidance and 3D, but still will have use of turn by turn directions throughout the U.S. and Canada. If you want to upgrade after the 30 days, the app charges U.S. $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year. You can get more details on the free app deal here.

Continue reading CoPilot live is updated and continues 30 day free trial offer

CoPilot live is updated and continues 30 day free trial offer originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CoPilot live is updated and continues 30 day free trial offer originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New TomTom iPhone App Gets Real Time Traffic Updates, Google Local Search & More

iPad Features: DRM-Free ePub Support; VoiceOver For iBooks

GDC 2010: Hands-on with Superbrothers’ Sword and Sorcery

Filed under: Developer, iPhone

Continue reading GDC 2010: Hands-on with Superbrothers' Sword and Sorcery

GDC 2010: Hands-on with Superbrothers' Sword and Sorcery originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GDC 2010: Hands-on with Superbrothers' Sword and Sorcery originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC wants to know your mobile broadband speed

Filed under: iPhone

You may remember that Verizon started running ads a while ago showing AT&T's anemic 3G coverage map. AT&T responded by saying "Our coverage includes 97% of the country!" In the small print on Verizon's ads they make it clear that AT&T does have coverage outside of 3G. In the small print on AT&T's ads they make it clear 3G isn't available everywhere.

What kind of difference does 3G really make? For American wireless users, the FCC is interested in knowing how fast your mobile broadband really is. The agency has released a free iPhone app, made by Ookla, who also made the free Speedtest.net Speed Test app for iPhone (there is also an Android version).

In case you're concerned about your personal information ending up in the servers of the Feds, note the app disclaimer: "Results may be pooled to analyze the quality and coverage of mobile broadband connections across the United States as part of a larger effort by the FCC to identify areas with insufficient or nonexistent access to broadband." More details can be found on the FCC's page here.

I downloaded the app and ran three sets of tests: on Wi-Fi (connected to DSL), on 3G, and on Edge. I ran each set three time: i.e. 3 times on Wi-Fi, 3 times on 3G, and 3 times on Edge, and then averaged the results to try to offset any temporary network glitches that would throw off the results. I also made sure I was using the same server for each test. (You can either let it select the best server based on your location or choose one manually from a list.)

Read on for the results...

Continue reading FCC wants to know your mobile broadband speed

FCC wants to know your mobile broadband speed originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

FCC wants to know your mobile broadband speed originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: iPhone quiz apps

We look at three of the many quiz applications offered in the App Store and find that Moron Test and the latest edition of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader both make the grade.

How AT&T Handled iPhone Onslaught At SXSW 2010

iTunes Play Counts for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Apple’s iTunes News feed offers some helpful advice on Play Count for Smart Playlist users, especially those with iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads:

In addition to the Internet and your local network, iTunes is also alert to a different kind of network — the one made up of the iPhones, iPods (and soon iPads) that it runs on, as well as the computer you sync them with. Whether tracks have been played since the last sync is part of the information that gets updated when you sync. As a result, smart playlists using criteria such as “most often played” and “least recently played” update based on your overall experience and not just what you’ve done on any one particular device. By the way, if the play count for tracks ever gets out of whack, it’s easy to reset it. Just select the track(s) in list view in your library, right click (or control-click on a Mac), and choose Reset Play Count.

I stopped using smart playlists because, the way I had them set up, they’d often remove a podcast I was only part of the way through listening too. If anyone has tried this method and gotten better results, let me know in the comments!

iTunes Play Counts for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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How Do You Use Gmail on Your iPhone?

Gmail may only be the 3rd most popular email service on the planet (behind Yahoo! and Hotmail) but it ranks first in the hearts of geeks everywhere and can be used in a variety of ways on the iPhone:

• IMAP (or POP if you’re really old school) right from the iPhone Mail app. With its prominent place, and huge button, on the Account Setup page, it’s a default for many users. While it (still!) doesn’t support IMAP-IDLE push, plain old IMAP will keep all your accounts in sync, even if Google’s implementation is eccentric to say the least. (Labels mapping to multiple folders, simultaneous connection limitations, etc.)
• GoogleSync right from the iPhone Mail app. It licenses ActiveSync from Microsoft and fills up your lone Exchange slot on the iPhone but it does provide push if that’s what you need (even if it’s been a tad error prone).
• Gmail Web App from Mobile Safari. It supports all the Gmail goodness like labels and stars and threads and thanks to HTML5 it even has local storage and an almost native app-like feeling to it, even if it’s not a snappy as the real thing.
• As a spam-filter for another email account. May sound strange, but some people merely forward their Gmail to a different IMAP or webmail account, using Google’s excellent spam filtration but wanting a different service or front end for the actual mail.

Of course, some no doubt wish there was better built-in support for the unique Gmail attributes within iPhone mail, or a separate Gmail app like on Android, but given Apple’s App Store policies we don’t see that coming any time soon. So, given the choices above, how are you using Gmail on your iPhone? And if you have any pro-level or ninja tips for iPhone Gmail, let us know!

How Do You Use Gmail on Your iPhone? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Opinion: ‘Less is more,’ the iPad paradox

The introduction of Apple's iPad predictably divided gadget fans into "love it" and "hate it" camps.

App Genie Lite: Unlock Free Apps for iPhone and iPod touch

Mobile market leader GP Imports today is proud to introduce App Genie Lite 1.1, their new suite of applications and utilities for iPhone and iPod touch devices. Designed specifically to take advantage of the iPhone's unique capabilities and touch interface, App Genie Lite allows its users to unlock up to ...

10% of Microsoft Employees Using iPhones

The Wall Street Journal over the weekend profiled iPhone usage among employees of Apple's longtime rival Microsoft, noting that approximately 10,000 Microsoft employees, representing about 10% of the comp...

10% Of Microsoft Employees Use iPhones; But Hide Their Phones At Work

GDC 2010: Ngmoco’s Neil Young on how freemium will change the App Store world

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Apple, Developer, iPhone, iPad

On the third day of GDC 2010, Ngmoco's Neil Young took the stage in one of the largest rooms at the conference to talk about what his company had "unlearned" in its time in the App Store. Ngmoco has become a large and polarizing figure in the world of App Store development -- after starting out with a big investment from the iFund, it's moved quickly to become one of the biggest iPhone-only developers, and after starting out with a few premium titles like the very successful Rolando, have recently made waves with its "freemium" business model. Young talked about the company's history so far, and went in-depth on Ngmoco's plan for ruling the App Store and why he believes it's the "most significant shift and opportunity for [game developers] since the birth of this business."

We've summarized Young's long address in this post. It was pretty incredible -- not only did Young lay out his idea of a clear plan for building and developing a large portfolio of very profitable App Store titles "at scale" (the company plans to release twenty new freemium products on the iPhone in the near future, as well as six titles on the iPad), but he made it very clear that he fervently believes that freemium and the model he's structured is the future of the video game business.

Continue reading GDC 2010: Ngmoco's Neil Young on how freemium will change the App Store world

GDC 2010: Ngmoco's Neil Young on how freemium will change the App Store world originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GDC 2010: Ngmoco's Neil Young on how freemium will change the App Store world originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2010: The Parrot AR.Drone’s augmented reality

Filed under: Accessories, Gaming, Hardware, Peripherals, Software, Developer, iPhone

We actually got to play with the iPhone-controlled Parrot AR.Drone quadricopter back at Macworld a little while ago, but we didn't get a chance to see the "AR" part of it (augmented reality, of course) until GDC last week. Parrot pulled out the AR targets for us, and while the games they had running were very rudimentary, we did get a good feel for the action.

The verdict? It works, but it's not that fun yet. Sure enough, when the Drone's cameras picked up the weird pattern of black and white dots and/or the striped tube that the company attached to the top of a second Drone, the iPhone displayed a lock-on target or the weird robot that you can see above (that's the iPhone's video running out to a television, something that's technically a no-no under the current SDK). And when the drone moved around it, the display faithfully showed the 3D model -- it didn't look actually real, but you could fly around and interact with it. And after you blasted it with enough missiles, it exploded.

Continue reading GDC 2010: The Parrot AR.Drone's augmented reality

GDC 2010: The Parrot AR.Drone's augmented reality originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GDC 2010: The Parrot AR.Drone's augmented reality originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rhapsody app to sport offline listening ‘very soon’

On Monday, Rhapsody released a YouTube video to showcase its new offline listening feature for iPhone. The new version will hopefully be in the App Store 'very soon.'

TomTom 1.3 adds real time traffic updates

TomTom's iPhone app now offers support for traffic updates as an optional service for a fee. There's also support for Google Local Search and a bunch of other new features.

id Software’s “Rage” Coming to iPhone and iPad

Doom co-creator John Carmack recently told Kotaku that we can expect to see id Software’s latest epic work in progress, Rage, land on the iPhone and iPad.

”Apple doesn’t give us anything ahead of time either, so haven’t put hands on it ourselves, but we certainly are expecting to try to have our Rage title for the iPhone, iPad, whatever, working across there.”

Rage is a soon to be released first person shooter/racer that is set in a post apocalyptic world. Unfortunately there is no official word on a release date but hopefully that will change during the upcoming E3 game show.

It’s great to see a gaming icon such as Carmack continue to praise and support Apple’s iPhone platform, not to mention personally coding existing games such as the Doom and Wolfenstein already in Apple’s App Store.

[Via Cult of Mac]

id Software’s “Rage” Coming to iPhone and iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Pawn Software Releases Triple Triad Based Game on iPhone

Pawn Software today is pleased to announce the release of Elemental Dusk 1.2.2, a strategy card game for iPhone inpired by Triple Triad, a minigame of Final Fantasy VIII. Triple Triad is a famous game that gathered a lot of followers and spawned differend communities on the web. Elemental Dusk ...