Review: Bloomies for iPhone

Bloomies brings a colorful, beautifully drawn garden to life, where having a green thumb is not a requirement. All that is needed is a few moments a day to keep your bloomies watered, and before long, you’ll have a virtual garden that’s the envy of every master gardener.

Can Apple afford to keep releasing only 1 new iPhone a year?

The pace of mobile is increasing and with new Google Android hero handsets dropping at an almost comedic every couple of months, can Apple afford to keep releasing only one new iPhone a year?

The iPhone 2G was a revolution in 2007, entering a market of stale Treo, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry devices, and an almost non-present Nokia in the US. Then came Google’s Android, brief flares of Palm webOS and Windows Phone 7, but mostly Android. Initial devices weren’t perfect but they kept pushing and iterating, releasing new devices on new carriers with new manufactures. They commissioned their own hardware. They got specced out chassises that were previously Windows Mobile. They hit Verizon.

And they never stopped pushing. Diversity, multi-carrier, great hardware, and an ever-improving OS now means that while Apple only gets a huge spotlight rush and hero release once a year, Google is getting them every month or so. And they can use that to counter-program Apple.

The Palm Pre launched on Sprint amid the iPhone 3GS launch and was overwhelmed. The Droid, the Nexus One, the Incredible were all released when the iPhone 3GS had been on the market a while and was approaching the apex and now end of its product cycle. They hit when users, especially geek users, influential techies, were hungry for new, shiny toys.

Of course, they then face having the exhaustive pace of the next new Android, and the next new Android after that… almost instant obsoletion to the iPhone’s more predictable, and reassuring, annual cycle.

Apple will have that luster again in June with iPhone HD/iPhone 4G and iPhone OS 4, and they’ll enjoy owning the market and mindshare for the month or two that follow. But as the year wears on they’ll be victim again to Google (and maybe Microsoft and Palm if they can pull it together and time it right) having the new, shiny toys.

Apple will have iPod touch G4 in September and maybe iPhone OS 4.1, and iPad G2 and maybe iPhone OS 5 beta in March, but if we stick to pure phone goodness, that’s a lot of time for Google to counter program and up the feature and spec sheets. We saw at Google I/O, with the way Android chose to vocally, and crassly go after the iPhone that they fear WWDC and the next iPhone, but that currently only happens every June.

Does Apple need to consider releasing new iPhone hardware more than once a year?

Can Apple afford to keep releasing only 1 new iPhone a year? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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BookLover helps you keep track of your books

Electric Pocket’s BookLover lets you keep tabs on the books you’ve already read and the ones you’d like to read.

AT&T Reportedly Confirms June iPhone Launch to Employees

Boy Genius Report briefly claims that AT&T has confirmed to its employees that the next-generation iPhone will launch in June, with hints that availability could even come well before the end of that mont...

Analyst: 40% of AT&T customers may head to Verizon if there’s a vPhone

Filed under: iPhone

If the rumors are true and Verizon does eventually get to carry the iPhone, AT&T's CEO should probably be a little more worried than he is. Analyst Drake Johnstone says that if Verizon does carry Apple's smartphone, 40% of its customers are likely ready to jump ship for another carrier. That's 6 million of AT&T's estimated 15 million customers, all yearning to break free of their bonds to AT&T.

That sounds high to me, and indeed, Johnstone admits that, as time goes on, that number will probably be much lower. Not only are AT&T's plans tough to get out of (and therefore not really worth the trouble to switch), but even if you do, they've just upped their termination fees, which will put another roadblock in the way. And Johnstone also says that AT&T's coverage is getting better by the day, so by the time Verizon does have the iPhone, AT&T's technical problems might not be so bad.

Even if the number isn't quite as high as 40%, iPhone exclusivity has been a huge boon for AT&T in the past, and losing it won't be good for the company. If Apple announces a Verizon deal later this year, investors will be keeping a huge watch on what AT&T ends up dealing with.

Analyst: 40% of AT&T customers may head to Verizon if there's a vPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst: 40% of AT&T customers may head to Verizon if there's a vPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Half-Life 2 Coming to Mac OS X Today [Updated: Now Available]

As noted by Kotaku, Valve Software is set to launch the Mac OS X version of Half-Life 2 today, with follow-up sequels Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two also seeing their public release for the platform.

Valv...

Half-Life 2 Coming to Mac OS X Today

As noted by Kotaku, Valve Software is set to launch the Mac OS X version of Half-Life 2 today, with follow-up sequels Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two also seeing their public release for the platform.

Valv...

TUAW’s Daily App: Space Storm

Filed under: iPhone

Space Storm is about as conventional as space shooters get; enemies come into the screen from the right, and your ship flies from the left, blowing things out of the sky with a few different weapons and picking up health or power-ups along the way. In this case, though, conventional is good. The game feels right, and the dual-stick setup will have you navigating your ship around enemies and bullets and even slowing time down with occasional power-ups, in no time.

Boss levels add a little variety to the mix, but basically, it's fly and shoot. It's very simple and pretty darn fun. OpenFeint adds some replayability to the somewhat short game, but a shooter is a shooter. As of this writing, the game is free on a promotion, but if you enjoy a good space shooter, it's definitely worth a couple of bucks.

TUAW's Daily App: Space Storm originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW's Daily App: Space Storm originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 26 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: BugMe for iPhone and iPad

Whether on the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, this app gives you plenty of creative ways to take notes and remind yourself of what you've written.

US Government investigating Apple over iTunes music anti-trust?

The New York Times is reporting that the Justice Department is taking a look at Apple’s conduct in the digital music space:

people briefed on the inquiries also said investigators had asked in particular about recent allegations that Apple used its dominant market position to persuade music labels to refuse to give the online retailer Amazon.com exclusive access to music about to be released.

This goes back to a story in March about Amazon asking for 24hrs of exclusivity on certain new music tracks in exchange for prominently featuring those tracks on Amazon MP3. Apple reportedly asked labels not to give Amazon that exclusivity, and withdrew their own marketing support for those who made the deal with Amazon.

This is also comes on the heels of rumored DoJ/FTC questions about Apple’s banning of cross-compilers in the iPhone OS 4 SDK.

Whether or not these investigations become serious, they do show the government has increased interest in Apple and their businesses.

Question of the night goes to Seth from 9to5Mac:

Perhaps while they are at it, the DoJ should look into at why four companies, that are often in cahoots, control 95% of the music production in the US?

We’d add the carriers and cable companies to that list.

[New York Times, 9to5Mac]

US Government investigating Apple over iTunes music anti-trust? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Apple “saddened and upset” and investigating recent suicides at Foxconn

As manufacturer Hon Hai/Foxconn opens their facilities for an unprecedented media tour at in the wake of a growing number of worker suicides, Apple has issued the following statement:

“We are saddened and upset by the recent suicides at Foxconn. We are in direct contact with Foxconn senior management and we believe they are taking this matter very seriously. A team from Apple is independently evaluating the steps they are taking to address these tragic events and we will continue our ongoing inspections of the facilities where our products are made.”

In addition to Apple, Dell, HP, and others are also looking into conditions at the Shenzhen, China based manufacturer.

Apple has previously posted a supplier responsibility progress report.

Apple “saddened and upset” and investigating recent suicides at Foxconn is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Opinion: Four fabulous iPhone wishes

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off in less than two weeks, and all signs point to the coming of a new iPhone. Here's what Tom Kaneshige of CIO hopes the future has in store.

Wired Launches iPad Magazine App with Help from Adobe

Wired has launched their first iPad app version of their digital magazine. Wired has been one of the publications that has long been exploring the possibility of a digital distribution on Apple's iPad -- even before the iPad was ever officially ack...