YouTube Revamps Site for iPhone and Other Mobile Devices

YouTube has announced that it has revamped its mobile YouTube site to support a complete YouTube browsing experience on modern mobile phones, including the iPhone. Of the changes to http://m.youtube.com, YouTube notes:

- It's...

iPhone App Helps Women Screen Their Boyfriends

Cogitoad, Inc has released their application, the Boyfriend Evaluator 1.0, exclusively for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. The Boyfriend Evaluator is an application that enables women to objectively evaluate the suitability of a boyfriend for a more serious relationship. The Boyfriend Evaluator asks 50 questions about a boyfriend, analyzes the answers, and gives him a numerical [...]

iPhone 4 gets outfitted with vintage SLR lens

Sure, the iPhone 4 may have a pretty great camera as far as phones go, but there's always room for improvement -- right? Continuing the great tradition of iPhones awkwardly outfitted with camera lenses, one intrepid individual has now come up with a contraption that will let you "attach" a full-size SLR lens to your iPhone 4. While complete details are a bit light, Technabob notes that the camera mount at the bottom of the rig is a Manfrotto pocket tripod -- so you at least have a place to start for building your own.

[Thanks, Demetri]

iPhone 4 gets outfitted with vintage SLR lens originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dear Aunt TUAW: Why is iTunes deleting my apps?

Filed under: iPhone

Dear Auntie TUAW,

Thought I'd send this up to see if y'all can reproduce it too. I'd seen reports on the Apple discussions that when folks were plugging into iTunes, any app they had installed directly on the iPhone was being deleted instead of transferred back. Mine does this as well, which is quite annoying!

Can y'all reproduce it or are only some of us suffering this one? I've checked all the settings, de-authorized and authorized my computer, just did a restore and setup as new a few days back. Updates transfer back just fine, but good luck keeping a new app on there!!!!

Love & huggies,

Your niece Lauren

Continue reading Dear Aunt TUAW: Why is iTunes deleting my apps?

Dear Aunt TUAW: Why is iTunes deleting my apps? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dear Aunt TUAW: Why is iTunes deleting my apps? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Questions about God? There’s an app for (and against) that

Filed under: iPhone, iPad

Many iPhone users have become accustomed to using their devices to settle arguments.

• Arguing over the best route to take for your weekend getaway? Pull out the Maps app or one of the many iPhone GPS apps.
• Found someone who doesn't believe that Inigo Montoya and Jason Gideon are played by the same actor? Fire up the IMDB app.
• Disagreement over when Star Wars was released (or re-released)? Head over to Wikipedia.com or one of the many Wikipedia apps.

It's one thing to argue over facts and dates, but can iPhone apps help settle arguments about the existence of God? A recent NY Times article showed that some folks on both sides of the question are making an effort.

On the side of religious skeptics are applications like Bible Thumper, the Atheist Pocket Debater, and mAtheist. For those who are certain they can convert others to faith, if only they find the right argument, there are apps such as Doubt Busters, God Tools, or Jesus Evangelism Tool by Mobile Jesus. (As an aside, I think developers of these sorts of apps may want to avoid the word "tool" in the title, or they're just asking for people to twist the meaning.)

Read on for more...

Continue reading Questions about God? There's an app for (and against) that

Questions about God? There's an app for (and against) that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Questions about God? There's an app for (and against) that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New iPhone Apps Turn iPhone 4 Into A Flashlight

Five apps for the conference-goer

Filed under: iPhone, App Review

Heading off to a conference? Here are five little apps you might want to consider adding to your iPhone before heading off to the airport. They all provide functionality that may come in handy when you're on the go.

SpeakerClock ($0.99) provides a bright easy-to-read display showing you exactly how much time you have left to present your paper and take questions. It's a deceptively simple application full of lovely little design touches. I used it at a recent conference and found it an absolutely valuable tool to have around.

This app works well both on the iPhone and the iPad -- as a conference organizer, it's really great to use the iPad's larger screen from across the room. As a speaker, the iPhone version works particularly well when placed on a small business card stand on the speaker's podium.

Want to easily share your contact information? Contxts offers a simple solution. You can sign up for a free account at contxts.com, where you can enter your details. Anyone with a phone (it doesn't have to be an iPhone) and an SMS plan can text a short phrase (like "demotuaw") to 50500 and they'll receive the information you set up at their website. Their free iPhone app lets you edit that information directly. What's more, when you turn the iPhone on its side, you can display a "HELLO my name is" contact sheet that instructs people how to retrieve your contact data. What's great about Contxts is that it's a solution that works with any group of people, whether they've hopped onto the Apple iPhone train or not (of course, if they have an iPhone or an Android phone, there's always Bump).

Continue reading Five apps for the conference-goer

Five apps for the conference-goer originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Five apps for the conference-goer originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Junaio’s augmented reality app for iPhone and Android can add cartoons to your otherwise-boring existence

As an augmented reality navigator that you want to use for finding pizza joints and friends on Foursquare and Twitter, you've got more polished options than Junaio's new 2.0 release -- Layar and Yelp, just to name a couple -- but Junaio has at least one interesting differentiator with a feature it calls "Glue." Basically, independent content providers can develop their own Junaio "channels," which function in the same way as a Layar layer -- it's a particular set of points of interest that'll be displayed in the current view. With Glue, though, Junaio isn't just using your positional information as a point of reference, it can also scan the image for specific objects that developers have programmed their channel to look for, and when such an object is found, crazy things can happen.

In Junaio's demo, pointing the camera at a superhero-type cartoon dude causes a 3D representation of him to be rendered on the phone's screen; when you tap on him, he'll point his gun. It's an interesting concept that could eventually have some commercial implications, but in the short term, the company just needs to improve the app -- it crashed several times for us, and its support for changing orientation is a little wonky. If you want to check it out, it's a free download for both the iPhone and Android; while you wait for the install, check out our quick video demo after the break.

Continue reading Junaio's augmented reality app for iPhone and Android can add cartoons to your otherwise-boring existence

Junaio's augmented reality app for iPhone and Android can add cartoons to your otherwise-boring existence originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Unboxing Photos Of White iPhone 4

Homemade iPad stand combines pencils and rubberbands

Julian Horsey of Geeky Gadgets made a functional iPad stand using only six pencils and four elastic bands, and so can you.

iPhone developer to close up shop, sell business

Three high schoolers behind Syncode, an App Store company with three apps, have realized that managing homework, other jobs, and being teenagers is a full-time gig in and of itself.

Review: Two iPad blackjack games

Both Blackjack HD and Blackjack for iPad offer a very basic blackjack experience (with the latter providing just a few more interesting features). But in the end, bland graphics and no multiplayer features make both games a bust.

Element Case, Ivyskin out iPhone 4 cases specifically to deal with reception issues

Can't find an official iPhone 4 bumper? Driving yourself mad trying to give your new smartphone white glove treatment? Fret not, as a couple of case makers have outed new iPhone 4 clothing that's meant to specifically dodge those naughty reception issues that seem to occur whenever your sweaty palm makes contact with that now infamous metal band. Element Case -- the same folks responsible for the downright lust-worthy Joule stand for iPad -- has just revealed their first iPhone 4 case, the Vapor (shown above). The company claims that its $79.95 enclosure provides an aircraft-grade, CNC'd aluminum frame lined with a shock-absorbent material, the latter of which "addresses iPhone 4 reception issues caused by direct hand to phone cradling." For now, it's up for pre-order (shipments are expected to start next week) in black / black and black / pink, with more colors to become available in the future. As for Ivyskin? It's stepping things up even further by naming its product the "iPhone 4 Reception Case." No need for subtly, we see. Hailed as the "world's thinnest polycarbonate shell" for Apple's latest iDevice, this here sleeve is the one to get if you're look to minimize added bulk and not cover up any of Cupertino's design cues. Best of all, this one retails for just $14.99 and ships with both front and back scratch-free body armors. Crazy that it has come to this, you know?

Continue reading Element Case, Ivyskin out iPhone 4 cases specifically to deal with reception issues

Element Case, Ivyskin out iPhone 4 cases specifically to deal with reception issues originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Glass Tower on Apple’s New Shanghai Store Revealed

As noted by ifoAppleStore earlier today, Apple has begun removing the wraps from the cylindrical glass tower at its new retail store in the Pudong district of Shanghai. Like the company's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the Pudo...

iPhone network settings take 2. Will it fix the proximity sensor bug?

Filed under: iPhone

We were surprised and gratified at how many of our readers were able to improve iPhone 4 reception (or at least there were more bars) by resetting network settings.

Now it appears people are using the same technique to fix the sometimes buggy proximity sensor that is supposed to turn the screen light off when the phone is near your head for making a call.

A chorus of users are reporting the issue, saying the screen does not turn off and they wind up muting calls and even hanging up on people inadvertently.

Apple support boards are now filling up with reports from people who say that our old friend 'reset network settings' will often fix the issue. Others have said a hard reset of the phone (hold down the sleep and home button until the white Apple logo appears) has a similar effect, and of course some say it doesn't help at all. If you do reset your network settings, you'll lose any Wi-Fi or network passwords. The hard re-boot of the phone will leave everything in place and should have no ill effects.

You can find the network reset software switch towards the bottom of iPhone Settings > General.

My, those network resets seem to fix some bugs that are frustrating iPhone 4 owners. I wonder if it will take care of my allergies? As always, let us know if these solutions work for you, or if they don't.

iPhone network settings take 2. Will it fix the proximity sensor bug? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone network settings take 2. Will it fix the proximity sensor bug? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T comments on slow upload speeds: software issue

Yesterday, we were concerned that AT&T might have capped iPhone 4 data upload speeds in certain areas. AT&T has responded and assures us that they have not; in fact, it’s a software problem.

You may have seen some speculation that we were somehow capping data speeds. We’re not. Here’s the deal: It’s a software issue which AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent have now jointly identified. It’s only triggered under certain conditions and has only impacted uplink performance for less than 2% of our customer base — those using Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment. Alcatel-Lucent is developing a longer-term software fix in the coming weeks, but in the meantime we have implemented an alternative that provides normal 3G uplink speeds and consistent performance for affected customers using HSUPA-capable devices.

So the problem has been identified and a fix is in the works. Just to be clear, this is not an issue with iOS 4, but with Alcatel-Lucent’s software. More details about the alternative quick fix would have been nice, but if speeds are improving, that’s ultimately what matters.

Were you one of the ones affected by slow upload speeds? If so, have you noticed an improvement?

[AT&T - Thanks Gregg for the tip!]

AT&T comments on slow upload speeds: software issue is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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iOS 4 vs. Android 2.2 – Browser battle battle!

Which has the fastest browser, Apple’s iOS 4 or Google’s Android 2.2? We’re used to browser battles here on TiPb, but how about a browser battle battle? See, both Ars Technica and Engadget ran some tests, pitting iPhone 4 on iOS 4 against the Nexus One running Android 2.2 Froyo and the results… varied dramatically to say the least.

Ars SunSpider and V8 benchmarks showed the Nexus One blowing iPhone 4 out of the water with almost double the JavaScript performance. Engadget’s real-world test loading real-world webpages, however, had iPhone 4 with a slight lead when Flash was enabled on the Nexus One, and slightly behind when Flash was disabled.

Both iOS and Android use WebKit-based browsers, with Apple running the Nitro JavaScript Engine and Google running their V8. Likewise iPhone 4 has Apple’s own A4 processor while Nexus One boasts a 1Ghz Snapdragon.

Some might not think iterative increases in rendering speeds matter, but as we race towards the agile future of web apps, every little bit becomes important. Just like on the desktop, we expect every new release from either party (and others) to keep pushing the envelop. We should get iOS 4.1 in September and Android 3.0 later this year as well, both likely faster than what we have today.

So kudos to Google. Hopefully Apple responds in like fashion and the browser battles (and browser battle battles) continue!

[Ars Technica, Engagdget, Android Central]

iOS 4 vs. Android 2.2 – Browser battle battle! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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

TUAW presents: iPhone 3GS ‘death grip’ video, 3GS / 4 reception comparison

Filed under: iPhone

TUAW fans who watched Erica Sadun's proprietary "Strength" app in action yesterday saw proof that there is a degradation in signal quality on the iPhone 4 when it is handheld. The so-called iPhone 4 "death grip," which consists of cradling the phone in your left hand to manipulate the screen with the right hand, appears to be another example of regular cell phone signal loss caused by the proximity of a human hand to the antenna of a working cell phone.

In the video above, we tested an iPhone 3GS with Erica's app, and found pretty much the same results -- the signal strength is lower when the 3GS is held in the hand, and recovers when it is not being held. The big difference between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS is that the 3GS doesn't tend to drop calls as often as the iPhone 4 does.

Erica also provided the photo shown below, which shows an iPhone 4 (left) and an iPhone 3GS (right) both running the app. They're both on the AT&T network (the 3GS has an O2-rebranded SIM purchased at Circuit City) and they're both the same distance away from the cell towers. The iPhone 3GS is running on iPhone OS 3.1.2 rather than iOS 4.0, which should not affect signal strength readings in any way. It displays a different font than the iPhone 4 as the older OS does not support custom fonts.
What the photo shows is that although both of the iPhones show 5 bars of signal strength, the actual signal strength is lower on the iPhone 4 (-95 dB vs. -85 dB on the 3GS), and the Apple Graded Signal Strength is also lower (29 vs. 45 on the 3GS). This is in line with Apple's PR statement of July 2nd that says "the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength." The iPhone 4 should be showing fewer bars than it is, since it's apparent that the reception of the vaunted stainless steel antenna is worse than advertised.

TUAW presents: iPhone 3GS 'death grip' video, 3GS / 4 reception comparison originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW presents: iPhone 3GS 'death grip' video, 3GS / 4 reception comparison originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone live tonight, 6pm PT, 9pm ET, 2am BST

Due to crazy summer schedules our newer, later time-slot seems to be sticking around for a while.

We’ll be talking iPhone 4, especially iPhone 4 bugs, is the $99 iPhone 3GS worth considering, where’s white, more iOS 4 awesome apps, and all the week’s news and reviews.

iPhone live takes over the home page 15 minutes or so before the show. Be here, and be ready to chat.

iPhone live tonight, 6pm PT, 9pm ET, 2am BST is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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AT&T: Drop In iPhone Data Upload Speeds Due To Software Bug; Working On A Fix