Apple Reportedly Disrupting iPhone Competitors With Legal Threats Backed Up by HTC Suit

Fortune reports on a new research note from Oppenhiemer & Co.'s Yair Reiner claiming that Apple in January began high-level talks with major phone manufacturers expressing its displeasure with what it con...

Slate comes to the iPhone, along with a lot of advertising

Filed under: Multimedia, Odds and ends, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

I've always liked Slate Magazine on the web. It's sometimes sassy and irreverent, but always interesting -- an eclectic mix of politics, culture and tech news.

Now, Slate has come to the iPhone in a US$1.99 app that features all the articles from the site, as well as the blog posts, staff tweets and streaming video from the Slate podcasts. Once content is downloaded you can read it off-line, which is a worthwhile feature. Access to Slate on the web is free, and you can read Slate from any mobile browser by going to mobile.slate.com.

So why the charge for the iPhone app? Slate says it cost something to develop it, and it gives you a much richer experience in a portable form. I can't argue with that, but I can argue with the ads that appear absolutely everywhere. Even the splash screen popped up with an ad. I think that's a bit much after I've paid for the app, but I'm beginning to see a lot of this in other apps as well.

I do like the app a lot, and it is a better experience for me than reading Slate stories in Safari on the iPhone. I even prefer the app to reading the site on my desktop or laptop. I just think the constant intrusive ads are a turn-off that will keep some people from pulling the trigger on what is an otherwise laudable effort.

Slate works on any iPhone or iPod touch with OS 3.0 or greater. I expect we'll see an iPad version as well.

Full disclosure: In the dim, distant past I worked at the Washington Post Company, which owns Slate.

Take a gander at some screen shots below:

Slate comes to the iPhone, along with a lot of advertising originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Slate comes to the iPhone, along with a lot of advertising originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2010: Ngmoco explains how Eliminate Pro was built

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Other Events, Developer, iPhone

The 2010 Game Developers Conference kicks off today in San Francisco, and TUAW is in attendance to check out the latest and greatest in iPhone game development. The conference boasts a whole track dedicated to iPhone gaming this year, and all week long, we'll be bringing you panels, news, and interviews straight from the conference floor. This morning, panel number one was from Stephen Detwiler and James Marr, two engineers at Ngmoco, to talk to developers about how they put the server software together for Eliminate, the "freemium" first person shooter that's serving as their flagship app lately.

As they explained during the presentation, they had a heck of a goal with this project: they wanted to put together "the definitive FPS for iPhone," complete with all of the functions of a standard console deathmatch-style FPS, in just five months with just three engineers. And they started with the toughest nut of all: the networking code.

Continue reading GDC 2010: Ngmoco explains how Eliminate Pro was built

GDC 2010: Ngmoco explains how Eliminate Pro was built originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GDC 2010: Ngmoco explains how Eliminate Pro was built originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon-AT&T battle over LTE heats up

The simmering marketing battle between Verizon Wireless and AT&T over whose LTE network is first and best promises to explode in the coming months.

Tekken bound for the iPhone

Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, App Store

Namco is bringing the popular Tekken franchise to the iPhone. It's not confirmed whether it's a port of the original game -- released back in 1994 in arcades, then on the PlayStation -- or the current Tekken 6.

This comes a few weeks after Capcom announced the release of Street Fighter IV for the iPhone, leading to an eventual fighter game showdown in the App Store. While both games on the iPhone is pretty awesome, I'm waiting to see how they will look and play on the iPad. I also wouldn't mind seeing even more Namco titles on the iPhone - especially selections from the Tales RPG franchise.

Namco has a number of games in the store, including classics like Galaga, which was "remixed" for the iPhone, Burger Time Deluxe, which graced arcades way back in 1982!

Here's hoping for old-school Tekken.

[Via Gizmodo]

Tekken bound for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tekken bound for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone Developer Agreement Revealed by Electronic Frontier Foundation

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) yesterday announced that it had obtained a copy of Apple's iPhone Developer Program License Agreement and published it for public consumption. While the contents of the license agreement, which govern...

iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 4 is Out

iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch developers: get yourself over to Apple’s developer center, as iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 4 is ready for you to download, a mere two weeks after Beta three was unleashed for your coding pleasure. As MacRumors and Engadget note, it’s too early to say what magical new capabilities are to be found here – but don’t let that stop you.

iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 4 is Out is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Motorola Backflip on AT&T: Not the full Android experience

AT&T may have opened its arms to Android with the release of Motorola's Backflip, but it isn't exactly embracing the platform's open nature.

iPhone SDK 3.2 beta 4 drops in

Suspense! Drama! Surprises! Unrealistic expectations! It's always a veritable roller coaster of emotions whenever Apple gets around to cutting a new SDK build -- and without a doubt, iPhone SDK 3.2 beta 4 is no exception. We don't yet have a good read on what's new here, so if you're a member of Apple's $99 dev program and happen to get it downloaded and installed, let us know if you find anything awesome, like an iPhone 4 or iPad 2. Or, you know, anything else. Have fun!

iPhone SDK 3.2 beta 4 drops in originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panda discovers malware on HTC Magic phone

Security vendor Panda came across a new HTC Magic phone that had three malware programs already on it.

EFF releases iPhone developer license agreement

Filed under: Developer, iPhone

In a step towards transparency, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has made the entire iPhone Developer Program License Agreement available for the general public. This is the document that all iPhone developers must agree to when they become part of the iPhone developer program.

As EFF points out, public copies of the license agreement are pretty scarce thanks to developers being locked under a non-disclosure agreement as part of the contract. EFF used the Freedom of Information Act to get its copy from NASA, which is the version from approximately a year ago (Rev. 3-17-09). The agreement has been updated since then.

The EFF characterizes the agreement as "a very one-sided contract, favoring Apple at every turn," and that's not an overstatement. Some of the clauses and conditions in the Apple developer agreement do smack of "our field, our ball, our rules" thinking from Cupertino. Highlights from the 28-page document include:

• A ban prohibiting developers from making public statements about the license agreement; however the contract itself is not considered "Apple Confidential Information."
• Apps developed from Apple's SDK are only allowed to be sold through the App Store. You can't push it anywhere else (Cydia, etc.), even if Apple has rejected the app for any reason.
• Developers are forbidden to tinker with any Apple products, not just the iPhone. This includes jailbreaking.
• Apple is not liable for more than $50 in damages in case something happens on their end to your app. This is laughable, and I'm honestly surprised that Apple has not had a legal challenge over this yet.
• Devices used for testing purposes could be locked into a "testing mode," and may not be able to be restored to their original condition. That is one way to brick your device.

I discussed the EFF's post with Mike Rose, and he offered some editorial comment; read on for more.

Continue reading EFF releases iPhone developer license agreement

EFF releases iPhone developer license agreement originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

EFF releases iPhone developer license agreement originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Releases iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 4 for iPad

Apple today released iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 4 via the iPhone Dev Center, offering developers updated tools for building applications for the iPad. The last update to the SDK was issued two weeks ago, continuing a trend of biweekly revisions.<br...

Review: Alice in Wonderland for iPhone

Inspired by the recently released film from Disney and director Tim Burton, Alice in Wonderland is a remarkably clever 2-D adventure game that is more than a mere movie tie-in.

Pioneer offers 3D ready VSK-520-K and VSX-820-K AV receivers

Both Pioneer models feature optional Bluetooth to allow wireless transfer of audio from smartphones and other devices with a $99 Bluetooth device. Both of the devices are also 3D ready with support for HDMI 1.4. The 820-K receiver is works with iPhone Certified as well. Both of the devices support 5.1 ...

SwipSwap 3.0 Free Contact Sharing for iPhone - See it, Share it, Done

Mindwarm Incorporated today released SwipSwap 3.0, a Free application for iPhone and iPod touch users looking for a faster, easier way to share contact information. The app is the first of its kind, offering in-person, group contact exchange using WiFi and Bluetooth peer-to-peer technology. SwipSwap is more than Bump without ...

Apple vs. HTC Lawsuit a Warning Shot to Disrupt Competitors?

Fortune quotes Oppenheimer’s Yair Reiner, who thinks Apple’s patent infringement suit against Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone manufacturer HTC was a warning shot meant to disrupt competitors’ roadmaps:

“Starting in January, Apple launched a series of C-Level discussions with tier-1 handset makers to underscore its growing displeasure at seeing its iPhone-related IP [intellectual property] infringed. The lawsuit filed against HTC thus appears to be Apple’s way of putting a public, lawyered-up exclamation point on a series of blunt conversations that have been occurring behind closed doors.

“Our checks also suggest that these warning shots are meaningfully disrupting the development roadmaps for would-be iPhone killers. Rival software and hardware teams are going back to the drawing board to look for work-arounds. Lawyers are redoubling efforts to gauge potential defensive and offensive responses. And strategy teams are working to chart OS strategies that are better hedged.”

What changed?

“Top-tier handset makers continued to avoid implementing multi-touch, but Apple could safely assume that they were hanging back to gauge Apple’s response to Motorola and HTC. If there wasn’t one, the OEMs would likely read the silence as a green light, especially after Google also moved to enable multi-touch on its Nexus One phone.

It was likely in order to counter that perception that Apple began reaching out to handset OEMs in January and explaining in no uncertain terms that it was now ready to do battle–and not just on multi-touch. It was ready to press its case along a number of axes that had made the iPhone experience unique, from the interpretation of touch gestures, to object-oriented OS design, to the nuts and bolts of how hardware elements were built and configured.”

He believes it’s working, and might end up driving people away from Android and… towards Windows Phone.

Nice.

Apple vs. HTC Lawsuit a Warning Shot to Disrupt Competitors? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Adobe Demos Flash On HP’s Upcoming ‘Slate Device’; Takes A Dig At Apple

EFF publishes iPhone developer agreement

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has legally obtained and published a copy of the license agreement that governs the terms of developing for the iPhone.

Can iPad’s Richer Gaming Platform Outdo iPhone’s Success?

CBS Sports NCAA March Madness and MLB.com At Bat 2010 Now Available for iPhone

Spring is in the air and March is a perfect time for all you sports fans out there to get your daily fix with the release of CBS Sports March Madness [iTunes Link - $9.99] and MLB.com At Bat 2010 [iTunes Link - $14.99].

For the full list of features to both of these great sport applications, follow us after the break!

CBS Sports NCAA March Madness is a great buy for anyone who can not get enough of their collage hoops. Not only does it provide you with live streaming video of 63 games over EDGE/3G and Wi-Fi but it also provides all of the following great features.

• Video highlights on demand from every game
• LIVE STREAMING OF THE SELECTION SUNDAY SHOW ON MARCH 14
• Westwood One Radio coverage starting on March 16
• Real time graphical bracket with updates on game match-ups, regions, and scores
• Exclusive CBSSports.com Edge Matchup game previews, including team-by-team analysis and matchup comparisons
• Alerts for favorite teams, as well as upsets, buzzer beaters, overtimes, and more
• Breaking tournament news coverage
• Box scores, recaps, and team stats
• Access to CBSSports.com tournament brackets (requires sign-in with CBSSports.com ID/password)
• Log into your Facebook and Twitter accounts to comment on games and talk trash to your friends

MLB.com At Bat 2010 is more of the same great baseball application from the 2009 season so you can still listen to the audio of every game in the regular season and postseason live, get scores and highlights, get push notifications, live streaming video (blackout restrictions apply), etc… They’ve even went ahead and added some brand new features for 2010.

• Spring Training statistics and LIVE audio
• LIVE video with MLB.TV beginning mid-March
• Breaking news, schedules and interactive rosters and player stats for every team
• Video library searchable by player and team
• Enhanced LIVE game video (Regular Season)
• Home/Away broadcast feed selection (Regular Season)
• Background audio playback
• Additional enhancements to come during 2010 season, including a suite of ‘At The Ballpark’ advantages in At Bat 2010, from customized, proprietary content to fan-experience tools and more

If you pick these up, let us know what missing features you’d like to see included (if any) in the comments below!

CBS Sports NCAA March Madness and MLB.com At Bat 2010 Now Available for iPhone is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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