News, apps, rumors, hacks and cracks
Gizmodo reported today that according to one of their insider sources, Steve Jobs‘ health is getting worse and worse, which is the reason behind Macworld and Jobs keynote cancellations.
According to Gizmodo’s source:
Steves health is rapidly declining. Apple is choosing to remove the hype factor strategically vs letting the hype destroy apple when the inevitable news comes later this spring.
This strategic loss will be less of a bang with investors. This is why Macworld is a no-go anymore. No more Steve means no more hype. Saying they are no longer needing [Macworld] is the cover designed by the worldwide “loyalty” department.
Apparently, this source has always been 100% right in the past, which leads us to think that it might be right again.
Gizmodo argues that Jobs’ health is nobody’s business but I completely disagree with that. Jobs’ health is pretty much everybody’s business, especially Apple’s investors. However, I do agree with Jesus Diaz when he says that “we believe that there’s a line between saying “no-comment” and plainly misleading—once again—the public.”, talking about how Apple is lying to the public about Jobs’ health.
FileChute to the rescue for sending large files
FileChute from Yellow Mug Software has been kicking around for awhile, but has been pretty much under the radar for most people. Some of our readers mentioned it when we reviewed YouSendIt last January. FileChute is powerful because it can send any size file, as long as you have space on your iDisk, FTP site, or WebDAV web server.
Livespeakr now accepting pre-orders
Just to refresh our memories, the Livespeaker is a speaker cradle that holds the iPhone/iPod. The speakers are protected against RF (radio frequency) noise, so you can enjoy pristine audio without the cell signal getting in the way. The speakers will expand, rotate, and contract to fit movie/Cover Flow viewing angles, and will fit in your pocket. The speakers are powered by rechargeable batteries, or AC adapter.
First Look: Sharecard for iPhone
When you first launch the application, you are able to set the default vCard to send. When you navigate back to the vCard tab, and tap the “Send Card” button, you will have the option to send the card via email. In the email section, you can either type in a new email address, or select an email address from your contacts.
Boingo Mobile comes to the iPhone/iPod touch
Good news for travelers or anyone who is frequently on the go: Boingo has just released Boingo Mobile for the iPhone and iPod touch. Boingo Mobile is actually a pretty handy service, especially for the frequent traveler. For $7.95 a month (5.95 EUR, 3.95 GBP), you get unlimited data and VOiP access to all Boingo Mobile hotspot locations throughout the world. This includes practically every major airport, US Starbucks and McDonalds locations and an insane number of hotels.
Walmart workers back iPhone launch rumors
Newer sources back the notion that Walmart will soon begin carrying the iPhone, Bloomberg reports. The news agency cites cellphone department workers at five California Walmarts, who again say that the iPhone is due by the end of December, and that sales training for it is already in progress.
Google pushes AdWords advertising to iPhone, G1
Google is adopting a more concentrated approach to marketing on cellphones, an announcement reveals. The company says it has revised its AdWords advertising system, and will now allow advertisers to push desktop-like web ads to the iPhone, the T-Mobile G1 and other phones with full HTML support.
PocketFinder launched for iPhone 3G
Location Based Technologies has released its latest PocketFinder Location software, now in the form of an iPhone app. By using the program, a person’s friends and family should be able to view the location of their iPhone worldwide, from any smartphone or computer. Included in the app are alert zones, which allow customizable alerts to be sent out whenever a user leaves a specified area.
Songbird Remote Controls Playlists from your iPhone or iPod Touch
One of the great strengths of Songbird, a jukebox app intended to serve as a more open-ended iTunes killer, is its Firefox-like extensibility. The 779Media group jumps out of the gate with a remote-control application for iPhones and iPod touch devices that, while simple in functionality, does give you basic play/pause/back/forward control from anywhere your home wireless network reaches.
Slydial: Great, if you can get it…
I found this great iPhone app last night called Slydial. It lets you leave a voicemail on someone’s mobile phone without bothering the person to answer. So, the recipient will not get a ringtone but will get your voicemail message. And it’s free!
I didn’t post here in a couple of days as my friends and I suddenly decided to drive to Vegas on Thursday night around 11pm… Turned out to be a terrible decision but we did have fun. I had to catch up with all the iPhone news to deliver it to you today. So read on as there are some interesting information.
iPhone Speed Trap Apps Compete for Space on Your iPhone
Most users would be better served by Trapster than NMobile, largely due to the fact that Trapster has more documented speed traps. Trapster also allows you to optionally leave the screen active saving power. NMobile definitely had the best mapping experience, and allows viewing of the map in portrait or landscape modes which Trapster does not support.
iRingPro offers “professional” ringtones
I’d prefer it if people used their phone’s (least annoying) default tone, but I know that some users can’t resist fiddling around. Here’s hoping those people will check out iRingPro.
Securing your iPhone web traffic with Hotspot Shield
If you’re concerned about your data’s safety, consider using Anchorfree’s Hotspot Shield free VPN service. Hotspot Shield has been a great way to lock down your laptop’s wifi for a long time now, and just recently they have released instructions on how to take advantage of their service on an iPhone / iPod touch. Pleasantly, the service does not require that a program be downloaded to your device, but rather takes advantage of the iPhone and iPod touch’s built-in VPN functionality.
First Look: Public Radio Tuner
Whenever I’m not listening to my iPod in the car, I’m usually have my radio tuned to National Public Radio, where I get my fix of classical and jazz music. American Public Media has created an iPhone app that caters to those of us who want to listen to a particular NPR station, but don’t happen to be near a computer.
We know the iPhone is magic — now it DOES magic
Magic Show is an iPhone (or iPod touch) app created by a professional magician, Allen Valentine. He does an impressive stage show in Atlantic City, and he is passionate about the iPhone as well as his magic, so he combined the two.
iPhone barf bag mod is air sick
Sure, it’s foolish and low-tech as hell. But in the 8-hours you were cooped up on that transatlantic flight, did you ever once think about using the barf bag as an adjustable mount for your media player? No, you just held your iPod touch in your hand, occasionally dozing off until awakened by a jerk of the earbuds from your fallen iPod. Who’s the fool now?
Secret iPhone video-out features hacked, used for video games
Hey, just because using secret undocumented iPhone SDK calls might get you booted from the App Store doesn’t mean it’s not a good time — Ars Technica commissioned Freeverse to mod its Moto Chaser game to use the hidden video-out features in iPhone 2.2, and we have to say the results turned out pretty decent. It’s not perfect — it looks like it only works in landscape mode, and rendering to TV resolutions strains the processor and slows framerates down on all but the faster 2G iPod touch — but it works, and it’s a taste of where iPhone app development could go if Apple ever opens up the gates. Or you could just be Google and do whatever you want, we suppose. Video after the break.
CallingCard application released for iPhone
Marigo Holdings debuts CardCaller , an iPhone application that enables users to purchase, manage and use calling cards to phone people world wide. Designed to look and work similar to iPhones existing phone application, users can input the 1-800 number and pin code from the calling card into the phone where it will be stored for continues use. CardCaller also provides features including creating …
Apple receives another 3G speed lawsuit
Apple faces yet another lawsuit challenging its claims of 3G network performance. Through the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, James Pittman has filed a lawsuit against Apple in regards to the poor speeds of the iPhone 3G when compared to advertisements. Pittman claims that the phone was rushed to market in a defective state, and does not perform as represented.
Apple claims over 300 million App Store downloads
Apple has served over 300 million downloads through the iTunes App Store, a new print ad from the company claims. Published in the New York Times, the ad also observes that there are now over 10,000 different apps, a twentyfold increase over the 500 that heralded the App Store’s debut.
$99 iPhone is inevitable, maybe a new model
Amidst the rumors of a $99 4GB iPhone that might be sold after the holidays at Wal-Mart, analyst firm Kaufman Brothers has reported that a $99 device is inevitable. The exact timing of the discount remains unclear, although Apple could be developing a strategy to expand the range of iPhone products to include a low-end, mid-range, and high-end device.
App Store shoppers downloading 2.2 million apps per day
Though arguably still in its infancy, Apple’s App Store has already reached a daily run rate that’s seen iPhone and iPod touch users combine to download approximately 2.2 million applications every day.
Dev Working On Universal App Remote, Taking App Support Requests
Young developer Nam Chu Hoai, an ex-jailbreak developer, is currently working on a universal remote app called Nam’s Remote. The idea behind the app is to support as many applications on both the PC and Mac as possible. He currently has it working as a game controller, virtual trackpad, and VLC and Front Row remote to name a few.
Tap Tap Revenge - Christmas With Weezer
Never failing to impress us, the folks at Tapulous have once again released a special edition of Tap Tap Revenge—this time with Weezer. The newest addition to the Tap Tap Revenge line—Christmas With Weezer—comes with six exclusive Christmas carols from the band.
iPhone Controlled Remote Dog Treat Dispenser
Stephen Myers has created a system for dispensing dog treats remotely from his iPhone as a method for checking up on his dog while he’s away from home. He uses an electronic monitoring system from ioBridge that connects to his Ethernet network, an old CD spindle case, some cardboard and bits of wood, a large syringe plunger, and a webcam. Impressively, there was no programming required. Check out the video after the break.
Flickr Video Now Viewable On iPhone, iPod Touch
People don’t often know that Flickr is not only a place for photos, but also hosts video, too. Previously, like most other social video sites out there, these have been flash videos. Now, in a move to make things more iPhone-friendly, Flicker Video is now compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch. All new videos uploaded since the announcement are iPhone and iPod touch compatible.
HotSpot Shield Secures iPhone’s Wi-Fi Traffic
Public Wi-Fi hotspots are a great for watching some YouTube or downloading a podcast on your iPhone, but have you ever wondered how secure that Wi-Fi connection is? Someone could be spying on you, and that could be a real problem if you’re doing something with more sensitive information like online banking. Hotspot Shield is a great tool for making sure your info doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. It utilizes the iPhones VPN capabilities to secure your connection. You can check it out at HotspotShield.com.
User Makes iPhone Coffee Table From Cardboard
Are coasters not enough iPhone for your living room? One user decided to take his iPhone fetish to a new level by constructing his own iPhone coffee table. Not only is it a giant iPhone made of cardboard, but it has icon coasters, too. There is no tutorial at this time, but it’s still pretty cool.
Santa Live iPhone App Pulled Due to Even More Controversy
Developer Adam Majewski’s Santa Live app has had its share of bad press already: we reported a few weeks ago that Majewski was paying commenters to leave positive feedback about his project. But after the horror of a novelty Christmas song included in the app, Santa Live has been officially pulled from the App Store.
Flickr videos now iPhone compatible
The folks at Flickr have released some good news today. Specifically, their mobile site at m.flickr.com has been improved to include, among other things, video support for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Beta Testers Wanted For SnakeHead’s ‘Flying Aces’ Game
The fine folks over at SnakeHead Software are working hard on a new combat flight simiulator game called Flying Aces and they need your help! SnakeHead has a limited number of spots to fill, so they want you to prove that you’re worthy. To enter, send an email to flyingaces[at]snakeheadsoftware[dot]com with the reason why you’ll be a good beta tester.
Woof! An iPhone-controlled dog treat dispenser
TUAW reader Stephen Myers sent us a link about a fun little project he worked on. He wants to be able to check on his dog’s well-being and reward the dog with treats from anywhere he can use his iPhone. Stephen found out about ioBridge, a company that develops electronic monitoring and control modules that connect to any Ethernet network and can be controlled via an encrypted web front end.
Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes impresses as an iPhone shooter
Still, very impressive for an iPhone game, and a very good bar-setter for the first major shooter we’ve seen on the platform. As you might expect, this isn’t going to be cheap — it’s $9.99 in the App Store, and while this would be the perfect title for a demo (how else do you expect to sell a $10 app?), there’s not one to be found at all. Still, if there’s going to be such a thing as a premium game on the iPhone, this is probably it. For all of the colorful little puzzle and wordplay games on the iPhone, sometimes you just want to shoot some Nazis.
BGR: Walmart to sell $99 iPhone?
Your source for all iPhone-slash-Walmart news, BoyGeniusReport, has a whopper for you: Walmart might offer the 4GB iPhone for $99 when they start selling the handsets after Christmas.
Vlingo launches voice-command iPhone app
Vlingo has launched a voice-based iPhone application that allows users to speak basic commands to call contacts, search the web, find maps, or send status updates to Facebook and Twitter. Yahoo and Google searches can be initiated simply by stating the command and search terms, such as “web search: concert tickets in Boston,” for example.
Truphone launches VoIP app for iPod touch, iPhone
Truphone has launched a new VoIP application that enables an iPod touch to be used as a phone. If equipped with a microphone and headphones, the device can make phone calls to Google Talk or Skype users, another Truphone-enabled iPod touch, or certain Nokia handsets, from anywhere in the world where a Wi-Fi connection is available.
Apple files patent for hover-ready touchscreen
Apple has developed technology that would let an iPhone or similar device be controlled by hovering fingers nearby rather than just touches alone, a new US patent filing shows.
iPhone topples Windows Mobile in world sales
Apple’s lone cellphone product line is already outselling the entire range of Windows Mobile devices worldwide, according to new Gartner data. The launch of iPhone 3G in the summer was enough to push Apple to 12.9 percent market share and was enough to unseat Windows Mobile both within the US and internationally.
Weezer, Daft Punk come to new Tap Tap games
Several major musical acts have found their way into new App Store games based on the Guitar Hero-like Tap Tap Revenge, developer Tapulous has announced. The first, Christmas With Weezer, includes six original Christmas songs by the rock band, as well as two singles off the most recent studio album. The second game, Tap Tap Dance, features a host of electronic dance acts such as Moby, Daft Punk…
Apple argues only a fool would believe its iPhone 3G ads
Apple isn’t lying in television ads that tout the iPhone 3G as twice as fast as its predecessor, but customers would have to be fools to take those claims at face value, the company argues.
Vlingo Voice Search Released For iPhone
It looks like Google’s search app might be getting a little competition. Vlingo, a new voice-powered search application was just released into the App Store. The app has been available for RIM phones for some time, but has now been ported to the iPhone. Like the Google app, it can recognize spoken English words (and works best with an American accent ). Unlike Google’s app, however, it can search both Google and Yahoo engines.
Stanza adds licensed eReader content for iPhone booklovers
Good news for those who like to read books on their iPhones (as opposed to listening to them read by other people). JKontherun reports that ebook seller Fictionwise is licensing support for the eReader format to Lexcycle for use in Stanza; Fictionwise is also launching an eReader store for Stanza users. This adds more than 40,000 titles to the Stanza family, and allows multiple options for licensed book content on the iPhone family; Fictionwise will continue to offer the eReader app that’s already on the App Store. For users with libraries of eReader-format content bought for previous platforms like the Palm handhelds, those books should work.
First Look: Amazon.com app for iPhone/iPod touch
Today, the online retailer Amazon.com launched its first iPhone/iPod touch application. Previously, Amazon offered a version of its site that was optimized for MobileSafari. Amazon has added some pretty nifty features in the iPhone application that could make shopping online a lot easier.
Wide Email 1.2 adds shortcut options
LizzardWerks has released Wide Email 1.2, an update to its iPhone application that offers a wider horizontal-landscape keyboard for writing e-mails. Typing shortcuts have been added, allowing users to insert words, phrases, or even paragraphs by entering just one or two letters. The shortcut list allows new content to be added, while the existing entries can also be edited or deleted.
Voice Dialer Brings Fast, Impressive Voice Dialing to Your iPhone
As its name suggests, free iPhone application Voice Dialer adds voice dialing to your iPhone. More accurately, though, Voice Dialer is a contact search-by-voice app that also does autodialing. The difference: You can easily autodial any contact by saying “Call John Smith at home”—and Voice Dialer is great at recognizing matches—but if you don’t say “Call” before the contact’s name, Voice Dialer will simply pull up matches.
iFund applications mistakenly published on the web
Nearly 600 applications to the Kleiner Perkins iFund were mistakenly published on the web, including the startups’ contact information, founder bios, business plans, demos and financial information. The blame for the mistake has fallen on Meteora Technologies Group, Kleiner Perkins’ former hosting provider, according to TechCrunch.
Rumor: Apple To Announce 32GB iPhone 3G At Macworld?
Macworld ‘09 will be here before you know it, and rumors of what Apple might announce are starting to pop up across the web. Among talk of iMac and long-overdue Mac Mini upgrades, MacBlogz has recieved an unconfirmed tip that Apple may add a 32GB iPhone 3G alongside their 8GB and 16GB models.
iPhone OS 2.2 Re-Locking Some Legally Unlocked Phones?
While the issue is not universal, some users are reporting a problem in which the iPhone OS 2.2 update locks legally unlocked iPhones (sold in Hong Kong, certain countries in Europe and elsewhere). The issue may occur if a legally unlocked phone is bought in one country then updated to OS 2.2 in another country.
Apple finally offers in-ear headphones for sale
We were recently wondering what happened to the in-ear headphones that Apple promised way back in September. Today, we’re happy to see that the online Apple Store is finally offering them for sale with free shipping and delivery listed as 7-10 days.
The Thumb improves typing on iPhone/Touch
Imagebakery on Monday announced The Thumb, an application for the iPhone/Touch designed to familiarize users with the device keyboard to improve the time it takes to type messages. Users can complete practice sentences with automated correction, with confirmation of mistakes.
Apple Releases iPhone Configuration Utility 1.1
Apple today released iPhone Configuration Utility 1.1 for Mac and Windows. The software allows corporate system administrators to deploy configuration files that allow their users’ iPhones to communicate with enterprise systems.
iPhone soars to 16.6% of smartphone market
The iPhone is now not only the second most popular smartphone in the world but has saved the smartphone industry from a decline this past summer, according to a research note by Needham analyst Charlie Wolf. Apple’s handset has represented about 16.6 percent of the entire smartphone market worldwide for the quarter ended in September and is now second only to Nokia.
Apple gives developers the ability to use promo codes
Apple has now given developers the ability to use promo codes to give away copies of their applications on the App Store. Previously, developers had to build a special version of their application (i.e. Ad-hoc copy) that included a mobile provisioning file and the actual application. These two files were then dragged onto iTunes to install them.
Apple Posts Top iPhone Apps Of 2008
The year is coming to a close, and in the spirit of remembrance Apple has posted a list of the top iPhone apps of 2008. The list commemorates the most successful of the apps during App Store’s first few years of existence, listing the most popular of apps. It’s divided into the categories of Top Paid Apps, Top Free Apps, Games, Entertainment, Utilities, Social Networking, and Music, with sub-catigories for each.
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A slow day in news for the iPhone… In the news today:
