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Apple Celebrating First Birthday of the App Store

Written on July 07, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 5 people have commented

In just a few days time (July 11), the App Store will officially celebrate its first anniversary. To mark the occasion, Apple has introduced a special section in iTunes, which gives kudos to some of the company’s top App Store picks. The apps on the list are mostly ones you’d expect to see, based on [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: July 4, 2009

Written on July 04, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 7 people have commented

It’s that time of the week — when we welcome you to the weekend with a selection of the freshest picks for the iPhone from the App Store.
Hold your horses, though, because before we dive headfirst into a glorious ocean of iPhone apps, I’ve got a roundup of notable Apple news from the past seven [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: June 27, 2009

Written on June 27, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 4 people have commented

It’s the weekend, people, so prime your downloading finger and get ready to make good use of it as I guide you through the latest picks from the App Store.
Thanks to the release of OS 3.0 and the iPhone 3GS, there’s been a constant stream of Apple happenings. Before we get to the apps, let’s [...]

The Problem With Push: What’s Going on at Apple HQ?

Written on June 22, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 29 people have commented

Something’s rotten in Cupertino, and Apple fans running the 3.0 firmware are beginning to get anxious as a result. I’m talking about push notifications, of course, which have yet to dazzle and amaze most iPhone owners running 3.0. A few apps are trickling in with some push features, but by and large, the headline apps [...]

10 Father’s Day Apps for Your #1 Dad

Written on June 19, 2009 by Peter Venero and 10 people have commented

With Father’s Day just around the corner (Sunday, to be exact), we here at TheAppleBlog thought what better gift to get that special father in your life than a thoughtful yet handy iPhone or iPod touch application.
Feeling the cash crunch around this particular time? Not to worry, most of the applications mentioned here are free [...]

Apple Implements App Ratings/Restrictions for iPhone, iPod Touch

Written on June 17, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 5 people have commented

The fact that they included parental controls for games in the 3.0 beta sort of hinted at this, but along with the iPhone 3.0 update today came app ratings, which appear rather inconspicuously under the app’s price and buy button on the detailed info screen. It also appears next to an app’s name in the [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: June 13, 2009

Written on June 13, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 5 people have commented

Your head might be spinning from the torrent of Apple happenings at WWDC this week, but fear not, I’ve got the cure: fresh picks from the App Store.
It’s been an exciting week for TheAppleBlog, with our correspondents posting live from WWDC in San Jose; we’ve been covering the event from all angles. Before we look [...]

Apple’s New iPhone & OS: Developers Talk Future Potential

Written on June 11, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 7 people have commented

The iPhone 3G S and OS 3.0 introduce a raft of updates to the device, representing another leap ahead of the competition. We spoke to three App Store developers to find out what to expect in the coming weeks.
The new device, iPhone 3G S, stays with the form-factor of its predecessor but squeezes in more [...]

Google Quick Search Box Officially Released

Written on June 10, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 10 people have commented

Sometimes really useful software comes in small packages. Just about six months ago, I stumbled upon the developer preview of Google Quick Search Box (QSB) for the Mac, and I’ve been using it ever since. Google should be proud, because generally speaking, I shy away from desktop search applications, including their own Google Desktop for [...]

Tap Tap Revenge Goes Gaga for Universal Music

Written on June 10, 2009 by Wagner James Au and 1 person has commented

iPhone-owning fans of Lady Gaga, rejoice: Today a new version of Tap Tap Revenge, Tapulous‘ iPhone rhythm game phenomenon, hits the App Store, loaded with 14 tracks from the breakout pop star. It’s also the first version of TTR that can be played with the iPhone held sideways during “boss tracks,” which require all four [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: June 6, 2009

Written on June 06, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 42 people have commented

The week may be drawing to a close, but here at TheAppleBlog we’ve got an array of apps to get your through the weekend.
As ever, I’ve got four notable new iPhone releases from the App Store to tell you about. Before we jump into the apps, though, let’s take a look at the week that [...]

Dealing With Stubborn Applications: Installation and Spring Cleaning

Written on June 03, 2009 by Chris Ryan and 3 people have commented

Occasionally, every Mac user (from amateur to power user) has issues either installing stubborn applications or removing ones that just refuse to be deleted. Fortunately, there some utilities that every Mac user should keep handy for these instances.

Apple Mulling App-Sharing System for iPhone Users

Written on June 03, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 6 people have commented

The Zune isn’t all bad. First of all, there’s the Zune HD, which at least looks really good. And then there’s the ability to share music and other media content via Wi-Fi with your other Zune-toting friends (is there really a group of people where more than one member has a Zune?) so that they [...]

Re-Downloading Deleted iPhone Apps May Become Costly in OS 3.0

Written on June 01, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 19 people have commented

Naively, I used to think that once I’d purchased music, I could easily download it again, for free, on any other computer or WiFi-connected iPhone or iPod touch as long as I was signed in with my iTunes account. As most of you probably know, that’s not the case. Instead, if you try to download [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: May 30, 2009

Written on May 30, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 7 people have commented

Just when you thought the weekend couldn’t get any better, along comes a selection of the freshest picks from the App Store.
This week I’ve selected four playful picks for you to toy with over the weekend. It’s not all fun and games, though, as before we get to the apps, I’ve got a roundup of [...]

Ubisoft Exec Thinks Apple Has Gaming Platform in Mind

Written on May 29, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 6 people have commented

Apple has made significant steps towards cornering the mobile gaming market (though that “premium” games section so far hasn’t come to pass), and both Sony and Nintendo have likely been forced to re-examine their portable offerings in order to try to regain ground. I doubt either of those companies or Microsoft would appreciate competition from [...]

Seven Apps to Improve the iPhone’s Camera & Photos

Written on May 27, 2009 by Nick Santilli and 8 people have commented

The iPhone’s 2-megapixel camera takes some all-right photos, but honestly, there’s a lot of room for improvement. A future model with a higher-resolution camera seems like a no-brainer (rumors point to 3.2-megapixel hardware), but for now, there are some excellent applications for getting the most out of the current iPhone cameras and the photos they [...]

Weekly App Store Picks: May 23, 2009

Written on May 23, 2009 by Olly Farshi and No one has commented

What’s that, you say? You’re looking for iPhone app recommendations alongside a smattering of the week’s Apple news? Read, on my friend, I have just the article for you…
Before I present you with my four recommendations, hand-picked from the freshest apps to launch for the iPhone, it’s time to take stock and review this week’s [...]

Japanese Game Maker Survey Finds Strong Appetite for iPhone Development

Written on May 22, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 2 people have commented

The real core of the video game industry has long been Japan, where it enjoys a pop culture status that Western studios can only hope to one day achieve. It stands to reason, then, that a good barometer for the iPhone’s success as a gaming platform would be Japanese industry interest in the device. A [...]

Save the World with Terminator Salvation on the iPhone

Written on May 13, 2009 by David Appleyard and 4 people have commented

As a fan of the Terminator trilogy, I’m fascinated to see how the new movie will fare. I was equally intrigued to take a look at the iPhone game released to accompany the fourth installment in the movie series. Gameloft announced the release last week, and Terminator Salvation is now available to download (iTunes link) [...]