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How-To: Sync an iPod Using Open-source Software

Written on July 09, 2009 by Lisa Hoover and 1 person has commented

It’s hard to deny how handy it is to plug an iPod into a Mac, fire up iTunes, and watch your device sync with your computer automagically. Take the Mac or iTunes out of the equation, though, and syncing gets a little trickier.
If you don’t like iTunes, or you use Linux as your primary operating [...]

iPhone for Life

Written on July 09, 2009 by Nick Santilli and 3 people have commented

I’ll posture that not many of us know the anniversary of the date we purchased most of our cellular phones — at least not before the iPhone hit the streets. (And if you do remember, hopefully you remember other, important anniversaries, too!) But things changed on June 29, 2007. Lines formed, and tons of iPhones [...]

Crystal Ball: What’s Coming in the Next iPhone?

Written on July 09, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 9 people have commented

Yes, the iPhone 3GS is still hot out of the oven (too hot, perhaps?), but if you’re a true gadget addict, then you probably can’t help but think ahead to what Apple could possibly cram into the next iteration to ensure consumer mouths continue to drool. Of course, if you’re like me and you were [...]

Fluent News: Great For Reading, Less So for Sharing

Written on July 08, 2009 by Tom Reestman and No one has commented

I’ve been playing with Fluent News on the iPhone for the last day, and consider it a fine first effort as a news reading app. However, when it comes to sharing the news stories you’re most interested in, it falls short.
Reading
On my iPhone’s first Home page, I have readers for the New York Times, The [...]

Push Gmail For iPhone (Almost) Here

Written on July 07, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 20 people have commented

One of the only reasons I’ve stuck it out with my MobileMe account, despite numerous quirks, annoyances and outright failures, is push email. For the iPhone to be useful to me as a business device, I need it to keep me up to date on my email in real time (or as close to it [...]

Nearest Tube iPhone App Makes Directions Real

Written on July 06, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 3 people have commented

How’s your reality? Blasé, run-of-the-mill, so-so? Fear not — an augmented reality is right around the corner, so long as you own an iPhone 3GS. Yes, Android is well ahead of the game in this particular area, but at least one app is already awaiting Apple’s approval that makes use of this exciting, new technology. [...]

Apple Looking to Add Photog Flair to iPod Line?

Written on July 06, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 8 people have commented

Evidence is mounting that Apple could indeed be planning on bringing at least one new hardware feature to the iPod touch. First, it was just general whisperings, involving the addition of a video camera after the appearance of the iPhone 3GS with similar functions. Then, a crop of case designs turned up that boasted a [...]

Apple Stores Can Now Replace iPhone Displays While You Wait

Written on July 06, 2009 by Chris Ryan and 25 people have commented

For many of us, the iPhone has become a staple item in our daily assortment of tech gear. Like any product that gets heavy use on a daily basis, sometimes it can fail. For the iPhone, that means a trip to the often crowded Genius Bar for help. Now as more consumers are adopting the digital device, Apple is facing an increasing number of iPhones in need of repair. The good news for consumers is, the majority of those repairs can now be done by your local Genius.

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 [...]

Rise of Lost Empires: Like Warcraft for iPhone, but Not Nearly as Good

Written on July 03, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 3 people have commented

I think I may have achieved a grasp of Gameloft’s concept design strategy for their iPhone catalog. It seems to have something to do with being “inspired” by titles and franchises that are already wildly successful. You can’t help but see the similarity between Hero of Sparta and God of War (even syntactically). Likewise, with [...]

Jailbreak for iPhone 3GS Now Available Online

Written on July 03, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 2 people have commented

At this point we probably shouldn’t need to start a jailbreaking post off with a disclaimer about how doing it with your iPhone is not condoned with Apple, and may void your warranty, so you should approach doing so at your own risk, but a friendly reminder never hurts. Now, on to the reason behind [...]

App Developer Diary Part 2: Pitching My Concept

Written on July 03, 2009 by Olly Farshi and No one has commented

In this week’s enlightening installment of the App Developer Diary, I pitch my game concept to the coders, preach the gospel of the Game Bible and muse upon the possibility of the project imploding.
Straight after submitting last week’s App Developer Diary, I packed up my MacBook Pro and headed down to Nolla, a local bar [...]

App Review: oMaps — Offline Mapping for iPhone

Written on July 01, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 10 people have commented

Due to hefty 3G roaming rates, Apple’s Maps app just won’t cut it when you’re out of the country. The oMap app lets you download maps for offline viewing — dodging a shocking bill post-vacation.
The iPhone is an almost perfect companion for travels to distant lands. With a bit of foresight and time set aside [...]

iPhones Heating Up: Anyone Playing “Hot Potato” With Their 3GS?

Written on June 30, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 35 people have commented

My 3GS has given me (relatively) little cause for complaint since I got it, though there was the one little replacement issue for what I thought were Wi-Fi problems. Turned out to be a persistent issue that hopefully will be resolved with a firmware update, but it’s more superficial than anything else. What I haven’t [...]

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 [...]

iPhone 3GS Gaming Advantages Made Perfectly Clear

Written on June 26, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 3 people have commented

I’m not going to debate the merits of upgrading with you, since I’m sure you’ve already wrestled with that particular demon yourself, but I did want to take a look at the gaming side of Apple’s new 3GS, and the amazing potential it boasts for bringing cell phone gaming to even more lofty heights. I [...]

App Developer Diary Part 1: Game On

Written on June 26, 2009 by Olly Farshi and 10 people have commented

This is the first installment of one journalist’s diary designing a game. It is a genuine, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to develop an app, from conception to release, for Apple’s iPhone.
This isn’t your regular developer diary. There’ll be no talk of code and classes, no discussion of the intricacy of integers or vileness [...]

iPhone 3GS Puts YouTube Mobile Uploads Through the Roof

Written on June 26, 2009 by Darrell Etherington and 12 people have commented

People seem to be fond of the iPhone 3GS’s new video recording capabilities. So much so that YouTube mobile uploads have grown by 400 percent since the device’s launch, according to some sources. I’m proud to say that I contributed to that dramatic rise with my own initial hands-on video using my phone. It was [...]

AdMob Report: Apple Gains in Mobile Usage

Written on June 25, 2009 by Charles Jade and 1 person has commented

AdMob, the ad serving firm, has released its Mobile Metrics (PDF) report for May, and once again the iPhone and iPod touch are seeing increases, both in the U.S. and worldwide.
Measuring “mobile Web and application usage from our network of more than 7,000 publishers and 2,500 applications worldwide,” the report calculates market share “by the [...]

App Review: circuit_strike.one — Asteroids On Steroids

Written on June 25, 2009 by Charles Jade and No one has commented

Mixing neon visuals and techno music with top-down shooting action and inertia-based movement, circuit_strike.one pushes the limits of Apple hardware, and possibly the patience of the casual gamer.
Setting
The player is pilot of a virtual ship that hacks network nodes, in a stylized metaphor for a computer network. A mission is completed by destroying a shield [...]