Archives - Posts written in April, 2009
Apple tops J.D. Power’s list for smart phone customer satisfactionPosted April 30th
“A new report by research company J.D. Power and Associates ranks Apple number one on its list of customer satisfaction among smart phone manufacturers.
Amazon has acquired StanzaPosted April 30th
“Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch
Last month Amazon released the free Kindle application for the iPhone in the US [App Store link], shortly after the Kindle 2 hit the market. If you haven't used it yet, it works quite well. Users can buy books (but not subscriptions) from the Kindle Store via Mobile Safari for reading on their iPhones, although the purchasing process is easier from a desktop browser. Unlike the Kindle, the iPhone app is able to display color images, but it lacks text-to-speech as well as a direct connection to the Kindle Store. Whispersync, which synchronizes ebooks between the iPhone app and Kindle, works as advertised.A few weeks ago, we posted a comparison of ebook readers featuring, among others, the iPhone app Stanza [App Store link]. As Steve mentioned, Stanza works with nearly every ebook format, even Project Gutenberg etexts. I only used Stanza briefly to check it out and I can say that the UI was very nice. Additionally, the folks who created Stanza have an existing relationship with ebook seller Fictionwise. In fact, Fictionwise created an ebook store just for Stanza users.This week, we've learned that Amazon has acquired the company behind Stanza. We can only assume that aspects of Stanza will make it into a future release of Kindle for the iPhone.Amazon has acquired Stanza originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Amazon has acquired Stanza originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, ...”
Review: Knit Buddy for iPhonePosted April 30th
“This app is a promising mobile offering for absentminded crafters who want to keep track of yarn stashes, needles and hooks, and open projects.
J.D. Power says iPhone tops smartphone ratingsPosted April 30th
“Filed under: Odds and ends, Surveys and Polls, iPhone
Given all the other good publicity the iPhone has been getting, it won't come as any great surprise that the J.D. Power survey released today says:Apple ranks highest among smartphone manufacturers with a score of 791, performing particularly well in ease of operation, operating system, features and physical design. LG (772) and Samsung (759) follow Apple in the rankings.Other interesting findings are that smartphone users send an average of 17 emails a day, and 82 percent report that they use things like address books and to-do lists to stay better organized.The survey included 2,648 smartphone users who owned their phone for less than 2 years. In general, smartphone users are increasingly satisfied with their purchase, compared to prior surveys. Users queried listed these attributes they wanted in a smartphone, in order of desirability: ease of operation, operating system, features, physical design and battery function.J.D. Power says iPhone tops smartphone ratings originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
J.D. Power says iPhone tops smartphone ratings originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Macalope Weekly: Such stuff as dreams are made ofPosted April 30th
“With rumors abounding of an Apple media pad, the Macalope takes it upon himself to voyage into dreamland and have his fill of the cotton candy and marzipan that will no doubt make up this mythical device.
Preview: FridgeNotes for iPhonePosted April 30th
“FridgeNotes lets you quickly jot down lists and notes and attach them to a unique, polished refrigerator interface and also lets users easily share and collaborate on notes with friends and family.
Review: Wild West Guns for iPhonePosted April 30th
“It harkens back to the laserdisc game "Mad Dog McRee," and unfortunately suffers some of the same limitations.
Android 1.5 ‘Cupcake’ starts arriving on G1sPosted April 30th
“G1 owners report that Android 1.5, the next version of Google's mobile OS, has begun arriving on some devices.
Blizzard vets get iFund money for iPhone developmentPosted April 30th
“Three ex-Blizzard Entertainment employees have struck out on their own as iPhone software developers, and just wrangled more than $4 million in seed capital from the iFund.
More App Store controversy from Pocket GodPosted April 30th
“Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, iPhone, iPod touch
Last week the Baby Shaker app received a lot of negative attention and was subsequently pulled from the App Store. Deservedly so; that game was tasteless. This week, Elaine Howard of the International Pacific Women's Information Network called Bolt's popular Pocket God an "...arrogant slap in the face to our people," referring to Pacific Islanders. If you're unfamiliar, the object of Pocket God (it's really more of a toy than a game) is to torment and kill island-bound characters in a variety of ways. I've always thought of the characters as pre-historic "cave men," not belonging to any specific culture. However, if I were of Pacific Island descent and saw someone playing this game on the subway, it'd bother me.iPhone Saviour quotes Bolt representatives as saying "The fictional characters in Pocket God do not directly or indirectly represent any human nationality, race or cultural people ... Bolt Creative does not intend and has never intended to offend or marginalize any nationality, race or culture in any of its video games, including Pocket God." I believe that the game was in fact created without malicious intent. Perhaps a solution would be to use culturally neutral characters like astronauts or LOLcats (see above)? For more on Apple's questionable approval process (not to mention the tastes of some customers), check out this horrifying list of The Ultimate Tasteless iPhone Apps.More App Store controversy from Pocket God originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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