Archives - Posts written in May, 2009
Next-gen iPhone photos leaked?Posted May 31st
“Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store
The iPhone blogs says they've uncovered the very first photos of a brand new version of the iPhone (the pictures are watermarked from a site called UMPC Fever), and while there's no actual indication that they're real (at the very least, it wouldn't be hard at all to make a picture and load it on the iPhone stream), they are worth a look, if only as ideas. The pictures hint at what's basically a dream roundup of new iPhone hardware: a camera with autofocus, a digital compass, and there are hints at a CPU log as well (which may be a developer function of some kind).A few people note that there is a percentage near the battery, but that's actually a known function of 3.0, and it's been possible on jailbroken iPhones for a while as well.To add to the mystery, commenter Dstreelm in the comments over there took a look at the metadata on one of the photos (the one supposedly taken by the iPhone), and it was taken near Hong Kong, just a day or so ago. It's definitely all rumors, so take it all with a grain of salt, but it does lend more credence to the idea that we'll be seeing a new version of the iPhone hardware very soon.Next-gen iPhone photos leaked? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 31 May 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Next-gen iPhone photos leaked? originally appeared ...”
MacRumors: Further Translation and Photos from Purported Next Gen iPhone LeakPosted May 31st
“ Yesterday's claimed leak of the next generation iPhone has generated a lot of attention, resulting in the original site (UMPCFever) going down from the traffic. One 9to5Mac reader provides an manual translation of the entry which provides a bit mo... ” Tagged as Uncategorized | Comments Off | Continue
‘Face Match’ Brings Facial Recognition to Your iPhonePosted May 31st
“ iPhone developer PolarBearFarm released Face Match [$0.99] to the App Store yesterday. The app promises to bring the feature similar to Apple's iPhoto facial recognition to your iPhone.Face Match brings face detection and r... ”
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MacRumors: Photos of Next Gen iPhone in Action? Auto-Focus and CompassPosted May 31st
“ A Chinese-language blog UMPCFever posted what it claims are the first photos of the next generation iPhone in action. According to the rough automated translation these images show the new iPhone but as it is a prototype the external design ... ” Tagged as Uncategorized | Comments Off | Continue
Future iTunes versions could block the Pre, but why?Posted May 30th
“Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iTS, iTunes, iPhone
Yesterday, Megan noted a Fortune story saying that iTunes syncs flawlessly with the new Palm Pre. This, of course, got the water-cooler talk bubbling: "How did Palm pull it off? Will Apple allow this to happen?"
Turns out they already have. A tech note on Apple's website notes the two dozen or so third-party players that iTunes (for Mac OS X, at least) is compatible with, including Rio and Creative Labs Nomad MP3 players. True, many of the models listed predate the iPod, and the tech note itself was last updated a little less than a year ago. But third-party device compatibility with iTunes isn't without precedent.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber pointed to a story by Jon Lech Johansen that says Apple may block iTunes access to the Pre in a future update; Gruber himself said he "wouldn't be surprised if they did." I'm not so sure.
First, let's look at how it works. According to Johansen, a unique USB device ID allows iTunes to recognize MP3 players (including iPods) that it's compatible with. Johansen speculates that Palm is using one of these IDs when communicating with iTunes. If it's an iPod's unique ID, then it will work with iTunes for Windows, too; this is an important litmus test and we don't know the results yet.
I can understand Apple might not cotton to a Palm Pre specifically masquerading as an iPod USB device. Given that, allowing the Pre to freely communicate with iTunes isn't necessarily bad business sense, presuming Palm implements the functionality in a forthright manner (like other third-party MP3 players that iTunes already supports).
Why limit access to the Pre, aside from pure spite? If someone ...”
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Check prices on your iPhone with PricecheckahPosted May 30th
“Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review
This app does what you would expect from its name. It checks prices. You type in a UPC code, an ISBN number (books and video) or even a name of a product.Pricecheckah [App Store] is US$4.99 At the set up screen you can choose online retailers like Amazon or Buy.com, and brick and mortar retailers like Target or Walmart. You can also add your own. I added Best Buy by just typing bestbuy.com.I typed in a UPC code and the app made several suggestions and did find some better prices. Of course you could do this from any browser using a site like Froogle. This app, of course, is meant to be portable, but you might not be very popular at some retailers doing price comparisons. On the other hand, unless you are in a hurry to buy something, you will likely find a better price online. Some things I don't like: The app wants my email address and a password. I'm not wild about giving someone my email when I'm not sure what they are going to do with it. Sometimes the app is very slow; I touched the settings button and it took several seconds to get to the settings screen. It didn't happen every time, but enough times to mention it. It also locked up a couple of times and said it couldn't find a network when WiFi was on, and my wireless router was right next to my iPhone.I also think the app is pricey at US$4.99. There is a similar app called Checkout Smartshop [App Store] which is the same price but has many more negative reviews. The developers promised ...”
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Keep tabs on iPhone rumors with Top-Tens appPosted May 30th
“Top-Tens, a reference app that lets users follow lists of their interests and hobbies, has added a list of top rumored features for the next iPhone.
Review: PocketGuitar for iPhonePosted May 29th
“PocketGuitar, which mimics a guitar fretboard and provided various types of guitar sounds, takes the metaphor a little too literally. Because of the size of the iPhone's screen, you can only access a few frets at a time, and you can't slide up and down the fretboard gracefully. Guitar players will find this app frustrating.
Sky Burger for iPhone/iPod touch free for the dayPosted May 29th
“Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, Friday Favorite, App Review
Hey, the weekend is coming, so how serious can we be? Sky Burger, [App Store] a pretty cute arcade game for the iPhone and iPod touch, is free today only. Note: As of Saturday morning PDT the app is still free. The game involves tilting your iPhone to catch ingredients to make a sandwich with the required ingredients. There are 50 possible burger orders to try and get right. You cap it all off with a bun. It reminds me a little bit of the theme of the 1982 game called Burger Time. Sky Burger seems a bit silly but it can get pretty addictive as you try to build up points and tips. The game has good music and sound effects. Try it for free: even vegetarians will like it. Tomorrow the game goes back up to US$0.99. Even at that price, it's pretty good fun.Thanks, Ian!Sky Burger for iPhone/iPod touch free for the day originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 29 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sky Burger for iPhone/iPod touch free for the day originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 29 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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MacRumors: More Claims of Wireless Movie and TV Downloads to iPhone SurfacePosted May 29th
“ AppleInsider reports that Apple has begun internal training of its AppleCare staff to prepare for the deployment of wireless movie and TV downloads in the forthcoming iPhone OS 3.0. The report comes on the heels of a blog entry posted last week show... ” Tagged as Uncategorized | Comments Off | Continue