AutoTrader’s new iPhone app, Autotrader.com, has hit the App Store. With it, you can shop for nearby cars and even scan the VIN barcode of a car you like so that you can save it or search for other similar cars.
Autotrader.com is available for free in the App Store. Screenshots after the break.
Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.
Sohu.com published a photo of what appears to be an iPhone prototype running on the China Mobile network. If it isn’t fake — and we take such things with a Great Wall sized grain of salt — it suggests the iPhone maybe coming to the world’s largest carrier sooner rather than later.
The phone appears to run baseband software with version number 06.10.01, which hasn’t been released yet. It also lacks an IMEI number, just like an iPhone 4 prototype we spotted on eBay. Evaluation devices normally have no IMEI number.
Apple would most-likely choose to go with a TD-SCDMA iPhone before getting into 4G territory in China if this is the real deal, but there’s really no clear way of telling from the photo. There are, however, noticeable errors seen in the image such as blurred UI elements, incorrect font spacing etc. Look at the resolution of the time on the status bar compared to the 3G indicator as a good example.
So what do you think? Real, fake, or really fake?
Has all the furor surrounding Dropbox lately made you wonder how you can better protect your private information? It’s always a good rule of thumb to assume that any file you store using a service that has any internet connection at all is by its very nature not protected. (For a variety of reasons, legal or otherwise.) However, there’s nothing to stop you from making your files as secure as possible, encrypting them before they ever hit Dropbox’s servers. We’ll show you how, after the break.
Part of Dropbox’s own security document outlines the use of encryption before uploading files, and there are a variety of ways to do this. If you’re on a Mac, one of the easiest is to simply use Disk Utility in the OS X Utilities folder to create a special mountable folder that you can lock up to your heart’s content. In a few quick steps, you can be sure that your sensitive docs are protected long before they leave your LAN.
Note: iOS can’t mount encrypted files so if you used this, you won’t be able to open them on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Security is always at war with convenience and this tip is for when you’ve got to let the security Wookie win.
Open Disk Utility (HD/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility) and choose New > Blank Disk Image from the drop down menu. Now you’ll need to choose a few parameters for your disk image.
Here’s where it gets only slightly tricky. There’s a bunch of stuff you can pick here for your disk image, but it really depends on how much space you have in your Dropbox and how tight you want your security. First, give your new disk image a name (I usually use the same one for the “Save As” field and the “Name” field).
Now, you need to choose how much storage you want to use. Even if you aren’t going to fill it, Dropbox will see the new disk image as a single file, so if you only need 100 MB of storage, don’t choose the 500 MB disk image size, because it’ll be a lot of wasted space. Conversely, you can also choose a custom size if you need a lot more space.
Now, for the important part. If you’re doing this at all, there’s probably no reason for you to use anything less than 256-bit encryption, so go ahead and just pick that and make it easy on yourself.
Once you’re done, you can pretty much leave the other things as they are. Of course you can tweak as much as you like, but it’ll work fine with just those two settings. Click “Create” and Disk Utility will ask you for a password. Make it a good one and if you really want to be safe, you can uncheck the “Remember password in my keychain” box. This will force you to enter the password every time you need to access the image – so if you’re only concerned about storing it safely on Dropbox and you feel your machine is safe enough, it’s up to you how hardcore you want to get. If you leave it checked, your keychain should auto-unlock the image for you each time you open it. But remember, if you uncheck that box, and lose or forget the password, it’s really gone, along with anything in that disk image. So be careful.
Now that you’ve assigned a password, the image will be created. When it’s ready, it will auto-mount on the desktop and you can open it and begin adding files.
You can see available space in the bottom of your finder window.
When you’re done dropping your sensitive docs in, simply eject the disk image and it will begin uploading to Dropbox. That’s pretty much it! If you look in your Dropbox folder, you’ll see a disk image, and when you double-click to launch, it’ll prompt you for your password. Now you can rest a little easier, knowing that your documents are locked up long before they hit the web.
Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!
Number Guru: A callerID and reverse phone service. [Free for iPhone - iTunes link]
Trivia with Facebook Friends: Put your friendship to the ultimate test in this social trivia game to see how much you really know about your circle of friends. [Free for iPhone - iTunes link]
Auto Trader: Search, browse and compare the UK’s largest range of used car stock in ways never before possible. [Free for iPad - iTunes link]
Zeke in Orbit HD: An action-physics-puzzle-platformer with simple touch controls but challenging levels [$1.99 for iPad - iTunes link]
iChartist Pro: A professional Stock, Forex and Futures charting and technical analysis tool for serious traders and investors, offering the same charting functionality on your iPad that you are accustomed to from your desktop charting software. [$13.99 - iTunes link]
Any other big app or game releases or updates today?
Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.
Rene, Georgia, and Craig discuss the latest iPhone 5 rumors, Sprint iPhone rumors, Verion tiers, hardware keyboards, JailbreakMe.com, and Google+. This is iPhone Live!
Thanks to the TiPb iPhone accessory store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!
Our music comes from the following sources:
BrightStart LLC’s educational app, Pre-K Letters and Numbers for iPhone and iPad, aims to teach children to read and write. The app displays a letter or number, calls it by it’s name, has the child trace it, then phonetically pronounces it and associates it with a word.
In just the few moments I spend with the free trial, I was impressed by this app. It runs very smooth, has soothing music, and speaks clearly. I look forward to letting my daughter learn from it when she gets older.
The initial download for Pre-K Letters and Numbers is a free trial and to unlock All Letters and Numbers and the Report Card, there is an in-app purchase for $1.99. Screenshots after the break.
Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.
Apple has released an app called the iTunes Festival London 2011. The app will let you watch live performances from lots of bands; performing at the Roundhouse in London throughout July. The acts are all taking part in the official iTunes Festival and you can view it all for free on your iOS device.
The iTunes Festival London 2011 app is completely free and works with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch; running iOS 4.1 and later. The app also supports AirPlay which enables you to stream the content to the big screen via the second generation Apple TV.
[Free – iTunes link]
The video above shows just how well BodyGuardz can protect the original iPad — and now they’re back with BodyGuardz ScreenGuardz HD for iPad 2. We’re talking top-of-the-line defense against nails, stones, harsh language, you name it. iPad 2 is a big slice of aluminum and glass. You can sit there and worry about it getting scratched or you can slap on a BodyGuardz ScreenGuardz HD for iPad 2 and know you’re keeping it safe. Get yours now.
Previous years have seen Apple’s annual fall music event showcase iTunes and iPod in decreasingly spectacular fashion, last year’s exceptions being the iPod touch 4 with cameras and the all new, all iOS-powered Apple TV. This year could be very different, with the possibility of Apple introducing up to 5 new iOS devices to the family at roughly the same time. It would be unprecedented, but so was no new iPhone back at WWDC 2011 in June.
If anything would usually be considered a safe for the fall music event, it would be a next generation iPod touch. For the last four years, Apple has introduced a stripped down, non-3G version of the same year’s iPhone wrapped in iPod touch clothes. So this year we’d expect an iPod touch 5 with an Apple A5 system-on-a-chip (SoC) and enhanced cameras. (Along with fierce demands for 128GB option to finally retire the iPod classic, of course.) Since WWDC 2011 came and went with no new hardware, however, and we don’t have a new iPhone 5 to base a new iPod touch 5 on, that challenges all preconceptions.
A new iPod touch definitely makes sense for the lucrative holiday season, but with so much else on their plate, it could end up being massively over-shadowed at best.
Last year’s iOS and Apple A4-powered reboot of the Apple TV in a rental, streaming model at the low price point of $99 turned their previous set top box strategy on its head. An Apple TV 3 (or whatever a 2nd generation of the 2nd generation Apple TV would be called) is certainly a possibility for this fall, especially if the new Apple A5 chip could boost it to a true 1080p powerhouse. Would Apple have 1080p streaming content in place to support it? Would any other new technology, like AirPlay mirroring in iOS 5 make more horsepower make more sense? Quite possibly. There’s every indication this is Apple’s “hobby” entry into the living room app and console gaming market and they’re going to want to hit it hard before competitors catch up. Again, it feels like a safe bet but one Apple could just as easily hold off on for another cycle.
Unlike the last 4 years Apple didn’t introduce a new iPhone back at June’s WWDC 2011 so it feels like we’re overripe for one. The general assumption — and a lot of rumors — indicate this fall we’ll finally see it. Whether the delay was due to Verizon contacts, iOS 5 delays, or hardware production lead times, Apple probably needs to get a refresh out the door just to keep up with competitive pressure from Google, expired iPhone 3GS contracts on AT&T and other contracts, and the increasingly fashion-concious mobile market. Thinner, lighter, faster, these aren’t the things Apple’s TV commercials tell us matter most, but they’re probably the things that will change the most for iPhone 5. The dual-core, ARM Cortex A9-powered Apple A5 processor is probably a given. An 8 megapixel, 1080p rear camera and FaceTime HD front camera feel likely as well. More RAM, 64GB of NAND Flash storage, and a larger, 3.7-inch screen, are on a lot of wish lists as well. (Hopefully 3D isn’t, and we’re still probably a year away from LTE 4G.)
The big question is whether or not it will be a major redesign or just a streamlined iPhone 4. Rumors have gone both ways, which isn’t unusual given Apple typically tests both less and more ambitious prototypes during the design face, and field tests camouflaged units as production gets closer. I’m guessing we’ll end up in between. A tweak, but not a major overhaul. Not yet.
iPhone nano rumors have been around as long as… the original iPhone. There’s an iPod nano, after all, and it’s the most popular model in the industry. Every other manufacturer makes multiple models, so why not Apple? If they want to move into greater demographics and emerging markets, it’s a logical move. Just like Intel Macs and CDMA iPhones, they’ve probably had an iPhone nano, and other variants, deep in the Apple labs for a while, waiting until they felt was the right time for release.
With that in mind, we keep hearing it’s done, it’s ready, and it’s just waiting on Apple to pull the trigger. What “it” is, however, remains a mystery. Just like neither the iPad nor 11-inch MacBook Air are Netbooks, collectively they effectively address — and eviscerate — the netbook market. Apple is as notoriously hard to predict in advance as they are seemingly obvious in hindsight. A barebones feature phone is probably out of the question given the size and power of the App Store and iTunes ecosystems, but could a stripped down, 3- to 3.5-inch iPhone 3GS in new packaging work for the ultra casual and emerging markets? The lower resolution but still compatible screen and the other components, now enjoying huge economies of scale, make it an interesting idea.
(Georgia’s still hoping the iPhone nano is a watch that “AirPlays” iPhone information to a more convenient screen.)
Whatever you want to call it, Apple really could release another new iPad this year. Since they called 2011 the year of the iPad 2, iPad 2 HD or iPad 2 Pro (given the MacBook Pro and Mac Pro branding) makes more sense, but either way we might just see a new tablet with a Retina Display this fall. It’s not an obvious choice, given how it will have only been 6 months or so since the (original) iPad 2 shipped, and since the “pro” market for iPads hasn’t even begun to be established. But Apple doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Component pricing and production yield rates could mean a 2048×1536 iPad can’t be produced at Apple usual $499 price points, at least not any time soon. And while competing tablets from Samsung, BlackBerry, and HP webOS have failed to gain any real traction, they’re going to keep coming. Getting a Retina Display iPad out on the market soon, before anyone else is even anywhere close, just makes competing that much harder, and going with a “pro” level price for those who want and can afford it protects Apple’s low cost of entry on the regular iPad 2. It would be a tactical gamble, but Apple has often been utterly fearless when it came to those.
Whether “pro” also means LTE, USB, SD, or any other acronyms you want to throw at it, and whether it mandates a newer battery or even newer A5 chipset remains a really interesting question.
Rumors of Apple television sets continue to swirl, and there are always other product areas Apple could and one day probably will explore (maintaining growth takes work). However, the last time rumors popped up about an Apple television, TiPb heard it was a 27-inch iMac and low and behold, that’s what we got. Could the latest round of rumors be a harbinger for a 32-inch iMac? No idea. The television business is low margin and everything Apple typically isn’t. That’s not to say they couldn’t revolutionize it the way they did smartphones, but I don’t think they’ll do it this fall.
Google+ which was unveiled to a limited audience recently has been the focal point of Google’s latest push into the social networking scene (remember Orkut, Buzz and Wave?). Google’s latest attempt seems to be drawing crowds and it has already got an Android app ready. Now it has even submitted a Google+ app to Apple for the iPhone and the iPad. Hence, now Apple will determine the fate of Google’s latest attempt, at-least on iOS featured products.
Keep in mind that Apple has never thought twice about rejecting apps that have threatened its own iOS features. For example, apps for Google Voice and Opera were initially rejected (even though both versions finally made into the iPhone back in 2010).
Analysts are quite confident about the Google+ app because Apple does not have a social-networking site of its own. However, there are certain features in Google+ that closely resemble Apple iOS features. For example, the Huddle feature resembles the upcoming iMessage and the Hangout feature is very similar to Apple’s FaceTime. In the end, I think Apple will allow the new apps to take hold but it would be wary of any future advances, especially if Google+ becomes a formidable rival to Facebook.
Apple may not have any direct interest in the conflict but might want to maintain a sort of balance of power by not allowing Google maintain a strong hold in the social networking scene. However, if Google+ fails to make an impression anyway, Apple would have just provoked a hostile reaction from both Google and regulators and achieved nothing in the process.
Google itself may not be so worried because Android enabled phones have a greater market share than Apple. However, it would be stupid to rule out the users of Apple products because they tend to be the heaviest users of video and online-entertainment apps. Hence, if Google were to shut itself out, it could lose a very important market.
Apple has filed patents for two stylus devices similar to HTC’s Scribe Pen for note taking on iPads or iPhones. The first device is called “stylus for touch sensitive devices.” It’s a heated digital pen with a rechargeable battery and docking station. The conductive heated tip helps create a better interaction with the capacitive-sensors in Apple devices.
The second device is the “communicating stylus,” which features the ability to write on your iPhone or
Apple engineer Aleksandar Pance who invented the communicating stylus said “this makes it easy, for example, in a classroom setting for a user to take handwritten notes and simultaneously create a digital version of those notes.” Pance says users can also write on a whiteboard and “simultaneously display what he has written on a computing device.”
HTC currently offers their own Scribe Pen free with the purchase of an HTC Flyer tablet. The Scribe Pen originally retailed for $80.
The rumors are starting to pick up about a second iPad release this year, in a new, higher-resolution, pro level form. Tentatively dubbed the iPad HD, ThisIsMyNext has some exclusive rumors about this device. Their sources say it will launch this year with double resolution: 2048 x 1536, designed to coincide with the iPad version of Final Cut or Aperture. So something specifically designed for the pro level market.
Their sources are also saying that the next iPhone won’t be an incremental upgrade — but that the components of the next, thinner and lighter iPhone 5 are being tested inside the shells of an iPhone 4, which is what’s causing the confusion. It’s making people’s sources think the next iPhone is physically identical to the iPhone 4, when the final release will have a completely new, smaller body.
Josh Topolsky has some really good contacts within the industry, so I’m curious how solid this rumor is. Color me absolutely intrigued.
Rumors of another new iPad this year have been circulating for a while, and now This is My Next is hearing it won’t be an iPad 3 but instead will be an iPad 2 HD sporting a pixel doubled Retina Display and aimed at the higher end market.
As hard as it might be to believe, the new tablet is said to sport a double resolution screen (2048 x 1536), and will be dubbed the “iPad HD.” The idea behind the product is apparently that it will be a “pro” device aimed at a higher end market — folks who work in video and photo production possibly — and will be introduced alongside something like an iPad version of Final Cut or Aperture. This product is specifically said to not be the iPad 3, rather a complimentary piece of the iPad 2 line. Think MacBook and MacBook Pro.
Aside from the new name, this matches up very closely to what TiPb has been hearing as well. It also fits in nicely with Apple’s slogan from earlier this spring, that 2011 would be the year of the iPad 2.
If they really want to stay consistent, however, iPad 2 Pro has a nice ring to it. As always, however, when exactly Apple chooses to pull the trigger on new hardware depends on the prices and yields of components like that HD screen. After all, it’s been problematic enough to produce the current resolution iPad 2s fast enough to meet demand.
Update: Sounds like the announcement might be in September with the launch in October. [TiPb Forums]
In March, Apple sued to stop Amazon from using the term “app store” to describe their, well, app store. Now a judge has ruled against Apple, dismissing their bid for a summary injunction against the online retailer to quickly prevent them from using the term. This would have swiftly put a halt to the name, rather than waiting on a full legal battle.
The judge also didn’t agree with Amazon that the term was entirely generic, but also stated that customers weren’t likely to get confused between the two, which is what would have triggered the injunction.
The legal battle is set to go to court in October of 2012.
Rumors of another new iPad this year have been circulating for a while, and now This is My Next is hearing it won’t be an iPad 3 but instead will be an iPad 2 HD sporting a pixel doubled Retina Display and aimed at the higher end market.
As hard as it might be to believe, the new tablet is said to sport a double resolution screen (2048 x 1536), and will be dubbed the “iPad HD.” The idea behind the product is apparently that it will be a “pro” device aimed at a higher end market — folks who work in video and photo production possibly — and will be introduced alongside something like an iPad version of Final Cut or Aperture. This product is specifically said to not be the iPad 3, rather a complimentary piece of the iPad 2 line. Think MacBook and MacBook Pro.
Aside from the new name, this matches up very closely to what TiPb has been hearing as well. It also fits in nicely with Apple’s slogan from earlier this spring, that 2011 would be the year of the iPad 2.
If they really want to stay consistent, however, iPad 2 Pro has a nice ring to it. As always, however, when exactly Apple chooses to pull the trigger on new hardware depends on the prices and yields of components like that HD screen. After all, it’s been problematic enough to produce the current resolution iPad 2s fast enough to meet demand.
Apple has just announced that the iOS app store has hit the 15 billion downloads mark worldwide, including 1 billion in the last month. Want some more incredible numbers? There are more than 425,000 apps of which more than 100,000 are for the iPad heading out to more than 200 million iOS users. That’s right, 200 million people around the world use iPods, iPhones and iPads. That’s a whole lot of downloading going on.
We’ve embedded the full press release after the jump if you want to read it.
CUPERTINO, California—July 7, 2011—Apple® today announced that over 15 billion apps have been downloaded from its revolutionary App Store™ by the more than 200 million iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® users worldwide. The App Store offers more than 425,000 apps and developers have created an incredible array of over 100,000 native iPad apps.
“In just three years, the revolutionary App Store has grown to become the most exciting and successful software marketplace the world has ever seen,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Thank you to all of our amazing developers who have filled it with over 425,000 of the coolest apps and to our over 200 million iOS users for surpassing 15 billion downloads.”
“We sparked musical magic when iPhone users experienced Ocarina three years ago,” said Dr. Ge Wang, a Smule co-founder and assistant professor at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. “And now with iPad, we’ve created the Magic Piano and Magic Fiddle apps. Who could’ve dreamt an iPad would make its way into the San Francisco Symphony?”
“iPad provides us with an unparalleled mobile device for creating gorgeous, immersive games,” said Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder of Epic Games. “Infinity Blade has been a runaway hit with customers around the world and we couldn’t be more excited about our success on iOS devices.”
“We’re bringing Martha Stewart, Angelina Ballerina, Sesame Street and many more of the world’s most popular books and magazines to iPad,” said Nicholas Callaway, CEO of Callaway Digital Arts. “We knew the iPad was going to be a revolutionary storytelling device, but never could have anticipated it would become so popular, so quickly.”
More than 15 billion apps have been downloaded from the revolutionary App Store and more than 425,000 apps are available, including more than 100,000 native iPad apps, to consumers in 90 countries. Users of the more than 200 million iOS devices around the world can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, education, sports, health, reference and travel. Apple has paid developers over $2.5 billion to date.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.
Capture puts an icon on your iPhone, iPod touch 4, or iPad 2 home screen and, when tapped, immediately fires up your video camera and records. How many times have you missed something you wanted to shoot, waiting to load the camera app, toggling it into video mode and then pressing the record button? This happens to me all the time and is very frustrating.
Features:
I will definitely be buying Capture today; I’m sick of missing my little girls crazy antics while the camera app loads up!
[$0.99 - iTunes link]
Marathon 1 is now available free in the App Store. Originally released for the Mac in 1994, Marathon is a classic first person shooter game by Bungie (who were later acquired by Microsoft and responsible for the Halo series). It started its iPad journey as a personal project by a developer called Daniel Blezek. Bungie got wind of the project and it has now been officially sanctioned. Marathon 1 is the first part of a trilogy.
FEATURES
While it’s not really my cup of tea (I have never even heard of this game until today — don’t judge me!) — it does remind me a little of Doom or the first release of Quake, and classic Mac gamers and Halo fans will no doubt love it.
[Free - iTunes link]
Apple today announced some huge numbers for the iTunes App Store, including 15 billion downloads, 425,000 apps (and games), 100,000 native iPad apps, available in 90 countries, for the more than 200 million iOS devices sold to date.
“In just three years, the revolutionary App Store has grown to become the most exciting and successful software marketplace the world has ever seen,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Thank you to all of our amazing developers who have filled it with over 425,000 of the coolest apps and to our over 200 million iOS users for surpassing 15 billion downloads.”
“We sparked musical magic when iPhone users experienced Ocarina three years ago,” said Dr. Ge Wang, a Smule co-founder and assistant professor at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. “And now with iPad, we’ve created the Magic Piano and Magic Fiddle apps. Who could’ve dreamt an iPad would make its way into the San Francisco Symphony?”
“iPad provides us with an unparalleled mobile device for creating gorgeous, immersive games,” said Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder of Epic Games. “Infinity Blade has been a runaway hit with customers around the world and we couldn’t be more excited about our success on iOS devices.”
“We’re bringing Martha Stewart, Angelina Ballerina, Sesame Street and many more of the world’s most popular books and magazines to iPad,” said Nicholas Callaway, CEO of Callaway Digital Arts. “We knew the iPad was going to be a revolutionary storytelling device, but never could have anticipated it would become so popular, so quickly.”
Apple also reiterated the $2.5 billion in cash that’s generated for App Store developers.
[Apple PR]
As expected, Apple is preparing a software update — likely iOS 4.3.4 for most devices, iOS 4.2.9 for the Verizon iPhone — to close the PDF exploit behind JailbreakMe.com. While JailbreakMe.com uses the exploit to Jailbreak current iOS firmware and install the Cydia app store, the same exploit could be used by a hacker to easily gain access to a user’s device for malicious purposes.
Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said Thursday, “Apple takes security very seriously. We’re aware of this reported issue and developing a fix that will be available to customers in an upcoming software update.”
Currently, the only way to fix the vulnerability is to Jailbreak and install PDF Patcher 2.
Derek Clark has updated his budget app, Ez Budget – Quick Envelope Budgeting, with cloud syncing. Additionally, he has released an iPad version.
This is a fantastic solution to those who want to keep track of all their spending but share an account with their spouse. As long as both of you have an iPhone or iPad, you can each enter your purchases and keep your budget perfectly balanced and up to date.
Ez Budget – Quick Envelope Budgeting is available on the iPhone for $4.99 and on the iPad for $4.99. Screenshots after the break.
[iPhone iTunes link] [iPad iTunes link]
Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.
Long before Halo was the cat’s pyjamas on XBox, gaming mavens Bungie were known as one of the few major companies which catered specifically for the Mac market. With a string of hits to their name, they were most fondly remembered for the ground-breaking FPS Marathon. They invented rocket jumping, that’s how awesome they are.
Marathon has been available free for the Mac for years, but has only just had a port to iOS. Now available as a free download for the iPad, the retooled FPS has had its controls adjusted for the tablet, and has all 27 levels intact. There are also two in-app purchases: an HD texture pack for $3.99, and for $0.99 there’s “Master Chief Mode”, which gives you the ability to start any level, invulnerability, all weapons and infinite ammo.
If you’ve never played this classic, here’s a great chance to get on board, and find one of the deepest and most engrossing plots you’ll see in an FPS.
Now, when do we see Marathon 2 and some dual combat shotgun action?
[via MacRumors]
Crayola and Griffin have teamed up to release the $30 Crayola® ColorStudio™ HD pack, a kid friendly stylus and application double header. So, why would you drop $30 on this bundle rather than just picking up the application for free? The iMarker actually has one very, very cool trick up its sleeves: the app can tell the difference between the stylus and fingers. For kids who put their hands everywhere, this means they won’t accidentally mess up their coloring project by touching the screen.
The pack ships with more than 30 coloring canvasses with sound and animation, and more planned as free updates to the app.
[via CNET]
Join your hosts Marianne Schultz and myself for The Show: 30 – “Skinny Hipster”. You can subscribe to our show on iTunes, grab our RSS feed, listen now or download directly. We broadcast our iPad and iPhone podcast live each week. If you missed the live show, we hope you’ll join us next week for live chat and more. Our next show will be July 12th at 7pm EST. If you’d like to be included on a future broadcast, please call 646-820-3431 and leave your name along with your question. If you’d like to provide us with feedback, we’ve set up a topic in our forums.
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Yesterday, we saw a report from the Wall Street Journal describing a thinner, lighter iPhone to be released this fall. The WSJ has now updated that article, and added some information that they’ve heard about next year’s iPhone, whatever that might be:
Investors expect a bigger boost to Apple’s phone business next year. People briefed on Apple’s plans said the company is planning a major iPhone revamp then, with one person saying the company has been experimenting with features such as a new way of charging the phone.
Apple has also been working on a less-expensive phone with new features such as an edge-to-edge screen, according to this person.
The big assumption to take out of this is that Apple is looking at inductive charging for the iPhone. You can currently purchase inductive cases for your iPhone, which add a battery pack to the handset, and can be charged just by putting the phone on a mat. While still an inefficient method of transferring power, it’s remarkably convenience. With Apple’s big push to “cut the cord” on the next version of iOS, cutting the charging cable would make sense as an evolution of the same mindset.
Time Warner Insinuates Itself Into The Campaign Between Apple and Jailbreak Users
Apple has gained an ally in the fight against Jailbreakers, Time Warner Cable. As it stands now, it is not verified if this is a formal alliance or an impromptu declaration by the MSO to enter into the fray, unsolicited. On July 7th, 2011, 2AM, I went to the app store -as I do every night to check for updates- and the TWCable TV App had an update. Upon downloading I went to make sure the app was Functioning properly and attempted to activate it to see a very disturbing message:
“TWCable TV is not supported on “jailbroken” devices.
Please restore your iPad to factory defaults, then reinstall TWCable TV”
Now if that is not a clear declaration of war, I don’t know what is. So what does this mean? Let’s look at this from two perspectives. TWC seems to have a beef with the Jailbreak community, but this leads to a simple question, “Why? Why would TW risk angering any of it’s customers like this and even care to begin with?” The answer escapes me. But considering the trouble large companies have been having with Hackers, I can’t think of a more foolish action to take. Sony,EA, the CIA just to name three have come under the assault of the hacker community as a result of being pushed around and none of them fared too well with Sony having had incredible damage done to the multi-national technology companies image and reputation. So the business strategy of this action on TWs part just escapes me.
On the other side, what does this mean to the jailbreak community? Is it soon to be that there is some sort of code that apple will supply all developers in order to place another layer of protection within the app, which will cause us to not be able to use our devices even if apples iOS has been cracked? Will there need to be a patch invented for each and every app we wish to use? And if so can there be written a patch that just fixes them all? These questions are begged to be answered. But I believe that things have now just gotten as interesting as they appear scary. I see the potential at the very least of a patch coming from the JB community to correct this brazen insult, soon to be posted on Cydia, and at worst, the community taking more aggressive action against TW for this open and bold slap in the face.
Information regarding this is slim to none right now. As it stands now though, DO NOT UPDATE YOUR TWCABLE TV APP IF YOU ARE JAILBROKEN and wish to keep using your TWCable TV App. The fact is this now may be a three way war and a very unconventional one at that.
Fingerlab has released their new drumming iPad app, DM1 – The Drum Machine. It will turn your iPad into a fun and creative beat making machine.
I may not know much about drumming nor have the musical creativity to put this app to any good use, but I know a good UI when I see one – and I see one in DM1.
DM1 – The Drum Machine has a launch price of $1.99. Screenshots and video after the break.
Remember this morning when I mentioned that The Wall Street Journal iPhone 5 rumors lacked the usual wink-wink, nudge-nudge controlled leak flare? I asked for miracles, and the WSJ gives us Yukari Iwatani Kane. Writing alongside Lorraine Luk, Kane, who’s track record is excellent, adds:
A person briefed on Apple’s product plans said the company initially planned to launch its next iPhone this summer as it usually does, but the device wasn’t ready in time.
This apparently due to production and yield challenges still faced by Hon Hai/Foxxcon, which could result in iPhone 6 delays as well. And speaking of this next, next generation handset:
People briefed on Apple’s plans said the company is planning a major iPhone revamp then, with one person saying the company has been experimenting with features such as a new way of charging the phone.
Let’s not forget the iPhone nano, which TiPb previously heard might be near completion and simply waiting on a launch date:
Apple has also been working on a less-expensive phone with new features such as an edge-to-edge screen, according to this person.
Should make for an interesting fall event…
[WSJ]