Georgia, Craig, and Rene talk iOS 5 beta 5, “Assistant” voice control for iPad, Apple vs. Samsung tablet ads, Google vs. Microsoft patent slap-fight, Amazon Appstore, iCloud, and Skype for iPad. This is iPad Live!
Thanks to the TiPb iPad Accessory Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!
Music Hear me Roar by iPad Live theme song contest winner, DieselJesus!
Chinese smugglers used a zip line in an attempt to smuggle over $46,583 worth of iPads and iPhones past customs.
Custom officials broke up the elaborate operation and arrested six individuals who were using a 300-metre line pulley system, and a black nylon bag to move 100 iPads and iPhones across providence boarders. The smugglers were attempting to sell the devices at a cheaper rate by avoiding Hong Kong and China’s independent taxes. Officials said it took around two-minutes for the gear to be lowered from the 21st floor of a building located in the city of Shenzhen.
The smugglers tried to use the cover of darkness to avoid being detected, but custom officials busted them after a major sting operation. You can see the pulley system in a Chinese news report posted on
I wonder what they did with the cache of goods after they confiscated them?
When the original Google+ app launched, it was oddly
- Huddle settings
The update is live and ready to download, so you don’t need to rely on the HTML5 version of the Google+ website any more!
Now, if only there were more people on the service.
UPDATE: Even though this is now being billed as having “iPad support”, it still seems to run as a native iPhone app, so you have to either run it at double size or inside that hideous enormous black border. Consider me unimpressed.
Google has just updated its Google+ iOS app, claiming it now supports the iPad and iPod touch. Sure it works fine on the iPod touch but incredibly Google’s “iPad support” comes not in the form of a universal binary with proper, native iPad UI, but simply the ability to now install the Google+ iPhone app on the iPad and run it either windowed or in fuzzy 2x mode. Such a disappointment! On a brighter note, if you’re a developer, it does now work with the iOS 5 beta!
Other new features in the update are improved Huddle settings and aggregated circle notifications.
This news comes courtesy of AppShopper’s according
So if you you were wondering why my
That said,
Namco’s first utility keeps some elements from their previous games while also being a full-featured productivity/utility. The app itself is pure nostalgia: the multiple, selectable backgrounds are all screens of Pac-Man and the app’s interface never fails to be littered by the ghosts and Pac-Man himself. Even the icons and lettering are all sprites from the classic arcade game that are sure to remind you of your older days, retro gamers. Yeah, save for the fact that there are colorful ghosts, a Pac-Man game running in the back and even Galaga sprites used as icons for buttons, this is just a normal Twitter client. It’s got the ability to do anything you’d need to do, which includes managing lists, sending direct messages and more. Plus, Namco have evidently already gone ahead and got the go from Twitter, considering the application already has push notifications. Pretty impressive since my [now second] favorite Twitter client for iOS was lacking the ability to send you notifications for the longest time. If you’re prone to strokes and such, I wouldn’t recommend the application. It may be, in fact, too vibrant at some times
So if your two favorite things in the world are Pac-Man and tweeting from your iPhone, your ultimate dreams have materialized. You can pick up this clever little client on the App Store for
Dayliss and YCWB report that McGyver-like Chinese smugglers have taken to using ingenious cable and pulley systems, launched from home-spun crossbows and catapults, to smuggle iPhones and iPads back into China. M.I.C. Gadget sums up:
The iPad and iPhones were transported over a small river that separates the booming city of Shenzhen from the rural northern part of Hong Kong using an elaborate pulley system. The cable was shot across the border using a crossbow and the Apple products were flying across at night, which store in black nylon bags. The cable was suspended to a high-rise building in the Chinese border town of Shenzhen, and goods were moved several hundred meters from a small village house located in Hong Kong
No word on whether or no Jackie Chan or Chris Tucker were instrumental in helping Chinese and Hong Kong customs crack the smuggling ring, but we have our suspicions!
[Dayliss and YCWB via M.I.C. Gadget]
Video after the break.
An update was released for Google’s new social service, Google+’s native iPhone application that fixed a few thing and additionally added support for the
The new social networking website launched just a few weeks ago, and despite its status of being in a beta phase, it is estimated to have picked up over 20 million users thus far; a big blow to Facebook, in other words.
With the new update, the support to run the application on the iPod Touch was added as well as an application solely for the
The Google+ application is available for
On Saturday, Apple
Also,
If you have a developer account, Apple has set up a service to migrate
Apple lets you take your Mail, Contacts, and Calendar information over to iCloud and also tells users that they can continue using iWeb, iDisk, and Photo Gallery up until June 30, 2012. Apple also tells users that the following will no longer be available: Dashboard widget sync, dock item sync, keychains, signatures, mail account rules, mail smart boxes, and mail preferences
CNET drops a big bottle of killjoy juice on recent rumors that Apple might just be ready to rollout their fabled iTunes Replay service — the ability to re-download and stream content to iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV and iTunes on Windows and Mac from the iCloud — or a Netflix-like subscription service.
While Apple has music and now TV available for re-download, at least in the US, apparently they’ve only got agreements with 4 of the 6 big studios needed to add movies to the mix.
One reason is the HBO window. During specific periods of time–often referred to in the film industry as windows–HBO owns the exclusive electronic distribution rights of films from three of the six top films studios: 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros. Any retailer that wishes to sell physical DVDs from these studios during HBO’s window is totally unrestricted. But online retailers are legally prevented from delivering movie downloads from the three HBO-restricted studios during HBO’s window and they also can’t stream titles from those studios. This means that right now iTunes can’t stream a movie to a customer during the HBO window that the customer may have purchased outside of the window.
Broadcast windows are also the reason movies and TV Shows sometimes disappear and reappear from iTunes, Netflix, etc. But the bottom line seems to be, at least for now, that iTunes movie re-downloading, streaming, and subscription services are still a long way off.
[CNET]
TiPb’s developer spotlights are like DVD/iTunes Extras for the App Store — a weekly look behind the scenes at the programers and designers that bring you the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games you love. This week Rene talks with Paul Haddad of Tapbots.
What’s your name? Paul Haddad
What’s your company’s name? Tapbots
Where are you located? Flower Mound, TX
What’s your website address? http://tapbots.com
What’s your Twitter name? @tapbot_paul and @tapbots
What apps do you make? Weightbot, Convertbot, Pastebot, Calcbot, Tweetbot
What apps, other than your own, are currently among your favorites? My favorite Apps tend to be Mac based: Transmit, VMWare, TextMate, VLC, TF2 :^)
How long have you been a developer? Professionally I’d say I’m a bit shy of 20 years, non professionally closer to 30.
How long have you been an iOS developer? Ever since the first iOS SDK came out.
Do you develop for any other platform in addition to iOS? If so, which one(s)? Minor Mac and server side stuff.
What primary computer setup do you use for your iOS development? I use two almost equally depending on where I am in the house. Macbook Pro 17″ i7 2.66GHZ 8GB RAM dual striped OWC 120GB SSDs. Mac Pro 8 core 3GHZ 5 striped 40GB OWC SSDs, Areca RAID controller, 30″ Cinema display, loud mechanical keyboard and kensigton trackball.
What iOS device(s) do you personally use most often? iPhone 4, iPod gen 2 and iPad 2.
What mobile devices, other than iOS, do you currently use? None.
What’s your favorite thing about developing for iOS? I’m a big fan of ObjC and the various frameworks and always have been. I don’t think there’s anything better out there.
What’s your least favorite thing about developing for iOS? Dealing with the entire iTunes connect provisioning setup and waiting for app approvals.
What feature would you most like Apple to add to the iOS SDK? Rich Text editing and general improvements to UITextView are at the top of my list.
What feature would you most like Apple to add to the App Store? Paid upgrades for major new versions. The current free upgrades setup doesn’t encourage developers to update their apps on a long term basis.
What do you do when you’re not coding iOS apps? I’m pretty boring I tend to always be working unless I’m out and about with the kids on the weekend. Lately I’ve gotten hooked on Team Fortress 2.
** Given Tapbots has such a distinctive, restrained catalog of apps, how do you decide which types of apps you want to make? Do you reject a lot of ideas along the way?** We try to focus on apps that we’ll use and sound fun to write. We’re not going to write an app for something that we’ll never do or won’t use because we wouldn’t be able to put our hearts in it. We actually reject a ton of ideas, for every app from us you see there’s probably a dozen that we thought about and decided not to do for one reason or another.
What should we look for from you next? We’re quite busy with Tweetbot but have started thinking about our next app. We’ve got two top contenders but haven’t quite decide which we’ll do yet. We keep saying we’re going to start soon but keep getting pulled away on other Tweetbot features.
Thanks Paul!
Georgia and Rene discuss mindfulness and the importance of being in the moment. Enjoying a cup of coffee and listening to a friend. Watching a movie without BBM or dinner without Twitter. If both Yoda and Miagi agree, it has to be ZENandTECH!
Fractal Combat, by NEWTYPE K.K., is a flight combat game for the iPhone and iPad.
Futuristic arcade flight combat. Action-packed missile-shooting fest.
What has really drawn my attention to this game is the graphics – they look amazing!
Fractal Combat is available on the iPhone and iPad 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.
Orange in the UK has teamed up with Apple to offer its users a free iTunes movie rental each week, under the name of Films To Go. The service, which is UK only, will offer a different movie each week. The movie will be available to view for 30 days but once you have started watching, you have 48 hours to complete it.
This week’s film is My Blueberry Nights with The Wrestler scheduled for next week. To get access to the free movie rentals, Orange customers just need to text FILMTOGO to 85060. You will then be sent a text message with a code to allow the free download via iTunes. The movie can then be viewed on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
One small point to note, when you send the text message to Orange, you do get charged 35 pence for the privilege of receiving the code!
Originally posted by Italian site
So, where’s our Angry Birds, damnit?
[via
UK carrier Orange has just released a new deal for its users —
Unfortunately, it’s not just a coupon for a free rental of any movie in the lineup — each week will see a specific title available for download, and you have to send a text for the download code (with standard fees applying). The first film is “My Blueberry Nights”, and each Thursday a different title will be available, with The Wrestler, The Ghost and Che: Part One already lined-up.
Normal iTunes rental rules apply: you have 30 days to start watching it, and only 48 hours to finish it.
Apple has many revenue streams and while gadgets like the iPhone, iPad and iPod are the ones that form the crown. It also makes a lot of money through accessories for these gadgets. In addition, many of its third party partners also make a lot of money designing and creating custom accessories for virtually every class of consumers. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the design changes that will be incorporated into the iPhone 5 will render all existing accessories completely useless. The business logic behind this is simple enough: new phone, new accessories, means tons of new revenue for Apple and its partners.
Specifically, we are told that the screen protectors and casings used in the iPhone 4 will become obsolete with regards to the iPhone 5. This means, you cannot re-use your expensive kits on the iPhone 5.
If you are planning to switch to an iPhone 5, I think its best you stop spending money on iPhone 4 accessories because ultimately this will be a waste of money. More importantly, since the hardcore accessories for the iPhone 5 will not be out until after its release, maybe the best option would be to wait for a few more months until it has been properly introduced to the market.
The news will undoubtedly disappoint those who have spent quite a lot of money on standard iPhone 4 accessories. However, most high-end accessories that are designed for entertainment or functionality such as wireless speaker systems may seamlessly adapt to the new iPhone, which is a good thing.
For users who have spent a lot of money on their accessories but still want to switch immediately to the new iPhone 5, head over to the internet and start selling as soon as possible, while the demand for high-end second hand iPhone 4 accessories is still high. Once the iPhone launch date approaches, second hand accessories may flood the market and reduce prices. Of course, that will mean you will have to be extra careful until you get your hands on the next generation iPhone.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released an iPhone app called FBI Child ID. If your child goes missing, it must be one of the most stressful things to deal with in life. Most times they just lose track of time and return safe and well, maybe just a few hours late. If they don’t however, you need to know what to do and be able to react as fast as possible. This is where the FBI Child ID app comes in.
The free FBI Child ID app provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and vital information about your child so that it’s literally right at hand if your child goes missing. You can show the pictures and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot. Using a special tab on the app, you can also quickly and easily e-mail the information to authorities with a few clicks. The app also includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing
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.
Amongst the most versatile keyboards on the market today for the iPad is the Arpeggio Bluetooth Keyboard Kit. This wonderfully efficient piece of technology is created by the Joy Factory, which already has a history of churning out excellent accessories. Moreover, the system works well with both the iPad and iPad 2. It also comes with a dual-pocket Carry bag.
Key Features
• Compatible with iPad or Mac
• Bluetooth Class 2 compatible—(Range: 33 feet)
• Excellent keyboard design, featuring special multimedia keys
• Lithium ion polymer rechargeable battery with recharge time under an hour
• Intelligent power usage
• Includes padded, dual pocket carry bag
Unlike standard keyboard kits that simply add to the baggage and require all you to utilize all your organizational skills just to stay one-step ahead of an impending disaster, the Arpeggio kit allows you to type your emails, documents and notes, pack your keyboard and iPad and then get going on your way. This is great for all sorts of users from the average college student to a journalist on the move.
The best thing about the kit is that it does not require any wires or cables that needlessly add to the hassle of work. In fact, the Apreggio can work from up to 33 feet away from the iPad. Moreover, it also features an array of special multimedia keys to make things easier.
The keyboard also features a lithium ion polymer rechargeable battery, which allows users to recharge their keyboard in less than 60 minutes and helps cut down on wasted time. The intelligent software that sends it to sleep after just four minutes further enhances the efficiency of the battery.
One detail that tends to be overlooked is the dual-pocket padded carry bag that accommodates the iPad and the Arpeggio Keyboard. The entire system costs $99.95.