Category: iPhone/iPad

Comic Life for iPad half price for 48 hours

July 14, 2011 /

From a press release by Plasq:

Our boss is away on vacation — so we’ve decided to go crazy! Starting at 12:00 am on July 15 and lasting until 12:00 am July 17th Comic Life for iPad will only cost USD $3.99! That’s right, for 48 hours you can get 50% off Comic Life for iPad at the iTunes App Store!

The perception of pricing on mobile apps (and iOS apps in particular) continues to fascinate me. At $8, I perceived Comic Life (a very well done program) as too expensive for me. At $4, though, I’ll probably grab it. What I still haven’t figured out why that’s the case. I think it’s less to do with the idea that mobile apps aren’t as sophisticated as desktop apps — there are certainly enough examples to disprove that idea. I think it’s more of a volume thing. I have dozens of apps (maybe) on my Mac; I have hundreds (easily) on my iOS devices.

There’s a lot of very interesting psychology going on here — I hope someone with more time that I have writes a thesis on it one of these days.

AmpliTube iRig puts a recording studio in your pocket

June 27, 2011 /

I’ve been playing bass guitar since I was 12, and while I’ve always loved the playing music side of playing music, I’ve never been much on the lugging-equipment-around aspect. I deplored it so much, in fact, that I quit the wedding band business for a time, only coming back when the band agreed to hire roadies to take care of our gear for us. Even breaking out the practice amp was a chore I avoided, which meant that I didn’t rehearse nearly as much as I suppose I should have.

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The end is near: app to track asteroid near-collision is half-price today only

June 27, 2011 /

From my latest article on The Mac Observer:

If you knew the end of the world was coming, what would you do? Maybe you’d spend a few final romantic minutes with your loved one; perhaps you’d gather with others in your local place of worship. Given TMO’s readership, it’s a fair bet at least some of you would be pounding back pints of beer and stuffing peanuts into your face while those around you covered their heads in paper bags and found a comfortable spot on the floor to lie on.

But what if we were only going to come within 8,000 miles of it being the end of the world? Well, you’d want to download Sky Safari to your iPad or iPhone to track the fifth-closest asteroid flyby of all time, and the first ever to occur in the iOS era.

More info — including instructions on how to track 2011 MD — is in the full article on TMO.

iWork apps get update; now work on iPhone, iPod touch

May 31, 2011 /

Apple’s iWork suite of productivity apps have been updated to work on the iPhone and iPod touch, according to a press release from Apple.

Keynote, Pages and Numbers are now universal apps that run on iPad and iPad 2, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, and iPod touch (3rd & 4th generation), according to Apple. The apps are available from the App Store for $9.99 each for new users, or as a free update for existing iWork for iPad customers. Keynote Remote is sold separately via the App Store for 99 cents.

It remains to be seen exactly how usable these apps will be on the iPhone, but the ability to create and edit iWork documents on small iOS devices is sure to come in handy.

Apple spells out keynote for WWDC: Lion, iOS 5, ‘iCloud’

May 31, 2011 /

Apple made the unusual move of spelling out the topics for its WWDC Keynote next week:

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch; and iCloud, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.

Apple rarely — very rarely — tips its hand about keynotes and is generally even more tight-lipped about upcoming products and services. The only time I can recall them doing so is when they feel the need to manage rumors and keep a handle on expectations, which I think is what’s going on here. They want to emphasize that there will be no hardware announcements (read: no iPhone 5 or “4GS”).

Read the EULA; you told Apple (and others) they could track you.

April 21, 2011 /

I’m finding it hard to get riled up about the latest brouhaha regarding the discovery of a file on iPhones that contains time-stamped location information about places your phone (and presumably you) have been. First, there’s no evidence so far that this information is being sent anywhere. Second, if you use foursquare, Facebook Places, Gowalla or even Twitter for that matter, it’s highly likely you’re already sending much more detailed information to much more public places. Third, you agreed to let your phone gather information about where you’ve been.

Wait, what?

Really. Remember those End User License Agreements (EULAs)? You know, the pages and pages of text that open whenever you launch an application or device for the first time. The window that you scroll to the bottom of as quickly as possible to click “Agree” or “I Understand” or whatever so you can get on with using the device? The ones that no one ever actually reads?

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Well Andrew Munchbach at Boy Genius Reports has read them. Not just the iPhone’s, but Google’s, Motorola’s, RIM’s, Windows’, HTC’s and others. They all disclose that their devices:

…transmit, collect, maintain, process and use your location data, including the real-time geographic location of your iPhone, and location search queries. The location data and queries…are collected in a form that does not personally identify you and may be used…to provide and improve location-based products and services.

The wording varies, but the message is the same.

It remains to be seen if anything nefarious is being done with this information by any of these companies, or if it’s merely used, as they say, to enhance the quality of location-based services. It also remains to be seen how binding any of these EULAs actually are.

But before you become outraged at the “theft” of your personal data, realize that no one is stealing anything. You’re giving it all away.

Read more of the things you’ve agreed to in Munchbach’s article. (via Ian Betteridge.)

Reuters: iPhone 5 coming in September

April 21, 2011 /

The next-generation iPhone will sport the same design as its predecessor, but will have a faster processor, according to a Reuters article. Nothing earth-shattering in that, but the story’s sources say the iPhone 5 will come in September, not July, which has become the traditional month for new iPhones.

Makes sense. Apple has already said its Worldwide Developers Conference would focus on software. What really sells it for me, though, is the idea that the September timeframe has usually been reserved for iPod announcements, and there hasn’t been much to say about them on their own lately. It’s not a stretch to see why Apple would want to roll iPod and iPhone announcements into one event. (via The Loop.)

Navigon MobileNavigator gets 1.8 update, new features

April 14, 2011 /

I’ve long thought Navigon’s MobileNavigator is the best turn-by-turn GPS app available, (far) surpassing even standalone units. Now Navigon has released MobileNavigator 1.8 with updated maps, new features and new options available via in-app purchase. Try getting enhancements like that for free from your standalone unit.

Here’s what the press release has to say about what’s new:

  • Reality Scanner is a navigation industry first augmented reality feature for the iOS platform, providing an instant and effortless way of identifying destinations close-by. Users simply point the iPhone in any direction from where they are and instantly points of interest icons appear directly onto a live camera view, indicating the exact position of the location. Pedestrians won’t miss a beat while they are on foot, in a couple of taps destination such as restaurants, bars, hotels, and more are at their fingertips. Reality Scanner provides this information immediately, providing a quick overview of the immediate surroundings.

  • Safety Cameras alert drivers of upcoming static speed and red light cameras along the route, helping to potentially avoid costly tickets. The feature integrates the database from the industry’s number one safety camera detection company, RoadTraps. This database provides access to over 3900 speed and red light cameras in the US and is regularly updated to ensure the latest cameras are detected. NAVIGON Safety Cameras is available as a single In App Purchase of $4.99.

  • Traffic Check is an easy to read, at-a-glance gage graphic that appears after route calculation and inform drivers of current traffic conditions. The Traffic gage pop-up informs with a green, yellow, and red meter and disappears within a few seconds, indicating how the traffic situation is on the route ahead. If more detailed traffic coverage and alternate routes are needed for users who are not already using the built-in Traffic Live feature, a direct link to the In App Purchase is provided within the graphic. By tapping the “i”, the meter will flip directly to the apps extra menu where the In App Purchase can be made.
  • The Latest Maps by the leading map provider NAVTEQ.

I’m very interested in seeing whether the Reality Scanner is as cool as it sounds, and the Traffic Check feature looks very useful — particularly for users like me with long daily commutes. I also love the fact that MobileNavigator is universal app, optimized for both the iPhone and iPad.

The 1.8 update is free and available now for all versions (regions) of MobileNavigator via the App Store. (iTunes link to MobileNavigator USA Edition.)

Take Control of Media on Your iPad now available

April 12, 2011 /

Jeff Carlson is a smart guy and a very good writer. If you want to know more about your iPad 2, you should buy his book.

Before you say “It’s an iPad — I already know everything I need to,” see if you can answer these questions:

  • How do I move my media to my iPad?
  • How do I highlight reading material in iBooks?
  • What app should I use to check out ebooks from my public library?
  • How do I read magazines on the iPad?
  • How do I play my music from my iPad to my home stereo system?
  • How can I make music playlists right on the iPad?
  • What are six ways of adding a video file to the iPad’s memory?
  • How do I set up a slideshow of my photos on the iPad?
  • What tricks can I use to take better photos with my iPad 2 camera?
  • How do RAW images work with the iPad?
  • How can I integrate my iPad and my Apple TV?
  • How can I use my iPad as a remote control for consumer electronics?

That’s a lot of pretty advanced stuff for 15 bucks.