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PhoneSaber pulled from App Store

updated 03:15 pm EDT, Fri August 8, 2008

PhoneSaber off App Store

A fourth known app has been delisted from the iTunes App Store, it has been revealed. PhoneSaber -- a free title that imitated the lightsabers from Star Wars -- has been pulled, despite being a popular choice of early adopters of the iPhone 3G and/or iPhone 2.0 firmware. The disappearance marks the fourth such prominent withdrawl in a short space of time, following I Am Rich, BoxOffice and NetShare.

In contrast to other incidents however, the developers of PhoneSaber say they have an explanation. THQ Wireless owns the rights to Star Wars development on mobile devices, and asked TheMacBox to pull PhoneSaber voluntarily. THQ intends to publish a rebranded version though, with TheMacBox assisting in production. It is uncertain at this point whether the new app will remain free.

by MacNN Staff

(17)

TAGS :

iPhone, software, iPhone apps, App Store, iPhone 2.0

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testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

+8

08/08, 03:40pm | report spam | close Reply |
different

It sounds, though, like this was pulled by the developer, not by Apple.

Comment buried. Show

Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 1999

-25

08/08, 03:53pm | report spam | close Reply |
Bandwidth

Could it be that Apple is pulling popular FREE applications that create a huge bandwidth draw on the servers since they are getting no money in return?

jhawk95
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2006

+2

08/08, 04:04pm | report spam | close Reply |
Disappearing

Ok, so now that it is pulled from the Apps Store, does anyone have a confirmed case of an installed app on an iPhone disappearing off their iPhone once it was pulled from the Store?

I have backed up all my iPhone Apps... so if Apple deleted them occasionally, I can just reinstall them again.

Any feedback on this from anyone?

Flesh-faced Recruit
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2008

-5

08/08, 04:04pm | report spam | close Reply |
No loss there

PhoneSaber was totally lame anyway. It just played sampled sounds, and did not generate sound that in any way corresponded with the motion of your iPhone or iPod Touch.

I doubt the licensed version will be free. George Lucas ran out of ideas years ago, and he is gleefully pumping all of his worn-out old franchises for pocket-money as he reaches old age.

cartoonspin
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2003

+4

08/08, 04:05pm | report spam | close Reply |
GL

George Lucas asked for this to be pulled. This has nothing to do with free apps or the developer. This is George's greed.

Toyin
Mac Elite

Joined: Nov 2000

+10

08/08, 04:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
NOW I'm pissed

This was a useless, but fun application. Everyone I showed this to got a smile out of it. Kids loved it! And yes it did correlate to the movement of your iPhone.

dliup
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2006

+9

08/08, 04:26pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Bandwidth

@guest

You must not be very smart. There is a free app with 1 million downloads. It's not the bandwidth stoopid.

By the way, you realize Apple has available, HD trailers, iTunes song samples available to download for free?

Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 1999

+12

08/08, 05:16pm | report spam | close Reply |
I'm developing...

...an iPhone app - when you move your phone like a sword, it plays sound effects of George Lucas throwing a hissy fit.

Comment buried. Show

Constable Odo
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2007

-15

08/08, 05:50pm | report spam | close Reply |
One of the world's

most useless apps. Goodbye and farewell. And many thanks to the developer or Apple that had it pulled. Now if they can just start pulling flashlight apps and leave only the best two.

not_too_shabby
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 2003

+8

08/08, 05:57pm | report spam | close Reply |
best app on my phone

Everybody I show phonesaber cracks up. It's the first app I show people. Well men anyways. Women don't really get it. So has my free app appreciated in value now. And yes it does correlate to the movement. If you just move your phone slowly you don't get the kitchah sound...

not_too_shabby
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 2003

+1

08/08, 05:57pm | report spam | close Reply |
best app on my phone

Everybody I show phonesaber cracks up. It's the first app I show people. Well men anyways. Women don't really get it. So has my free app appreciated in value now. And yes it does correlate to the movement. If you just move your phone slowly you don't get the kitchah sound...

redwood
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2003

0

08/09, 08:09pm | report spam | close Reply |
Crazy lighter

What happened to crazy lighter??

MiMiC
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2007

0

08/09, 08:11pm | report spam | close Reply |
I love my Phone Saber

I think it is cool! Way cooler than that stupid beer app!! So if stupid is being pulled, so should the beer app.

I better NOT get my saber taken away!!

TheBum
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Sep 2001

+2

08/10, 08:55am | report spam | close Reply |
MacSaber is probably next

If you didn't grab PhoneSaber but have a Mac laptop with a motion sensor in it, MacSaber is still available. I wonder how long it'll be before it gets pulled.

digiprod
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2007

+1

08/10, 05:36pm | report spam | close Reply |
Crash and Burn

Apple should KILL all the apps if you ask me as all they do is make your iPhone crash faster!

The iPhone 2.0.1 and iTunes 7.7.1 is so totally unstable it crashes everyday and needs a restore. Apps quit constantly, all of them doesn't matter which one. Once one app quits they all do. Restarts and hard resets do not help. Only a total restore is needed. Sometimes when an app quits it kills the iPhone and you are left with a Apple logo.

iTunes takes forever to do backups on the iPhone that wind up useless as when you try to do a restore using a backup, 9 times out of ten iTunes tells you it is corrupted and you need to restore as a new iPhone.

iTunes never knows when you need updates on the apps and is wrong most of the time. If you do and update with iTunes of an app, it downloads the app and recreates the file instead of overwriting it. Take a look in your Mobile Application folder and you will find tons of files building up with incremented file names like AIM, AIM 1, AIM 2, etc.

The iPhone is a fantastic device when it works, which is never more than a day if you install any apps and try to use them. Beware installing, updating or deleting apps directly on the iPhone very often will kill it leaving you with the white Apple logo of death and no phone at all. Such a pleasant experience when it happens in the middle of the day leaving you without even a cell phone. Make a great Apple logo flashlight!

I returned the iPhone for replacement, I synced it with different Macs, tried loading less app, different apps, no apps. Nothing really helps. This is the buggiest products Apple has probably ever released.

The Genius Bars and the Apple support forums are loaded with iPhone problems so I am not alone!

manleycreative
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2005

0

08/10, 11:37pm | report spam | close Reply |
Meesa Freekie

I'LL PULL THAT DA*N APP WHEN GEORGE LUCAS EDITS JAR JAR BINKS OUT OF THE STAR WARS MOVIES! So there.

Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 1999

+1

08/11, 02:25pm | report spam | close Reply |
Slasher was taken down...

The "slasher" application (that plays the slashing knife music from Psycho) has been taken down as well.

I saw it a co-workers iPhone and then he told me they took it down. Must have been too scary.

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PhoneSaber pulled from App Store

updated 03:15 pm EDT, Fri August 8, 2008

PhoneSaber off App Store

different

Bandwidth

Disappearing

No loss there

GL

NOW I'm pissed

Re: Bandwidth

I'm developing...

One of the world's

best app on my phone

best app on my phone

Crazy lighter

I love my Phone Saber

MacSaber is probably next

Crash and Burn

Meesa Freekie

Slasher was taken down...

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PhoneSaber pulled from App Store

updated 03:15 pm EDT, Fri August 8, 2008

PhoneSaber off App Store

Related Articles

Recent Articles

different

Bandwidth

Disappearing

No loss there

GL

NOW I'm pissed

Re: Bandwidth

I'm developing...

One of the world's

best app on my phone

best app on my phone

Crazy lighter

I love my Phone Saber

MacSaber is probably next

Crash and Burn

Meesa Freekie

Slasher was taken down...

Login Here

Register for our weekly email newsletter:

Connect tools:

Subscribe

to our RSS

Follow us

on Twitter

10 Most Read

10 Most Discussed

MacNN Marketplace