Sonos has released an update to its Controller app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Version 3.1 adds the ability to send Twitter updates with information regarding the current track. The interface has been refined, with new icons and logos on the Music Menu and a simplified layout. Users are also able to control the company's latest ZonePlayer S5 all-in-one device.
A Spanish translation of Mein Kampf has been launched at the App Store, observers note. Written in the 1920s by Adolf Hitler, the book is both an autobiography and a charter of the fascist, anti-Semitic policies that would come to guide the Third Reich. No other version of the book is available as a standalone app, and its icon is the Nazi Party emblem, complete with swastika.
Apple has been criticized once again for its App Store review policies, as Macworld.com complains of frustrating inconsistencies between different members of the review team. The company has worked to publish its first book, the "iPhone & iPod touch Superguide," as both a PDF version and an app available on Apple's portable devices.
A California iPhone developer, Storm8, has been accused of spying on iPhone owners, according to court documents. A lawsuit was recently submitted on behalf of Washington resident Michael Turner, charging Storm8 with several violations including breaches of contract, the California Computer Crime Law and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. On August 26th, says Turner, the company openly admitted that its games had been illicitly collecting phone numbers.
Apple may be working on an easier and more comprehensive method of syncing data between devices, a new patent application hints. Even the company's current technology, built into iTunes and iSync, is described as too complex. "Though a user may have access to two similarly capable electronic devices, sharing data between the two devices may involve a number of steps," the application reads.
As foreshadowed in late October, Apple today revealed its first Parisian Apple Store, located in the Carrousel du Louvre. The shop is situated within close range of the famous Louvre art museum, and uses an elaborate two-floor design, with unique touches such as diamond-shaped windows. Coinciding with the store launch is the release of a free Musée du Louvre iPhone app, which showcases various exhibitions, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
Sonos has begun shipping its all-in-one wireless music system controlled by iPhone or iPod touch, Sonos ZonePlayer S5. The device is designed for those who only need the player and provides two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a subwoofer. Users can wirelessly stream music from either iTunes or the Internet and control what music is playing using the company’s free iPhone app (App Store).
EA Mobile has released four new iPhone and iPod touch applications on Apple's App Store: NBA Live, EA Sports FIFA 10, Mystery Mania, and Boggle. NBA Live is a basketball game where players take control and play against authentic NBA teams in a variety of modes. Features include the ability to unlock and add legendary characters to a team, fifteen different music tracks to choose from, and the ability to control the players via the virtual analog stick or accelerometer. Different game modes include an 82-game Season mode, an Exhibition, and a Playoff mode.
Following the recent release of Tweetie 2.0, developer Loren Brichter is almost ready to launch the next update, v2.1, which adds a variety of bug fixes and several new features. The app will support the new-style retweets, along with geolocation information, according to a preview posted by TechCrunch. Both features will only work with the select accounts Twitter has enabled for the additional functionality.
EA has launched an iPhone version of Command & Conquer: Red Alert, its real-time strategy game originally developed for Windows. The title is set in an alternate universe where Adolf Hitler has been assassinated by a time-traveling Albert Einstein, paving the way for the Soviet Union to become the world's dominant military threat. Unusual weapons come to the fore as well, such as combat airships.
id Software has released Doom Classic for the iPhone and iPod touch. A new version of the company's signature first-person shooter, the app recreates all of the original game's episodes, as well as the later fourth episode, Thy Flesh Consumed. Also brought back are the original gameplay mechanics, here controlled through one of three different schemes.
Sirius XM today began shipping its promised XM SkyDock. The cradle gives any iPhone or iPod touch a satellite radio tuner that plays all of XM's channels, including the Best of Sirius package and others normally kept out of the Internet streams. A companion XM SkyDock app (free, App Store) ties directly into the tuner and provides both the main interface as well as support for iTunes song tagging.
The NBA has released a new app for the iPhone and iPod touch, NBA League Pass Mobile. Users can watch live TV coverage of over 40 basketball games per week, while optionally viewing overlay information such as the current score and live player stats. Games can be replayed up to 48 hours after their original broadcast.
A company called Jibbigo has released a new bilingual translation app for the iPhone and iPod touch, capable of translating a user's speech directly into another spoken phrase. Users record one sentence of English or Spanish at a time, which the app then translates into a synthesized counterpart. A vocabulary of 40,000 words is included, generally skewed towards travelers and doctors.
Third-party GPS support for the iPod touch is coming soon, an announcement claims. GeoLife says it has submitted a new version of Navmii to the App Store, which -- in tandem with a PosiMotion G-Fi router -- should allow a Touch to access turn-by-turn car navigation. The Touch lacks both the GPS and 3G receivers found in the iPhone, normally rendering it incapable of handling directions while driving.
Apimac has introduced a new line of translation dictionaries for the iPhone and iPod touch. The Apimac apps come in three different versions, English - German, English - Spanish, and English – Italian. Each app provides necessary tools for searching both words and phrases, while delivering an up-to-date dictionary with grammatical notes and a phrase book holding thousands of English phrases and translations.
Lala is readying an iPhone app that will serve as a portal for the company's music services, according to the Associated Press. The app will allow users to purchase the right to stream songs for $0.10 each, which pays for an unlimited number of plays. The sound quality, however, is lower than standard iTunes MP3s.
App4mac has released a major upgrade to its data protection program for both the Mac and iPhone: SecretBox 2 is designed to create a database which can be used to store information such as credit card numbers, software registrations, and e-mail logins. New features in the Mac version include an upgraded user interface, additional support for syncing with the iPhone or iPod touch, and improved stability. Approximately 60 percent of the code s also said to be re-written to help enhance performance and security.
Sinecure Industries has launched its first iPhone app, How Am I Feeling? – The Mood Analyzer. The program allegedly uses a mood algorithm based on the "war-era Mooreefocical Bafflegab prototype", which is designed to pinpoint and display the user’s current emotion. The developer claims the app works by analyzing physical contact with the mobile device, preferably with the finger or nose, and then presents an animated punch-card machine until a result is displayed.
Apple has almost reached another important psychological milestone when it comes to the App Store, a tracking website claims. The store is said to be nearing over 100,000 active titles, scattered across a number of different categories. During its fourth-quarter results call, Apple cited only a figure of more than 85,000 apps; the current tally is already over 91,000, but Apple may be holding back in order to make a more dramatic announcement.
MacNN has reviewed Photoshop.com Mobile, a free Adobe application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app ties into the company's Photoshop.com website, but lets users make a variety of offline edits. These include the addition of filters, and adjustments to elements like hue, exposure and saturation.
The next major version of the official Facebook iPhone app, v3.1, will add push notifications, says developer Joe Hewitt. The title lets users view and update news feeds, as well manage photos, and browse profiles and other content. It is not known when v3.1 will become available; coming "soon" however should be v3.03, a minor update providing only bugfixes.
In brief: An issue with the integration of the iPhoto and Flickr libraries has developed, which can result in users being able to accidentally wipe out entire sets of photos on Flickr. comiXology has meanwhile announced a change in the price of its Comics by comiXology iPhone app, a consequence of Apple now allowing in-app purchases for free iPhone apps.
Canon has released Easy-PhotoPrint, a new dedicated printing app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Users can send photos to a nearby PIXMA printer when connected via local Wi-Fi. Several photos can be queued for printing at a time, with a maximum of 20 copies.
Wellala has released a remote printing app for the iPhone and iPod touch, Print Magic. The app allows users to print content from the mobile device via Wi-Fi, without the need to first sync to a computer. It can print directly to network printers that support the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), along with any printer capable of sharing from a Mac via Printer Sharing. In order to print content, users simply copy the data into the application or, when printing web pages, copy the URL.
Monsoon Multimedia has launched HAVA Mobile Player for the iPhone and iPod touch, allowing users to remotely watch and control cable, satellite, DVD and TiVo video sources. Users must have a Wi-Fi connection and a HAVA box, which enables people to remotely control and channel any TV source in their home. App users can additionally browse program guides in order to see schedules and content descriptions.
Cerulean Studios has complained that a new Trillian instant messaging app, for the iPhone and iPod touch, has yet to be approved. The app was submitted over 60 days ago according to the company, but at last check is still winding its way through Apple evaluation. A steady stream of e-mails is said to have been sent, but met only with generic form letters, giving no indication on whether changes are needed or how much longer the company may expect to wait.
Piracy is a minor but still important problem for iPhone app developers, says analytics firm Pinch Media. The company notes that shortly after the launch of the App Store in 2008, it began receiving complaints that Pinch tallies of new users were exceeding official figures displayed by iTunes Connect. The discrepancy is now believed to be attributable to piracy, tracked by Pinch since May of 2009.
Hidden iPhone compatibility features have been found in Google Wave, reports say. Wave is used to merge e-mail, wikis, instant messaging and social networking, and is currently in its beta stages. The web app is supported in two ways on an iPhone, the first being visiting its website through Safari. People are warned that their browser is not supported during the preview period, but after proceeding, problems should be minimal.
Viper has launched Viper SmartStart for the iPhone. The app works with Viper remote start systems to start a car, lock or unlock its doors, and open its trunk. It can also be used to find a car, or set off a panic alarm. The app can control more than one car, and allows for multiple users to control the same vehicle.
A forthcoming version of Real's Rhapsody iPhone app should support offline listening, a designer of the software says. Although Rhapsody mobile service is priced at $15 a month, iPhone and iPod users can currently only stream music, whether through Wi-Fi or 3G. Offline listening would likely allow the storage of tracks for the duration of a subscription, making the app more practical in areas with bad or inconsistent connections.
Apple is facing new media criticism over the absence of a comprehensive App Store refund policy, most prominently from the New York Times. One writer notes that while people can get refunds if a download is delayed, or not properly executed, it is impossible to get money back based purely on quality complaints. The issue can become serious when dealing with more expensive iPhone apps, such as navigation software. It may also impact people buying less expensive titles which do not work, in spite of Apple's quality assurance.
Sonos adapted to the changing nature of its market today through the ZonePlayer S5. Rather than bundle a dedicated controller or a bridge unit, the S5 depends on either the iPhone app or computer software to let an iPhone, iPod touch, Mac or Windows PC on the local network steer all its playback. It still provides access to all the same media streaming sources, such as an iTunes collection, Internet radio (including Deezer/Last.fm/Pandora/Rhapsody/Sirius), NAS drives and the device's aux input.
onOne has launched DSLR Camera Remote Server 1.2, an update to its Canon EOS and Nikon DSLR remote-control software that works with an iPhone or iPod touch. The app provides tools for controlling the camera settings such as shutter speed or aperture, as well as the ability to view images shot on the camera from the user’s mobile device. Version 1.2 offers a series of bug fixes that deal with issues involving the Canon Rebel T1i not working properly on Windows, and the old Nikon Camera models causing an error when set to manual focus on a Mac.
Readdle has begun selling Scanner Pro, a new iPhone application. Users can scan in paper documents via an iPhone's built-in camera; the images are then converted into multi-page PDF documents, which can be uploaded to several different destinations. These include e-mail addresses, Wi-Fi-connected computers or any WebDAV server, such as a MobileMe iDisk folder.
QNAP today upgraded one of its most mainstream network-attached storage servers by launching the two-bay TS-210. A major replacement for the TS-209, it has both a more home-friendly, sleeker look but also jumps from a 500MHz processor to 800MHz. The extra speed better handles intense network traffic, particularly RAID 1 mirroring, without bogging down.
atebits has released Tweetie 2, an update to the company's Twitter client for the iPhone and iPod touch. The app is said to have been completely rewritten, and now features state caching. Users can not only read and compose tweets offline, but return to their last known position in the interface after quitting or receiving a phone call.
Although its companion hardware has yet to be released, Sirius XM has released a dedicated XM SkyDock app for the iPhone and iPod touch. Users are able to tune into various XM satellite radio stations, including artist-specific stations for the likes of Elvis Presley and the Metropolitan Opera. While listening, stock and sports tickers provide visual feedback.
Adobe has launched Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone, bringing a simplified version of its flagship software to the iPhone and iPod touch. The new app can crop, flip and rotate photos, or adjust exposure, saturation and tint, with option of converting to black-and-white. Two filters are included: Sketch renders a photo as a drawing, while Soft Focus simulates its namesake lens effect. Exposure and filter adjustments are generally made with swipe commands.
MapQuest has introduced a new iPhone application, which goes beyond the company's web service to provide narrated, turn-by-turn car navigation. Unlike most such apps, the MapQuest software itself is priced at only $1. The rest of the cost is in monthly and annual subscription fees, which cover updated maps and points of interest, as well route optimization based on traffic, accident and construction updates.
After having earlier teased the title, EA Mobile is now sharing more details on the gameplay in Rock Band iPhone. The game's multiplayer mode allows sending out invitations through Facebook Connect, and as in the console series, players can assume responsibility for vocals, drums, bass or lead guitar. Vocals are not sung into a mic, but rather tapped out like any other instrument.
IK Multimedia has posted two new iPhone applications, GrooveMaker Techno and Trance. The programs are genre-oriented twists on the basic GrooveMaker app, which is used to produce original electronic music. Each one supports over eight stereo loop tracks, which can be adjusted in real-time in terms of pan, volume, grouping and tempo. Completed tracks can be listened to on a handheld, or exported as WAV files via Wi-Fi.
Developer Cramzy claims that although its Celebrity Birthday Match app was approved for the App Store on October 4th, it never appeared in the list of recently-released apps. The program was more importantly submitted on September 24th, which is said to be around the same time a number of developers were reporting difficulty with iTunes Connect. Due to Connect being used for everything from app delivery to software management, developers experienced severe problems when submitting new apps or updates.
A new iteration of Harmonix's Rock Band series is coming to the iPhone and iPod touch, EA Mobile has confirmed. The title is mentioned in a looping video presentation at this week's CTIA expo, which offers virtually no gameplay details. It does appear to be based on the regular Rock Band games, rather than the recently-released The Beatles: Rock Band.
CasaTunes has released a new iPhone and iPod touch application, capable of remotely controlling a music system using the company's server software. Listeners can choose music from iPod and iTunes libraries, or over 25,000 SHOUTcast Internet radio stations, designating which rooms in a house audio should feed to. When managing rooms, a person has control over volume, play/pause and skip commands.
As promised, FileMaker has released an updated Bento iPhone app at the App Store. The app is a scaled-down version of the desktop Bento software, and lets users create a variety of databases covering material such as contacts, events and media files. Twenty-five templates are included, and databases can be synced with Bento 2.x or Bento 3. Bento for iPhone 1.0.3 fixes compatibility problems with Bento 3, and costs $5.
Edovia has launched TouchPad 2.0, the latest version of its iPhone app that allows users to remotely control their Mac. New features include a media remote which is said to resemble the Apple remote, along with more keyboard functions such as shortcuts, arrows, or page-up and page-down controls. The latest version also provides bug fixes, multi-touch support and new localizations.
Pearson has introduced four new instructional books titled Cocoa Design Patterns, iPhone for Programmers, Sams Teach Yourself Cocoa Touch Programming in 24 Hours and Sams Teach Yourself iPhone Application Development in 24 Hours. The first book explains the object-oriented design patterns used in Apple's Cocoa frameworks and other software libraries. The book aims to supply an understanding of the design and logic of Cocoa so to be used while programming original software.
(Update with official news) AT&T may back away from its policy against Internet calling apps on the iPhone based on a leak circulating just before the fall CTIA show. Those close to the provider's executives reportedly told the Washington Post it's "close" to accepting voice over IP apps on all phones, including data-heavy devices like the iPhone. When this would take effect, if at all, isn't clear.
Apple has reversed course and approved iSinglePayer, an iPhone app advocating health care reform in the US. The app had initially been rejected for being "politically charged," as it contains charts and information regarding single-payer health care systems. Users can even find the nearest congressperson and view campaign donations provided by companies in the health sector.
