Vers, a company specializing in handcrafted wood, has added new open-front Shellcases to its product line. The cases allow full access to the display of an iPhone or iPod. Models are available in walnut, cherry and bamboo, and have their corners reinforced with steel pins in order to enhance the wood's resistance to impacts.
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.
Marware and IvySkin have each announced updated iPhone and iPod touch cases, the SportShell and the SmartCase. The SportShell is now available in a version for the second-generation iPod touch. It uses a three-piece hard shell, made of polycarbonate plastic with a rubberized finish. The case can operate as a flat-back or open-back case, or else clip to a belt where it can rotate 360 degrees.
Apple is reportedly developing a new checkout system based on the iPod touch, according to an ifoAppleStore report posted on AppleInsider. The "EasyPay touch" configuration consists of an iPod case integrating a barcode scanner, additional battery cells and a magnetic stripe reader. The hardware is paired with custom point-of-sale (POS) software.
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.
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.
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.
A US patent filing published today suggests Apple has been researching the prospects of a wireless headset with its own media playback support. The device would operate as a typical wireless headset as a companion for an iPhone or similar device but would play music from storage built into the earphones. It could have basic music controls and a display, but with a microphone it could also use voice commands to play specific content without looking.
Apple is transitioning its current mobile checkout system away from the Pocket PC to the iPod touch, several sources claim. A distinguishing trait of Apple Stores is the ability of clerks to handle payments away from a fixed station; the company has, however, been using Pocket PCs for this purpose since 2005, in spite of launching the iPhone and iPod touch in 2007. The move to the Touch is said to be coming in time for the 2009 holiday shopping season, and already in effect at a Valley Fair Mall location in Santa Clara, California, possibly as a trial.
The combination of the TomTom iPhone Car Kit and its corresponding navigation app will not be compatible with the iPod touch or original iPhone, officials from the company now say. The Kit's product page has for a time said that while it can hold all iPhones, the matching app is only compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Regardless, a spokesman at one point claimed that company had simply not made any "public announcements" regarding the possibility of support through a software update.
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.
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.
TUNEWEAR has launched a new iPhone and iPod dock, the VisualDock. The unit is an AV-capable docking station with S-Video and line outputs. Special controls toggle simulated 3D sound, and alternating between charge or charge/sync modes when connected to a computer. The dock supports the iPhone 3G and 3GS, all iPod nanos, first- and second-generation Touches, the Classic and the older fifth-gen video iPod.
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.
The iPhone and iPod touch are pushing the entire industry towards the mobile Internet, Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker said at the Web 2.0 summit yesterday. With about 57 million of Apple's devices shipped since June 2007, their growth has not only been much more aggressive than landline Internet access in general but the entire home electronics industry. Three times as many iPhone-based devices exist as did AOL and Netscape users two years into their respective histories; Apple is also already outselling the Nintendo Wii despite its products coming half a year later.
Speck has announced three case updates, covering the fifth-generation iPod nano and the second- and third-generation iPod touches: these fall under PixelSkin, CandyShell and Fitted lines. The new PixelSkin is a soft silicone case designed for the Nano, and provides protection against bumps and scrapes. Grip curves prevent slipping, and openings are present for access to ports, controls and the camera. The case comes only in a black color at the moment, with a pricetag of $20.
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.
atPurpose has launched a new iPhone development tool, atPeek 1.0. The software is designed for professionals, but said to be simple enough for casual users. Through Apple's Quick Look architecture, it explores and displays fully-functional previews of the resources found in iPhone apps. The tool can discover normally inaccessible details, and export specific assets or entire folders for follow-up viewings.
NewsGator has formally announced TapLynx, a new development framework for iPhone and iPod touch applications. Titles produced through the framework are meant to display constantly-updating media content, delievered via RSS feeds. Text, images and video clips can be arranged inline, and sharing options can be integrated in the form of e-mail, Twitter and Facebook support.
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.
Nintendo's next-generation DS may be powerful enough to rival the current iPod touch in terms of power if a purported source is accurate. Contacts at BSN say NVIDIA has won a contract with Nintendo to use a variant of the Tegra chipset in a future handheld. Which model would be used is unknown, but it's still expected to be a single-chip design and may be a second-generation Tegra rather than the existing component.
A rumor today claims that Apple is developing software to expose FM radio tuning for certain models of the iPhone and iPod touch. The software would likely have the same feature set as the current iPod nano and could tag songs to buy them in iTunes; the Internet connection would appropriately give the option of buying the song immediately instead of waiting for the next computer sync. Though not discussed by the source, the DVR-like live pause mode is a probable addition as well.
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.
The unofficial iPhone Dev Team team has released PwnageTool 3.1.4, an update to its Mac hacking utility for iPhones and iPods. The latest version is mainly addressed at unlocking iPhone 3.1.2, which was released last Thursday. 2G, 3G and 3GS iPhones are supported, as well as the first- and second-generation iPod touch, though the latter devices can only be jailbroken. Second-gen Touches must have previously been jailbroken, while third-gen Touches are completely incompatible.
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.
Coder George Hotz has released blackra1n, a new jailbreaking tool. The software is said to jailbreak "all" devices capable of running Apple's iPhone 3.1.2 firmware, including the iPod touch. It is also claimed to be quick, cracking the firmware open for unsanctioned access and applications in approximately 30 seconds.
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.
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.
USBfever has released two new products for the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the Super Charger battery extender and the 360-degree Swivel Stand. The Super Charger is a lithium-powered rechargeable battery, capable of extending a phone's talk or online time up to 8.5 hours, and audio playback up to 40 hours. Video and Wi-Fi ratings are listed at 11 and 10 hours, respectively.
Distributing through iTunes, Apple has released a new iPhone firmware update, v3.1.2. The code adds no new features, and instead fixes bugs, such as one preventing sleeping iPhones from waking. Also targeted are crashes during video streaming, and a bug which interrupts cellular connections until a phone is rebooted.
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.
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.
The launch of the PSP Go last week shot Sony's total PSP hardware sales up 300 percent in the US, according to the company's local communications director Patrick Seybold. He wouldn't break down the ratio of the new PSPs versus the old, UMD-supporting PSP-3000 but told Gamasutra that it was evidence of "strong" interest in the handheld system as a whole, not just the new model, over the first few days. The PSP-3000 is normally $200 in a bundle with one or more games and is widely assumed to be the backup choice for those who consider the $250 PSP Go too expensive or limited by its download-only catalog.
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.
Adobe's mobile website contains new information that directly blames Apple for preventing the company's Flash Player from being allowed onto the iPhone platform. Visitors attempting to install Flash Player on their iPhone are reminded that the project has stagnated due to Apple's rules.
Adobe is well into the production of updated Flash Authoring software, allowing the creation of iPhone apps, says an Adobe product manager. Mike Chambers notes that a private beta of the new software is already in effect, and some titles built with Flash have already reached the App Store, such as Fickleblox and Trading Stuff. A public beta of the tool will be released by the end of the year, alongside Flash CS5.
Over 12 percent of all US homes have at least one Mac but aren't exclusive to the platform, the NPD Group found in its latest Household Penetration study. The number is a large jump from nine percent just last year, but about 85 percent of these also have at least one Windows PC as well. These homes are also more likely to have three or more computers, at 66 percent, versus just 29 percent for Windows-only homes.
