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July 1st, 2009, 17:32 Posted By: wraggster
We heard way back at CES that a GSM Pre was in the works, but not until now have we heard who exactly in the world would be using it. According to confirmation received by T3, Palm is gearing up to disclose the whos, whats and wheres behind the UK launch next week, meaning that we've got seven days (give or take) to twiddle our thumbs until we know which carrier (O2 or Vodafone, most likely), how much and when it'll be available for purchase. We know it's agonizing, but at least you've a time frame to circle in your Trapper Keeper now, right?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/01/p...ils-next-week/
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July 1st, 2009, 17:37 Posted By: wraggster
If you're familiar with the emulation scene (and let's be honest, you are reading Engadget), then you know the name ZodTTD -- the brain behind some of the best jailbroken emus for the iPhone, including variations on the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, and most importantly... the TurboGrafx-16. Now the master-hacker has brought his goods to the Pre, cooking up a version of psx4all on the Palm device, with the aforementioned GBA and TG16 ports on the way! Interestingly, he reports that the performance on the Pre is actually better than that of the iPhone 3GS, and of course he's hacked access to the keyboard, allowing for (more) proper control of games. There are still kinks that are being worked out (sound emulation, screen scaling, etc.), but it looks like we can expect big things in the near future. We at Engadget know everyone will rest a bit easier tonight knowing that real gaming on the Pre is at hand.
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July 1st, 2009, 17:38 Posted By: wraggster
Your fancy new iPhone OS 3.0 starting to look a bit long in the tooth? Heads up, Apple's now sending out the beta OS 3.1 and its SDK to the developer community to finagle with. We're still looking to see what's been changed here, so for now, if you're someone who needs the Latest and Greatest and happens to have the right access, download away!
Update: Still tinkering, but we've seen a new "Save a Copy" option for 3G S video editing that lets you retain the original film while saving an edited clip (picture after the break, thanks Kevin), as well as some reports of MMS being activated, but it seems to stall before actually being sent out over AT&T's network.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/30/i...per-community/
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July 1st, 2009, 18:27 Posted By: wraggster
The Telegraph reports that dozens of users of the recently released iPhone 3GS have reported overheating issues, with some iPhone owners unable to pick up the device because the handset gets so hot to the touch, while others say the casing turns pink with the heat. 'I am definitely experiencing issues with the iPhone running warm and quick battery life lost,' writes Tom Goldstein on one discussion board. 'The phone seems to warm up almost immediately if I am doing anything that pulls data over the network.' Some users have said the device has been too hot to put to their ear while making a phone call, and others say the overheating seems to occur when owners are using the iPhone's mapping software, which uses the handset's built-in GPS technology. Melissa J. Perenson writes at PC World: 'I became aware the handset had become very hot. Very, very hot — not just on the back, but the entire length of the front face, too.' Some gadget experts believe faulty batteries could be the cause of overheating and poor battery life. 'My guess is there's going to be a whole lot of batteries affected because these [iPhones] are from very large production runs,' said Aaron Vronko, who fixes iPods and iPhones. 'If you have a problem in the design of a series of batteries, it's probably going to be spread to tens of thousands [of device], if not hundreds of thousands, and maybe more.
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/06/3...ones-Glow-Pink
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July 1st, 2009, 18:35 Posted By: wraggster
That's up from 106 million units this year, according to new research from Juniper.
The market for smartphones with an open OS will be driven, predictably, by the app store craze, according to the new report.
Overall, Juniper says 60 per cent of the current mobile OS market is based on open source software.
However, Juniper says the key is not whether the OS is open-source, but whether it's easy for a developer to design an application and make money from that effort.
The report says: "The combined changes of Apple's open route to the market and LiMo, OHA and Symbian's open-source OS approach have generated a tidal wave-like effect which even the economic downturn has been unable to reverse."
"There is a clear warning for device manufacturers - the choice of OS is now critical and market share will, to a large extent, follow application development. The unexpected side effect however will be a shift in the balance of power towards application developers and end users - they will begin to play the tune."
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33616...pen-OS-in-2014
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July 1st, 2009, 18:38 Posted By: wraggster
If you thought Apple’s price plans were steep, you haven’t seen anything yet
Gadget lovers looking to legally get their hands on an Apple iPhone 3GS but not wanting to commit themselves to O2 have been given a lifeline by online retail giant Play.com – though if you thought Apple’s prices were steep, you haven’t seen anything yet.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/34899/Sim-...-now-available
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July 1st, 2009, 18:59 Posted By: wraggster
Social gaming company Playfish today celebrated 100 million installed games, just 18 months after it was founded.
The company has released seven titles in total, which include Pet Society, Geo Challenge and Bowling Buddies, each designed to be playable by friends over social networking sites like Facebook and Bebo and on internet connected devices like the iPhone.
"When we founded Playfish, our goal was to change the way the world plays games by creating experiences that are social and connected between friends," said Playfish CEO Kristian Segerstrale. "Reaching 100 million installs in such a short time is clear proof of social gaming’s popularity and how loyal, enthusiastic and deeply engaged the Playfish community is."
Playfish's games currently boast more than 30 million active monthly players with its biggest success, My Pet Society, attracting 12 million people every month.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...s-in-18-months
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July 1st, 2009, 19:09 Posted By: wraggster
In Seek 'n Spell you use the iPhone 3G's built in GPS to run around the real world gathering letters that you can use to score points with big words you spell out.
The game has you pick a big open space, than uses GPS to create a satellite map of your location. The game then spreads virtual letters across the map that you have to run to to gather up and add to your virtual tray of letters.
The letters are then used to spell out words for points.
The game recently won an award for Best Use of Technology in the 2009 Come Out & Play Festival in New York. To celebrate, the developers have dropped the price of the App down to 99 cents from July 2 to July 6.
"We are honored that the Come Out & Play Festival recognized Seek ‘n Spell for its innovative use of the iPhone and GPS technology," said Dan Walton, co-founder of The Retronyms. "We felt that Independence Day weekend would be a perfect time to celebrate with our fans by offering a holiday discount. Seek ‘n Spell is a great game to play with family and friends during picnics, barbecues, or any other outdoor festivity."
http://kotaku.com/5305516/seek-n-spe...g-and-scrabble
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July 1st, 2009, 19:52 Posted By: wraggster
Some people in the video game industry predict the mobile games business could eventually grow to topple the handheld gaming market, Wedbush Morgan disagrees. In its July industry report, analyst Michael Pachter estimates the mobile games industry is currently closer to $2 billion and, even with expected growth, the market may only expand to $4-6 billion in the next three to five years.
In a section titled "Mobile Phone Games are a Fad," Pachter explains that, while 1 billion iPhone applications have been downloaded across 31 million Apple products sold, "it is not evident that more than 20% of these downloads are games." Suggesting the iTunes App Store has generated "under $400 million in game downloads" in its first year. Pachter does predict the mobile game industry will grow at 25% per year for a few years, but will eventually fall as competing devices enter the market.
The report also calls Electronic Arts' emphasis on mobile games "misplaced." EA Mobile has grown steadily over the last few years, but the report estimates the mobile games division is -- along with that of competitors Gameloft and GLU Mobile -- "barely profitable."
According to the report, finger pointing in Apple's camp should directed toward the "open forum" structure of the store and Apple's business model. Apple runs the game download service for an estimated 30% fee, leaving 70% to the game's publisher, the report claims. The section on mobile games goes on to conclude that handheld systems, like the new PSP Go, will "maintain its niche, without significant cannibalization" from the mobile games industry.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/30/pa...sector-mispla/
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July 2nd, 2009, 17:22 Posted By: wraggster
On many levels the recent iPhone 3GS was a modest upgrade from the existing 3G model, but a tech demo from Flight Control developer Firemint has proven just how much additional grunt is offered by the device’s beefed up innards.
A post on the Firemint blog explained: “Real Racing has up to six cars on the track at any one time. Since the game uses a high fidelity physics engine, adding cars is a good test for pushing the hardware.
“We started our tech demo with eight cars on the track, then 10, 12, 16 and 20, and the 3GS still didn't break a sweat. We finally stopped when we got to 40 cars on the track at the same time, still with no perceptible drop in frame rate.
“We think the results are mind blowing.â€
There aren’t currently any plans to bring an enhanced 3GS version of the critically acclaimed 3D racing title to the 3GS, but with some developers hinting at such a move in the future, don’t rule it out.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...worth-of-power
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July 2nd, 2009, 17:44 Posted By: wraggster
Zynga's online title Mafia Wars is being played by over four million users every day, claims the company.
The game is playable over Facebook, Tagged, Yahoo and Myspace, and has most recently been ported to the iPhone as a free App.
"Mafia Wars is on its way to becoming a cult classic," commented Bill Mooney, executive producer of MMO Studios at Zynga.
According to Zynga, use of the game has doubled in the past three months. Zynga has 12 million daily users across its games, which include Vampires Bloodlust, Pirates and FarmVille.
To celebrate the milestone and one year of live play, Zynga is now offering a new destination in-game to users, along with new items and upgrades.
"We have the most dedicated and loyal players who have made the game a hit and we want to thank them by extending the game in a dynamic destination that makes the game unique and challenging," added Mooney.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...fia-wars-daily
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July 2nd, 2009, 23:22 Posted By: wraggster
Sakhr Software, a company known for it's expertise in English to Arabic (and vice-versa) speech translation is all set to release an iPhone app!
This upcoming application, developed by Sakhr Mobile and Dial Directions (a company acquired by Sakhr Mobile sometime back) offers really freaky neat speech translation from English to Arabic (and vice-versa), unlike many services which are a total mess even for the text translation - Google do you hear that? It scans the Arabic words and then simply translates them. Small phrases like "The prime minister will form a new government" (holy crap) can be pretty easily translated.
The app obviously has great use for the government but it can help the end consumer to a real great extent as well! In fact, Sakhr has already been providing this service to U.S. Department of Defense, U.S.
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...anslation.html
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July 2nd, 2009, 23:23 Posted By: wraggster
Nokia has just released a v11 firmware update for the Nokia N97. Changes include USB detection error fix, widget support fixes and enhancements, UI transition error fixes, thumbnail generation performance increase, Mail for Exchange fixes, and general stability and performance fixes.
http://my-symbian.com/main/index.php
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July 2nd, 2009, 23:24 Posted By: wraggster
GoogaSync from Synble Oy is an extensive bi-directional synchronization solution for syncing your personal Google Calendar or hosted Google Apps calendar with your Symbian mobile phone. Supports all standard events, multiple calendars (BETA), appointments, recurring events, all-day events, birthdays and alarms. Secure and really easy to use, includes scheduled synchronization which keeps your calendars always automatically in sync.
http://my-symbian.com/s60v3/software...uto=726&faq=18
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July 2nd, 2009, 23:25 Posted By: wraggster
Enjoy the freedom of wireless webcam with your mobile phone camera. WWIGO by Motvik stands for Webcam Wherever I Go. It converts every cameraphone into a webcam for desktop. WWIGO consists of two software components: mobile component that resides on phone and streams video to PC, and PC component that receives video over Bluetooth or WiFi.
http://my-symbian.com/s60v3/software...Auto=727&faq=4
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July 2nd, 2009, 23:25 Posted By: wraggster
Nokia Beta Labs have released new, completely rewritten Java Runtimes 2.0 for Nokia S60 5th Edition. (5800, N97) smartphones, providing performance improvements and functionality enhancements (e.g. one-click installation, animation during application starting). From now on Java development will be carried out independently and new versions will be available via the "Software Update" application assuring that you can update your phone once new version has been released. Download the new Runtime from Nokia Beta Labs.
http://betalabs.nokia.com/apps/nokia...ime-20-for-s60
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July 2nd, 2009, 23:27 Posted By: wraggster
PhoneBAK GPS by BAK2u is an integrated solution ('Anti-theft', 'GPS Tracking' and 'Emergency') that lets users locate their friends, classmates, vehicles or family members to know their whereabouts. PhoneBAK GPS lets the parents see the location of their children mobile phones, employers to track their vehicles and also the whereabout of employees (journalists, agents etc) when carrying out their work. The "Antitheft" function immediately sends all details about the "new owner" to you once the SIM card has been replaced and is also capable of remotely performing hard reset or data wipout on your request. The "SOS Alert" funtion lets you 'single-tap' quick dial in an emergency to a configurable telephone number and also send out the latest GPS location to a pre-defined email address.
http://my-symbian.com/s60v3/software...uto=725&faq=15
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July 3rd, 2009, 15:54 Posted By: wraggster
A sequel to Rolando, one of the big software successes that helped establish the iPhone as a serious gaming platform, has finally arrived on Apple’s App Store digital distribution portal.
Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid boasts the same striking visuals as its predecessor (and Sony’s LocoRoco, for that matter) courtesy of pop illustrator Mikko Walamies and includes a score from break-beat artist Mr. Scruff. 46 levels are included, as is support for Ngmoco’s Plus+ network.
“Ngmoco is excited about this amazing sequel to Rolando,†Ngmoco’s founder and CEO Neil Young stated.
“It's bigger, bolder and more beautiful than ever with huge additions to Rolando’s signature gameplay that fans and newcomers alike are going to love.
“Developed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch, Rolando 2 is a classic example of just how deep, polished and meaningful pocket-sized games can be when they embrace the unique capabilities of these powerful devices.â€
Earlier in the week Ngmoco bowed to fan pressure and reinstated the original Rolando to the App Store having previously withdrawn it to promote the then pending sequel.
The firm recently acquired the services of former Sega of America president Simon Jeffery to head up its new publishing arm.
Rolando 2 is available to download right now for £5.99 (or $9.99 in the US).
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...onto-App-Store
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July 3rd, 2009, 15:55 Posted By: wraggster
Vendor offers advice for keeping its latest devices cool
Since the release of the iPhone 3GS numerous reports of overheating have sprung up across the internet.
Although Apple is yet to acknowledge the reports as accurate, it has created a webpage that advises users on how to keep the device cool.
The site advises users to operate the iPhone in temperatures between zero and 35 degrees centigrade, while the device should be stored in temperatures ranging from -20 to 45 degrees.
It also points out the range of industry safety standards that the device meets.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/31898...ne-heat-advice
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July 3rd, 2009, 17:09 Posted By: wraggster
Think about Wikipedia, what some consider the most complete general survey of human knowledge we have at the moment. Now imagine squeezing it down to fit comfortably on an 8GB iPhone. Sound daunting? Well, that's just what Patrick Collison's Encyclopedia iPhone application does. App Store purchasers of Collison's open source application can browse and search the full text of Wikipedia when stuck in a plane, or trapped in the middle of nowhere (or, as defined by AT&T coverage...)"
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/0...-an-8GB-iPhone
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July 3rd, 2009, 18:25 Posted By: wraggster
Pwn2Own winner Charlie Miller has revealed an SMS vulnerability that could provide hackers with root access to the iPhone. Malicious code sent by SMS to run on the phone could include commands to monitor location using GPS, turn on the phone's microphone to eavesdrop on conversations, or make the phone join a DDoS attack or botnet, Miller said. Miller did not provide detailed description of the SMS vulnerability, citing an agreement with Apple, which is working to fix the vulnerability in advance of Black Hat, where Miller plans to discuss the attack in greater detail. 'SMS is a great vector to attack the iPhone,' Miller said, as SMS can send binary code that the iPhone processes without user interaction. Sequences can be sent to the phone as multiple messages that are automatically reassembled, thereby surpassing individual SMS message limits of 140 bytes.
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/07/0...Access-Via-SMS
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July 3rd, 2009, 18:31 Posted By: wraggster
As anyone who follows me on Twitter will know, Paper Toss has been a source of mixed emotions for me in recent days. It’s provided joy, in that I’ve discovered it, loved it and basked in its zero cost glory. But by the same token, the inability to put it down has been a genuine cause of domestic strife.
Paper Toss is nothing more than a basic velocity game, requiring players to ‘flick’ paper balls into a bin. The complicating factor comes from a desk fan, the position and strength of which varies from try to try.
Players must adjust the trajectory of their toss according to the side and strength of the fan each go. Its power is represented by a number between 0.01 and 6.49. This isn’t a problem when there’s little power, but as soon as the speed ramps up, predicting the correct arc of the flick becomes a very delicate affair.
Easy mode is fairly simply to master, but venture onto Medium or even, god forbid, Hard mode and the challenge increases considerably. On the toughest setting even the most subtle changes in wind power require incredibly precise adjustments to conquer.
Paper Toss is one of those games that really comes into its own when you’re in the zone. Some days it just doesn’t click, and you find yourself missing fairly simple throws. Get your brain into gear though and start chaining dozens of successful throws together, though, and the addiction factor cranks up considerably.
This is ‘one more go’ factor heaven, and the ability to upload high scores to leaderboards just adds an extra layer of crack-like addictiveness to an already awesome package.
But the thing that elevates Paper Toss into the realms of brilliance is the fact that’s absolutely free. The number of quality 59p, £1.19 and £1.99 titles available on the App Store already makes many £39.99 console titles hang their head in shame, but the fact that something as good as Paper Toss is available for nothing at all asks serious questions of current retail models.
And the reason it’s free? There’s a link to download £1.19 app Ragdoll Blaster (which is alright) on the game’s main scream.
Developer Backflip Studios has stated its intention to start charging for the game soon, and whilst it almost seems wrong to deprive it of some well-deserved revenue, you’d be foolish not to download this before it does.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...EEK-Paper-Toss
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July 3rd, 2009, 18:50 Posted By: wraggster
Electronics packaging has been growing steadily smaller and less annoying over recent times, but here comes Apple adding complexity where we didn't know it was needed. The bright sparks at Cupertino envision powered, data-transmitting boxes that will ensure the device within is fully juiced, packing the latest firmware, and capable of pumping out video demos so that the packaging needn't get in the way of wooing customers. Sure, up-to-date firmware and a full battery sound nice, but we can't help but wonder about the price premium we'd have to swallow to be able to see our new toy dancing before we've even set it free from its box.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/03/a...s-to-reinvent/
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July 3rd, 2009, 18:51 Posted By: wraggster
Be warned, this is beta stuff and we haven't been able to test it ourselves. However, a number of breathless tipsers and commenters are reporting a successful jailbreak and unlock of their iPhone 3GS. The magic begins with a 3GS jailbreak released by GeoHot. See, George is fed up with the Dev-Team's insistence on waiting until Apple releases iPhone OS version 3.1. As he puts it:
Normally I don't make tools for the general public, and rather wait for the dev team to do it. But guys, whats up with waiting until 3.1? That isn't how the game is played. We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes. It isn't worth waiting because you might have the "last" hole in the iPhone. What last hole...this isn't golf. I'll find a new one next week.
Meeeeow. After performing the jailbreak, ultrasn0w should then take care of the unlock although we haven't seen official comment on this by GeoHot or the Dev-Team yet. Good luck, backup, and kiss the children goodbye -- it could be a long weekend if you brick your new iPhone. Now hit the read link if you must.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/03/i...reportedly-un/
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July 3rd, 2009, 18:55 Posted By: wraggster
Apple's on-again, off-again deal with China Unicom to officially bring the iPhone to China may still be up in the air, but it looks like it could now also be facing some trademark issues that could potentially further hold up its release. Apparently, China's Hanwang Technology owns the trademark for "i-phone" in the country, which could force Apple to make a deal with 'em before it enters the market (sound familiar?). Interestingly, Apple does actually own an "iPhone" trademark in China, but it apparently only covers computer hardware and software, while Hanwang's trademark covers mobile phones. According to Hanwang, however, the two aren't actually in talks just yet, and it's not saying what it plans to do if Apple decides to go crazy and announce a move into China without its blessing.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/02/i...sues-in-china/
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July 3rd, 2009, 22:54 Posted By: wraggster
Seriously folks, what's up with these prototype iPhones falling out of nondescript white vans and ending up on eBay in the shadiest of manners? Just months after we saw an original iPhone prototype (ancient OS included) pop up on The 'Bay, now we've got one of the world's first iPhone 3GSs on there as well. According to the highly ranked eBay seller, the "guy" he "got it from" actually stumbled upon it at an airport, and rather than doing the nonsensical thing of hitting up lost and found, he decided to make the most of the sudden opportunity. According to the new owner, an Apple Genius has confirmed that it is an iPhone 3GS, but due to its prototype nature, they can't help him get past the "Connect to iTunes" screen. In other words, it's an incredibly rare brick. If that sounds like just the thing to complete your collection, you can visit the road to overpaying through the read link below.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/03/i...t-now-on-ebay/
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July 3rd, 2009, 23:07 Posted By: wraggster
If you've been gaming as long as we have, you know that Columns is one of Sega's great puzzle games. Like most puzzle games, the object is simply to line up four same-colored gems -- horizontally, vertically or diagonally -- and watch them explode. Whether you're familiar with the game or not, we've got some good news: Sega is giving away the iPhone version of Columns for free in celebration of USA's Independence Day. The app will be free starting midnight, Friday, July 3, all the way through Monday, July 6. Sega didn't specify a timezone, so we suggest you avoid downloading it if the price reads anything other than free.
Granted, Columns Deluxe -- which includes ports of Columns and Puyo Pop -- is only $1.99 normally. It hasn't received terrific reviews either. But hey, it's hard to argue with free.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/03/ge...eat-from-sega/
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July 5th, 2009, 01:06 Posted By: wraggster
Just under a month ago at Archos' Paris reveal, we were somewhat dismayed that an Android-based device didn't show up... officially, at least. We were told to expect more information about a Google-powered unit this September, but it looks as if said wait has been hacked considerably. According to The Inquirer, Archos has informed it that a 5-inch internet media tablet loaded with Android will be unveiled on September 15th, a date that certainly jibes with prior information. The handheld will boast Google's sauce underneath with a layer of Archos applications on top, and while the Windows 7-equipped Archos 9 PCTablet (pictured) is expected in October, this here device should hit shelves a few weeks prior. In related news, the briefing also included word that Archos was working on a few "telephony products," which is just barely enough to get you simultaneously excited / hot and bothered.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/04/5...-landing-in-s/
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July 5th, 2009, 01:07 Posted By: wraggster
You knew it was on deck, and at long last, here it is. Your one and only shot (okay, so maybe that's a gentle stretch) to tell the world -- and Palm, since it's a part of the world -- exactly what you think about the Pre. Since going on sale to the general public just under a month ago, some analysts have suggested that some 300,000 or so units have been moved. We're quite confident that at least some of that bunch have their eyes peering at this here post, so we'd like to formally ask for your opinions in comments below. Is there anything you'd like to see changed on Palm's Pre? Is the build quality up to snuff? Is webOS everything you thought it'd be (and more)? Is the QWERTY keyboard doing it for you? Do you wish it supported something that it doesn't? Unleash your wrath below -- we'll keep your true identity a secret. Maybe.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/03/h...-the-palm-pre/
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July 5th, 2009, 01:31 Posted By: wraggster
geohot has released the second revision of his windows iPhone 3GS jailbreak. This one includes:
Vista, Windows 7, International, 64-bit support
Less flakiness in the payload
Cydia tar cleaned up
Improved logging with slightly more useful errors
New kernel patches, codesign errors gone. Props posixninja
Added vm_map +x, passed vm_check
No winterboard yet, but now that ball is in Saurik's court :-)
Still in beta, use caution
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...n-rc2-out.html
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July 5th, 2009, 17:01 Posted By: wraggster
Don't worry, everybody, your iPhone baking itself to a crisp is no cause for panic, now that Apple has found the culprit: the weather and your heartless negligence. Apparently you've been leaving your brand new iPhone 3GS in a hot car, and the warm sensation you feel any time you hold the phone has nothing to do with beefed up processors or inadequate cooling. Phew, glad that's all sorted and now nobody will have any problems with self-destructive iPhones they paid hundreds of dollars for. Besides, it serves you right.
Meanwhile, hapless Samsas Traum has found a problem of his own (pictured) that's sure to be blamed on some other act of god in the near future by Apple's spin team: the oleophobic coating is getting rubbed right off his screen. Apparently he has a bit of a fondness for a certain "Flick Fishing" app, which explains the highly localized nature of his oleophobic destruction. We haven't heard many other reports of a similar nature, but we'll keep an eye out for telltale Tap Tap Revenge markings on the iPhones of our rhythm-addled loved ones.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/04/a...nd-oleophobic/
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July 5th, 2009, 17:15 Posted By: wraggster
Swiss Manager Elite by CellPhoneSoft is a composite system utility, providing task management, file navigation, and system information services, all in one application. Swiss Manager Elite is the successor of the famous Swiss Manager Pro ("SMP"), which has been considered as an essential addition to all UIQ3 devices. The Elite version implements major new functionality, while preserving the proven appearance and base feature set. Swiss Manager Elite can be installed on all UIQ 3 phones, excluding the Motorola Z8 and Z10. Features include:
* Overhauled interface with hierarchical arrangement.
* Full listing of running and available applications and processes.
* The most detailed system information on market.
* Dual panel file navigator providing fast and convenient file operations.
* Improved cleanup engine for more free memory than ever before.
* Fully customizable Favorite list for convenient application launch.
* Recent list providing automated access to the most frequently used programs.
* Key-press shortcuts for all major functions.
* A plethora of new services, like autostart, hot-key invoke, backlight setting, time synchronization, shortcut button configuration, phone restart, and much more.
* Many new options for full customization and convenient use.
http://my-symbian.com/uiq3/software/...Auto=306&faq=3
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July 5th, 2009, 17:27 Posted By: wraggster
News via zodttd
With the release of the purplera1n jailbreak for the iPhone 3gs, the time has come to release an updated psx4iphone on my public Cydia repo.
I have made this build of the Sony Playstation 1 emulator, psx4iphone, to support all Apple devices running firmware 3.0 and above. Though keep in mind it will run about 300% faster on the iPhone 3gs, allowing for many games to be played. There are still some things to be worked out in the performance department, namely sound emulation slowing things down. If you can live without sound output, you have a mighty fast emulator.
This package is what I termed a “Donate & Download†Cydia package. Donations are very much appreciated, though are optional. By choosing the free option in the donation amount dropdown, you can receive it for free.
So what’s new in psx4iphone v1.0.0? The user interface is now up-to-date with the likes of the Gameboy Advance emulator, gpSPhone. I have implemented save states in addition to memory card saves. Portrait and landscape modes work. Tons of bug fixes have been made to the emulator itself, and I have been working hard on improving compatibility.
Instructions for installing psx4iphone can be found in the Cydia package info. Basically you place a PSX BIOS file and games that you must provide inside /var/mobile/Media/ROMs/PSX/. The BIOS file must be in all lowercase and be named scph1001.bin. For uploading the files on to your iPhone / iPod Touch / iPhone 3gs, I recommend using DiskAid. It sends files over USB allowing for fast transfers. It is also useful as I was not able to get SFTP working on the iPhone 3gs with the purplera1n jailbreak. Reportedly SCP works.
I would really love to see some nice videos of psx4iphone running on the 3gs! If you make one, let me know and link it here.
Hope you enjoy! Thanks,
ZodTTD
Download over at Cydia
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July 6th, 2009, 16:24 Posted By: wraggster
Well, the inevitable hacking of Apple's latest flavor of iPhone has happened. Named "purplera1n," the tool will only allow installation of unauthorized applications instead of a full unlock.
"The purplera1n jailbreak will free your iPhone from the limitations imposed on it by AT&T and Apple. After jailbreaking, a user will be able to customize the iPhone with home-screen wallpapers and third-party ringtones. But the biggest advantage of jailbreaking is the support of unapproved apps such as iBlackList (blacklists and whitelists for contacts) and many others."
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/09/0...Finally-Hacked
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July 6th, 2009, 16:28 Posted By: wraggster
Seven of the top ten downloaded songs on Nokia's Comes With Music service last week were by Michael Jackson.
Nokia revealed the global stats to industry site Music Ally, while also saying that NINE of the top ten album downloads last week were by Jackson.
A third of all Comes With Music users downloaded at least one Michael Jackson track last week, making him the most popular artist on the service - up from 21st most popular the week before.
The trend is global, with Jackson accounting for 25% of all CWM downloads in Mexico last week, while downloads of his track increased tenfold in the United Arab Emirates.
Nokia isn't the only company benefitting from the sales surge. Last week, Omnifone revealed that MJ sessions were up an average of 525% across all its territories.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33646...h-Music-charts
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July 6th, 2009, 16:29 Posted By: wraggster
Viral and branded gaming developer and publisher Matmi has told CasualGaming.biz that it is looking at creating titles for the console formats.
Matmi revealed its plans when speaking to CasualGaming.biz in an interview about the studio's forthcoming presentation at the Develop Conference. The company is also looking to expand its unbranded offering.
"We are looking into producing games for other platforms such as the Xbox and Wii. Matmi are digital designers and game makers. We love getting users to engage with our work. If we think a platform is viable for us or our clients we will get stuck in," said Matmi founder and creative director Jeff Coghlan.
Speaking about the merits of the Matmi iPhone game Monster Pinball, Coghlan added: "This isn’t the first non-branded game we have made, but it is the first we have made on the iPhone. We are already producing more games for the iPhone; some of them will be non-branded, others sponsored and others will be advergames."
Coghlan is to present a session at the casual gaming-focused Evolve strand of next week's Develop Conference, titled '‘Infectious: How viral games capture an audience of millions’.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...le-development
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July 6th, 2009, 16:37 Posted By: wraggster
Images of Sony’s 8 megapixel camera, full touchscreen device reportedly leaked
Though Sony has kept its first ever android-based mobile device a well-guarded secret, news site mobile.nu claims to have acquired info and images of the smartphone.
The device, given the codename ‘Rachael’, is allegedly powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, allowing it to run at 1 GHz.
It is also said that the phone will use hi-def video decoding and what is believed to be an 8 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash.
Allegedly pictured above, the unit will also feature a large touch-screen which will be pressure-sensitive.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/31914...legedly-leaked
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July 6th, 2009, 19:06 Posted By: wraggster
Apple hasn't ever been great at this whole "heat dissipation" thing, but some new developments in the supposed overheating iPhone scandal of 2009 have us wondering how widespread or reproducible these problems might be. Here are a few semi-facts we've managed to amass:
Somebody's white iPhone 3GS grew some ugly brown markings during heavy use.
A new development is saying that the discoloration came from a case (pictured), not from cooking the plastic.
More users than usual have been reporting an overheated iPhone error after the 3.0 update, but as Apple's support documentation points out, this could just be from the time of year (summer, in case you haven't been outside lately).
There isn't a large mass of evidence denoting a major fault to the 3GS, 3.0 or chintzy white leather cases.
So, all that said, what's been your experience?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/06/a...-overtaxation/
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July 6th, 2009, 19:07 Posted By: wraggster
The iPod with camera is pretty much a given at this point in Apple's evolutionary approach to its audio / video players. In fact, we've already seen iLounge's confident rendering of an iPod nano with camera. Now we have the first cases with matching camera cut-outs (like that of the above) for the iPod nano in addition to an iPod touch case with similar cutouts passing through our tips box. This morning TechCrunch is claiming that a "massive number of camera modules" for iPods have been ordered per information provided by a source in Asia. Add it all up and we should see the announcement of a new iPod touch and iPod nano with photo / video recording sometime around September per Apple's usual pattern.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/06/e...-with-cameras/
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July 6th, 2009, 19:08 Posted By: wraggster
Death is a certainty and as inescapable as the people who will prey on your grief. The new Pocket Cemetery App on iTunes lets you create virtual tombstones for "dead relatives, friends, pets, or celebrities" that you can decorate with bitmapped flower images. You can even use the on-screen QWERTY to tap out and "send" a little prayer. As Wayne Perry describes it, Pocket Cemetery is "like having a little virtual heaven in the palm of your hand." Unfortunately, heaven will cost $2.99 and there won't be any connectivity -- this App runs isolated on your iPhone without any means to share your memorial, prayers, or grieving. But hey, maybe we're alone in our criticism; Pocket Cemetery already has a first "user review" rating it 5 out of 5 stars by a first time reviewer just 1-hour after launch. Impressive.
P.S. Don't just stop at the video above, Wayne's generated a different pitch on his YouTube channel capitalizing on the deaths of Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, and Farrah Fawcett. Elvis too, even though we know he's just in hiding.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/06/v...ds-prayers-to/
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July 6th, 2009, 19:10 Posted By: wraggster
Talk of a possible Android / Nokia tie-up has been ongoing since time immemorial, and the latest fuel to the fire comes from the Guardian which is sourcing "industry insiders" as saying that the world's largest phone manufacturer will reveal an Android-powered touchscreen handset at its Nokia World event this September. Though Nokia itself has never truly ruled out the possibility of working with Open Handset Alliance code, a move into Android right now would truly be an odd one -- granted, the Symbian Foundation is probably on thin ice any way you look at it, but even without S60 and its successors in the mix in the long term, Nokia still has Maemo quietly reaching platform maturity in the background with rumors of an imminent MID / superphone hybrid swirling in recent months. It seems that adopting Android (even if only for a select number of models) would be an admission on Nokia's part that it has failed to be a Maker of Standards, despite its overwhelming size and market position -- not to mention a major bet that it can continue to win customers based on the strength of its hardware alone, since it'd now be working with a common platform adopted by dozens of companies large and small. So, here's the million- (or maybe billion-) dollar question: all things being equal, can Nokia outdo HTC and Samsung on the same platform?
Update: And now the Nokia spokesman response: "Absolutely no truth to this whatsoever, everyone knows that Symbian is our preferred platform for advanced mobile devices." Yes, unfortunately / fortunately, we do know that.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/05/n...veiling-later/
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July 6th, 2009, 19:12 Posted By: wraggster
Alright, move along folks, nothing to see here. Remember that Palm Pre support page that showed up on Dutch provider Hi's website? Seems like that'd indicative a possible future collaboration, but according to a spokesman for KPN (of which Hi is a part), it's all a misunderstanding. While not meant for public viewing at this time, the page in question was apparently intended to explain what settings you'd need for using a Hi SIM card, whether you got the device from them or via another provider. Still seems fishy, if you ask us. Of course, he added the company is very interested in the Pre (as if we thought otherwise), but that nothing's been announced at this time anywhere in Europe. Let's just hope that rumored UK announcement pans out this week, and maybe the rest of the continent will follow suit.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/05/p...do-about-noth/
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July 6th, 2009, 21:41 Posted By: wraggster
He actually said that out loud. When asked whether LucasArts' classic lineup -- recently unearthed for Steam release -- could wind up on portable platforms such as the iPhone, DS or PSP Go, company CEO Darrell Rodriguez told Joystiq, "On iPhone, you know Apple's policy that we can't talk about a release until it's ready to release. But it would make sense that we would do something like that if we were to go in that direction ... wink wink, nod nod."
Wink wink, nod nod. Thanks to our remarkable journalistic acumen, we can only conclude that he's attempting to convey relevant information by verbally describing physical body language. Other drifts tossed into our cupped hands: Rodriguez has deemed LucasArts' new endeavor to release old, beloved titles a "passion project" -- and it's "just the beginning." He also said that out loud.
As for iPhone ports of point-and-poke classics (or even remakes like The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition), well, we think we would quite like that. If you know what we mean.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/06/lu...nk-wink-nod-n/
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July 7th, 2009, 17:51 Posted By: wraggster
Augmented reality applications to this point could be best categorized as tantalizing to the mind, but otherwise pointless. Thankfully, it seems as if that's no longer the case. AcrossAir, a nascent app builder for the iPhone, has conjured up a slickly executed digital guidance application that augments video with real-time distance and directions to the nearest subway station. With the iPhone 3GS pimping an improved camera, inbuilt compass and GPS, we had a hunch that it wouldn't be long before someone slammed them all together and gave commuters and tourists alike a reason to smile. Presently only capable of serving up directions in London, this app should find plenty of user interest that will hopefully drive its development for other metropolises around the world. Click through to check it out for yourself, and expect to see it ready for download as soon as someone (or something) at Cupertino decides to start approving live video programs. Any day now, Apple...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/07/v...th-directions/
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July 7th, 2009, 17:52 Posted By: wraggster
It's official, Palm just kicked out a press release saying that the UK, Ireland, and Germany will have access to the Palm Pre exclusively on O2 while Spain's Pre will be offered exclusively on Movistar -- so it's all Telefonica, all the time. Unfortunately, launch timing was only narrowed down to "in time for the holidays" which is just another way of repeating Palm's European-launch mantra of before the end of the year. Palm also doesn't provide any prices and chose not to list the radio frequencies for the HSDPA/UMTS with EDGE/GSM version of the Pre. See the 1,260 word press release posted after the break that says almost nothing.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/07/p...tar-in-europe/
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July 7th, 2009, 17:56 Posted By: wraggster
My biggest disappointment with iPhone 3.0 is there's still no push Gmail. (Probably due some to contractual BS, but whatever.) GPush is a 99-cent app that almost fixes it by sending you push notifications whenever you get a new message.
It's dead simple—you enter your Gmail account information and that's it. On the backend, it's actually using Gmail's standard IMAP idle function (but on the developer Tiverias' servers), so there's a slight delay between the mail hitting your inbox and the notification getting pushed from them to your phone. But the 10-30 seconds lag MG Seigler reports is totally acceptable, especially since you get a pop-up preview of the email.
Two things: Seigler doesn't make it clear if it supports more than one Gmail account, and all those pop-ups could get annoying, if you get a ton of email, anyway.
Oh, and it's possible Apple won't let it into the App Store. They say none of their code violates Apple or Google's ToS, but as Seigler points out, we all know how "reasonable" the App Store review process is. But even if it is blocked, all hope isn't lost—you can pull a similar workaround using the $2.99 Prowl app, which pushes Growl notifications from your Mac (and soon, Windows PC) to your phone, so you can be pinged whenever you have new messages that way.
I have to say, I'm loving seeing push notifications used for more excellent purposes than just IM apps.
http://gizmodo.com/5309144/push-gmai...what-you-think
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July 7th, 2009, 18:01 Posted By: wraggster
With brand new adventure Tales of Monkey Island heading to PC tomorrow, classic point-and-click outing Secret of Monkey Island destined for Xbox Live next week and loads of LucasArts games scheduled for Steam soon, it would be rude not to invite Apple’s iPhone to the party, right?
That’s the thinking of Joystiq, who goaded a semi-confession out of LucasArts CEO Darrell Rodriguez.
“On iPhone, you know Apple's policy that we can't talk about a release until it's ready to release,†he stated.
“But it would make sense that we would do something like that if we were to go in that direction… wink wink, nod nod.â€
Of course, Rodriguez could be referring to any one of his firm’s back catalogue. But who’s honestly going to believe that it’s Star Wars: Battlefront and a touchscreen-friendly SCUMM RPG that’s currently being lined up for release.
Don’t be too surprised to see the likes of Monkey Island, Fate of Atlantis and even Grim Fandango making the move to iPhone very soon.
1990’s classic The Secret of Monkey Island will be released on Xbox Live Arcade next week, whilst brand new outing Tales of Monkey Island arrives on PC tomorrow.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...ding-to-iPhone
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July 7th, 2009, 18:03 Posted By: wraggster
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July 7th, 2009, 18:04 Posted By: wraggster
iTwitter has no shortage of rival Twitter apps on iPhone, but it's the first to offer push notifications.
The app, which launched this week, looks much like most of its competitors, letting users access their Twitter account on the move from their iPhone.
However, it uses the push notification feature in the iPhone 3.0 software to let users know when they have new direct messages or public replies, even when they don't have the app open.
Well, sort of. The push feature only works for messages and replies that have been posted using iTwitter - so they won't be pushed alerts for any friends who are using different apps, or the Twitter website.
Not such a useful feature, then. However, it does show the potential that push notifications can bring to social networking apps on iPhone.
Rivals like Tweetie, Twitterfon and TweetDeck will presumably be following suit with push as soon as they can incorporate it.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33671...-notifications
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July 7th, 2009, 20:37 Posted By: wraggster
Portable games provider Cobra Mobile has reduced the price of its quite excellent iPhone shooter iBomber to just 59p (or 99c in the US) – but be quick, as come next week it will revert to £1.79.
Since its arrival six weeks ago the title has remained in the App Store’s Top 20 listings across many of Europe’s key territories. At the time of writing the game is eighth in Apple’s paid-for games listings.
Furthermore, iBomber will shortly be receiving a 3.0 update that will include new missions, extra tilt sensitivity options and some as-of-yet unspecified iPhone 3.0 enhancements.
Big-name price drops to 59p seem very much the rage at the moment, with Chillingo recently following PopCap’s lead in dropping popular puzzle platformer Toki Tori to the super low price point.
If you haven’t tried iBomber, we really must insist that you do – Cobra’s title was recent named CasualGaming.biz Game of the Week.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...Store-discount
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July 7th, 2009, 20:38 Posted By: wraggster
50,000 apps, one billion downloads and a slew of rival services – it’s not a bad list of achievements for the Apple App Store, which can rightly lay claim to revolutionising the way in which mobile software is distributed. And all of this in its first year, too.
Of course, in many ways the App Store has simply followed paths laid down by numerous predecessors. Mobile apps have existed in one form or another for quite some time – the thing that Apple changed was how all this content is accessed.
Browsing the App Store and getting an app onto your iPhone remains a quick, easy and secure pleasure and encapsulates the very elements that have made Apple the success it has become – sexiness and ease of use.
Whilst there may well be “an app for everythingâ€, the real revolution that Apple has stimulated is in the games industry. The abundance of games on offer (13,000 and counting) and the eye-wateringly low prices have asked serious questions of established retail models, prompting nearly all major publishers to turn their attention to the device.
It’s also taken the baton first picked up by the likes of Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare and breathed a whole new lease of life into indie development. With the right product, the talented solo developer can now stand toe-to-toe with the very biggest of the big boys.
Apple is most likely pretty secure in its position atop of the mobile distribution mantle right now, but the biggest challenge it will face in the next year is keeping ahead of rival services, most notably Google’s Android – though let’s not yet write off rival offerings from the likes of Nokia, RIM, Samsung and others.
Pressure may also mount on Apple to open a second ‘premium’ store for its more corporate partners who have previously expressed their desire to sell their wares without the worries of competition from free rival offerings.
And by the time the App Store’ second birthday arrives the iPhone 4 will most likely be with us, increasingly the market fragmentation challenges already posed by the new iPhone 3GS.
But it would be a brave person who bets against Apple maintaining its dominance for a long time to come.
Happy birthday, App Store!
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...pple-App-Store
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July 7th, 2009, 20:39 Posted By: wraggster
Developer MachineWorks Northwest porting original to Apple device. Come get some.
Privately-held independent developer MachineWorks Northwest is porting the original Duke Nukem 3D game to Apple’s iPhone.
MachineWorks Northwest has decided to undertake a wholesale port of the 1996 PC original, though has – according to an IGN report – made subtle graphical upgrades.
Working with the iPhone’s multi-touch interface has been a notable challenge for teams developing games on Apple’s smartphone.
The group’s solution has been to – like with its previous iPhone FPS Prey Invasion – apply virtual analogue sticks at the corner of the screen.
As Duke himself would say: "ah... much better".
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33672...ped-for-iPhone
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July 7th, 2009, 20:41 Posted By: wraggster
Apple's App Store now features over 13,000 games for the iPhone, accounting for over 20 per cent of applications on offer for the handset.
At the time of writing, free titles account for 22.6 per cent of games on offer, with paid for games making up the majority 77.4 per cent, according to Mobclix.
The largest genre is for puzzle games, accounting for 16.4 per cent of games, followed by action and arcade titles, which make up 11.2 per cent and 11.1 per cent respectively.
The number of games available has more than doubled since March this year, when there were over 6000 games on the service.
The most popular free title at the time of writing on the App Store is iHandgun, while Hero of Sparta by Gameloft is the most popular paid for game.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...s-on-app-store
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July 7th, 2009, 20:44 Posted By: wraggster
You won't find an official announcement anywhere on the iPhone dev-team's blog yet, but a new version of the redsn0w jailbreak, 0.8, has just been posted to its official torrents that apparently includes 3GS compatibility (in addition to support for the 3G and original iPhones plus the second-gen iPod touch, as before). Whether it's better than GeoHot's purplera1n jailbreak is unknown, but hey, the more, the merrier -- even the iPhone hacking community isn't immune from brutally competitive market forces, eh?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/07/i...not-announced/
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July 8th, 2009, 16:56 Posted By: wraggster
We've just received word from Sprint that starting tomorrow, July 8, folks will no longer be able to call into telesales to order a Pre over the cold comfort of the phone. We're told the move is being made so that the carrier "can focus inventory in sales channels where customers have the best opportunity to experience Ready Now, and we can deliver the best purchasing experience," which can be interpreted a couple of ways: either telesales are hurting Sprint's ability to properly stock local stores, they're not happy with the out-of-box experience new customers are getting without the in-store VIP treatment, or a combination of the two. Feel free to continue calling Sprint if you just want to chat or talk about how your barbecue went on the 4th, of course -- just don't expect to get a Pre out of it.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/07/s...ver-the-phone/
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July 8th, 2009, 16:57 Posted By: wraggster
Okay, this gets a bit confusing, so bear with us. Back when HTC first unveiled the Magic, the company said that any Android device with a customized build -- and that includes adding support for Microsoft Exchange -- has to drop the "with Google" logo as per Google's rules. Indeed, that notion seemed to be validated by the all the international Android phones that have Exchange but no branding. Cut to present day and the T-Mobile's myTouch 3G, which looks to have both the "with Google" backing and Exchange support, contrary to previous assertions. Did the search engine giant soften its policy? We spoke with a company representative who told us, surprisingly, that it has "never been Google's policy" to deprive its branded devices of Exchange support, and that if another phone maker wants to add it and keep that logo plastered on the phone, that's A-OK. In all honesty, we never really put too much stock into the Google logo on the phone, but if it's really just been one huge misunderstanding that's prevented our G1 from having Exchange, well, we're gonna be quite nonplussed for many weeks to come.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/07/g...android-phone/
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July 8th, 2009, 17:07 Posted By: wraggster
Budget-hunting iPhone and iPod Touch owners are in for another treat today with the news that brilliant action puzzle title Eliss has seen its price slashed to 59p for a limited time only.
The game uses iPhone’s multi-touch capabilities and tasks players with combining and separating like-coloured planets and using them to close black holes, or ‘squeezars’ as they are referred to in the game.
It’s all very reminiscent of FORMation’s current iPhone offerings – which if you’re a regular reader of the site you will understand to be no bad thing.
CasualGaming.biz is a massive fan of the really quite unique Eliss, and we feel quite bad that we’ve failed to ever name it our Game of the Week. At 59p you really shouldn’t miss out, but be warned – it’s a tough game, despite a recent patch that reportedly eased the quite harsh difficulty.
Act quick before Eliss returns to its £2.99 original price.
We’ll stop writing soon about the new fashion for dropping big-name games to the super-low 59p price point, but until then here are a few that have done the same thing – iBomber, Toki Tori and Peggle.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...the-59p-plunge
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July 8th, 2009, 17:08 Posted By: wraggster
Can Gameloft’s 3D outing do what Payback and CarJack Streets failed to do?
Payback and CarJack Streets have both promised it, but you’ll find plenty who say that both titles ultimately failed to deliver. Now Gameloft has become the next publisher to step up to the plate and bring a Grand Theft Auto type experience to iPhone in the form of Gangstar.
Footage of the game has been knocking about for a little while now, leading to many a wild rumour – chief of which was the hope that Rockstar was finally bringing its cherished crime series to Apple’s machine.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/34970/Is-G...he-iPhones-GTA
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July 8th, 2009, 17:12 Posted By: wraggster
Skyfire plans to turn its mobile browser into a platform for media and entertainment focused apps.
CEO Nitin Bhandari is stepping back to a role as chief product officer to oversee the process. His replacement as CEO is Jeffrey Glueck, who was previously chief marketing officer at online travel portal Travelocity.
"Due to its unique architecture, Skyfire is poised to become much more than a browser," says Glueck.
"I look forward to accelerating the growth of Skyfire to bring all types of smartphone users the web sites they love. We’ll also enable media publishers to distribute their multimedia content without compromise."
Skyfire has attracted plenty of buzz already thanks to its rich media features: it lets users stream music and video from sites that aren't usually supported by mobile browsers.
The browser can be downloaded to Windows Mobile and Nokia handsets, and has more than one million users. Skyfire's job now will be to convince media and entertainment brands to develop apps for this audience.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33674...t-app-platform
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July 9th, 2009, 01:21 Posted By: wraggster
When we were fifteen we were too busy smoking Winstons behind the Country Fair on Pennsylvania state route 99 to do anything of real value for society, so perhaps that's why whenever we cover one of these "teenager does good" stories it's with a slight tinge of regret. Ari Weinstein, the precocious spawn of a real-estate developer and a social worker, says he began his career as a "hacker" at the age of 7 when he figured out how to get around AOL's parental controls. Since then its only been onward and upward for the lad, who has since made short work of the iPod mini, the iPod touch (which led to the development of iJailbreak) and, with as a member of the Chronic Dev Team, the iPhone 3GS. Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, "he's going legit, as he spends his summer tooling up a new app." Sure. As we know, once the hacking bug bites, there's no going back to the straight world. That is, until AriX (as he's known on the street) discovers girls. Jailbreaking fans, please enjoy a rather confused (and wildly conflated) video after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/08/v...aking-iphones/
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July 9th, 2009, 01:24 Posted By: wraggster
Arabic news broadcaster Al Jazeera is streaming its English-language channel to iPhones via a new app.
The application costs £1.79 in the UK App Store, and lets users stream the channel over 3G or Wi-Fi, with the quality of the stream varying accordingly.
The stream is a live feed, making it one of the first news broadcasters to provide this, rather than pre-packaged video clips.
However, there appear to be teething problems. A warning on its App Store product page advises owners of the new iPhone 3GS not to buy the app until its next update, due to an "incompatibility".
Users are also being warned about the costs of using the app over 3G when abroad, since every 10 minutes of viewing will require 7.2MB of data.
O2 UK charges £2.94 per MB of data used while roaming abroad in Western Europe, meaning that an hour of Al Jazeera over 3G would cost iPhone owners £17.64.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33685...hone-video-app
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July 9th, 2009, 01:24 Posted By: wraggster
New details have emerged on developer Cowboy Rodeo's second port of a classic Amiga pinball game to the iPhone.
Having enjoyed success with its version of Pinball Dreams, the studio is now working on Pinball Fantasies, reports touchArcade.
A smattering of information on the game's features, as well as a number of screenshots were made public when a beta tester posted details on the website's forum, and it is expected that the release is due in the next few weeks.
While most of the features will remain the same, the sequel to Pinball Dreams includes four new tables, and the option to have a special area of the screen dedicated to finger presses. The latter is designed to prevent player's fingers from obscuring the details of the included tables.
The original series, initially developed by Digital Illusions, started with Pinball Dreams in 1992, which was followed in the same year by Pinball Fantasies. The series' legacy quickly became diluted, but spins offs such as True Pinball on the first PlayStation were well received many years later.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...ding-to-iPhone
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July 9th, 2009, 15:05 Posted By: wraggster
While Apple may have moved on to selling the 4th generation iPod nano, consumer protection agencies are still focused on gen-1. For good reason too, apparently, as there's mounting evidence that those early white and black plastic players have a tendency to overheat, swell, and possibly burst into a nasty chemical fire. Responding to four formal consumer complaints made between December and June, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards sent a request to Apple on June 25th recommending that Apple "aggressively" collects first generation iPod nano with Lithium Ion batteries made by the Chinese company ATL. Initially, Apple agreed to replace faulty units as they did in Japan upon request by the consumer. However, KATS is now reporting that Apple will recall the players under its own initiative making this the first formal iPod nano recall we can, uh, recall.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/09/a...yers-in-korea/
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July 9th, 2009, 15:17 Posted By: wraggster
A new iPhone app from iKlax will celebrate the 40th anniversary of David Bowie's Space Oddity single by letting fans remix it.
The app will be released on 20th July on the App Store, and has been made by music developer iKlax. Fans can sign up on a dedicated website to be notified when the app goes live.
It ties in with an anniversary release of a digital EP featuring different versions of Space Oddity, as well as 'stems' that can be remixed in desktop music tools like GarageBand and Audacity.
However, the iPhone version may be more accessible for fans of the star.
It's the highest-profile deal yet for iKlax, which has previously made similar remixable iPhone apps for the Stereo MCs, 1 Giant Leap and Bob Sinclair.
Those apps were either free, or cost £0.59 in the UK App Store. It will be interesting to see if Bowie commands a higher price for his version.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33692...ble-iPhone-app
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July 9th, 2009, 15:19 Posted By: wraggster
A 23-person development studio in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada is to be offered an incentives package to prevent the office from closing down and moving to neighbouring Nova Scotia.
The Longtail Studios office, which develops titles for the casual platforms including the Apple iPhone and Nintendo Wii, appears to have been poached by Nova Scotia, much to the annoyance of the PEI local government.
"I am concerned with the possible loss of these positions on PEI," said Innovation Minister Allan Campbell told CBC News. "I've asked staff in my department to put together a package that is attractive to the company and that incites them to remain here on PEI.
"Why Nova Scotia in particular has targeted this particular company, I'm not sure about that," he added.
According to reports, the company's tax credit agreement is set to expire in November, while it also apparently receives subsidies on wages and office space costs.
The tax incentives on offer in Canadian provinces have been long-discussed in other parts of the world as the country's global videogames ranking has risen steadily in the past few years to sit third - above the UK, but behind the US and Japan.
Certain US states as well as other countries, including Singapore and France, have also instituted tax incentives for videogame developers, while the UK government first admitted the possibility of culture-based subsidies in the recent Digital Britain report.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ver-iphone-dev
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July 9th, 2009, 16:57 Posted By: wraggster
We've just caught wind of a new app for the iPhone / iPod touch... should you be either a little hard of hearing or a little nosy. SoundAMP works a lot like those Sonic Earz you see on the infomercials -- you run the app with your earbuds plugged in, and then sit back and enjoy listening to the sweet sounds of whatever's going on around you -- only louder. The app allows you to control volume and tone, and you can also replay the last 30 seconds of what you've been hearing -- in case you missed something particularly juicy. Now, personally, we put in the earbuds and crank up the tunes to shut out the outside world, but if this is your kind of thing -- it's available in the iTunes store right now for $9.99.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/09/s...r-delicate-ea/
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July 9th, 2009, 16:59 Posted By: wraggster
Hey, Apple -- you know that inspiration you've been looking for in order to concoct a proper iPhone nano? We just found it. Over in some seedy warehouse in the depths of Shenzhen, the aptly titled iphone nano has emerged. As you could likely surmise, this completely improper knockoff gentle combines the best features from Apple's iPhone and the iPod nano to create a singular, if not awkward device. Heck, there's even a 5 megapixel camera, which easily trumps the 3.2 megapixel shooter on the iPhone 3GS. It's all yours for just 90 bones, and you don't even have to sign your cellular soul away to AT&T. Look out Apple, we get the feeling this thing's going to be huge.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/09/k...d-ipod-nano-h/
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July 9th, 2009, 17:24 Posted By: wraggster
It might be possible to sell games for USD 4.99 on the App Store, but to make it into the top twenty the price has to drop significantly, according to recent analysis of the US App Store chart.
Studying data taken from the current top 100 Paid Games chart in the US, PocketGamer.biz reports that fifteen games from the top twenty are selling at the 99 cents price point.
While the average price for a top 100 games works out at USD 3.20, in the top ten that average drops significantly to USD 1.89.
Games charting further down meanwhile are - perhaps predictably - selling at higher price points. In some cases much higher. The average cost of a game taking a chart position between 21-40 for example was found to be USD 4.34.
Most publishers will view the information that 99 cents is by far the most popular price for a top 100 game in negative light. In total 36 of the titles in the chart were priced below a dollar.
But interestingly the second most popular price is USD 4.99, with twenty games selling at this mark.
Further analysis of the App Store does produces more encouraging findings too. For instance, new IPs make up more than half of the top 100, with 52 titles in the chart. The next most popular are console then mobile franchises with 15 and 13 games in the top 100 respectively.
The flip side of this is that a franchise originally beginning life as a console title is far more likely to sell at a higher price point. The average cost of a console franchise is USD 6.12, compared to a new IP which costs just USD 2.32.
These figures are further reflected in the average prices the big publishers are charging for their games compared to smaller ones. Electronic Arts for instance - which primarily deals with console crossovers - has ten games in the top 100 and is asking an average of USD 5.49 for them. It doesn't have any games featuring in the top twenty, but it appears the publisher is resistant to reducing its prices to get them there.
Another interesting finding is that a vast majority of games in the top 100 are new releases, indicating that new products are vital in order for a publisher to keep making money from the App Store. 40 games in the chart were released in June or July this year and 22 were released in April or May. Only five games in the chart were released a year ago.
While the analysis is an interesting read - albeit one that only takes into account the chart at one point in time - what it doesn't show without the sales figures and Apple's formula for governing chart positions is what most iPhone publishers and aspiring publishers will want to know. Which is, is it possible to release a game onto the App Store and produce a financial success without resorting to a very low price point? One conclusion that could be drawn from this study is that, unless you're EA, possibly not.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...for-under-USD2
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July 9th, 2009, 17:35 Posted By: wraggster
Developer Team 17 loves its Facebook page. The company announced this morning a "retro modern remake" of Alien Breed, one of the company's games from way back in 1991. Alien Breed Evolution is an Unreal Engine 3-powered shooter, which can be played solo or co-op later this year. A representative for the company tells us that a video of the game should be released in two to three weeks.
Team 17 also teased that iPhone Worms "looms... not long now." There is currently a tentative date, but the developer is awaiting the go from Apple. Like a good Worm, though, Team 17 has everything locked, loaded and ready to fire when ready.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/09/te...minent-iphone/
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July 9th, 2009, 21:30 Posted By: wraggster
The NY Times reports that more than 40 percent of all smartphone owners and 80 percent of iPhone users use their mobile devices to get turn-by-turn directions driving down sales of traditional standalone GPS units from companies like TomTom, Garmin and Magellan. During the first quarter, TomTom said it shipped 29 percent fewer GPS units compared with the period in 2008 while Garmin's unit sales fell 13 percent from the previous year. While smartphones are susceptible to interruptions from incoming phone calls and using the mapping features for a long time can chew through battery power, the list of the smartphone's shortcomings is dwindling as some of the latest navigation applications offer voice navigation and take advantage of the phone's always-connected state to offer real-time traffic updates, directions to contacts in the phone's address book and more. 'I've not stopped using a GPS because I never bought one in the first place — they are expensive and inconvenient,' says Steve Weller. 'Now with the iPhone, I will actually use GPS — and the 10 other functions it replaces.' The traditional GPS device companies are trying to adapt, seeking to expand their reach into the smartphone market. TomTom recently announced that it would introduce a portable navigation application for the iPhone that would feature turn-by-turn directions and audio prompts. 'The simplicity of having one device and not needing to pull the Garmin out of my glove compartment is enough,' says Andrew DiMarcangelo. 'I want to get into my car and do as few things as possible
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/...odo?art_pos=10
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July 9th, 2009, 21:34 Posted By: wraggster
We've all seen the potential havoc that an iPod can wreak -- either through misuse or some general explosiveness -- and it looks like we now might have yet another cautionary tale out of Sweden, where a Saab 9-3 recently met an unfortunate end. While the exact, official cause of the blaze hasn't quite been pegged down, investigators seem to strongly suspect that an iPod left in the car is to blame. That's apparently because the car itself showed no signs of negligence or other technical faults (or evidence that the fire was intentionally set), and because the fire started on the seats, where the iPod was seemingly left. What's not clear, however, is if the iPod was simply tossed there and caught fire all by itself, or if was charging when things went horribly wrong -- although we're personally willing to simply buy Google Translate's answer that "the music has become so hot that it melted the inside."
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/09/i...g-saab-ablaze/
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July 9th, 2009, 21:36 Posted By: wraggster
Seriously Apple, what's up with the patent application bender? Over the past week, we've seen a whole gaggle of new apps, though the latest few just might be the most intriguing. In essence, Apple engineers have outlined plans to integrate object recognition, face detection / recognition, a text message filter (for the parents, you know) and a new, smarter messaging interface that could remind you of unread messages before allowing you to make a call and spout off unnecessarily. Moreover, we're told of a new voice output selection that could enable Oprah or Cookie Monster to read your turn-by-turn directions, bedtime stories or recipes. Suddenly, iPhone OS 3.0 feels so... antediluvian.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/09/a...ing-ui-in-iph/
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July 9th, 2009, 21:38 Posted By: wraggster
While the iPhone 3GS got a download speed boost—to 7.2Mbps—it didn't get any upload power-up. According to PC World, its upstream speed is limited by its hardware to 384Kbps. But don't get out the torches and pitchforks yet.
Most GSM-based cellphones suffer the same problem: No matter how fast they are at download, they will upload at only 384Kbps, or less, as you can see in our iPhone 3GS network test. This is because the hardware doesn't support the HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access) standard, created by Nokia—the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) refers to this standard as Enhanced Uplink.
Some would say that this is not needed because Enhanced Uplink—which runs at 1.4 and 1.9Mbps—is not supported by AT&T yet, but in Europe there are networks that already support this standard. I would imagine that users of the popular JesusPhone would love to upload their photos and videos to Facebook and YouTube as fast as possible.
On the other side, with AT&T still struggling to get 7.2Mbps off the ground and most of the other networks having problems and slowdowns everywhere, I would be happy if they all just managed to actually deliver their advertised download speeds.
http://gizmodo.com/5311116/iphone-3g...ted-to-384kbps
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July 9th, 2009, 22:21 Posted By: wraggster
We just released PISI 0.3.
Contacts synchronization was extended by SIM (via DBUS) support and files (VCF) may now be located on webdav servers.
Contacts Synchronization currently supports SIM Card via DBUS, QTopia SQLite, LDAP, VCF files and Google Contacts.
Calendar synchronization supports Google Calendar and ICalendar files.
http://projects.openmoko.org/forum/f...?forum_id=1028
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July 10th, 2009, 22:05 Posted By: wraggster
The other day, whilst sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office, awaiting the inevitable bad news to come down the pipeline (you're dead, you're dying, no that rash can't be treated), I attempted to do something daring with my iPhone 3GS. I attempted to work. I say attempted, because what dawned on me -- separated from my laptop, a netbook, or any viable computing system -- was that I couldn't really get much of my work done on Apple's bundle of joy. It wasn't the first time I tried to get work done on my phone, but it was one of the first times that I really thought about how frustrating the experience is. What follows is my heartbreaking tale of staggering lameness. Or staggering tale of heartbreaking lameness. Your pick.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/10/e...he-job-market/
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July 10th, 2009, 22:06 Posted By: wraggster
It's not the fabled GSM Pre, but PreCentral forum member Cleanser has apparently managed to unlock his Pre's CDMA radio and get voice and SMS service on Verizon -- data's still a no-go, but he's working on it. Other devices have been flashed between the networks for years, so we've no doubt that this is possible, but we doubt it'll ever be super-easy -- according to Cleanser, the hardest part was getting someone to add his device's MEID to the system, and that's always gonna be tough, regardless of VZW's big talk about open network access. Still, it's heartening to see a webOS device on another carrier -- Palm, you want to maybe do this up official sometime? Video after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/10/p...ng-on-verizon/
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July 11th, 2009, 00:32 Posted By: wraggster
You can say a lot of things about LucasArts CEO Darrell Rodriguez (he's managed to get the Lucas Empire to acknowledge its adventure game heritage, for starters!) but you probably can't call him slick. When he told us that it "would make sense" for LucasArts games to come to the iPhone, "wink wink, nod nod" (he actually said that, out loud), we caught what he was throwing ... which was a boulder. On fire. Neon fire.
So now, when the 'droids responsible for maintaining the @lucasartsgames Twitter account dropped a curiously iPhone-sized Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition wallpaper with another "wink wink nod nod" we barely raised a boulder-singed eyebrow. Instead, we're wondering what the plan is for the iPhone market: "Special Edition" remakes only (ala Xbox Live Arcade), or another marketplace for the classics (see: Steam). Like most of the unanswered questions in LucasArt's journey into the vaults, we imagine it all depends on the success of this first foray.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/10/lo...ion-wallpaper/
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July 11th, 2009, 12:24 Posted By: wraggster
Good news and bad news for the Middle Kingdom: China Unicom will likely be selling an iPhone sooner than expected, but it will be one that does not have Wi-Fi functionality.
The Chinese government, which controls the nation's three major cellular carriers, said in the past that it objected to Wi-Fi in phones (perhaps because it's harder to sniff local packets than ones drifting through a wide-area network). According to reports, China Unicom has a deal to sell a GSM-based iPhone, like the ones sold elsewhere, but the license is for something where Wi-Fi is blocked. As TradingMarkets.com puts it: "Apple has to cancel the Wi-Fi function without changing other components."
The good news is, China has been waiting for the damn iPhone forever, and to get it in time for the Spring Festival next January is like amazing. I just wonder how adept the Chinese jailbreakers will be at reactivating that Wi-Fi
http://gizmodo.com/5312270/unconfirm...disabled-wi+fi
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July 11th, 2009, 12:30 Posted By: wraggster
In a study of the top 100 iPhone games, PocketGamer.biz has discovered something that really isn't that surprising. The cheaper the game, the more likely it is to sell. Of the top 20 best selling titles, a full 15 cost only $0.99. In fact, 36 of the top 100 cost $0.99. Surprisingly, the next most popular price is $4.99, accounting for 20 of the top 100 titles. Still, the site notes that the top 10 games have an average price of $1.89, so it would seem that cheaper is better, at least in terms of sales volume.
If you want to get away with a higher price, it helps to have a game based on an established console IP. The study notes that such titles have an average price of $6.12. It also mentions that the exact method Apple uses to sort apps in the top 100 is shrouded in secrecy, meaning that it's difficult to draw hard conclusions from the data. The actual sales numbers aren't published by Apple either. Thus, it's impossible to tell if a game with a higher price point is earning more than a cheaper game with a higher sales volume.
There's a lot of data to look over in the study and it's definitely worth a look for those interested in the business side of the games industry.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/11/wa...-it-2-or-less/
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July 11th, 2009, 22:25 Posted By: wraggster
Some rather illuminating news from zodttd:
There are those that say everything on jailbroken devices and Cydia, the package distribution system, are meant to be free. The reason for jailbreaking is to do what you please on the device you purchased. If people want to sell their products on Cydia, they have Cydia Store. This all fits well into the definition of jailbreaking. Jailbreaking does not mean free or warez.
After speaking to those involved in the gpSPhone project, we have decided to place it on Cydia Store. Now updated to v6.0.1, it is well beyond a beta and is a fully featured product with a year of development behind the iPhone version alone. It has taken a lot of effort to bring a fast and robust Gameboy Advance emulator to the iPhone & iPod Touch. Though there’s still more work to be done. By placing on Cydia Store, this is a huge incentive to get work done to the actual emulation core. Perhaps this can lead to even more performance increases and bug fixes within games by Camelot. There will be better support for cheats as well. I also plan to introduce a better method for controlling games.
Before placing gpSPhone on Cydia Store, I spent my time implementing a method to automatically authenticate people who donated specifically for the previous gpSPhone download. Downloading gpSPhone for these users is as simple as tapping Install. I have done all that I can to automatically authenticate those who supported this project.
The response (more like threats) I’m getting on my own site for this choice made, is quite saddening. I have an inbox of hateful emails. I have been providing a large selection of software for the jailbroken iPhone & iPod Touch since the first jailbreak was done. I have always been there to give access to betas for free for those who could not donate as well. Basically, don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
I really appreciate the dedication of the members who have kept by my side. I’m going to take the time to really show those who support this site that I truly care. My next action will be to clean up this site. I am getting some moderators in place and I will have those who are being disruptive be removed. I want this site to be a friendly place. Once things are in order I can bring in more front page articles, news, and releases.
Time to make this site shine!
ZodTTD
http://www.zodttd.com/blog/2009/07/1...ne-and-zodttd/
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July 12th, 2009, 00:12 Posted By: wraggster
Smartphone users just don't know what they want. One of the biggest, loudest complaints about all-touchscreen phones like the iPhone is its lack of a hardware keyboard, and now a survey shows Pre users most want a soft keyboard.
The survey shows that users like the hardware keyboard but don't like sliding it out every time they want to type something. Certain Android devices have both soft and hardware keyboards, but they're very much in the minority. It's an interesting problem for Palm, whose rumored next WebOS device, the Eos, features a fixed hardware keyboard but a much smaller screen. Still, Palm wouldn't have too difficult a time updating the Pre's firmware with a soft keyboard—after all, Android did it already.
http://gizmodo.com/5312543/palm-pre-...creen-keyboard
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July 12th, 2009, 02:06 Posted By: wraggster
Will this be the final chapter in the infamous and incredibly entertaining tale of former Gizmondo head Bo Stefan "Fiery Ferrari Crasher" Eriksson? Doubtful, but with any luck it'll serve as a decent thread to wrap up that optioned movie on his life. An Uppsala, Sweden District Court has sentenced the man to 1.5 years in prison for his most recent round of escapades, which include illegal threats, attempted blackmail, and robbery. Assuming he starts jail fairly soon, mark your calendars and place your bets, we're expecting a whole new slew of comical misdeeds to hit the news feeds by March 2011 -- and no, we still don't think a new Gizmondo will be out by then.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/11/f...-sentence-mov/
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July 12th, 2009, 19:17 Posted By: wraggster
UPDATE: gpSPhone v6.0.5 has been released now. It includes support for both firmware 2.x as well as 3.x and includes audio-sync fixes among other things.
As you have most likely seen by the buzz here on ZodTTD.com, gpSPhone has been updated to v6.0.1 and is no longer in beta. It is now available for $6 via the Cydia Store.
gpSPhone is a port of a Gameboy Advance emulator by Exophase titled gpSP. Exophase wrote both gpSP and Temper from scratch. He is the most skilled emulator author I am lucky enough to know. When gpSP was released on the MIPS CPU based PSP, I was eager to port it to the ARM CPU based GP2X. With Exophase’s permission I made the GP2X port and wrote a quick and dirty dynamic recompiler for it. Soon Exophase was introduced to the GP2X scene, rewrote my dynarec (yeah mine sucked in comparison!), and kept the port maintained.
When I took on the task to bring emulators to the (then) newly jailbroken iPhone and iPod Touch, my first choice was gpSP. I have maintained this port for around a year now. Exophase had moved on to projects such as Temper during that time. So by bringing gpSPhone to Cydia Store my intentions are to get more development done on gpSPhone. The move from a hobby to a product on Cydia Store motivates like nothing else can.
Exophase and I spoke before the release of gpSPhone, and we agreed to evenly split the profits. We also are in agreement that gpSPhone is a closed source project.
For those wondering what’s new in v6.0.1 over v5.5.0:
No advertisements.
Slight increase in performance.
Specifically written to support firmware 3.0+.
Bug fixes related to stability.
Removed linear screen filter.
Planned features for free updates:
Firmware 2.x support. Due to popular request.
Better cheat support. Save cheat settings.
Better controller interfaces.
Improvements to performance.
Better audio support for the very fast iPhone 3gs.
Perhaps if we can motivate Exophase, some improvements to the emulator that only someone of his skill can do.
So a lot is in store too. If Exophase can afford the time to work on gpSPhone’s emulation, I can only imagine good things ahead.
I feel Exophase really deserves some “love” by this community, and this is my present to him. I ask all to stay respectful, and if you enjoy gpSPhone, to purchase gpSPhone on Cydia Store.
Thanks,
ZodTTD
http://www.zodttd.com/blog/2009/07/1...n-cydia-store/
I remember Nintendo going after a GBA Emulator sold for the Tapwave Zodiac and Sony going after emulators for the PSX, personally i dont expect this to be the end of this story.
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July 13th, 2009, 17:02 Posted By: wraggster
So developer relations with the iPhone and App Store has had its ups and downs (or 'Apps and Downs', ho ho). As we prove in our comprehensive list of facts and figures about the device and its distribution method, most of it has been up. That positive up swing has brought with it wave after wave of praise - and criticism.
Here, we run through some of the key quotes that helped define and at times undermine, Apple's encroachment into video games…
"Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once — provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous, and since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target. We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones."
- Apple CEO Steve Jobs in an official blog post. The news came after months of back and forth between Apple and the homebrew community that kept releasing 'jailbreak' updates that would unlock the iPhone to unofficial third party applications. (October 17th, 2007)
More --> http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...tory-in-quotes
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July 13th, 2009, 17:06 Posted By: wraggster
O2 has announced that its UK subscribers will be able to receive tweets by text for free from the start of August.
From that point, users can turn on text notifications on the popular micro-blogging site, and receive replies and direct messages for free as texts.
Users will be able to post their own tweets via text too, although as part of their normal text message bundle, or for the price of a normal text.
Twitter turned off the option to receive tweets by SMS last August, saying it was costing the company too much to send them. Instead, it's looking to make deals with operators, like this one with O2.
O2 says it has a fair usage policy in place, though: users have got to try to stay below 600 messages a month - meaning just 20 a day. Not such great news for heavy Twitterers.
The deal with Twitter joins existing O2 partnerships with Facebook and Bebo. "We believe that mobile will soon become the most popular way of accessing social networking sites, giving real time access to tweets and status updates wherever you are," says head of content Antony Douglas.
"The agreements we now have in place with Twitter and the other key sites brings this a step closer."
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33719...r-text-updates
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July 13th, 2009, 17:11 Posted By: wraggster
You remember Android right, Google's other OS that actually exists? Well, Acer's set to launch what could be the world's first Android-based netbook in August. At least that's what DigiTimes is reporting second-hand via Chinese-language Apple Daily. While two suspect sources won't turn a rumor into fact, Acer's already on record with plans for an Android netbook in Q3 in dual-boot XP configurations. So hearing that Quanta and Compal will have these out smack in the middle of the quarter isn't much of a stretch.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/a...ing-in-august/
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July 13th, 2009, 17:25 Posted By: wraggster
EA has launched a new mobile games subsidiary called 8lb Gorilla and plans to use it to release 99-cent iPhone games on a near-monthly basis.
According to a TouchArcade report, the 'micro-studio' will comprise a team of twenty-something year old developers tasked with developing simple, indie-style iPhone games.
Recent analysis of the current US top 100 iPhone games chart showed that apps selling at the 99-cent price point were by far the most popular, making up 15 of the games in the top 20.
However, EA games were among the highest priced in the chart, costing an average of USD 5.49, meaning that the new studio will be well-placed to as an alternative to lowering prices of its premium titles in order to gain entry to higher chart positions.
8lb Gorilla's first game will called Zombies & Me, a title in which players fend zombies away from a grandmother's house by herding them into the paths of missiles. Providing it doesn't encounter delays with the App Store submission process, the studio plans to release further games on a regular, near-monthly basis.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...game-developer
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July 13th, 2009, 19:13 Posted By: wraggster
We aren't usually so taken in by a KIRF. In fact -- we've seen so many knockoff iPhones, we had started to consider ourselves steeled against their charms -- and then along came Hello Kitty Phone 3G. What is it about HKP3G that we love so much, you ask? Is it the happily tooled pink background scene on the facade of the phone? Is it the hideously realized user interface, complete with typos and a blatant disregard for capitalization standards we've all respected since the 19th century? Is it the little kitty on the solo button? Is it the name? Is it the fact that, at $99, it would cost us just as much to own one as a real, actual, iPhone 3G? Answer: it's all of those things. We're getting one. There's another shot of this masterpiece after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/k...e-3g-is-our-n/
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July 13th, 2009, 19:35 Posted By: wraggster
New EA developer 8lb Gorilla will strengthen EA’s push into the ever-growing iPhone and App Store scene, though the studio’s production schema – to release unique, unadulterated and particularly cheap titles on a monthly basis – will diversify EA’s focus from its high-end $4.99 offerings.
EA’s current strategy is to deliver blockbuster titles on the iPhone and iPod touch using popular IPs and established franchises. High production investment and the strength of these brands often results in titles like Tiger Woods PGA Tour being charged at premium prices.
EA has thus found its own product selling for far more than the 99c/99p competition.
According to a TouchArcade report, 8lb Gorilla consists of young aspiring developers, many of which are in their twenties, and are said to be kept at arm’s length from EA. It is currently unknown where the outfit is based.
The developer’s first title – an action/strategy hybrid known as Zombies & Me – is due for release shortly, pending Apple approvals.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...io-8lb-Gorilla
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July 13th, 2009, 19:43 Posted By: wraggster
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition may be on its way to iPhone, judging by LucasArts' impressively subtle use of its company Twitter.
A post on Friday links to an image (thanks vg247) with the caption, "For our Monkey fans - an iPhone sized wallpaper. No reason. Wink wink nod nod."
The special edition of Monkey Island is due out on Steam and Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, 15th July, and has been developed internally at LucasArts.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/mo...ding-to-iphone
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July 14th, 2009, 17:02 Posted By: wraggster
I recently helped my girlfriend move her stuff from Chicago, IL to Oakland, CA. The movers were scheduled to arrive at 8AM on the 5th of July, and we were stressing the day before about all the things that could go wrong with a move. We realized that if we knew where her stuff was, it'd make us feel better. This is a story about using the $99 iPhone to track the move ... and about a somewhat surprising potential use of Find My iPhone to track your friends' iPhones without them noticing.
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/0...Find-My-iPhone
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July 14th, 2009, 17:04 Posted By: wraggster
readthemall writes to let us know that the Symbian Foundation has released the first of several packages in their plan to open source the entire Symbian mobile OS.
"On Wednesday, Symbian made available its first package covered by the EPL, the OS Security Package, according to Symbian developer Craig Heath. 'The OS Security Package source code is now available under the EPL, and it is the very first package to be officially moved from the closed Symbian Foundation License (SFL) to... the EPL,' Heath wrote in a blog post. Heath said the EPL would allow the security package to bypass export regulations in the UK, where the Symbian code is legally based."
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/09/...cing-Mobile-OS
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July 14th, 2009, 17:06 Posted By: wraggster
The jury might still be out on whether anyone can really make a long-term business model out of App Store sales. And, yes, 'discoverability' remains an issue for some, driving developers big and small to game the charts with free or cheap apps that dominate the best seller lists.
But whatever criticism you might make of it, no one can deny that in just a year the App Store has made some fundamental changes to the traditional business model in the games industry - and even put the emerging digital distribution channels to shame.
Thousands upon thousands of apps; millions of phones sold; billions of downloads - we thought it was only right to look back at how Apple so quickly carved a key space for itself in the minds of games developers and the mobile market…
- After much speculation that the firm would expand its music player line to include a phone - and after a poorly received attempt to work with mobile handset firm Motorola on an iTunes-compatible phone - Apple announced the existence of the iPhone on January 9th, 2007.
- The iPhone launched in the US on June 29, 2007 ahead of its global roll-out from November 2007 - over a million were sold by September 10th that year, 74 days after its introduction.
- The iPod Touch - which boasts many similar functions to the iPhone, except the phone, including the 3.5 inch touch screen display and tilt-sensor - was unveiled on September 5th.
- Just days after the launch of the iPhone the OS was hacked (or 'jailbroken') with a dedicated tool that allowed independently made applications to run on the handsets. The first such app arrived on August 6th.
- As time went on Apple was thwarting the jailbreaking with firmware updates – specifically one in September 2007 which rendered unlocked devices unusable – and hackers would release new ways to jailbreak the phones. However...
- ...Apple eventually gave in, and just a month later that it would legitimately open up the iPhone and iPod Touch to independent developers via a blog post written by CEO Steve Jobs. "Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February," he said in the letter published on October 17, 2007.
- "We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones," Jobs had also said, but…
- …it actually took a little while longer. The SDK was first unveiled on March 6th, 2008 with the first release arriving in beta the same day.
- It costs $99 to enter the iPhone developer scheme, and the SDK includes a software emulator - but it will only run on Intel-based Macs (naturally), so the real cost including hardware can be anywhere upwards of $599/£499. Throw in an extra $229/£169 if you want an iPod Touch to test software on - or over $99/£100 for an iPhone (including contract).
- In just a week after its launch, Apple said the SDK was downloaded over 100,000 time by prospective App developers.
- Alongside the SDK unveiling, Apple revealed the App Store - the mechanism which would make Apps available, either from handsets or via iTunes on Mac and PC - and the iPhone 3G, a new version of the phone announced earlier that year which added faster communications to the device.
- The final version of the SDK was released in July 2008, alongside the iPhone 3G, its 2.0 firmware and the App Store.
- The App Store actually launched on iTunes on July 10, 2008, but wasn't accessible to users completely until a the release of the 2.0 firmware update for iPhone and iPod Touch on July 11th made the apps playable.
- In terms of games, the 500 launch apps included Super Monkey Ball, Trism, Cro-Mag Rally, Columns Deluxe, Adventure, and Zen Pinball.
- 125 of the launch apps were free, the rest had to be paid for.
- Apple assigns an age rating to every app, either 4+, 9+, 12+ and 17+.
- Developers can set any price they want, above a minimum, for their creations but generally the cost of App Store apps can range from 59p/99c to £5.99/$10.
- However, there are apps priced much higher, including a finance/productivity suite called MyAccountsToGo, priced £279.99/$449.99.
- Briefly, an application fittingly called 'I Am Rich' - which did little else except load - was made available for $999, but the prank app was pulled quickly after it launched. That didn't stop someone buying it beforehand, though.
- A month after the launch Apple said one of the first games, Other Ocean's Super Monkey Ball title for Sega, had sold 300,000 copies in 20 days.
- At $9.99 a pop, that meant the game had made $3m revenue in less than a month.
- At the time, Apple also said $1m was being spent every day on the App Store by iPhone and iPod Touch owners. Insiders now say the amount could be close to double that.
- Analyst firm Piper Jaffray says that the store could generate over $1bn in revenue every year for Apple, even though the firm says it doesn't see the service as a major profit driver.
- That's because 70 per cent of the revenue made from each App sold on the store is given to the seller of the App...
- ...while just 30 per cent, meanwhile, goes to Apple.
- By comparison, the Xbox Live Arcade revenue ration is believed to be the complete opposite.
- Meanwhile Nintendo WiiWare and PlayStation Network's revenue ratio is said to be 'comparable' to Apple's, but can differ between games.
- By September 9th, 2008 - two months from the App Store's launch - Apple said that over 3,000 apps were available on the Store.
- Apple also said that at that point downloads had reached over 100m globally.
- By March 2009, there were over 6,000 games available for iPhone.
- In April this year, Apple revealed that a billion apps had been downloaded within nine months.
- The one billionth app, Bump created by Bump Technologies, was downloaded by Connor Mulcahey, age 13, of Weston, CT, Apple said.
- At that point, Apple said there were 35,000 apps on the App Store.
- Just over a year after the debut of the SDK, on March 17th, Apple unveiled the 3.0 version of the iPhone OS. This upgrade added over 1,000 new APIs to the toolset including In-App Purchases, Peer-to-Peer connections, access to the iPod music library, a new Maps API and Push Notifications.
- On June 8th, at the unveiling of the iPhone 3GS - and days before the official launch of the 3.0 firmware - Apple said that there were over 50,000 apps on the store.
- At the time of writing (July 11th, 2009), however, monitor site Mobclix says there are 64,338 apps on the store.
- The biggest category is games. 20.6 per cent (13,283) are games in fact.
- Other genres break down as follows (starting with the smallest): Weather (319), Medical (700), Finance (982), Photography (1,032), Social Networking (1,041), Health & Fitness (1,470), Business (1,514), News (1,661), Navigation (1,767), Sports (1,852), Productivity (1,909), Music (2,039), Reference (2,287), Lifestyle (3,449), Travel (3,536), Education (3,972), Utilities (4,542), Books (7,856), and Entertainment (9,127).
- Of course, days after this is published those numbers will have varied no doubt, given the speed with which the number rises - hundreds of Apps are uploaded to the store every week.
- According to Mobclix, of the 10,000+ games on the App Store, 72.9 per cent are paid-for apps, the other 27.1 per cent are free.
- If you wanted to buy all the apps available on the Store, you'd have to pay just under $150,000.
- Over a million units of the iPhone 3GS were sold during the three days following its launch.
- Six million owners updated their phones to firmware 3.0 in the five days since its release.
- In March 2009, Apple confirmed it had sold over 30m units of iPod Touch and iPhone (the ratio is believed to be around one iPod Touch sold for every two iPhones).
- And that's not all: by September this year Apple expects to have shipped out over 40m 3G iPhones.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/288...onquered-games
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July 14th, 2009, 17:10 Posted By: wraggster
Apple says there are now 65,000 apps from 100,000 developers in its iPhone shopfront.
Apple has announced that more than 1.5 billion paid and free applications have been downloaded from its App Store, which has just celebrated its first birthday.
In a short statement the company said there are now more than 65,000 apps on offer and 100,000 developers in the iPhone Developer Program.
Apple said it has now shipped 40 million units of iPhone and iPod Touch combined to date.
In a clear swipe at competitors, Apple CEO Steve Jobs added: “The App Store is like nothing the industry has ever seen before in both scale and quality. With 1.5 billion apps downloaded, it is going to be very hard for others to catch up.â€
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33736...loads-hit-15bn
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July 14th, 2009, 17:11 Posted By: wraggster
Universal Music teams with Moderati to create Romplr 'interactive music platform'.
The initial Soulja Boy Tell ’Em Romplr allows people to create their own mixes from three of Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s tracks – Crank That, Hey You There and Turn My Swag On.
In addition to core song elements from the Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) artist, the Romplr will feature seven additional samples, and enable users to record and share mixes through Facebook Connect, email or on Romplr.com.
The Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em Romplr is available on iTunes for $4.99.
Also being launched today by Moderati is Romplr Dance, which contains three original tracks. Romplr will also be extended to other platforms such Blackberry, Android, Java and Ovi.
Ted Mico, IGA’s Executive VP of Digital, said: “The Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em Romplr application allows us to create a unique experience for the fans and the hip-hop community, and we look forward to working with Moderati to expand this program even further in the coming months.â€
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33734...iPhone-remixer
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July 14th, 2009, 17:40 Posted By: wraggster
Fantastic news for current Windows Mobile users: Windows Marketplace for Mobile, Microsoft's forthcoming app store, will work on 6.0 and 6.1 handsets as well. When? Still a cryptic "Fall," unfortunately.
Developers will be able to submit applications to get started on the vetting process as soon as July 27th, giving Microsoft a little lead time to ensure a healthy selection at launch.
If Microsoft didn't explicitly state that the Marketplace would be exclusively available on Windows Mobile 6.5, they certainly implied it, touting the service as one of the great new features of the OS—they're even launching together in Fall. Wider availability makes sense, since the core components of the OS are largely unchanged, and apps will generally be cross compatible. Basically, this is great for the scores of Windows Mobile users who can't—or don't want to—upgrade.
That said, it leaves Microsoft, and 6.5, in an awkward position. Without the draw of the Marketplace, there really isn't much left to be excited about in 6.5. Intertial scrolling? A new Start menu and home screen? As someone who's been using a late build of the OS for quite some time, I can say that it's a welcome upgrade, but improves things to a degree you'd expect from a third-party shell replacement like Touchflo 3D or Touchwiz, not a proper OS upgrade.
http://gizmodo.com/5314285/windows-m...ts-not-just-65
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July 14th, 2009, 18:36 Posted By: wraggster
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July 14th, 2009, 21:12 Posted By: wraggster
iPhone's answer to Advance Wars, Mecho Wars, received a pretty substantial update to the game yesterday, free of charge.
The latest patch for fairly fun real-time strategy game seems to answer a lot of the issues brought up in my and other reviews of the game. Most significant is the addition of info tiles for each piece that can be brought up by tapping on a character. This tile tells you their movements, attack range and strengths and weaknesses against other classes of units.
The patch also includes two new maps to play through in the story-free challenge mode that you can only access after beating the original campaign. The biggest pleasant surprise is that the game's update included a complete new single-player campaign, this time played from the point of view of the Landians.
New maps and a new campaign for free? All they need to do now is add online mulitplayer support and Mecho Wars is going to be a must have for the platform.
http://kotaku.com/5314218/mecho-wars...paign-for-free
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July 14th, 2009, 21:18 Posted By: wraggster
Japanese iPhone / iPod Touch app site AppBank was evidently able to download a copy of Resident Evil 4: Mobile Edition from the region's App Store before it was pulled down, as evidenced by gameplay video and screenshots taken by the site. Touch Arcade picked up on the news, but details beyond the quasi-leaked media are scant. It appears that the game is -- as its title suggests -- a mobile version of RE4, and from the video it's clear that players have full control over Leon Kennedy's movement via an on-screen thumbstick, entering aiming mode when another icon is pressed.
We've put in word to Capcom's US division to find out exactly what we're looking at and how it seemingly slipped out.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/ru...eased-quickly/
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July 14th, 2009, 21:26 Posted By: wraggster
When you're writing your first post about a gaming platform in nine months, it's very rarely good news. For example, all it's taken for the N-Gage to get back on Joystiq's front page is the closure of Nokia's N-Gage development studio, which occurred on June 30. The group was responsible for porting major franchises to the system like Call of Duty, Tiger Woods and Tony Hawk.
The fate of the 100 or so employees at the Vancouver studio isn't clear at the moment, but we heard about some jobs opening up in their land -- if they don't mind traveling 4,374 km to get them.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/no...ge-dev-studio/
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July 14th, 2009, 23:20 Posted By: wraggster
Excited about google Chrome? Can’t wait? Why not play with google’s other OS, Android. You can now run Android from a live cd on any X86 computer. Just pop it in and go without any damage to your existing data. They’ve already gotten it working on the EEE_701, let’s see one with touch screen installed.
http://hackaday.com/2009/07/14/live-android/
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July 14th, 2009, 23:54 Posted By: wraggster
This unlock is for the iPhone 3GS only!
That's right, we have another sn0w on our hands! geohot has released his answer to the dev team's ultrasn0w. purplesn0w is a new soft unlock that is available via Cydia at apt.geohot.com. geohot claims that this is a much cleaner and better alternative to ultrasn0w. So if any of you all are having problems with ultrasn0w this might be worth trying.
via geohot's blog:
Quote:
Wifi fails? Battery fails? Unlock fails? You need purplesn0w, the geohot 3GS unlock solution. Now I know you here a lot about different colors of sn0w, but I’m here to tell you why purplesn0w is the best. First off, what is
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...phone-3gs.html
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July 15th, 2009, 17:14 Posted By: wraggster
During all the hype of Apple celebrating its 1.5 billion iPhone App Store downloads, some good advice on how to be successful and stand out in the App Store came out. One story describes how developers are increasingly coming up with various strategies to make a splash, employing everything from temporary discounts to guerilla marketing tactics. On the other hand, some successful developers, such as the creator of the Flight Control app, which has been the number one selling app in 20 countries, talk about the pitfalls of Apple's approval process for the App Store. They say it can take a developer up to three months to get an application approved and distributed on the App Store and that maybe the iPhone bubble is soon to burst."
A related story at Wired points out that the games category — already crowded with over 13,000 entries — is getting even more competitive as the major game publishers push into the market.
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/09/0...of-iPhone-Apps
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July 15th, 2009, 17:24 Posted By: wraggster
Unless you have a developer account with Apple, don't bother plugging your iPhone into iTunes -- we promise you're not going to have access to it -- but devs can now get their grubby paws on beta 2 of iPhone OS 3.1. We'll let you know if we see anything crazy, like usable Gmail, true background applications, or a notification UI that doesn't make you want to throw the phone against a very hard surface at high velocity.
Update: Looks like Apple has closed the door on hacks that enable tethering in this release -- at least for AT&T according to early reports.
Update 2: We've just been informed that beta 2 also introduces what appears to be a public API for manipulating live video. Devs are still testing the capabilities but it could open the door for augmented reality applications like Layar to come to the iPhone 3GS.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/14/i...ta-2-released/
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July 15th, 2009, 17:26 Posted By: wraggster
Good Night, States, it seems, are a trusting lot. These indie rockers have not only supplied Noise.io soundbanks for their songs, but if you check 'em out at Mr. Small's in Pittsburgh this Friday you can plug your iPhone or iPod into the house sound system and jam along with the group. Noise.io, if you've not seen it before, bills itself as a "highly advanced sound synthesis workstation," with a unique touchscreen interface and all kinds of features sure to make softsynth fans positively giddy. Ready for your fifteen minutes of fame? Pick up your copy at the App Store for $8.99, and then proceed to the read link to get started -- but not before you peep the video demonstration after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/14/i...-legends-good/
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July 15th, 2009, 17:29 Posted By: wraggster
Google Voice, the sweet service that lets you redirect calls, transcribes your voicemails and way more, is finally coming to smartphones—but only Android and BlackBerry, for now. iPhone users, you can go have some coffee while you wait.
Vincent Paquet, a senior product manager for Google and cofounder of GrandCentral (Google Voice before its name change), announced that Google Voice will be coming to the Android Market and to BlackBerry, although users of the latter will have to download it directly from Google rather than App World for some reason. It'll let you have your Google Voice number displayed on the other end and show transcribed email inside the app, rather than forcing the use of a browser. The invite system of registration, however, will still be in place.
iPhone and WebOS are markedly absent; we can forgive a little tardiness at WebOS because the platform's so new, but iPhone? What gives? Isn't Skype already available? No explanation for the absence was given, but Google assures us it is definitely coming as soon as possible.
http://gizmodo.com/5314857/google-vo...sers-must-wait
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July 15th, 2009, 17:33 Posted By: wraggster
A new Android application serves up recommendations based on location, preferences and social relationships.
Called Aloqa, it's due to be unveiled tomorrow at the MobileBeat conference in the US. The company says it's aiming to provide a more relevant alternative to mobile search engines.
It provides recommendations of nearby places and events that might be interesting, based on the user's current location but also their history and what their friends are up to.
"Every day all of us miss out on all kinds of opportunities we aren't even aware of such as discovering friends who happen to be close by, or that there are concerts happening locally that we'd like, or sales and bargains all around us," says CEO Sanjeev Agrawal.
"Aloqa solves both the search and discovery issues by utiliising a user's context - their location, time, preferences and relationships - to notify them in real time of friends, places, events and entertainment opportunities around them without delays."
The company will make its beta Android app available from tomorrow on the Android Market store, but plans to launch on other mobile platforms in Autumn this year. Aloqa recently closed $1.5 million of Series-A funding.
More details on how it all works - and how the company is wooing content publishers and advertisers - can be found on its website.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33744...oid-search-app
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July 15th, 2009, 17:40 Posted By: wraggster
US firm Aurora Feint has announced that more than one million people are playing iPhone games that use its OpenFeint platform, which provides high-score tables, social features and application discovery. The company says OpenFeint has been used for more than 100 games, and that over 1,000 developers have registered with the company.
Aurora Feint has just changed the pricing model for OpenFeint to continue its growth, making the platform completely free for all developers to use. The company says it will make money from affiliate fees when players discover and buy new iPhone games using the platform.
However, OpenFeint has no shortage of competitors, including Scoreloop and AGON Online. iPhone publishers are also developing their own community platforms. ngmoco's Plus+ was unveiled earlier this year, while yesterday UK firm Chillingo debuted its own offering.
It's called Crystal, and lets developers include profiles, achievements, challenges and social networking features in their games.
"It is set to become the de-facto social gaming standard for iPhone and iPod touch," says Chillingo director Chris Byatte. The problem is, all the rival platforms have the same aim.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/289...ive-for-iPhone
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July 15th, 2009, 23:07 Posted By: wraggster
Today Apple released a new version of iTunes which does nothing more than have bug fixes, accessibility improvements and addresses an issue with the verification of Apple devices. A side effect of this update is the inability to sync the Palm Pre.
We do not know how this will affect jailbroken devices, pwnage tool, etc... so please be careful updating.
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/mac-new...-download.html
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July 16th, 2009, 23:20 Posted By: wraggster
MMO MONTH: Skill gaming leader King.com has made its first moves onto both Apple’s iPhone and social networking champion Facebook. The firm hopes that its new business expansion will put it on course to significantly grow its current monthly user base of 17.5m people.
Its first iPhone title is Amazon Survival, a puzzle block title. Fitness-themed title Kalorie King joins free-to-play MMOG Mars Lives which sees players taking charge of humanity’s first Mars settlers.
“With more than 350m games played globally each month, King.com is proud to drive skill games as one of the fastest-growing games sectors,†CEO Riccardo Zacconi stated.
“Now, we are excited to bring our games to the fastest-growing consumer audiences – iPhone owners and Facebook user. King.com’s global skill games platform continues to reach more consumers and engage them with more games than any other skill games company in the world.â€
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/289...Facebook-debut
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July 16th, 2009, 23:25 Posted By: wraggster
Success! For all you developers hankering to get in on the webOS and Pre action (or at least see the action), your wishes have come true. Today Palm announced on its corporate blog that it would be making the Mojo SDK beta and accompanying documentation available to anyone who is interested... effective immediately. Furthermore, the company says it will begin taking submissions for new applications in the fall -- so if you're planning on getting something in, it's time to start cranking. For those of you haven't already torrented the previously available leak of the kit (or just want some real docs), this news should be music to your ears... er, eyes. Well what are you waiting for? Get downloading!
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/16/p...le-officially/
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July 16th, 2009, 23:28 Posted By: wraggster
We're still not sure what to make of the iPhone in a pool video, but if this one is legit, it certainly represents one of the most glorious ways to endanger expensive hi-tech gadgetry. Let's face it -- who doesn't want to see Apple's moneymaker strapped to the belly of an RC plane and shot up into the air? Major engine noise and the phone's camera struggling for focus are all excused by the awesome landing that seems to place the iPhone about an inch away from the gravelly ground. Make your way past the break for the full vid.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/16/v...o-an-rc-plane/
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July 16th, 2009, 23:37 Posted By: wraggster
There's no World of Warcraft client for iPhone (yet) but Blizzard is offering players a new way to stay connected to the game anywhere they go. The World of Warcraft Mobile Armory is a just-released free app that lets WoW users view their characters' stats, check PvP rankings, browse the game's armory database in detail, run talent calculations and access their in-game calendars from their phones (or an iPod Touch).
It seems like a slick -- not to mention useful -- app for serious players. Speaking of which, our pals at WoW.com (who just kinda sorta like the game, if you couldn't tell by their domain name) have posted their impressions of its functionality. Of course, you could always try it for yourself, what with it being free and all.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/16/bl...pp-for-iphone/
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July 16th, 2009, 23:40 Posted By: wraggster
Capcom has updated its Twitter with news that the iPhone version of Resident Evil 4 will be released at the end of this month in Japan.
The rest of the world will get its hands on the game, dubbed Resident Evil 4: Mobile Edition, "shortly thereafter".
The iPhone version of the game appeared on the Japanese iTunes App Store earlier this week, apparently in error as it was quickly removed.
We weren't one of the people lucky enough to grab it while it was available, but YouTube videos suggest you manoeuvre Leon Kennedy around a Spanish village with an on-screen analogue stick and use buttons on the other side of the screen to run, shoot and knife zombies.
Visually it's closer to a PSone game than the wonderfully realised GameCube (and subsequently PS2) original, but the grungy gloom suits the system's relative technical limitations.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/re...irmed-for-west
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July 17th, 2009, 15:48 Posted By: wraggster
Provides 'experience similar to that of dedicated games console' in landscape and portrait.
The peripheral market is already well established elsewhere in the handheld games space and now it's coming to iPhone and iPod Touch courtesy of a company called Exspect.
The Gem subsidiary is about to start selling a Gaming Grip for the Apple devices at £14.99 via Amazon, with an eye on the burgeoning App Store games market and gamers nervous about dropping their prized piece of kit.
Mike Sanderson, Head of Development at Exspect, said: “Using our expertise and knowledge in both the hardware protection and gaming market we have developed a product that really brings the mobile gaming experience to life.â€
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33770...hone-Game-Grip
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July 17th, 2009, 15:50 Posted By: wraggster
And Mojo toolkit now available to anyone who wants to create an app.
The SDK can be accessed at developer.palm.com, which also offers support in the form of forums and guidelines.
No doubt Palm is hoping the release will increase stock levels at its App Catalogue store, which has taken a bit of flack for its sparseness.
The company confirmed yesterday that its store has generated 1.8 million downloads since the Pre launched last month.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33771...-18m-downloads
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July 18th, 2009, 13:23 Posted By: wraggster
iPhone developer Craig Hunter confirms some of our fears about Palm's entirely web-language based Mojo SDK for WebOS—it's weak sauce, with pitiful access to the Pre's powerful hardware.
Hunter mentions two pain points in particular that are deathblow to gaming and other sophisticated applications that require significant graphical juice (granted, Palm was more or less open from the start that games wouldn't be a priority at first). Developers can't use OpenGL ES to the tap the Pre's graphics hardware. For an idea of what a big deal OpenGL access is, see our posts spanking over everything the iPhone 3GS can do with OpenGL 2.0 that the original iPhone and 3G can't. Basically, anything requiring hardware graphics acceleration is screwed if it goes through the Mojo SDK, since they can't use OpenGL at all. (There are, of course, unofficial paths.)
Update: Another iPhone dev, Stephen Stroughton Smith, points out that the reason there's no OpenGL support is because the Pre doesn't an OpenGL graphics driver, so the entire OS uses software-based drawing and animation, despite the potent graphics chip inside.
The other gimpage, which is somewhat inexplicable, is that Palm limits polling of accelerometer data to 4Hz, or 4 samples a second—Hunter says you need at least 20Hz for "smooth inputs" and 50-100Hz for apps like his own gMeter iPhone app, which measures stuff like velocity and acceleration. So it's nearly useless.
Palm actually shoots itself in the foot two ways with a weak SDK. First, it limits developers who choose to make apps for the platform. Second, it pushes away devs who might be interested, like Hunter, who points out the very real opportunity Palm has to lure programmers away from the massively overcrowded App Store with the promise of a virgin ecosystem.
And we've still got a couple of months before Palm's App Catalog really opens. Which, even granting Palm's moving along quicker than Apple did after the original iPhone, they should be jumping at every possible advantage they can get to grow their ecosystem if they want to really claw their way into a mobile space that's not just increasingly crowded, but one where Apple's shadow seems to grow a little bit longer everyday.
http://gizmodo.com/5317216/palm-webo...are-impossible
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July 18th, 2009, 18:35 Posted By: wraggster
Of all the innovations bought to gaming by the current generation of consoles, it’s the always-on connectivity of Xbox Live that arguably stands out as the most influential – so it’s no surprise to see three rival firms battling it out to bring similar functionality to Apple’s touchscreen device.
We already know about the current two contenders – Aurora Feint’s OpenFeint and Ngmoco’s Plus+. The former is already in use in over 100 titles, and the recent move to make it free to all will enhance its credibility no end.
Ngmoco’s service is a little different in that it’s currently not open to others – the growing company is seemingly very confident in its chances of securing leadership in the iPhone games space.
Now there’s a brand new contender – Chillingo’s Crystal. However, unlike Ngmoco (a firm that stands face to face with Chillingo in terms of iPhone brand stature) Crystal will be free for any developer to use. It includes integration with Facebook and Twitter and allows for the creation of profiles, friends and achievements.
“Crystal gives developers and gamers a bigger plus all round,†Chillingo director and co-founder Chris Byatte stated. “It is set to become the de-facto social gaming standard for iPhone and iPod touch.â€
Much like the current standards battle going on in the 3D TV market, the key to victory is uniformity – the company which gets more titles on board (and the higher quality the better) stands the best chance of emerging victorious.
And the sooner everyone backs the same horse the sooner the iPhone can develop a meaningful and purchase-driving community – something that will benefit the platform immensely.
Our bet? That Ngmoco will open up its Plus+ platform very shortly.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/289...g-iPhone-crown
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July 18th, 2009, 22:41 Posted By: wraggster
Sega today announced intentions to bring Streets of Rage to the iPhone. When's it coming out you ask? How's about right now! That's right, folks. Because of Apple's policy on speaking about iPhone apps/games before release, Sega simultaneously announced the game's existence with its release.
Unfortunately, our friends at Touch Arcade were none too impressed with Sega's port, saying the game suffers from tremendous slow down and renders the game "unplayable on the 3GS." Oh no! We're too busy spending our time with Drop7 to play anything else on the iPhone, so how about you tell us, Joystiq Biomassâ„¢. Anyone drop the $4.99 for Streets of Rage today and encounter any problems?
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/18/se...to-the-iphone/
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July 18th, 2009, 23:03 Posted By: wraggster
Konami's long-running Power Pro series (known as Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū in Japan) has hit the iPhone. Known for its implementation of light RPG elements and memorable character style, it's one of Japan's longest-running gaming series, and for $3.99, you can now have that experience on your iPhone or iPod Touch.
This version features six different teams to choose from and offers a variety of ways to customize the baseball experience. Players can alter variables such as the number of innings played in each game, as well as how many games will comprise the season. Slide into our gallery below to check out some screens.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/17/ko...ise-to-iphone/
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July 18th, 2009, 23:35 Posted By: wraggster
"3G Unrestrictor" is an iPhone application (for iPhone3G & the NEW 3GS!!!) which allows you to go around the iPhone's limitations while on 3G/EDGE. It allows those things by tricking applications into believing they are on WiFi, even though they are on 3G or EDGE. 3G Unrestrictor is the premium successor of the popular VoIPover3G app for the
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...oipover3g.html
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July 18th, 2009, 23:36 Posted By: wraggster
Via Geohot blog:
* 3G(the network speed) issues fixed
* Now only patches one file, CommCenter
* Leaves no traces on your baseband after it runs. Seriously
* Much more clean and reliable.
Be sure to have legit activated 3GS
Disable 3G if you don't have it(like T-Mobile).
Add apt.geohot.com to Cydia
Install(or Update) com.geohot.purplesn0w
Watch for success output in Cydia(actually do this step)
Wait for signal, and enjoy your unlocked iPhone(no reboot required)
With regards to devs comment that I use tons of ram, that was all RC1. This one uses 0, yes ZERO, bytes of ram after it is installed. But I'm happy you guys came around to my way of unlocking :-) And not just one of my ideas. You took them both.
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...-released.html
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July 18th, 2009, 23:37 Posted By: wraggster
ultrasn0w version 0.9 is out! We believe it solves pretty much all of the various random issues that have been reported. Its features include:
* Works on both 3G and 3GS
* Works on hacktivated devices
* Works regardless of how you jailbroke your device
* Doesn’t patch any mach-o binary whatsoever. (Doesn’t require a separate patch as each new firmware comes out).
* Doesn’t install any additional daemon
* Has no race conditions, no popups about “Missing SIMâ€, no network issues
* Is almost 7000 times smaller than its nearest competition [Geohot fixed this in purplesn0w RC2]
* Is available now via Cydia. Source repo is ...
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...-released.html
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July 18th, 2009, 23:55 Posted By: wraggster
Zodttd has released Mame for the Iphone 3gs,
As promised, I worked my magic on mame4iphone. MAME is a "Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator". mame4iphone is based on mame4all by Franxis which uses MAME v0.37 Beta 5 and supports over 2200 games ranging from ancient to the year 2000!
A lot has changed in this version of mame4iphone. Now at v1.0.0, mame4iphone supports firmware 2.x as well as 3.x. It runs great on the iPhone 3gs too! I have updated the user interface to match the most recent versions of my other emulator projects. There is now landscape mode in addition to portrait mode. I also tried my best to fix up the controllers skins to be appropriate.
Using MAME can be tricky...But if you have a MAME romset, all your ROMs and BIOS' (such as neogeo.zip) are zipped and the filenames are named appropriately. You just need to place the zipped ROMs in /var/mobile/Media/ROMs/MAME/roms/ that was created during installation and you're set!
I made a quick YouTube video of mame4iphone v1.0.0 in action. Note that the Simpsons arcade game was a poor choice to show off audio as it naturally sounds fairly awful. Then Ms. Pacman, one of my favorite games, doesn't quite show things off like Metal Slug would have. But here you go anyways.
Note: I'm still working on the 300 or so file limit in the roms directory for my emulators. mame4iphone is also limited by this bug. So if it crashes on load, try removing some unneeded roms. My apologies, it will get fixed.
Thanks,
ZodTTD!
IM curious about this release, can anyone verify that is indeed free ? and also that the sourcecode has been released. ?
Let us know via comments
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July 18th, 2009, 23:57 Posted By: wraggster
Zodttd has released a new version of the commercial emulator for the Iphone which at present is costing you $6:
The Gameboy Advance emulator available on Cydia Store for iPhone and iPod Touch users has just been updated to v6.1.0.
This release fixes the dreaded "crash-on-launch" issue many iPod Touch 2nd Gen users were reporting. It also brings back some minor compiler optimizations.
This has been the first of many bugs fixed using the bug reporting feature within the forum. Thanks to ratius for the requested syslog report, I was able to fix this issue within moments.
Thanks for the support everyone!
ZodTTD
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July 19th, 2009, 21:33 Posted By: wraggster
While the world patiently awaits the release of the first Windows Mobile 6.5 device, it seems like the devs behind the software are warming to the fact that folks love those touchscreens. While existing versions of WinMo -- not to mention early builds of WinMo 6.5 --have focused on switching between screens via clickable tabs, a new ROM pictured over at PPCGeeks shows a subtle but significant change. If you'll notice, the screen on the right would prefer that you swipe left or right to get from 'Version' to 'Copyrights' or 'Device ID,' which should absolutely delight fans of the OS who also prefer touchscreen-based phones. Now, if only we could get Microsoft to push this stuff out onto a shipping handset, we'd really have a reason to cheer.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/19/r...ndly-approach/
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July 20th, 2009, 18:21 Posted By: wraggster
Feathers reportedly ruffled with TV ads depicting Macs as expensive alternatives
Apple may be embarking on legal action against longstanding rival Microsoft over a set of TV ads which position Macs as noticeably more expensive than assembled PCs.
Last week, Microsoft CEO Kevin Turner claimed that he had received a phone call from Apple’s legal department demanding that a selection of adverts get pulled from TV broadcasts.
The adverts, shown below, depict people going through various stores looking for a laptop to buy. Each advert shows an actor attempt to buy a macbook, though not having the money to afford it.
“We got a call from the Apple legal department saying, ‘hey’ - this is a true story - saying 'hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices,’†said
Turner.
He added that "it was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business,†perhaps due to Apple’s direct ‘Get A Mac’ ads which have hitherto seen the California-based firm dominate the buzz surrounding both companies.
“I did cartwheels down the hallway,†he added.
“At first I said, 'Is this a joke? Who are you?' Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we're just going to keep running them and running them and running them."
Microsoft has since confirmed that it was contacted by Apple. Apple has continually declined to comment.
Marketing news site AdAge has since quoted attorney Michael McSunas as concluding that Apple "would have a leg to stand on" if it pursued legal action.
"If, indeed, you now can buy a MacBook for under $1,000, then [Microsoft’s ad campaign] would be inaccurate and misleading."
There has been no confirmed legal suit brought forward by Apple.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/31997...ft-over-TV-ads
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July 20th, 2009, 18:27 Posted By: wraggster
By name it bears more than passing resemblance to PopCap’s Plants vs Zombies and visually it’s more than a little reminiscent of Sony’s LittleBigPlanet, but Clickgamer’s latest release intends to bring a distinctive flavour to the App Store in the form of Zombies vs Sheep.
The Mexican-themed tap shooter sees players defending their flock from the approaching undead masses, with additional movement possible by tilting the device and a shake reloading your gun.
10 levels are included from the off, including three boss fights. Players are also able to upgrade their character. The game also uses the OpenFeint social networking functionality.
“Studio Radiolaris’ Zombies vs Sheep is an addictive 2D game with a novel concept; shoot the zombies down and protect the sheep,†Clickgamer’s Jennifer Willis stated.
“Players can tap to shoot and shake to reset, making the entire gaming experience straight forward and fun from start to end.â€
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/289...-the-App-Store
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July 20th, 2009, 18:29 Posted By: wraggster
Store specialist predicts segment will reach an early peak this year, and mature in a decade.
The chief executive of the mobile application store Getjar, Ilja Laurs has stated his belief that apps will be “as big if not bigger than the internet.â€
Speaking at San Fransisco’s MobileBeat conference, Laurs predicted that they will peak this year at around 100,000 available apps, before seeing a gradual decline in development.
“The full blossom will come in ten years and mobile apps will become as popular as websites are today with consumers," Laurs told the BBC.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33794...e-the-internet
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July 20th, 2009, 20:41 Posted By: wraggster
Although Apple still hasn't managed to achieve feature parity with any of its competitors by enabling Blu-ray playback in OS X, it looks like Universal's bringing the mountain to the Mac -- or at least the iPhone. At first, the upcoming special edition of Fast and Furious will feature integration with a special iPhone / iPod touch app that'll allow viewers to control 360-degree models of the cars in the "Virtual Car Garage," but later Universal releases will feature the ability to control movie playback, read annotations while watching your flick, and even download ancillary video content for later playback on the go. Sounds like pretty nifty stuff -- let's hope El Steve reconsiders his whole "bag of hurt" stance when he gets the demo.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/20/u...ne-irony-to-s/
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July 20th, 2009, 20:44 Posted By: wraggster
Palm's webOS has never been a platform to stir the interest of the casual gamer. While there are many advantages to being built around HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, those tools don't excite game developers who need direct access to advanced graphics hardware to render animations smoothly. Unfortunately, as described by Craig A. Hunter, a self proclaimed "pretty dedicated iPhone developer" who's been poking around the WebOS SDK, Palm does not provide the environment to develop serious games or the kind of sophisticated apps users now expect from their handhelds. Chief among his concerns is lack of OpenGL access despite the hardware supporting it. Palm also limits devs to a 4Hz sampling of raw accelerometer data, far short of the 20Hz minimum required for games utilizing tilt control. In his summation:
With such amazing software capabilities flourishing on the iPhone, Palm can't afford to wait a year while they make the transition from web apps to native apps in their SDK. Palm might have had a chance against the 2007 Apple SDK, but not the 2009 version. Not even close. With this limitation, webOS will not be taken seriously by consumers who place importance on games or sophisticated third party apps.
Of course Palm, now with its deep Apple roots isn't blind to the issue. In fact, the kids at PreCentral have uncovered a Palm job listing from June 29th seeking Game Frameworks Engineers who will "design, implement, debug, and optimize frameworks for game development." So while the beta release of the webOS SDK might be limited, we'll key on the word beta for now. Remember, Super Monkey Ball wasn't built in a day -- it took a bit more than 365 of them before being offered after the launch of the original iPhone.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/20/w...s-game-engine/
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July 20th, 2009, 22:19 Posted By: wraggster
RedLaser, a new app available via Cydia, is very cool. It's a barcode reader for the iPhone - and it works even on the 2G and 3G iPhones, without auto-focus. Reading straight from the camera feed (no need to take a photo, just hold it up to the bar code and wait a second), all 3 models of iPhone can run RedLaser. Oh, and its free... which is a nice price.
The app lets you do online price comparisons using Google's db, and view items in Amazon.com. There's all sorts of extra options available as well - and way more possible with their SDK. Imagine reading reviews on scanned books, beaming movies to your TiVo, adding milk to your grocery list... possibilities are endles.
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...-barcodes.html
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July 21st, 2009, 17:13 Posted By: wraggster
Few franchises have mastered the art of keeping things fresh and keeping the money rolling as much as The Sims – so news that EA will soon be introducing its first paid-for DLC for the iPhone version of The Sims 3 is certainly no shock.
Pocket Gamer reports that five themes are set to be released shortly – Nightlife, Sci-Fi, Gothic, Medieval and University. Each will come with a number of items that players can use to dress their Sims and decorate their houses.
The official EA Mobile Sims website is also running a competition to choose the theme of the next offering. The contenders are Vampires & Werewolves, Rock Star, Hip-Hop, Preppy, 70s, 80s, Lap of Luxury and Jock/Sporty.
As with all other titles hoping to sell in-game DLC, users hoping to take advantage of the content will need to have a 3.0-enabled iPhone or iPod Touch.
There’s no word yet on the release date or prices.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/289...ms-3-on-iPhone
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July 21st, 2009, 17:26 Posted By: wraggster
According to developer Till Schadde, random people may be receiving your AIM messages if you have a jailbroken or unlocked iPhone. In fact, anyone with a jailbroken iPhone may be getting them, according to his testing:
Just found a HUGE #security #hole w/ push & AIM. Someone got my sent messages and wrote back. DO NOT send confidential AIM msg to #iPhone
#iPhone #push #security #hole:my msg was received by an hacked iPhone w/ push service hack; msg seems to be broadcasted to all hacked phones
Take extreme caution when sending AIM msg to people w/ hacked iPhones. Push service broadcasts your msg to strangers. Pls RT
@martinhering there seems to be a brand new hack that reactivates push with the effect that received msg are broadcasted to strangers
Here's a screenshot the random receiver of my msgs sent me back http://twitpic.com/b3bct I used iChat on a Mac #iPhone #push #security #hole
The problem seems a result from a hack to avoid Apple's jailbroken/unlocked iPhone push blockade, so if you haven't used any of this, keep sending your kinky messages to your mistress or master as usual. Otherwise, zip it.
http://gizmodo.com/5319382/iphone-pu...-random-people
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July 21st, 2009, 17:28 Posted By: wraggster
What you are about to read is from an actual court filing. Gregory McKenna has filed suit against Apple, which he alleges is conspiring with the mob in an effort to coerce him to return to a New York-based modeling agency he quit in 2000. As explained in the 124-page complaint, an iPod shuffle he bought on eBay in 2005 and an iPod mini he bought new from an Apple store in 2006 -- possibly a nano, as minis were discontinued a year prior -- both contain receivers that have allowed the Mafia to send audio death threats that play in tandem with his music. The suit seeks $14.3 million total and lists ten defendants in all, including a local mechanic, a private investigator, the St. Louis Police Department, the FBI, and the US Department of Justice. While our initial reaction is to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, it's hard not to feel sad for McKenna and his state of mind -- of course, if by some stroke of fate he manages to prove it was all one big conspiracy perpetrated by the Mafia, well, guess we'll be ending up with egg on our faces.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/20/l...den-receivers/
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July 21st, 2009, 17:30 Posted By: wraggster
According to a "well-connected Wired's source," Apple's Chinese contractors are already churning out iPod touch units with integrated cameras and microphones. A classic rumor that may transform the smart media player into almost-an-iPhone, thanks Wi-Fi hotspots and 3G-to-Wi-Fi hubs.
According to Wired's source, they will go on sale in "two to three months." If I were AT&T, I would be very nervous about the prospect of Apple eventually gaining carrier independence with a 100% VoIP solution. The plot, boys and girls, is thickening.
http://gizmodo.com/5319358/rumor-ipo...rophone-coming
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July 21st, 2009, 17:35 Posted By: wraggster
The security team for Foxconn, the company that manufactures the iPhone for Apple, is said to have subjected employee Sun Danyong to "unbearable interrogation techniques," leading him to commit suicide. He was under investigation for losing a prototype device.
The rumors and reports, collected and translated by ex-Gizmodian Elaine over at Shanghaist, tell a plausible story: Sun had been handling a shipment of sixteen iPhone prototype devices (though it's not clear when), one of which went missing. In the following days, Sun told his friends that Foxconn's Central Security Division had been incredibly severe, subjecting him to intense interrogations, harassment, and even "laying hands" on the worker. Confiding in his friends was just a prelude—on the 16th of this month, Sun jumped from a 12-story building.
Foxconn has issued a statement on the matter, which, though creditable in its honesty, is chilling. The company is currently investigating a section chief of the Central Security Division for possibly using "inappropriate interrogation methods" in his investigation, including unannounced home searches, solitary confinement and physical violence.
Labor protections in China are minimal, a situation not helped by spotty enforcement and insular company cultures—especially at a manufacturing juggernaut like Foxconn. The company has been dogged by allegations of poor working conditions over the years, such that hearing an employee may have been mistreated doesn't come as much of a surprise, save for the fact that the mistreatment was so severe that it killed him. That Sun killed himself doesn't seem to be in question here, nor does the fact that Foxconn had at least some part in his death. From a company spokeperson:
Regardless of the reason of Sun's suicide, it is to some extent a reflection of Foxconn's internal management deficiencies, especially in how to help young workers cope with the psychological pressures of working life at the company.
If it turns out the these "psychological pressures" include getting your head slammed against the floor, there'd better be consequences for Foxconn, be it from the government, Apple, or both. It goes without saying that Apple can't be held accountable for a tragic one-off event at a different company, but they absolutely should be held accountable for continuing to do business with a company that treats its employees like this. We'll have to see.
http://gizmodo.com/5319275/report-ip...yee-to-suicide
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July 21st, 2009, 18:52 Posted By: wraggster
The latest version of iPhone development platform Tapjoy includes analytics software from Pinch Media.
Tapjoy's SDK is used by iPhone games and app developers to include community features in their apps, as well as virtual goods sales, and mobile ad network optimisation.
Meanwhile, Pinch Media provides analytics for developers, letting them measure and receive metrics like unique user tracking, key feature usage, demographic reporting, user retention and even application piracy.
The two platforms seem to fit together well. Plenty of developers are looking to include community features in their games, for example, although Tapjoy's rivals to provide this include Aurora Feint, Scoreloop, AGON Online and Gamespy.
"By partnering with an industry leader like Pinch Media we will more easily and quickly meet these needs by offering deep analytics capabilities in tandem with monetisation and audience growth services," says Tapjoy co-founder Lee Linden.
The new version of Tapjoy's SDK is available for free for developers from the company's website.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33805...hone-analytics
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July 22nd, 2009, 01:22 Posted By: wraggster
The iPhone App Store just turned one, and developers are getting the hang of the device. Game companies like EA and Namco are starting specialized divisions just to target the iPhone. Apps are about to get good, right? Not exactly.
Here's the major reason: the price of apps. AppCubby maker of apps like GasCubby, just put up an analysis of the app store that says the new price ceiling is $5. It used to be $10. But according to him and other developers, the $10 price point is no longer sustainable, seeing as many previously $10-priced apps are now $3-$5.
There probably are two major co-existing reasons for the drop. One, older apps get price drops to lure in cheapskates. People who wanted them already bought them, and people who are holdouts will only jump on when the price is lowered. Two, older apps just get dropped because older titles (see Best Buy) get price drops.
But back to the main point. If $5 is the new standard price ceiling, developers aren't going to be willing to devote time to their projects. It's as Craig Hockenberry of Twitterific argued: bigger projects need a bigger payoff, but if those developers price their apps too high, there won't be enough income to make those projects worthwhile.
There's no easy solution to this, which means that iPhone users shouldn't expect much more complicated games than what's already on there now. All the talk of the iPhone competing with the DS or the PSP in terms of quality may be moot if there's nobody there to spend the effort developing that level of games.
http://gizmodo.com/5319717/dont-expe...-any-time-soon
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July 22nd, 2009, 01:28 Posted By: wraggster
Apple has reported impressive revenue and profit growth in its financial results for Q2 2009.
The company generated revenues of $8.34 billion during Q2 (its third quarter), up 12% year-on-year. Meanwhile, its net profits jumped 15% to $1.23 billion.
iPhone was the star of the quarter, with 5.2 million being sold. The figure includes the new iPhone 3GS, which launched in June.
While the year-on-year jump in iPhone sales is a huge 626%, that's largely down to the fact that the iPhone 3G didn't come out until July last year, meaning that sales weren't spectacular during Q2 of that year.
Apple says it sold 10.2 million iPods in Q2 this year, down 7% year-on-year. It's tempting to suggest that mobile handsets - including the iPhone - are finally cannibalising iPod sales - something that's been predicted by analysts for some time.
Last week, Apple announced that it now has 40 million iPhones and iPod touches in consumers' hands and capable of accessing the App Store, which has now generated more than 1.5 billion app downloads.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33806...ne-sales-in-Q2
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:13 Posted By: wraggster
suraj.sun passes along a report from a Seattle TV station that has been investigating reports of Apple iPods overheating and bursting into flames.
"An exclusive KIRO 7 Investigation reveals an alarming number of Apple brand iPod MP3 players have suddenly burst into flames and smoke, injuring people and damaging property. It's an investigation that Apple has apparently been trying to keep out of the public eye. It took more than 7 months for KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy to get her hands on documents concerning Apple's iPods from the Consumer Product Safety Commission because Apple's lawyers filed exemption after exemption. In the end, the CPSC released more than 800 pages which reveal, for the very first time, a comprehensive look that shows, on a number of occasions, iPods have suddenly burst into flames, started to smoke, and even burned their owners. ... Apple refused to comment, and refused to answer all of the other questions [the reporter] has been asking of the company since November.
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/0...-Catching-Fire
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:15 Posted By: wraggster
Apple has reported impressive revenue and profit growth in its financial results for Q2 2009. The company generated revenues of $8.34bn during Q2 (its third quarter), up 12 per cent year-on-year. Meanwhile, its net profits jumped 15 per cent to $1.23bn.
iPhone was the star of the quarter, with 5.2 million being sold. The figure includes the new iPhone 3GS, which launched in June.
While the year-on-year jump in iPhone sales is a huge 626%, that's largely down to the fact that the iPhone 3G didn't come out until July last year, meaning that sales weren't spectacular during Q2 of that year.
Apple says it sold 10.2 million iPods in Q2 this year, down 7% year-on-year. It's tempting to suggest that mobile handsets - including the iPhone - are finally cannibalising iPod sales - something that's been predicted by analysts for some time.
Last week, Apple announced that it now has 40 million iPhones and iPod touches in consumers' hands and capable of accessing the App Store, which has now generated more than 1.5 billion app downloads.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/289...m-iPhone-in-Q2
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:16 Posted By: wraggster
Sports Illustrated has released an iPhone app based on its latest Swimsuit Issue.
What's more, the company is describing it as the "World's Sexiest App", offering photos of 20 bikini-clad models, and a series of bodypainting videos. What's bodypainting in this context? Well, you'll know once you've watched the vids.
The app was created for Sports Illustrated by developer Azuki Systems, and is selling for $2.99 on the US App Store and £1.79 here in the UK.
It also includes a sports calendar enabling users to keep tabs on six American sports teams (while goggling at a different model for every month of the year.
Apple will be breathing a sigh of relief at the app's launch, as it can presumably trust Sports Illustrated not to sneakily update its app with topless shots, as some independent developers have tried to do with their bikini apps in recent weeks.
A BlackBerry version of the app will apparently follow next month.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33812...n-app-for-that
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:18 Posted By: wraggster
Survey finds only most feel they aren't getting the speed advertised
64 per cent of mobile broadband users are unsatisfied with the speed of their connection, according to a report by consumer site Broadband Genie.
When asked if users thought their mobile broadband was fast enough, 63.8 per cent of the 1,160 respondents said no. A further 24.7 per cent said they weren't sure if the service they received matched what is advertised.
Only 11.5 per cent of those questioned said that they were happy.
The site put the large percentage of unsatisfied users down to misconceptions of what the technology is capable of. "The public perception of mobile broadband is often of a service that is comparable in speed and stability to fixed-line broadband, which simply isn't the case – and won't be for the foreseeable future."
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/32008...bile-broadband
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:20 Posted By: wraggster
Music streaming company questions whether Apple will allow it onto App Store.
Speaking to the Evening Standard (via Music Ally), Spotify exec Andres Sehr described the App Store submissions process as 'something of a Black Hole'.
He said: "We really don’t know if Apple will give us the go-ahead, and all we can do it submit our software then wait and see."
Despite the presence - and success - of other streaming music iPhone apps like Last.fm, there is a growing body of commentators who see Spotify as a potential threat to Apple's own iTunes.
Spotify is also in the process of creating an app for the Android platform - it will be interesting to see which version comes to market first.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33813...e-app-in-doubt
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:21 Posted By: wraggster
Apple has revealed as part of its quarterly earnings statement that it cannot produce the new iPhone 3GS fast enough.
Speculation has arisen in recent days that demand was outstripping supply.
"The demand has been staggering almost in every country that we've shipped in," said the firm's chief operating officer Tim Cook.
Nevertheless, the firm still plans to launch the device in 20 more countries in August.
The firm said in a conference call that it sold 5.2 million iPhones in the quarter, seven times more than a year earlier. Apple reported higher-than-expected results, largely based on sales of the handsets.
"We are currently unable to make enough iPhone 3GSs to meet robust demand, and we're working to address this," said Apple's chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer in a conference call about quarterly earnings.
Mr Cook noted that the recent increase in production of the handset was "right on schedule" and would be enough to meet the projected demand when the handset launched in more markets.
"We are confident enough in the production ramp that we will be launching about 20 additional countries on 22 August - which would bring our total to over 40 - and we still expect to be selling the iPhone in over 70 countries later this calendar year," he said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8162798.stm
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:27 Posted By: wraggster
Uh oh Microsoft, this can't be good news. HTC, the premier manufacturer of Windows Mobile cellphones is rumored to be shifting half of its handsets to Google's Android OS in 2010. To put this in perspective, HTC lists 28 devices on its European website and of those, just 2 run Android, the rest are WinMo. DigiTimes' sources claim that HTC is on track to make 30% of its 2009 handsets Android-based which means that several of Andy Rubin's 15 to 20 Android handsets coming this year would have to be HTC branded for this to be true. DigiTimes also claims that HTC will launch a handset that's simultaneously a "high-profile 3G handset" and "entry-level model" with touchscreen and TouchFlo 3D / Sense UI. HTC is said to achieve this seemingly contradictory feat by basing the handset on Qualcomm's BREW Mobile Platform when it launches in September or October. Of course, none of this is confirmed, but will undoubtedly be a topic of discussion when HTC reports earnings on July 30th.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/22/h...dsets-in-2010/
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:28 Posted By: wraggster
Reports have circulated the internet that a 25-year old worker at Chinese manufacturer Foxconn, which produces all the iPhone models for Apple, committed suicide last week following revelation that a fourth-generation iPhone prototype, one of the 16 iPhones he was responsible for, had gone missing. Some stories circulating have described illegal searches of the man's apartment and interrogation involving physical abuse by other Foxconn employees. While not confirming the case being a suicide or the cause being the disappearing device, a spokesperson for the Cupertino-based company did release a statement corroborating the news of his death, saying that it is "saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee, and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death. We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect." The status of the missing iPhone prototype, which may or may not have been one that earlier this month found itself on eBay given the timeframe (although a 3GS model and not "fourth generation") remains unknown. Our hearts go out to all involved.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/21/a...nese-iphone-p/
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:40 Posted By: wraggster
Namco has announced that a new version of Pac-Man, titled Pac-Man: Remix, will be coming to iPhone. Due to Apple's silly non-disclosure policies, the fact that we know the game is coming means that it's coming soon. Basically, it's Pac-Man, but this time there's a little more to it (though, little you haven't seen before). The eponymous yellow sphere can jump over ghosts and walls and there will be boss battles and power-ups, too.
Pac-Man: Remix will set you back $5.99 which, if you ask us, is a little steep for another Pac-Man title. There are plenty other, cheaper, iPhone games to spend that money on. Still, we thought you'd want to know that it's coming, just in case there are any die hard Pac-Man fans in the Joystiq audience.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/22/pa...o-iphone-soon/
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July 22nd, 2009, 16:49 Posted By: wraggster
Konami will slash the price of its iPhone games by more than half this week.
Starting tomorrow and ending Saturday, Silent Hill: The Escape, DanceDanceRevolution S, Silent Scope and Frogger will go down in price by 60 per cent to 59 pence.
The more expensive Metal Gear Solid: Touch will drop to £1.79.
Search for Konami on the App Store to track them down.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ko...hone-game-sale
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July 23rd, 2009, 21:29 Posted By: wraggster
arlier this week there was something of a brouhaha when some iPhone 3.0 users started receiving random instant messages seemingly intended for other folks. Push notifications were one of the big additions in this release and so naturally a lot of people claimed the feature was broken. They were partially right, but wrong in blaming Apple, as it was they who had themselves broken it. The iPhone generates unique public/private keys upon activation that identify handsets to secure those pushed IMs, and it should come as no surprise that unlocking tools use duplicated keys to facilitate illicit use. You know what happens when you share dirty keys, right? With single identifiers registered to multiple phones instant messages are getting zinged all over the place rather than to their intended destination, a feature we're guessing spammers will start exploiting in three... two...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/23/i...lockers-dirty/
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July 24th, 2009, 21:30 Posted By: wraggster
suraj.sun points out CNet coverage of Palm's newest OS release, which restores the ability to synch with iTunes that iTunes 8.2.1 had broken.
"The news was posted on Palm's blog where it listed the new features and enhancements of the software update and nonchalantly added at the end: 'Oh, and one more thing: Palm WebOS 1.1 re-enables Palm media sync. That's right — you once again can have seamless access to your music, photos and videos from the current version of iTunes (8.2.1).' Bold move, Palm. Bold move. It'll be interesting to see how Apple responds, and do you suppose the use of the phrase 'one more thing,' a phrase that Apple CEO Steve Jobs often uses to introduce a new product at the end of his keynotes, was intentional or am I just reading too much into this?
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/0...ebOS-11-Update
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July 24th, 2009, 21:45 Posted By: wraggster
There were other features taking higher billing in the iPhone 3GS' announcement than its hardware-level encryption -- hell, even the magnetic compass was getting more play -- but it's there, and Apple's actively marketing the bit-scrambling capability to enterprise clients. Problem is, hackers are apparently having a field day with it, rendering it useless in all but name. One iPhone dev (who teaches courses on pulling data off iPhones, coincidentally) goes so far to say that he doesn't "think any of us have ever seen encryption implemented so poorly before," noting that it's no more difficult for him to pull data off a 3GS than it is off an encryption-free 3G. He goes on to point out that RIM -- which has far more experience dealing with enterprise-class mobile fleets than Apple does -- offers a far more robust remote wipe solution that doesn't necessarily need to rely on an active wireless connection to clear a phone. The lesson? As overwhelmingly popular as the iPhone may be across every market segment, these guys are still the new kids on the enterprise block -- and RIM (and heck, Microsoft, too) would be wise to stand their ground here.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/24/h...re-encryption/
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July 24th, 2009, 21:46 Posted By: wraggster
Time to update your Pre, Palm's just released webOS 1.1.0. Quite a bit of changes here, but most importantly, the patch notes say that it "resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (8.2.1)" -- that issue, of course, being a blockade put in place by Apple just one week ago. Oh yeah, it's on. In addition, we've got emoticons and Exchange support now, and its 31st app, NFL Mobile Live for watching games and audio from the device. There's also talk of a new gesture, swiping left to right to move forward through web pages, but really it's no different that scrolling the browser up in landscape mode. Everything else is pretty boring by comparison -- looks like that leaked update list was dead on. So when should we expect to see iTunes 8.2.2, eh Apple?
Here are a few things we've noticed after playing with the update for a little bit:
Scrolling through long lists (like contacts) seems improved. We're seeing a lot less loading, and only the occasional hiccup.
Push email now seems to actively delete (and represent the count properly) in the background.
Folder orders for IMAP Gmail accounts are now correct. Previous versions of the software had them totally out of whack.
The email alert sound is different -- softer.
App load times seem a bit snappier. In fact, the whole device feels a little snappier.
Maybe we're crazy, but there seems to be a new animation for the drop-down menus.
Anything else you guys are seeing? Tell us in comments! Also, PreCentral has an extensive list of undocumented features.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/23/p...s-itunes-sync/
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July 24th, 2009, 23:31 Posted By: wraggster
Zodttd has released a new version of his now commercial gba emulator for the Iphone, heres his news:
It was tough, but I did it...
I fixed some major bugs in gpSPhone. This is great news beyond those who just use gpSPhone, as these bug fixes will apply to all of my emulators.
The first bug fixed is a doozy. It caused crashing on load if too many (about 300+) ROMs were found. This bug was in all my emulators to date, so having it fixed here means fixes for the rest of my emulators as well. Now gpSPhone loads as many ROMs as you'd like, and does so quickly.
The second bug caused crashing on load when no ROMs were found. The third bug caused crashes when no save states were found. Both these silly bugs are now fixed.
A new feature welcomed back is the A-Z indexing of ROMs. This should help traverse the long ROM lists now possible. There is also a new Default.png splash screen by our fellow member Zandog. I really dig it!
There's lots more to come for gpSPhone. Keep an eye out!
Thanks to all those who have purchased gpSPhone. It really helps keep Exophase and I going strong!
Update: Release of v6.2.5 made shortly after v6.2.0 to address a bug that caused crashing on start-up for iPod Touch 2nd Gen users.
http://zodttd.com/blog.php?b=15
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July 25th, 2009, 01:48 Posted By: wraggster
In a Wired news article, iPhone Forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski explains how the much-touted hardware encryption of the iPhone 3Gs is but a farce, and demonstrates how both the passcode and backup encryption can be bypassed in about two minutes. Zdziarski also goes on to say that all data on the iPhone — including deleted data — is automatically decrypted by the iPhone when it's copied, allowing hackers and law enforcement agencies alike access the device's raw disk as if no encryption were present. A second demonstration features the recovery of the iPhone's entire disk while the device is still passcode-locked. According to a similar article in Ars Technica, Zdziarski describes the iPhone's hardware encryption by saying it's 'like putting privacy glass on half your shower door.' With the iPhone being sold into 20% of Fortune-100s and into the military, just how worried should we be with such shoddy security?
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/07/2...In-Two-Minutes
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July 25th, 2009, 21:03 Posted By: wraggster
Looking to enjoy all those fancy augmented reality apps on your iPhone, like for finding nearby stores or subway stops? Apparently what's standing in your way from enjoying a life more akin to "gargoyles" from Snow Crash is Apple's next update to its touchscreen devices, OS 3.1, and according to Nearest Tube developer Acrossair, that'll be arriving sometime in September. Something we heard whispered at the time of the beta 2 release. We wouldn't be surprised to see that release window fluctuate, but if that's our estimate, there's still plenty of time for someone to prep an AR zombie shooter.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/24/i...er-os-3-1-lau/
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July 25th, 2009, 23:19 Posted By: wraggster
So here's a true example of some modding his iDevice... check it out. Josh Darrah, a guy in Australia, actually gutted an iPod Mini and created a whole new casing from wood. The iWood.
He's got a whole Flickr gallery up showing the process. The guy even made a dock out of wood which the thing sits in.
Nice job, Josh.
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...ood-iwood.html
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July 26th, 2009, 11:15 Posted By: wraggster
Android's official code repository has been updated with a fresh load of Donut stuff in the past day or so, and as you might imagine, the dev community is already having a field day with it. Early reports show that all of the features demoed at I/O this year have made it into this cut in one form or another, including universal search, text-to-speech, and gesture support, allowing users to draw symbols on the screen to trigger actions. What's more, though, the codebase is showing signs of CDMA support -- a must for Sprint and Verizon, of course, both of whom will almost certainly have Android sets at one point or another -- and a cool 5-in-1 bank of toggle switches in a home screen widget that can be used to control common features like Bluetooth and WiFi.
Perhaps more excitingly, the community is hard at work on a couple major fronts here: first off, the Donut build is actively being ported to current handsets, and an Android Dev Phone 1 / T-Mobile G1 version is already available (though very, very crashy and incomplete right now). Secondly, work is being conducted to extract major elements of Donut (some of the new widgets, for example) and roll them into cooked 1.5 builds, making the best stuff available in a more solid, accessible form without having to wait for 2.0 to become stable. If you're an adventurous -- nay, borderline mental -- G1 owner, though, you can start your journey to Donut right now.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/26/e...running-on-g1/
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July 26th, 2009, 11:22 Posted By: wraggster
After getting a positive from the AVG virus detector while playing music on iTunes just a few minutes ago, I did a bit of research. It appears that AVG has recently pushed an update to the virus definitions that flags every iPod/iTunes related file as being infected with the 'Small.BOG' trojan. Interestingly enough, AVG does not have any information on this particular virus in their virus encyclopedia. Discussion on the Apple forum is up to 4 pages and climbing. One user there had an interesting thought: 'Maybe Palm has some shares in AVG...MUAHAAAA!!' (on page 3).
http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/07/2...-Breaks-iTunes
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July 27th, 2009, 16:28 Posted By: wraggster
Portable music revolutionaries allegedly aiming to transform new markets
After dramatically reforming the mobile phone and portable music landscape, Apple is now embarking on a wholesale transformation of the e-book, digital movie and album markets with its alleged new device; The Apple Tablet.
According to eyewitness reports cited on The FT, Apple is currently in the process of manufacturing a tablet computer, featuring a ten-inch screen, and is racing to ship the device to retailers in time for Christmas.
The touch-screen device will likely have programs and internet capabilities that will provide an experience comparable to Laptop computing, yet various reports claim Apple is ready to tie the tablet to digital Movie downloads, e-books and CD albums via iTunes.
The alleged ten-inch display is naturally more suited to movie viewing and book reading than the small-screen iPod and iPhone devices, while it is said that the company is hoping to shift consumer habits by encouraging album purchases for the tablet.
The seminal rise of the iPod brought about with it an epiphenomenon; consumers moved from buying whole albums to cherry-picking key tracks from artists, thus casting much album-filler to digital dormancy. The tablet will aim to reverse these trends, though it is unclear how.
Speculation is also emerging that the tablet will be a destination for games as well. With the App Store providing even bedroom-developers a chance to make their games a global phenomenon, it is highly probable that games will emerge on the device if Apple allows them to.
Apple’s aura of success – brought about by a unprecedented string of popular multimedia devices – has to an extent buoyed the pessimism surrounding tablet devices.
Even Microsoft has tried, and failed, to make such a ‘halfway-house’ of a device truly mass-market.
If true, the entry-level-priced tablet would further dampen any possibility of Apple working on a netbook; one of the only devices that has held firm during the PC market’s recent decent in the market.
According to Oppenheimer & Co analyst Yair Reiner, the tablet could cost between $600 and $1,000 – a high price range that, nonetheless, is relatively cheap for Apple PC solutions.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/32032...t-eyewitnesses
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July 27th, 2009, 17:14 Posted By: wraggster
News/release from Zodttd:
I took a moment to redo vlc4iphone, nearly from scratch. A lot has changed since vlc4iphone v0.9.0 days. The first thing you might notice is the new GUI, which was made by a college student named Derek. Derek did a great job cleaning that portion up! In the GUI you will see certain items marked with the VLC icon and others that are not. This is because vlc4iphone will play back movies using hardware acceleration if supported by the iPhone or iPod Touch.
Here's a list of changes since v0.9.0:
A new user interface.
Bookmarks are now a Playlist.
Create your own playlist.
Support for firmware 2.x and 3.x.
Prev, Next, and Pause buttons added.
M3U and other playlist formats now supported.
Completely rewrote the handling of VLC to use libvlc properly.
Removed the ShoutCast server browser, at least for now.
There's still a lot to do. I want to add support for multiple playlists and a better interface for the "currently playing" media screen. I have tested vlc4iphone extensively with the iPhone 3GS and it runs nearly everything except hi-res 1080p video just fine. RTSP streaming is currently tested and working, though MMS is untested due to a lack of a test stream.
Give vlc4iphone v2.1.0 a try!
Thanks,
ZodTTD
http://zodttd.com/blog.php?b=19
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July 28th, 2009, 16:48 Posted By: wraggster
Local reports suggest an exclusive three-year deal has been agreed.
The Shanghai Securities News (via Reuters) is reporting that Apple and China Unicom have struck a deal for selling the iPhone in the country.
Apparently the deal is unlike those Apple has struck elsewhere in that there is no provision for revenue sharing.
China Unicom is thought to have agreed to purchase iPhones from Apple at $439 per device, and has guaranteed sales of 1-2 million units on revenue of five billion yuan.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33866...na-with-Unicom
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July 28th, 2009, 16:54 Posted By: wraggster
Spotted in a recent FCC filing, the now-revealed Creative Zii Egg Plaszma boasts some of the world's first "flexible StemCell architecture" that uses 24 floating-point processors. But you may care more because it's basically an open source iPod Touch.
Being seeded to developers as part of a $399 SDK (final units are expected to ship in bulk at $199), the Zii Egg Plaszma is an Android-friendly "handheld computer" that's like an iPod touch beefed up with more than a few popular requests.
You navigate the platform through a 3.5" 320x480, 10-point capacitive multitouch screen. From there, you can access the rear facing HD video camera, front facing live chat VGA camera, 32GB of integrated storage with SDHC card expansion, Flash Lite support, GPS, Wi-Fi and, oh right, it's powerful enough to output 1080P video.
Of course, its greatest asset, the option to run the open Android OS (the company offers its own Plaszma OS but that's a bit less exciting), means that the hardware begins to resemble a smartphone without the phone. And I'm surprised on a daily basis that anyone is still buying big iPods that can't make phone calls
http://gizmodo.com/5324542/creative-...ing-ipod-touch
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July 28th, 2009, 22:27 Posted By: wraggster
Firmware 3.1 beta 3 (build 7C116a ) went live yesterday along with the associated SDK (build 9M2808). These betas available for developers registered in the iPhone Developer Program gives us a good look at what is next in Apple's iPhone firmware.
3.1 beta 3 allows video to be sent via email.
Other updates to beta 3 include a baseband update to 5.11.04, various tweaks to APIs, and tethering usage feature added.
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...-beta-3-a.html
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July 29th, 2009, 16:42 Posted By: wraggster
The sad thing is, if Apple did release the iPhone 3GI and claim only the truly worthy could see it, I'm sure it would go down exactly like The Onion says it would.
"Oh my God, I can't believe how much faster you can get online with this," said Delaney, who exited the store holding a cupped hand up to her ear and yelling into her wrist about how wonderful the new phone was. "The reception is so clear, and you can pretty much get a signal no matter where you go."
"Hold on a sec," continued Delaney, suddenly shaking her hand up and down. "I think my battery is dying."
http://gizmodo.com/5325358/iphone-3g...lly-deserve-it
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July 29th, 2009, 16:49 Posted By: wraggster
We're doing our darnedest not to be recklessly optimistic here, but after weeks and weeks of nothing, a few new somethings have sauntered into Palm's App Catalog. If you'll recall, we actually heard earlier this month that said catalog was destined to get some serious additions in the near future, and we're hoping that the surfacing of these two is a sign of things to come. Announced this morning over on Palm's official blog, OpenTable and Fliq Bookmarks are now available to download on the Pre. The former allows hungry owners to secure themselves a spot at a nearby eatery, while the latter works with The Missing Sync for Palm Pre to transfer Safari bookmarks from your desktop (Mac for now, PC coming soon) to the Pre. Sure, it's not like these two are the killer apps we've been longing for, but at this point, any progress is great progress.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/29/p...od-gates-open/
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July 29th, 2009, 22:21 Posted By: wraggster
If trashing your push messaging wasn't enough to steer you clear of using your iPhone in unauthorized ways, this next bit of news might have you back on the straight and narrow. According to Wired, Apple's latest salvo in the fight over jailbreaking is a claim that pernicious, iPhone wielding techno-hackers at home or abroad could modify the baseband and use it to attack cellphone towers, "rendering the tower entirely inoperable to process calls or transmit data." Of course, the idea that this would become more likely if the legal status of jailbreaking changes is totally absurd, but why let that stand in the way of a legal argument?
In a related note, one of our editors (whose jailbroken iPhone shall remain nameless) got a strange baseband pop-up error this morning -- the very same morning that AT&T is suffering a "massive connectivity outage" throughout the northeast and midwest. Coincidence? Yeah, probably.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/29/a...sm-catastroph/
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July 30th, 2009, 16:33 Posted By: wraggster
A single character sent by text message could allegedly compromise every iPhone released to date. The technique involves sending only one unusual text character or else a series of "invisible" messages that confuse the phone and open the door to attack. Apple has not released any updates yet. So little can be done, except power off your iPhone to avoid being hacked.
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/09/0...nes-Vulnerable
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July 30th, 2009, 16:37 Posted By: wraggster
An interface developer at UK dev Telltale Games has publicly claimed he believes the iPhone to be more powerful than Nintendo’s Wii.
Telltale Games has finished developing new Monkey Island episodic content for both the PC and Wii, sold via digital platforms Steam and Wii Ware.
The group was not responsible for the iPhone remake of the original Monkey Island game, which was released contemporaneously.
Nevertheless, a developer on the official TellTale forums claims that “the Wii and DS are extremely underpowered and their popularity doesn't remove the hardware limitations."
Contained within the same thread are a number of complaints surrounding apparent framerate and quality issues on the Wii Monkey Island game.
"The voices and textures are the way they are because we're limited to 40 megs for WiiWare titles. The PC versions of our games are usually 150+ megs, and most modern games range anywhere from one to ten gigabytes or more. Talk to Nintendo about this one.â€
The developer, given the pseudonym Yare, said that the “frame rate issues will probably get sorted out eventually, but keep in mind that the Wii is just not a powerful console. An iPhone is much more powerful than a Wii, even."
Yare introduced himself to the forums back in March as “the engineer responsible for the controls†on Telltale’s Wallace and Gromit episodic games.
Elsewhere in the thread he defended his comments, claiming that it wasn't his intent to “blame†the platform for its technical performance.
“I just thought some people might be interested in an explanation of how game development works, why the Wii version has lower quality voice, higher compression, and so on,†he said.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...-a-Wii82328232
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July 30th, 2009, 16:40 Posted By: wraggster
Who's this little guy? Oh, that's just Robochan -- the Kondo KHR-2HV bot with a fully-functioning iPhone 3GS fused to his head. Not interested? Well, hear us out -- because we, too, have seen many an iPhone mod project in our day, leaving us jaded, easily susceptible to waking in the middle of the night to find ourselves shrieking out "fanboy!" for no reason, and finding that in general at this point -- merely cranking the word iPhone into your DIY project is the easiest way to send us to Snoresville. But we'll admit it: Robochan drew us in within ten -- nay, five -- seconds. His dance moves are killer, and his faces have stolen whatever remnants of a heart we had left.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/30/r...ore-magnanimo/
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July 30th, 2009, 16:41 Posted By: wraggster
In an effort to quell all sorts of kicking and screaming that resulted from an evidently erroneous report earlier in the week, an Acer representative has reportedly reaffirmed that an Android-based Aspire One is still on schedule for a Q3 release. If you'll recall, we first heard of Acer's intentions to dole out an Android-laden netbook during Computex, and now it seems as if those very plans are still perfectly on track. So there you have it, folks -- no need to keep pounding those heart medications.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/30/a...-coming-in-q3/
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July 30th, 2009, 16:54 Posted By: wraggster
Yesterday, Sega solicited ideas for games to bring to the iPhone platform. Well, here's a suggestion, with a visual aid: How about Sonic CD?
Using a custom engine called the "Retro Software Development Kit," Christian Whitehead put together a demo of Sonic CD running on the iPhone. It looks pretty much like Sonic CD, which is impressive considering that he rebuilt the game from scratch rather than porting the original source (except, presumably, for graphics). In fact, just about the only problem we can see from the demo is outside of Whitehead's control -- the fact that the iPhone doesn't have any buttons.
A note was posted yesterday to the Sega Twitter account indicating that the company had been made sufficiently aware of the demo, with the PR rep promising to "bring it up at our brainstorming meeting." Hopefully the ideas brought up at this brainstorming meeting don't include suing this guy.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/30/fa...ing-on-iphone/
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July 30th, 2009, 20:25 Posted By: wraggster
Android users will finally get an official Facebook application, according to reports in the US.
Technology blog TechCrunch says it's had confirmation of the news, and that the app may be available on Google's Android Market store by the end of this week.
Why is this news? After all, Facebook has apps available on iPhone's App Store, BlackBerry App World and Nokia's Ovi Store. However, its absence from Android has provoked speculation about why Facebook hadn't made that platform a priority.
Now it has, seemingly. Although if TechCrunch's claim that Google had to lend Facebook one of its Android coders to make it happen is true, it seems the social network's enthusiasm remains lukewarm.
Comparisons will inevitably be drawn with the upcoming update to Facebook's iPhone app, which will introduce features such as video uploads and events.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33901...ke-from-Google
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July 30th, 2009, 21:03 Posted By: wraggster
A few months back, Apple made a plea to the Copyright Office to make jailbreaking illegal. The EFF called their reasoning "absurd" and "FUD." It's still sitting before them to make a decision.
Apparently, Apple feels they are in a losing battle and are now throwing out some pretty far-fetched reasons to the Copyright Office in order to back up their case. For one, they say jailbreaking could let users alter the Exclusive Chip Identification number, letting the jailbreaker make anonymous calls. They say "this would be desirable to drug dealers."
In further claims, they say jailbreaking could lead to cell towers or networks being taken down Hacks to the baseband processor (BBP) would mean “a local or international hacker could potentially initiate commands
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...-networks.html
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July 30th, 2009, 21:05 Posted By: wraggster
The Cydia Store launched its first product on March 07, 2009. Cyntact sold sells for a buck, and was the first paid package through the Cydia Store. It allows you to see profile pictures in contact lists. While not the only 3rd party application store for the iPhone (Rock Your Phone also exists), the Cydia Store is definitely the most popular one, largely due to Cydia's immense popularity as the source for jailbreak packages (items you can only get when jailbroken - like themes and apps such as GV Mobile, recently kicked out of the AppStore).
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...on-income.html
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July 30th, 2009, 21:06 Posted By: wraggster
Straight via Australian filling, a US Patent filling for what looks like an iPhone Nano via Apple emerged recently on the USPTO directory.
The patent shows the iPhone Nano as a small device with screens on both sides. One side is shown as just a touch screen display similar to the iPhone today with menus for all the basic features including phone, text messaging, iPod, camera mode, etc etc etc.
The flip side however is where things get different. The patent shows it is a "force-sensitive touch-surface." This surface would control a click wheel like everyone is used to one the iPod of today. Somehow you control the screen side of the iPhone Nano via the controls on the back blind. Maybe the force-sensitive touch-surface has some etchings back there so you can feel your way around -- or something. There are also images of keys and whatnot being on the surface, specifically something that resembles a dialer pad.
http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-...no-patent.html
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July 31st, 2009, 16:06 Posted By: wraggster
Apple is set to release a software patch to address a recently described security flaw in the iPhone, the UK network operator 02 has said.
Experts revealed on Thursday that modified SMS messages could result in iPhones being disconnected from the network or hijacked altogether.
Phones incorporating the Windows Mobile and Google Android operating systems are also vulnerable, they said.
An O2 spokesperson said the patch would be available Saturday through iTunes.
"We will be communicating to customers both through the website and proactively," the spokesperson added.
"We always recommend our customers update their iPhone with the latest software and this is no different."
Access all areas
Charlie Miller and Collin Mulliner told the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas that the hack works by slightly modifying the data - sent by the network and which the user does not see - that arrives as part of a text message.
The system that processes such messages is similar across different operating systems and can, once compromised, gain access across a range of applications including a phone's address book or camera.
The team say that hackers could develop programs to exploit the weakness in as little as two weeks, but told the conference that publicising the means of attack was necessary to ensure the problem was addressed.
"If we don't talk about it, somebody is going to do it silently. The bad guys are going to do it no matter what," Mr Mulliner, an independent security expert, said.
The team wrote software to exploit the weakness, targeting iPhones on four networks in Germany as well as AT&T in the US. However, they believe it would work equally well in any country.
The approach is particularly dangerous because messages are delivered automatically, and users cannot tell that they have received the malicious code.
The problem could be fixed by directly patching the vulnerability in smartphones' operating systems, or the network providers could scan for messages that look to be trying to gain access to phones via the malicious code.
The researchers said they had informed Google of the hack and that the company had already taken steps to address the problem.
The Black Hat gathering, part of a leading series of conferences for information and computer security experts, took place from 25 to 30 July.
Apple were not available to comment on the flaw.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8177755.stm
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July 31st, 2009, 16:09 Posted By: wraggster
We've nothing much to go on outside of a few good renders and a smattering of machine translated paragraphs, but it sure sounds as if China Mobile is entertaining the idea of bringing a 7-inch Android-based tablet to its airwaves. As the story goes, said slate would boast China's homegrown TD-SCDMA 3G connectivity, support for video calling, a full-fledged web browser and an OPhone operating system -- which is essentially a customized version of Android for the Chinese market. Sadly, no further information was given, leaving us to wonder what kind of innards are scheduled for implant and what kind of price tag / release date we're looking at. Oh, and those "call" and "end call" buttons are pretty darn evident, leading us to believe that China Mobile might actually expect you to use this as your primary mobile. Can you say... Sidetalkin'?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/31/c...gets-rendered/
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July 31st, 2009, 16:10 Posted By: wraggster
You know, there's something to be said about making something easy: people usually take advantage. So seems to be the case with AT&T's WiFi connections after the release of iPhone OS 3.0, which finally became useful when users could seamlessly connect to one of the thousands of AT&T hotspots around the nation rather than having to stumble through a painfully long process on iPhone OS 2.x. According to an AT&T spokesperson speaking with AppleInsider, the amount of iPhone users linking up with AT&T's WiFi network tripled in June, and overall, it saw a 41 percent increase in connections compared to the prior quarter. It comes as no surprise to hear that AT&T is working feverishly to expand said network in order to relieve strain from its house of cards-styled 3G network, and while we'd definitely prefer a bit more reliability with the latter, we'll happily accept more WiFi in the meanwhile.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/31/c...e-post-iphone/
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