Chad reviewed Air Mouse a while back, and now they’ve let us know they’re back with a 1.5 update that adds some nifty new features, including:
the computer notifies Air Mouse as to which app it’s currently running so that Air Mouse can show the correct keys for that app. We plan to make more use of this system in future versions and think that this is the directions that all remotes will be heading in the future.
Check out the above video for more on the navigation and media player support, and if you try it out, let us know what you think!
Apple Insider brings word that Apple has filed a patent for:
an ambient sound sensor to the iPhone that would allow the handset to adjust its ringtone volume to its surrounding audio environment, which would ameliorate potentially-disruptive audio outputs.
Sounds nifty! In addition, Apple has also filed for a patent for self-cleansing audio jacks:
An alternative cleansing method would allow the end portion of the adaptor plug to rotate freely through the application of compressed air. This method, Apple said, would force debris from the jack as the adaptor plug is removed and the switches that hold the plug in the jack are closed.
Of course, many of these patents never see the light of day, but we like that Apple is exploring many different alternatives for future iPhone development.
Also touched on briefly during Apple’s Q1 conference call yesterday was the prospect of a low-end iPhone, and Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook was quick to dispel hopes of that (and of an iPhone nano?) as well (text via Macworld):
Tim: We’re not going to build a low-end voice phone. Our objective is not to be unit share leader, it’s to build the world’s best phone.
Interestingly, however, Apple is still pondering what to do about unsubsidized markets (where, unlike AT&T, the carriers don’t foot part of the phone cost, making it initially much more expensive for buyers):
Largest example is India. Sales less in non-subsidized markets, obviously. Huge market opportunities and will make adjustments in future to play in a stronger way.
So what does this mean? No iPhone nano or iPod with phone features bolted on, it seems. But how will Apple increase sales in those non-subsidized countries? a 4GB SKU? Or when the iPhone hits 32GB, will the 8GB become a special SKU for those markets? Maybe if we get an iPhone HD this summer, the 3G itself will become that SKU?
The again, Apple is famous for denying (even bashing) things until the moment they release them…
Our forums are weighing in, so head on over there and let us know what you think!
As we mentioned briefly during TiPb’s live coverage of Apple’s Q1 conference call yesterday, and our new sibling site, PreCentral.net elaborated on, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook, might have made a shot across Palm’s bow when it comes to the Pre and Apple’s multi-touch patents (text via Macworld):
We like competition, as long as they don’t rip off our [intellectual property], and if they do, we’re going to go after anyone who does. [...] Don’t want to talk about any specific company, just making a general statement. We are ready to suit up and go against anyone. However, we will not stand for having our IP ripped off and will use whatever weapons we have at our disposal.
Recent capacitive touch devices like the Google Android and the BlackBerry Storm have steered very clear of anything even remotely resembling the iPhone’s behaviors, but the Palm Pre duplicates many almost exactly (rubber banding, pinching, panel sliding, etc). Then again, Palm hired Rubinstein and many other Apple employees to round out the Pre team, didn’t they?
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone at Macworld 2007, one of his big bullet points was “and boy have we patented it”, so I guess now we can all sit back and see if we’ve got a fight on our hands. Will Apple go after Palm, and does Palm have any patents in their own portfolio to fight back with? (Because they sure don’t have Apple’s multi-billion dollar war chest behind them).
And yes, we know Jeff Han showed off many “Minority Report” style multi-touch behaviors long before the iPhone.
UPDATED: Apple filed for their own patents starting back in 2004, before Han, and also acquired a large amount of patents when they bought Fingerworks in 2005 (via Engadget comments).
I must admit, I’ve stopped using NetNewsWire on my iPhone because I’ve just found it unmanageable. What was an awesome fire hose on my Mac just threatened to drown me on the much smaller machine. Enter Daring Fireball’s John Gruber with some awesome tips on making NetNewsWire on the iPhone far more functional:
What I want in an iPhone feed reader isn’t just a little bit different than what I want in a Mac feed reader, it’s a lot different. So what I did last week was start over from scratch on the iPhone. Rather than going through my full list of feeds and turning some off, I turned them all off, then went through and re-enabled about 20 feeds — the ones I like best, with the highest signal-to-noise ratios, and which would be most enjoyable in those I’m bored, give me something to read moments.
Now NetNewsWire is both snappier for him and more relevant to a mobile experience.
I tried it and I’m loving it. If you give it a try, let me know how it works for you!
Here is yet another case of a 3rd party developer picking up the slack for Apple. Sorry, we are not here to tell you that you can now have true MMS like the Portuguese! But we are here to let you know that you can now send multiple photos in a single email with Aqua Eagles new app, Multi-Photo. [iTunes Link] Read more after the break!
Read the rest of this entry »
Apple is set to announce their Q1 results at 5pm EST (2pm PST) and TiPb will bring you any and all iPhone related news that comes of it. In the meantime, analysts are saying that regardless of how well (or poorly?) the iPhone did during the holiday quarter, it did better than the Android G1. Quotes Apple Insider:
Based on polls of recent cellphone buyers, the analyst firm believes T-Mobile USA may have sold upwards of 300,000 of its touchscreen G1 handsets from launch in late October through to the end of 2008. In contrast, even Morgan Stanley’s prediction of about 1.75 million iPhone 3G units sold through AT&T is about 5.9 times greater than what T-Mobile is believed to have managed.
(Note: That’s the US T-Mobile, not the German T-Mobile which is busy boosting iPhone sales with heavy discounts.) Are the analysts right? Is this comparing international Apples to domestic Oranges… er… G1s? We’ll have to wait in see. Regardless of what the iPhone sells, Bullish Cross (via Daring Fireball) reminds us:
Apple’s use of subscription-based accounting for iPhone revenue has significantly hurt its share price — casual investors who are only looking at Apple’s GAAP results don’t realize how much revenue they’ve deferred.
Black Out by 1026 Development is an iPhone homage to the classic Tiger handheld puzzle game, where your goal is to turn all the lights off, even as every light to touch switches all the lights around it. Why Black Out and why for the iPhone? Said developer Jeremy Curcio:
I loved the handheld game and was cleaning out my attic when I saw it sitting there. I then realized how smoothly it would port to the iPhone platform. That day I started writing this app. I’m really proud of how it turned out, and I think many others will enjoy it as well.
Black Out will be in the iTunes Store soon(ish?) for $0.99. Check out the video above and let us know if you’ll be picking it up…
Well here is yet one more attempt to get cut/copy and paste going via a Jailbroken app from iSpazio. Clippy inserts two buttons into the iPhone system keyboard, one for copying and the other for pasting. One major gripe is that it only accepts user-entered text. So there is no copying any text from web sites or emails, etc…
It’s very easy to use this app. Once installed, start typing text, then select it with your finger, and tap the “123″ key to show a new line at the top of your keyboard. Now tap copy and then enjoy yourself to paste your text in every other app you want!
Again, this app is available for free if you have a Jailbroken iPhone. To try it out, simply go to the iSpazio Repository in Cydia and download it straight to your phone. While this app is not perfect, it is a much better attempt than the previous tries
