Articles by Rene Ritchie
Last week the way to qualify for our new contest, the Ultimate iPhone Accessory Pack give-away was to join our new Facebook Page. Thanks to everyone who did so, and we’re proud to announce last week’s qualifier was Tara Bennett! Congratulations Tara! For qualifying, you’ll receive a 15% off coupon for TiPb iPhone Store, and are entered for a chance to win the prize pack which now consists of:
- Blueant Z9i Bluetooth Headset
- Griffin PowerDuo
- V-Moda Vibe Duo Headphones
- With three more picks still to be added!
Want another chance to qualify for entry? Just follow us — @theiphoneblog — on Twitter and send us an @reply!
Developer Roman Reyhani let us know his app, You Shake iLaugh, is currently free in the App Store for a limited time. If you’re not familiar with the app, Roman says:
This app was inspired largely out of a feeling that we need more laughter in our lives, instead of the gloomy outlook we’re often fed. So this app hopes to achieve that – it’s a little silly but when you’re really in the funk, and need to hear some outrageous laughter, the You Shake iLaugh will do the trick. The app works by using the accelerometer to detect motion. When you shake the phone, it gently it laughs. The harder you shake it, the harder it laughs – until it reaches an eye-watering hysterical laugh. It’s really quite fun!
If you want it, get it while it’s free and let us know what you think!
I’m so boring. I don’t use Entourage, Lotus Notes, or Meeting Maker. However, for those of you Mac users who do, and are looking for some help syncing things over to your iPhone, PocketMac may be worth a look. As a bonus, it will also sync your SMS messages and call logs.
If you give it a try, let us know what you think!
Furbo.org brings word of the iPhone/iPod Touch Backup Extractor. What is it?
This application converts the iPhone / iPod Touch backups that are created by iTunes into readily usable Mac OS X files. It is designed to run on Mac OS X Leopard only.
Twitterrific creator Craig Hockenberry, among others, claim this tool is invaluable for debugging and decoding.
Freeware, but donations appreciated.
iPhonehellas.gr (via Macrumors) is claiming their sources are claiming that iPhone OS 2.2 is a mere 10 days away, set to drop on November 21st. Nobody outside a very few at Apple — and maybe the carriers — know for certain, however, so take this news with a Jobsian-sized grain of salt.
To round up the 2.2 beta features so far (which may or may not make it into the final release, along with whatever secret surprises Apple may have in store):
- Direct OTA Podcast Downloads and App Store UI tweaks
- App Store ratings upon deletion
- Google Transit, Walking directions, Street-view, and Share Location
- Line-in Audio access for the SDK
Still no word on Push Notification Services (which were dropped from 2.1 and are reportedly still not ready for prime-time), cut and paste, video, turn-by-turn GPS, MMS, Flash, or any of the other hundred or so things people are desperate to see added. Seems Apple is still focusing on what others can add (i.e. Google), and what they can get the most out of in the shortest release cycles. (Joz’s famous “priorities”).
Think this info is legit? Are we getting 2.2 in 10 days? Any secret features we don’t know about yet? What do you think?
According to Apple Insider, US Federal District Judge Kenneth Karas has issued an order preventing Mark Papermaster from taking his new position as a vice president at Apple, pending a decision over IBM’s “no compete clause” inspired lawsuit.
Apple and Papermaster have responded, but Daring Fireball doesn’t think they have much to worry about, give “Application Group, Inc. v. Hunter Group, Inc., 61 Cal.App.4th 881 (1998), a California non-compete clause case”:
We further conclude, in agreement with the trial court, that California law may be applied to determine the enforceability of a covenant not to compete, in an employment agreement between an employee who is not a resident of California and an employer whose business is based outside of California, when a California-based employer seeks to recruit or hire the nonresident for employment in California.
Basically, California don’t play no-compete, and Papermaster’s going to be employed in California, so IBM’s legal maneuvering, while time consuming, is probably not a deal breaker.
Michael Alvarez is the CEO of Avantar, the company behind iPhone applications like One Tap Movies, Showtimes, Calculator AXL, Yellow Pages, AirYell, and Munch. As part of TiPb’s ongoing interview series and our look at the iPhone App Store, Michael was good enough to discuss Avantar’s views on Apple’s new mobile platform, where it is, and where it’s going.
TiPb: Avantar has a wide range of apps on the market. Most appear to focus on quickly acquiring and succinctly displaying useful information like movie times, business listings, and restaurant options. What made Avantar choose these particular apps for your initial iPhone offerings?
I watched the recent Apple iPhone commercial, the one featuring Loopt that promised to keep me in stronger, better, faster contact with all my similarly teched-out friends, and immediately fired my iPhone to download it.
But guess what? It didn’t show up in the App Store. Dieter was kind enough to send me a direct link, so I clicked on that, and know what happened? I got a pop-up telling me Loopt wasn’t available in the Canadian App Store.
So, either we Canucks have no friends to stay in contact with, Loopt has yet to expand their offering to our frozen shores, or Apple didn’t bother to make a commercial with wider appeal than AT&T’s network coverage (or all of the above?)
In a global village, is it odd that an App isn’t just an App, and often medieval licensing rights prevent real parity in services?
For our international readers, any other Apps you’ve been unable to get due simply to where you live? Any Americans ever come across an App you couldn’t get?
It was a simple enough contest. Buy Puzzlotto from United Lemur and try to solve it. Every day that passed without someone winning added $1000 to the pot, with a upper limit of $30,000.
Turns out, however, it only lasted 8 days. Says United Lemur:
Dave H, from Portland, is our new Puzzllotto Champion! Once the independent judges are done verifying, Dave will receive the Champion’s Trophy and $8,000 in prize money. Congratulations once again to Dave!
Might idea for a contest from a mighty company for a mighty game.
Congrats!
Dying for an external keyboard on your iPhone? Well, you’re in luck! This proof of concept shows that if you’re an electrical engineering genius — or more likely a teenager — you can hack together one of your very own! Engadget says this solution involves Ruby code on a jailbroken iPhone, so it’s definitely not plug n’play (or better yet, Blue Tooth!) so for now only the hardcore need apply.
Anyone want to try it?
