Apple is looking to hire an experienced multimedia engineer for the iPhone and iPod touch, who’s a passionate gamer and has shipped at least one “AAA” game in the last few years.
While first-party titles are a mainstay, and main point of attraction for dedicated gaming platforms like Nintendo (Mario), Microsoft (Halo), and Sony (Little Big Planet), so far all Apple has offered its “funnest iPod ever” is Texas Hold’em [$4.99 - iTunes link] back in 2007.
Just what could Apple be brewing now? Anyone imagine what a first-party Apple gaming franchise could be?
Facebook for iPhone and iPod touch [Free - iTunes link], by updating to version 3.03 for “minor bug fixes and Japanese localization”, but underneath that listing all the major changes from the original 3.0 release, has resulted in flood of tips to TiPb actual. Shows us a few things:
Wow but do people love that Facebook for iPhone app
Devs need to be careful how they list their changeroll
Users need to be careful how they read the changeroll
Still, if you’ve been experiencing bugs, or really wanted to get your Japanese on, this updated is for you!
So, yeah, Windows Mobile and Zune. In all the excitement over the Droid (and Pixi), Microsoft went and snuck in some new, competitive updates.
First, the iPod touch’s rival, and media darling, the Zune HD got a firmware update that enhanced the browser (though we still get shivers at any mention of IE6, mobile or otherwise) and paved the way for 3D gaming. (Check out the video, above). As with previous games, they’re free, but you might have to watch a 15-30 car commercial before the game (or calculator app) launches.
For the customization junkies, George at WMExperts has also run down some of the more popular UI layers currently available for WinMo, including manufacturers’ like HTC and Samsung, vendors’ like SPB and Vito, and, of course, Microsoft’s home grown.
So, anything Apple and the iPhone should be paying attention to? Any greener grass on Microsoft’s side of the road with these updates? Check out the links and let us know what you think.
NASA has created a chemical sensor accessory for the iPhone. Gizmodo calls this the day the first Tricorder was created, we call it cosmically cool in any time/space continuum.
The low-cost, low-power system can detect minimal concentrations of ammonia, chlorine gas, and methane, showing the values in an iPhone application. It can automatically communicate the results with other cellphones or the Enterprise’s computer using Wi-Fi or 3G, and order massive teleportation evacuations if needed. OK, not true. No teleportation yet, but we are getting there.
Chris from Mobiletech Addicts let us know that, as previously reported, O2 is coming through with the iPhone unlocks. Once their web form is submitted, they send a text (it took all of 15 minutes form him), then:
I put in a Vodafone Sim Card into the phone and fired up iTunes, a couple of minutes later and the [above] message appeared.
Congrats UK residents, you’re free at last!
(Now if only Rogers Canada would find a pair and do likewise right…)
AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has updated links within iTunes to redirect the user to a browser-based preview page called “iTunes Preview“. So now you can send a link for a certain album to a friend and they can view it regardless of whether or not their computer has iTunes installed. Previously a link would recognize iTunes was missing and require that iTunes be installed.
These iTunes preview links can be found in the iTunes “Copy Link” feature. From there you can browse customer reviews, albums, artists, and tracks directly from the web. The only thing missing is the App Store, perhaps that is something Apple is currently working on.
So for those of you who hate opening iTunes to view a link or simply don’t have it installed, Apple has just given you one more option.
Add Vimeo to the list of YouTube, Ustream, and Stickam — sites and services making H.264 versions of their content available for iPhone and other mobile platforms either via the web or via apps.
We won’t beat that drum too loudly right now, but H.264, and the new video tags in standards-based HTML5 are where we truly hope the web is headed. No reason a service that prides itself on quality shouldn’t get there first.
It’s only staff picks for now, but we hope they keep going and get the whole catalog done. There’s nothing we’d like better than to be able to embed Vimeo on this site without readers — justifiably — complaining that it’s not iPhone compatible.
It looks like not only is Apple’s iPhone profit share soaring, but its market share has shot up to 17.1% (up 4.2% for the year) as well — if you believe Gartner. That still places Apple behind Nokia with a still-dominant 39.3% (down 3%) and BlackBerry maker RIM at 20.8% (up 4.9%), but well ahead of the next biggest group “others” (which must include Palm?) at 13.1% (down 7.8%).
Smartphones in general remained strong, growing 12.8% compared to a dismal 0.1% growth for the mobile phone market in general.
Gartner has previously predicted that Android will overtake the iPhone by 2012, however, so we’re fairly certain Apple’s focus on margins won’t be changing just yet…
Ho-ho-hold on a minute, Verizon — AT&T’s not finding much to laugh about in those new anti-AT&T iPhone “map for that” commercials that show a teensy, tiny blue GSM/HSPA 3G footprint compared the ginormous country painted CDMA/EVDO red. In fact, AT&T is amending their original lawsuit to include those new misfit toys, Santa’s workshop, and blue Christmas ads.
“Contrary to the image presented in the Verizon ads, our wireless network is pervasive,” said an AT&T spokesman. “It covers over 300 million people, or 97 percent of the U.S. population. Our fastest, or 3G, network covers approximately 233 million people, or 75 percent of the U.S. population….[Verizon's] use of white space is misleading.”
In other words, AT&T is saying Verizon’s 3G coverage of mountains and lakes is impressive for the fish and eagles, but they think they have the humans and their “cities” covered just fine, thanks. (Though, again, NYC and SF might disagree…)
Digital Daily has the whole, amended, complaint for your reading pleasure. Let us know your take.
Much has been said about Verizon’s latest addition to their smarthphone arsenal, the Motorola Droid, some good and some bad. I decided to pick one up and decide for myself. It’s been a little less than a week that I’ve spent with my Droid and I must say, I’ve actually come away quite impressed. Now by no means am I saying the Droid is the best looking device on the market, nor is it the perfect smartphone — that simply does not exist. But what we have here is a very solid effort by Motorola. Sure Apple is at the top of the game in regards to UI, ease of use, speed, etc… but they have to play some major catch up with the release of their next iPhone — namely on display, notifications, and multitasking.
