Apple’s App Store Approval Process is often too arbitrary or subjective by half, but no matter how you feel about the latest app rejection to storm the newsfeeds, at least their rationale makes sense: QuackPhone, an app developed by Nick Bonatsakis of Atlantia Software, was rejected for “containing minimal user functionality.” In other words, the

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Apple rejects QuackPhone app for “minimal user functionality”

(Image courtesy of TechCrunch) If you’re a puritan disturbed by the recent avalanche of partially-naked women (and men!) parading around half-dressed in the App Store these days, Apple may have just healed thyself. The blogosphere is brimming with news that Apple has made yet another new change to the App Store — and it may not be a welcome one for those with an appetite for sexy, according to TechCrunch . The latest brouhaha comes by way of a now-removed app called Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored) from developer Jon Atherton, who received the following missive from Apple: The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored), contains content that we had originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and have changed our guidelines appropriately. We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. If you believe you can make the necessary changes so that Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored) complies with our recent changes, we encourage you to do so and resubmit for review. Sincerely, iPhone App Review While it’s always been Apple’s policy to reject anything with nudity, a number of creative developers have been filling up the App Store in recent months with a host of apps featuring scantily-clad models of both sexes. But the good times may be at an end, as it’s not only Wobble iBoobs that appears to have gotten the axe — TechCrunch tried downloading apps like Exotic Positions and Sexy Women and found that both came back with errors and nothing to download. Perhaps the purists have come knocking on Apple’s door at long last, although most of the so-called “sexy” apps in the App Store are less titillating than what’s featured on network television.

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Sinner, Be Gone: Apple Asks Smut To Pack Its App Store Bags

With the advent of Windows Phone Series 7 , the highly competitive smartphone market looks to become hyper-competitive in 2010. While more choice is always good for consumers, for developers seeking a return on the investment of time and effort the right platform choice is crucial. Windows Phone Series 7 remains largely an enigma for developers until the MIX conference next month. There will be a “marketplace” hub, but Series 7 will apparently not be compatible with Windows Mobile programs. Highly restricted multi-tasking appears similar to that in iPhone OS, and multi-touch will be required in Series 7, which is scheduled for release late this year. But that’s then, and this is now. Colin Gibbs has prepared a report (subscription required) for GigaOm Pro on the seven leading mobile platforms to advise developers on which platforms are the right and wrong ones. The seven platforms covered are Android, BlackBerry, Maemo (now MeeGo), iPhone, Symbian, webOS, and Windows Mobile. Not surprisingly, the most vibrant platform at the moment is iPhone OS, with more than 75 million devices sold and a highly successful App Store. However, there are trade-offs for developers, most notably the closed nature of the App Store and an approval process that can be seemingly mercurial at times. Interestingly, it seems that the 70/30 revenue split at the App Store has become almost universal among platforms, with only RIM offering BlackBerry developers 80 percent of revenue. It should also be noted that Nokia’s Ovi Store takes carrier allowances for bandwidth out of the developer’s pocket. Potential unknowns are also explored, such as aggregators like Verizon, which will subsume content from multiple platforms into its own store. At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, an alliance of carriers and handset makers have also vowed to create an open technology platform that all mobile consumers could shop at

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A Developer’s Guide to Mobile Platforms

With the advent of Windows Phone Series 7 , the highly competitive smartphone market looks to become hyper-competitive in 2010. While more choice is always good for consumers, for developers seeking a return on the investment of time and effort the right platform choice is crucial. Windows Phone Series 7 remains largely an enigma for developers until the MIX conference next month. There will be a “marketplace” hub, but Series 7 will apparently not be compatible with Windows Mobile programs. Highly restricted multi-tasking appears similar to that in iPhone OS, and multi-touch will be required in Series 7, which is scheduled for release late this year. But that’s then, and this is now. Colin Gibbs has prepared a report (subscription required) for GigaOm Pro on the seven leading mobile platforms to advise developers on which platforms are the right and wrong ones. The seven platforms covered are Android, BlackBerry, Maemo (now MeeGo), iPhone, Symbian, webOS, and Windows Mobile. Not surprisingly, the most vibrant platform at the moment is iPhone OS, with more than 75 million devices sold and a highly successful App Store

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A Developer’s Guide to Mobile Platforms

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad , iPad , iPhone , iPod touch , iDevice Apps When Sling released their much anticipated SlingPlayer for the iPhone last year, it was an instant disappointment because AT&T refused to allow it to operate over their 3G network. A little less than two weeks ago, AT&T finally reversed their position as they announced they had worked with Sling to make adjustments to keep it from causing problems on their network. Sling submitted an updated version of their app to Apple, and today it finally cleared the Apple approval process. The new 1.2 listed “3G streaming enabled” as its only improvement. So if you have been anxiously waiting for the chance to watch your Sling box while on the road, now is the time you have been waiting for. Enjoy! Full Story » | Written by Ed McKell for Appletell . | Comment on this Article »

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3G enabled SlingPlayer hits the App Store

Section: iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Reviews Category: Lifestyle Developer: Stuff4Dudes Requirements: iPhone 3.0 software Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch File Size: 203MB Version Reviewed: 1.0 Price: $1.99 Age Rating: 17+ (frequent/intense sexual content or nudity, and frequent/intense mature/suggestive themes) “Hot chicks. Fake workouts.” Says it all, really; Yoga4Dudes: Fully Loaded isn’t so much an app as a collection of videos of attractive women doing Yoga poses in tight, revealing clothing. Taken from the video/show of the same name, Yoga4Dudes gives you 30 minutes of video, extras, and outtakes. The interface is simple enough, you choose a video to watch, and it plays directly from your hard drive, not streamed (which accounts for the app’s 202MB size). There are also model bios, wallpapers, and links to their websites. Beyond the attractiveness of the women (who are very attractive), the videos are professionally produced and well lit with good production values. If you want to get a sample of the videos, there’s a “starter” version of Yoga4Dudes available as a free download. It’s the same size as the full version; you unlock all the videos with an in-app purchase. Watching it reminded me of the old Hill’s Angels routines on The Benny Hill Show ; the production has a sense of humor about itself, making it strangely lighthearted, almost a throwback to a simpler time when the raunchiest thing on television was a show that regularly featured women in stockings and old men getting repeatedly slapped on the head. In fact, it is so relatively tame in today’s world the most surprising thing about the app is that it rated 17+ for frequent/intense sexual content or nudity, and frequent/intense mature/suggestive themes. Okay, fine, whatever, protect the children from women in bikinis, Apple. But if the Stuff4Dudes people are believed, Apple made them remove two videos from the app to be released at all . What do they feature? A man getting an erection. So, according to Apple: It’s okay to sell an app featureing women in skimply clothing while the camera lingers over their bodies so men can look at them

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Appletell reviews Yoga4Dudes: Fully Loaded for iPhone, iPod touch

The iTunes App Store approval process is infamous for its impenetrability, its arbitrariness and its Leviathan-like slowness to move. Yet Apple’s been remarkably good about improving the App Store approval process in recent months: sure, apps are rejected as arbitrarily as ever, but recent changes to iTunes Connect have made figuring out just how far

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Has the App Store turnaround process significantly improves in 2010?

Filed under: Apple , App Store One of the biggest gripes we heard from iPhone developers during 2009 was that it took forever for their apps to make it through the iTunes App Store approval process. Often apps would be disapproved for seemingly illogical reasons after a long wait in the approval queue, and TUAW heard from more than one developer that had just given up. iTunes Connect , the portal through which iPhone developers submit apps and check sales, was down between December 23 – 28, 2009. Since that time, TUAW has received a number of positive emails from iPhone devs that indicate that Apple has resolved to quit holding up apps in 2010. How fast are some apps making it through the process? Take developer Aaron Douglas’s free Migraine Diary [ iTunes Link ]; he submitted it on December 28th at 9 PM CT and received notice of the approval a 4 PM CT on the 31st of December — that’s less than three days. But that’s downright slow compared to what Yuri, a developer at Atomic Cactus , experienced: I’m a developer behind Atomic Cactus, we have 3 games currently in the app store, and they all took approximately 2-3 weeks to get approved. Today at 4:00 am I submitted for approval our latest app, which isn’t exactly a “fart app” (it’s a pretty polished puzzle game with OpenFeint).

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Apple’s New Year’s resolution? Get apps through approval faster

If you’re sick of waiting for your favorite app to endure Apple’s long, drawn out approval process, then Your App Shop is available for all the developers who need a little push in the right direction. This shop is totally legal and independant of iTunes and it does not require a hacked phone for access. Plus, the creators can do some pretty cool slight-of-hand tricks. Note: By default the video player is muted, turn up the volume before pressing play.      

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CES Video: Your App Shop – Alternative App Store for the iPhone

PocketHeat is an app that has recently been pushed to the iTunes App Store designed to keep your hands warm in the winter. For $0.99, the app will push your iPhone or iPod Touch to its maximum CPU capacity. It’s rather mystifying that this app got through the App Store approval process, since pushing your iPhone

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PocketHeat app warms your hands by pushing your iPhone’s CPU to 100%