In a sign that Apple is perhaps distancing itself from Google, the Cupertino company has bought a mapping startup. In July, Apple bought the Los Angeles mapping startup Placebase, Seth Wientraub reports at Computerworld. Placebase offered a sophisticated mapping application and API called Pushpin, which can create rich, detailed maps from all kinds of public and private data

Continue reading...

Entrepreneur Peter Collingridge, founder of Enhanced Editions, an experimental ebook publisher that’s just put out Nick Cave’s The Death of Bunny Munro as an iPhone app, thinks it unlikely Apple is trying to “redefine publishing” as recent reports have suggested. “Whilst I’d love it if Apple were looking at doing exactly this, I find it unlikely,”

Continue reading...

The latest release into the already crowded market of iPod/iPhone holders is the StandHear Travel Stand & Headphone Splitter from Agent 18. The compact, fold-out case allows you to support your iPod/iPhone at four different viewing angles, leaving your hands free to do whatever they might need to be doing whilst watching your favorite movie or

Continue reading...

Dropbox users rejoice! On Tuesday, Dropbox finally got their iPhone app approved by Apple after being in limbo for over seven weeks. The app is available for free in the App Store [link]. If you’re not familiar with Dropbox, it’s an in-the-cloud file storage service, which creates a syncable folder on multiple computers of your choice. When you launch the app you can sign in or create a free account if you have never used the service before (account creation is easy.) There are several sizes of storage to choose from – a free account with 2GB, $9.99/mo for 50GB, and $19.99/mo for 100GB. The app lets view all of your Dropbox files, as well as mark "Favorites," which will download a local copy to be stored on the device [within the app] rather than in the "cloud". This is so you can have those important files with you even if there is no data connection available. Even if you make changes to that specific Favorite file from a computer, you can download any new changes and keep it in the Favorites. There is no way to edit files unfortunately, but viewing any file is a pleasure in the app

Continue reading...

Section: iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Reviews The iPhone couldn’t be a true gaming device without a selection of sports-related games to have a look at. Luckily of course, the iPhone and iPod touch are both great when it comes to gaming, and the sports titles that feature on the App Store gladly do not disappoint. International Athletics Category: Sports Sim Seller: Ghostlight LTD Requirements: iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch File Size: 50.1MB Version Reviewed: 1.1 Price: $2.99 Age Rating: 4+ International Athletics is a very well thought out game for the iPhone. The 11 most popular track and field events feature in the game, from the 100m sprint to the javelin throw. You can compete either in individual events, in a tournament, or in your very own decathlon. Each event is highly detailed, with graphics resembling something similar to PlayStation 1 titles. Certainly for the iPhone and iPod touch, the detail looks great and the animation is fluid. The characters displayed in each event fit very closely to those in real life—following a replay of the 110m hurdles, the control of each character is very realistic and each individual. The artificial intelligence used throughout International Athletics is of a consistent high level. The graphics for International Athletics are really very nice. Sure, they’re not high definition, but for portable gaming, there’s no issues with them. The game allows you to create your own avatars with a lot of space for customization, and you have a choice of five venues in which to play. While parts of the stadiums appear to be drawn in 2D, where it matters, the characters, equipment and surrounding areas are all 3D, making you feel more involved in the game. The controls are themselves quite intuitive. Using two fingers, you can create a running motion, using other areas of the screen to either jump a hurdle or gain power for a hammer throw

Continue reading...

Section: iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Reviews The iPhone couldn’t be a true gaming device without a selection of sports-related games to have a look at. Luckily of course, the iPhone and iPod touch are both great when it comes to gaming, and the sports titles that feature on the App Store gladly do not disappoint. International Athletics Category: Sports Sim Seller: Ghostlight LTD Requirements: iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later Compatibility: iPhone and iPod touch File Size: 50.1MB Version Reviewed: 1.1 Price: $2.99 Age Rating: 4+ International Athletics is a very well thought out game for the iPhone. The 11 most popular track and field events feature in the game, from the 100m sprint to the javelin throw. You can compete either in individual events, in a tournament, or in your very own decathlon. Each event is highly detailed, with graphics resembling something similar to PlayStation 1 titles. Certainly for the iPhone and iPod touch, the detail looks great and the animation is fluid. The characters displayed in each event fit very closely to those in real life—following a replay of the 110m hurdles, the control of each character is very realistic and each individual. The artificial intelligence used throughout International Athletics is of a consistent high level. The graphics for International Athletics are really very nice. Sure, they’re not high definition, but for portable gaming, there’s no issues with them

Continue reading...

Fatigued of tablet rumors yet? Some of us are. Then something comes along that really jazzes us up. At first these whispers started out rather vague, with conflicting sizes and hardware specs, but as the year closes out specifics are starting to coalesce. Is it a secret too big to keep or is it the bandwagon of rumor-mongering? Only time will tell. While we wait, let’s follow along. Image Source: Gizmodo To start with, according to a source with a track record for reliability, iLounge is reporting that the 7" screen is out and the 10.7" version is in. This confirms what others have been reporting for the last month or so and corresponds to Apple’s past history of making multiple iterations of a product during development, deselecting versions with time and testing. The idea that the tablet might be a large scale iPod touch is also bolstered by this source who claims that the machines will run a modified iPhone OS, will appear in 3G and non-3G models, and will resemble the iPhone in design details even down to the curved back. Where the rumors from iLounge get interesting is when the source claims the tablet is NOT designed to compete with netbooks, but is instead a " a slate-like replacement for books and magazines." Add this to sources at Gizmodo and an idea is beginning to coalesce as to what this machine is envisioned to be. According to Brian Lam , two people " related to the NY Times" have spoken to him about contacts between Apple and the news org for delivery of their print and media content through iTunes

Continue reading...

Fatigued of tablet rumors yet? Some of us are. Then something comes along that really jazzes us up. At first these whispers started out rather vague, with conflicting sizes and hardware specs, but as the year closes out specifics are starting to coalesce. Is it a secret too big to keep or is it the bandwagon of rumor-mongering? Only time will tell. While we wait, let’s follow along. Image Source: Gizmodo To start with, according to a source with a track record for reliability, iLounge is reporting that the 7" screen is out and the 10.7" version is in.

Continue reading...

Section: Software + Apps , Miscellaneous , Third-Party , iPod + iTunes , iPod touch , iPhone , iPhone , iPhone SDK & Apps , Mac + Computers , Software Macintosh and iPhone/iPod updates and announcements for September 30, 2009: Macintosh Ohanaware has announced HDRtist 1.0 , their new HDR photography software for Mac OS X. HDRtist is a user-friendly HDR processor and tone mapper for the Macintosh platform. Its workflow has been designed to be effortless in operation, and to provide visually pleasing results. To celebrate the launch of HDRtist, Ohanaware is offering 20% off its Mac OS X photo editing software Funtastic Photos. Kenaxis Creative has announced the release of Kenaxis 3.1 , the latest update to their real-time audio performance software.  Version 3.1 adds OSC compatibility and a FFT Phase Vocoder, allowing Kenaxis users greater flexibility in both interactivity and sonic output. Equally useful for performing and composing, Kenaxis is currently used by musicians worldwide for practices as diverse as electroacoustic works, noise, ambient, glitch, soundscapes, live looping, film scores, theatre and DJing. iPresentee has released Keynote Themes 6.0 and free Keynote theme to be used with Apple’s presentation software. Keynote Themes 6.0 includes ten new great themes: Ornamental Map, Rest, Green Town, Presentation, Futuristic, Dark Way, Blue World, Globe, Puzzle and Green Bunch. The new Keynote Themes collection offers a variety of presentation styles with coordinated fonts, colors, great backgrounds, unique bullets and picture frames. Ambrosia Software, Inc. has announced the release of EasyEnvelopes 1.0.8 .

Continue reading...

According to Ad Mob’s mobile metrics , Apple’s iPhone OS has finally overtaken the Symbian OS as the most used mobile web traffic operating system. The combined Apple share has jumped from 33% earlier this year, to 40% in August. Symbian, however, has almost nearly traded positions with Apple, falling from 43% from earlier this year, to 34% in August. The Blackberry OS, Windows Mobile, and Palm OS also fell. Blackberry went from 10% to 8%. Windows mobile fell from 7% to 4%, and the now-discontinued Palm OS went from 3% to a measly 1%. The only Mobile OSs that gained share besides the iPhone OS were fairly new systems like Android and Palm’s webOS, which went to 7 and 4 percent respectively. As always, Apple still has its largest advantage in North America and Western Europe. Surprisingly, the iPhone also dominates the mobile traffic in the South Pacific with an amazing 79%.  

Continue reading...