iPhone SDK
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iPad won't handle GSM voice calls -- or will it?
Like the camera references, this could just be another case of vestigial SDK weirdness -- but for whatever reason, devs have noticed (and we've been able to reproduce) a "Touch to return to call" bar in the iPad emulator just like you'd expect to find on an iPhone during a traditional GSM call. It certainly seems like Steve would've bothered to mention during today's festivities if you could do something crazy like pair up a Bluetooth headset and go to town (and you'd need a voice plan on top of that $29.99 data anyway), so who knows: either Apple's just made every UI element as adaptable as possible regardless of whether it's applicable to a particular device, they're planning a higher-res iPhone down the road, or they're integrating the bar into some VoIP action. Or... you know, none of the above. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple lifts VoIP over cellular restrictions in new iPhone SDK
Great news for the VoIP world: iCall, the maker of the iCall VoIP iPhone app that can catch a GSM call and flip it over to WiFi, has issued a press release saying that the new iPhone SDK allows for VoIP over 3G cellular connections. Previously such calls had to be made over WiFi, since AT&T's network (or someone well acquainted with AT&T's network) didn't think it was man enough to take the VoIP traffic. Interestingly, iCall says its 3G-friendly VoIP app is available now, and is the first and only such app in the App Store -- which seems like some pretty quick turnaround on everyone's part, but apparently the 3G restriction wasn't anything to do with the software itself, but instead a server-side block. We just tested this out and it totally works, and while we'll be looking for more verification that the ban has indeed been lifted, it sounds like it's time for some cheaply connected international parties in the streets.
iPhone SDK calls out nonexistent iPad cam, confirms split views and popovers are iPad-specific
iPhone owners holding out hope that OS 3.2 would bring some of these fancy new iPad spoils to their devices might be in for a disappointment, because two of the big ones -- split view and popovers -- are both referred to in Apple's updated human interface guidelines as "iPad-only." Realistically, this shouldn't come as a surprise; both of these UI elements were built to shine on larger displays, and it's hard to say how you could make either one of them work on HVGA -- but it's important for devs to note that heavily investing in these are definitely going to make it difficult to make their apps compatible across all iPhone OS-powered devices. Considering that iPhones will almost certainly continue to dominate iPads for sales volume, we know how we'd be developing. In other news, running the updated iPhone simulator in iPad mode gives you the option to take photos, which doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense considering that it doesn't have a camera. There are plenty of plausible explanations for the muck-up, but our guess is that Apple's left the vestigial capability on-board since the framework's already in place for the iPhone and there could very well be iPads down the road that have a cam (or two). Follow the break for a shot of the iPad's Address Book imploring you to take a photo -- and savor it, since it's probably the closest you'll actually get to snapping a shot on the device any time soon. [Thanks, iPhone Dev and Eric]
iPad can run all iPhone apps unmodified, new iPhone SDK out today lets developers tweak apps for iPad use
It looks like a "big iPhone," and apparently it acts like one too: the iPad can run traditional iPhone apps completely unmodified, and can even zoom them up to full screen. Additionally, a new iPhone SDK is out today to allow developers to tweak their apps for the specifics of the iPad. Of course, Apple has rebuilt its apps from the ground up for the iPad, and developers can do the same with the SDK. Check out our hands-on with the iPad here. %Gallery-84031%
iPhone devsugar: Working with tablet resolutions
Rumors are hitting the ground hard and strong about exactly what to expect in the upcoming (yeah, yeah, possibly mythical) Apple tablet device. And the most important of those rumors, the fact most consistently cited, is the introduction of extra pixels. You might roll your eyes and say, "of course a tablet means more pixels," but what exactly does that extra resolution mean to you as a developer? After all, we don't know what the pixel count will be or whether the (possibly mythical) tablet will offer widget-mode applications using the current iPhone resolution size or full-screen options. So let's look at some of the challenges having extra screen space might offer up developers.
Found Footage: Sudoku Grab goes Augmented Reality
When it comes to the iPhone, Augmented Reality refers to applications that integrate live camera feeds with data generated either directly from those camera images or from related data linked to the user's real world location. Over the past year, we've seen a number of augmented reality applications appear on App Store and in the Cydia store, offering a way to connect real world visuals with enhanced data presentations. On the recent Augmented Reality front, Sudoku Grab [iTunes Link] developer Chris Greening has been inspired by Apple's recent decision to allow calls to UIGetScreenImage(), the computer function that allows iPhone developers to copy an image directly from the iPhone screen. By relenting on this issue, Apple has allowed programmers to pull live data from the iPhone camera, and process that data in real time. That opens the door to immediate image processing and visual presentation of data on top of that image stream. The above video demonstrates this ability by scanning for Sudoku boards. When it detects one, the numbers in question turn green. So how useful in general is this new SDK feature? Chris says, "It's a bit horrible to do anything really useful, you haven't got a direct feed from the camera so you have to do a bit of jiggery pokery if you want to draw on top of the camera preview and still have something usable." As you can tell from the video, his "jiggery pokery" is pretty well done. His real time scanning and enhancement of raw image data allows his detection routine to work with the camera's live feed to acquire new Sudoku boards. It's still early days on the augmented reality front. Greening's work represents just the start of where this technology can go. With faster processors and better screen access routines (UIGetScreenImage is a very slow call compared to the iPhone's non-public CoreSurface routines), real world integration is just going to get better and better.
iPhone devsugar: Improved Network Reachability routines
Apple makes it clear: when applications rely on network connectivity, they must always test for a valid connection and report those results to the user. If the app cannot reach the Internet, the user needs to know. App Store reviewers regularly reject applications that do not test, and when a connection is not found, report that the network cannot be accessed. Developers need to integrate this process into their apps. If your app connects to a server, for example, it must test the current iPhone configuration and report to the user whenever the network cannot be reached. Apple provides sample code to help with this. iPhone developer Andrew Donoho was not particularly impressed by Apple's sample reachability code. So he decided to do something about it. He has created an open source, BSD-licensed update, which he posted on his website. His updated reachability utilities fix a few Apple misspellings and tunes up the code, allowing you to revert to the original implementation via compiler flags. You can easily download his update and integrate it into your iPhone applications. His write-up describes the testing process and offers an implementation process for successive network tests. You build your decision tree and user feedback off the results of each test. Donoho has provided this code to allow others to build off his work without having to re-invent the entire process from Apple's original source. If you're interested in a slightly different take on reachability, you might also want to take a peek at my UIDevice Extension category, which provides a number of other approaches to Reachability checks. Among other features, the category includes a WiFi check and hooks that allow you to change reachability status from within your application. As noted in the code, these Airplane Mode hooks are for testing only and not App Store safe.
Windows 95 on iPhone: the worst Parallels installation you've ever seen
Give a guy an iPhone, a jailbreak, and an open-source, cross-platform x86 emulator, and it's just a matter of time before hilarity ensues. In this case, said hilarity involves getting Windows 95 to boot on an iPhone 3G, a process that takes 5-10 minutes worth of pure boot time only to yield an environment useless for... well, actual use. In the video, we see the hack demonstrated both on an actual iPhone and within the Mac-based emulator, which we reckon is just about the most terrifying Parallels / VMware replacement we've ever encountered. Apparently, XP emulation and 3GS tests are up next -- the 3GS should perform marginally better on account of its faster core and more capacious RAM -- but that still won't cure the sting of being handily beaten to the milestone by the N95, will it? Follow the break for video of the mind-twisting Microsoft-on-Apple-on-Apple emulation in action.[Via Gizmodo and Good iPhone]
Beta 4 of iPhone SDK 3 is out
Just a quick heads-up on the flood of tips in our inbox this morning: Beta 4 of the iPhone 3.0 SDK is available now, along with a preliminary build of iTunes 8.2. New features noted by readers include support for additional over-the-air PIM synchronization sources (including Google and Yahoo in iTunes, per Joachim), copy and paste in Calculator, continued tethering support, and a basic UI for managing an iTunes store account. Update: reports coming in that Notes syncing requires Mac OS X 10.5.7, yet another broad hint that the OS revision is due momentarily.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Cydia developer planning independent iPhone App Store, others planning jailbreak service, adult app store
Looks like the jailbroken iPhone app scene is about to get seriously interesting -- not only is Cydia is going from package repository to full-fledged app store, a new jailbreaking service called Rock Your Phone is set to launch, and there's a planned adults-only app store. Details are light on the others, but the Cydia Store will offer developers a distribution alternative to Apple's official App Store unencumbered by that pesky SDK agreement and approval process -- are you ready for commercial fart apps with direct hardware access? Of course, users will have to jailbreak their phones for the Cydia Store or any of its wares to run, and that's slightly controversial at the moment, given Apple's opposition to the EFF's proposal to exempt jailbreaking from the DMCA. It's up in the air how the legal situation will play out, but honestly, we can't say we're surprised that devs locked out of Apple's store are finding ways to compete -- the iPhone app market is entirely too lucrative to ignore. We'll see how Apple responds when the Cydia Store and these others go live; we can't help but feel the winning move would be to relax the SDK restrictions and get all these devs playing on the same team.[Via iLounge]
Lights Off returns to the iPhone
Hey, remember Lights Off? We first posted about it in the relative Stone Age of iPhone development, when the only SDK we had was writing web pages and when you had to actually jailbreak your iPhone to do anything cool with it. Nowadays, of course, we live in storied times, and so Lights Off has returned, this time on the App Store as a $1.99 app. It does look a little different, but the new version has been redone from scratch, and has added in some sound effects (even though you can't hear them in the video above). If you liked the game then, you'll probably like it now, too.And yes, we have now come full circle -- developers have recreated, with Apple's official SDK, a program that was originally created without an official SDK, so people who jailbroke their iPhone back then to play the game can now do so without jailbreaking their iPhone. Got all that? We know -- it hurts our head, too.
Secret iPhone video-out features hacked, used for video games
Hey, just because using secret undocumented iPhone SDK calls might get you booted from the App Store doesn't mean it's not a good time -- Ars Technica commissioned Freeverse to mod its Moto Chaser game to use the hidden video-out features in iPhone 2.2, and we have to say the results turned out pretty decent. It's not perfect -- it looks like it only works in landscape mode, and rendering to TV resolutions strains the processor and slows framerates down on all but the faster 2G iPod touch -- but it works, and it's a taste of where iPhone app development could go if Apple ever opens up the gates. Or you could just be Google and do whatever you want, we suppose. Video after the break.
Apple drops iPhone NDA
Apple's insistence on locking down iPhone developers with a restrictive NDA has been controversial from the start, and it looks like the company's seen the light -- it's just posted up a tersely-worded letter saying that the NDA is being dropped. It's a strange little note, actually -- the first paragraph comes off as a little defensive and whiny, if you ask us -- but we're not going to complain about anything that makes developing apps easier and faster for devs. Now let's work on not capriciously rejecting and deleting apps from the App Store, and maybe we can go back to focusing on the iPhone platform's actual merits instead of all these paperwork shenanigans -- we've got some suggestions if you're having a hard time figuring this out on your own.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone 2.1 SDK Disappointments
Something is rotten in the state of Cupertino. Mr. Jobs, TEAR DOWN THIS NDA. If the new iPhone 2.1 beta firmware is anything, it's a perfect excuse to say: "I told you so." It explains why the NDA failed to disappear on schedule. Apple kept its promise -- "Ve shall delivah the 2.0 iPhone und SDK on Yuly 11th" -- while working around the fact that that SDK was half baked at best. It was certainly not ready for prime time. The NDA simply expands the beta period. It offers cover to Apple, as they scramble to finish developing ready-to-ship software. In retrospect, there really was no need for the NDA in the first place, nor this second new 2.1 NDA that just debuted. Anyone, including Apple's competitors -- even the really evil "big brother" ones -- can sign up and download the SDK for free. Apple isn't exactly keeping things hush hush on the down low. All the NDA does right now is keep developers from talking to each other and blogs, magazines and book authors from publishing how-to articles. Said articles, etc., could actually help Apple reduce its tech support overhead. It would certainly help solidify the brand and allow third parties to make better, stronger App Store entries. It made no sense then. It makes no sense now. But that's not where the grumbling ends. Our TUAW tipsters have been busy. They tell us that Apple is busy rejecting Applications from the App Store for grammar mistakes in onboard help files (not a joke) and for not presenting the user with the best playability options (also not a joke). Many of these frustrated developers tell us that some of their products have been waiting for review for four weeks and up and that their updates are getting caught in the gears. One wrote that his apps are getting poor reviews while fixes can't see the light of day. And if the TUAW tipsters' tips are true (thanks TUAW tipsters), the new SDK throws a further wrench into the gears. 2.0 SDK Applications will not be immediately compatible with version 2.1 (although that could change between beta and release). Other tremendously terrific tipsters tell us that the newest beta program isn't fully open. Apparently only a subset of iPhone SDK development members have been granted access. That once again puts some developers at a tremendous financial disadvantage. All in all, the buzz in developer circles is not happy. While some look forward to their first August paychecks from App Store, others remain waiting and frustrated in the wings. As always, please continue to use our tip line if you have anything you want to add anonymously to the discussion. Otherwise, feel free to opine in our comments.
iPhone Dev Camp 2
If you lost out on the chance to attend WWDC 2008 and your development focus is the iPhone, you're in luck. iPhoneDevCamp 2 is scheduled for August 1 - 3, 2008 at the Adobe offices in San Francisco. A follow-up to the first iPhoneDevCamp held in early July of 2007, iPhoneDevCamp 2 is a non-profit event dedicated solely to development of applications for iPhone and iPod Touch using the native SDK and web standards.As an attendee, you'll work with other developers to create new iPhone/iPod Touch apps, learn how to migrate Mac apps to the Apple handheld platform, and find out how to test and optimize your apps. If you're a Cocoa Touch developer, web developer, UI designer, or tester, this is the place to be the first weekend of August. The registration links aren't yet up and running, but be sure to bookmark the iPhoneDevCamp 2 site for future reference. A big TUAW thank you to Raven for the tip!
Flash coming to the iPhone, if Adobe has anything to say about it
The rumors are apparently true, after a fashion -- despite reports of Jobs' opposition to the idea, Adobe has told the Wall Street Journal that after reviewing the iPhone's SDK, their CEO says they can bring Flash to the device all by themselves. It'll be super interesting to see if Adobe tries to make an end run around Apple to get their platform on the iPhone via the SDK, or if Apple cooperates to let them do it (Flash, for all of its foibles, is definitely a big part of the current internet).But at this point it seems like Adobe is dead set on getting Flash on the iPhone whether Apple consents or not. We'll watch this one as it develops obviously -- by the time the rest of the SDK-driven apps come around in June, browsing Flash sites might be the last thing on everyone's minds.[Via Engadget]
iPhone guns for PSP and DS market share as Gameloft commits, Id too
While Apple continues to market the iPhone as a 3-in-1 device -- web, phone, and iPod -- it's clear that Jobs has a 4th market clearly in his sights. It's no accident that EA and Sega were both selected to demonstrate their skills with the iPhone SDK during last week's press event. Now Gameloft, the worldwide number one mobile game publisher in terms of revenues -- has committed to developing games for the iPhone. "Over 15 titles" are expected in 2008, in fact. Oh iPhone, is there anything you can't do with your 3D processor, multi-touch display, and 3-axis accelerometer? Oh right, GPS, 3G data, corporate Exchange, A2DP Bluetooth audio, MMS, ... you get the idea. Update: John Carmack -- co-founder of Id Software -- just commented that, "We (Id) have put in our application like everybody else." So yeah, it'll play Doom... officially this time.
Talkcast reminder, 10 pm ET tonight
If you haven't checked out last week's show yet, by all means grab a copy. We were joined by Craig Hockenberry and Gedeon Maheux from Iconfactory, who gave us the lowdown on the history of the company, the origins of Twitterrific, the coevolution of Twitter with the now-dominant Mac client, and the promise of the upcoming iPhone development explosion. Download direct, listen in your browser or subscribe to the TalkShoe feed in iTunes. Speaking of iPhone... We are live tonight (Sunday 3/9) for this week's talkcast, 10 pm ET, talking about iPhone for enterprise and the SDK -- featuring a taped segment with Erica Sadun and Apollo IM developer Alex Schaefer, who couldn't make the regular Sunday night show but felt they had to say something after 72+ hours deep in the SDK.Join me, Scott, Dave and Mike Schramm tonight for the social. Bring your own ice cream!
New icons for iTunes and Calculator on the iPhone 2.0
We did catch this during our liveblog of the SDK talk on Thursday, but just in case you hadn't seen them yet, it seems both the iTunes WiFi store and the calculator will be getting new icons in the iPhone's 2.0 patch. Of course, the App Store will apparently have its own icon as well, and we would assume, at this point, that each app will be able to take its own place on the home screen.But while the Calculator icon change is kind of a strange one (does this mean the Calc buttons will also be square?), the iTunes change definitely makes sense. That will be the place to download music, while the App Store will be the place to download everything else.
First fruits of the iPhone SDK: ToDo App
%Gallery-17938%Sometime yesterday afternoon, as soon as her download finished, our friend and colleague turned up her iTunes, closed her office door and tore into the iPhone SDK with all the excitement of a kitten attacking a new skein of yarn. 24 hours, not much sleep and a diet of flat food later, she emerges with her quarry: a shiny new application for iPhone and iPod touch, ToDo App.This marathon initial effort provides basic todo list features -- adding, listing and deleting. Here's the catch: for now, the only place you can run it is inside the Aspen simulator in Xcode; as soon as Apple starts delivering signing keys to registered and paid developers, those will allow the app to be loaded and tested on physical phones.In addition to the coding frenzy, Erica found the time to revise her iPhone frameworks documentation and header notes to version 1.2, which reflects the SDK edition. After a long sojourn in the wildnerness of the community toolchain, the iPhone devs can see what appears to be the promised land. Here's to the crazy ones.
