IphoneSdk
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iPhone firmware 1.1.3 icon rearrangement on video?
Just yesterday we saw some pics of what was being touted as an iPhone running the as-yet-unannounced 1.1.3 firmware version, and now we've got word of some video proof from a pretty reliable source. Nate True, all-around modder and creator of the Walluminate light-up wallet, has a short vid up on his cre.ations.net site that claims to depict that handy home page icon rearrangement feature -- you know, the one that suggests an SDK to make use of all the new slots. Go on, check out the short clip after the break.[Thanks, Marcus S.]
iPhone SDK already seeding to select devs?
It's not anything more than a rumor right now, but reports are floating around claiming that "select developers" are already receiving prerelease versions of the upcoming iPhone SDK. The kit is said to already be producing native apps, and development is being compared to other sandboxed APIs like Google's OpenSocial -- apps have "clear limits" on what they can do, and interactions with the OS are mediated, presumably to avoid any security or performance issues. That jives with what Steve-O said about managing access, but again -- this is all just a steamy cloud of vaporous nothing till that first app shows up in iTunes.[Via Mac Rumors]
What iPhone apps do you want to see?
Well, now that you've all had a bit time to consider that little bombshell, we'd thought we'd give you a chance to have you say about what third party apps you'd like to see for the newly SDK-friendly iPhone (and iPod touch). Our wishlist has, of course, been growing since day one, but we'd be particularly keen to see some IM apps, push-style email, a Sling client, or even some Jam Sessions-style music creation apps, among a multitude of other possibilities. But enough about us, hit up the comments to make yourself known.
Use your iPhone as an XBMC remote
I have to say, as much as everyone whined about the lack of an iPhone SDK, I am nothing but impressed at how far people are bending over backwards to provide functionality to the iPhone. Yes it makes you wonder how much we could do if there was an SDK, but on the other hand, developers are really showing us just how much can be done with just a browser.Take, for example, the Xbox Media Center iPhone Remote. If you're still using your old Xbox as a media center, Tom Robinson has devised a setup that will let you actually log in to your Xbox from your iPhone, essentially using the iPhone as a very expensive (but very functional) remote control. Basically, you FTP the code onto your Xbox (or just install it over the web), and then login to the Xbox's IP from MobileSafari, and you can use it to browse media, view information on playing media, and even use transport and audio controls. Wild.My only question is how secure this is-- without having used it, it seems like all you need to get full access to the Xbox is the IP address. There may be something in the code that confines access to a local network, but if you can install this script from the web, it seems like you could also log in to control an Xbox from afar after it's been installed. At any rate, it's a really interesting idea, and just another example of how creative people are getting in developing functionality on the iPhone.Thanks, Dave!
Google creates iPhone-specific demo to show off API [Updated]
Google, says Scoble, has created a brand new just-for-iPhone demo page for their search engine-- yes, apparently they're still doing search. I used it within my browser (using my standard search engine test word: "Batman"), and it seemed to work just fine. It's all Javascript, as well, so it's fast and simple. The one drawback is that you can't actually go back after you've done a search (since it all loads in the same window), but it's Google, so odds are you'll find what you're looking for right away.But the problem with this goes right back to what Scott was talking about the other day-- we aren't supposed to be getting half the web on the iPhone, we're supposed to be getting the real web. In this case, there's not much to complain about-- this really is Google, minus the extra content and the ads. However, the links actually go to regular browser windows (not iPhone formatted sites), and if you hit "More Results" at the bottom of the page, it takes you to a normal, full-screen Google page anyway. So what's the point? Yes, this is just a demo, but why bother making an iPhone specific page in the first place? iPhone users should be able to browse to the Google homepage like everyone else.Thanks, Josh!Update: This page is not quite what it seems-- it's not actually an iPhone version of Google. A Google spokesperson contacted us to say that it's actually a Google demo for how web developers can use the Google AJAX search API in their iPhone apps. That explains why it's not much more than the main Google page, and why it has no ads. It's not designed to replace the Google main page (although, as a side bonus, that's a pretty good one). Instead, it was created by the Google API devs to show off how the AJAX search API can be used to make apps for the iPhone.
NYTimes: iPhone SDK at WWDC?
Uncle Steve hinted last week that 3rd party software development would be coming on the iPhone sometime in the future. Gruber wondered aloud over at Daring Fireball just where the iPhone SDK might be that would make this possible. Well according to the New York Times, something is coming at WWDC. An anonymous source "briefed on Apple's plans" said that at WWDC, "Apple intends to announce that it will make it possible for developers of small programs written for the Macintosh to easily convert them to run on the iPhone."Hmm... "small programs"? That sounds a lot like widgets to me. The obvious question is just how limiting that will be. After all some dashboard widgets out now already tie into the Mac pretty deeply. So even if 3rd party devs are limited to widgets it's still likely that quite a lot will be possible. If we're lucky "small" may just refer to the binary size, and full cocoa apps will be allowed as well.
