wwdc2010
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Exclusive: mDialog Ad Developers' Toolkit for iOS 4 and iPad
If you've got video you're looking to put on the web and monetize, but you want to make sure said video is a) compatible with the iPad and iPhone and b) is nice and secure and c) is easy to deploy and can run ads based on a variety of criteria, then mDialog has a way. In fact, the company's Ad Developer's Toolkit is a complete solution for running ads and streaming video -- and running ads in the video. mDialog will put ads in streaming live video or prerecorded segments on your site, and give you stats and measurements on those videos. Plus, those videos can be seen on the iPad and iPhone. mDialog provides some snazzy tools to help you view metrics and control distribution of your videos and ads. I spoke to Greg Philpott, CEO of mDialog, about the analytics side of the equation, and you can see the video of that conversation above. Later Greg showed me how you can easily toggle ads on your video to be pre-roll, post-roll or in the body of the video itself. Greg also demoed the ability to limit your ads to a specific geographic area. You simply enable the control and click on where you'd like to target the ad. It's quite simple and cool to be able to control your ads so easily. mDialog is "Video as a Service" and is fully compatible with HTML5. They've baked-in security to protect your content (using AES-128), and you can control how your video is distributed and how ads run within it. Some of the security options: you could limit the dates available for a video, have ads run a certain number of times for a viewer (capping the number of views per person) or in certain locations only. All of this stuff is easily tracked with pie charts and maps. I have to say it's an elegant product and a compelling service for anyone wanting to get into the video biz -- especially on Apple's mobile devices.
Apple Design Awards go to popular iPhone and iPad apps
There were no Mac apps in this year's Apple Design Awards, but Apple did recognize some popular iPhone and iPad apps in this year's winners. The list is as follows: Doodle Jump Financial Times Brushes for iPhone TabToolkit for iPad Articles 20 Minute Meals Star Walk for iPad Real Racing Pinball HD Most of those are actually pretty popular (and quite a few of them have been featured by Apple before). 20 Minute Meals and TabToolkit are probably the most obscure picks of the bunch, though when you actually look at them, it's not surprising at all that they were chosen. All of these are really terrific apps, but Apple definitely didn't dig too deep to find really out-of-the-way titles. Then again, when you're choosing fewer than 10 titles out of the larger App Store, you should probably go with what works. We'll be chatting with a few of the winners this week here at TUAW -- stay tuned for interviews and updates from a few ADA winners and lots of other developers, live from San Francisco at WWDC 2010.
Join the TUAW team for a post-keynote Talkcast tonight at 10 PM EDT
If you were one of the crowd who listened to the TUAW Talkcast this past Sunday evening, you'll remember that we promised to do a post-WWDC 2010 keynote Talkcast. It was supposed to happen Monday night, but we had all collapsed after the stress of churning out streams of news for our readers all day. Now that we're tanned, rested, and ready, we'll be hosting a special edition of the Talkcast tonight at 10 PM EDT. Topics will include Safari 5 (which I'm using to post this), iOS 4, iPhone 4, and anything else that we happen to think about. To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm tonight. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Note: For those who want to listen to the show on iPads or iPhones without calling in, you can try this MP3 streaming link once the show begins -- we're not 100% sure it will work, but do let us know.
WWDC 2010: App deal roundup
We've received quite a few emails from developers who are providing you with special app pricing during WWDC 2010. Here's a roundup of some of the info we've received: Ubermind is selling Masque for US$1.99 until June 12. The app is an amazing photography tool for iPad. iOS4 devs should look into purchasing iMockups for iPad during WWDC. It's available for 30% off today (June 7), which is $6.99 instead of the usual $8.99. It's a nice mockup tool for apps. UK developer Michael Kaye couldn't make it to WWDC 2010, but he's celebrating by putting BabyBubbles on sale for $0.99, a huge discount from the usual $5.99 price. BabyBubbles is an innovative "baby logger" for new parents, and currently runs on iPhone and iPod touch. Michael says he'll keep the price at $0.99 until BabyBubbles HD appears. Developer Craig Caruso is selling his iLineup for iPad app at the special price of $0.99 this week only. The baseball / softball lineup card package usually sells for $1.99. Cameron Banga at 9Magnets let us know that their iOS device battery management tool Battery Go! will be free until Friday. The regular price is $2.99, so pick it up while you can. Click the Read More link below for more hot WWDC app deals.
Apple posts WWDC 2010 keynote stream
Apple has posted the stream of yesterday's WWDC keynote by Steve Jobs. During the keynote, Jobs unveiled iPhone 4 along with many new features of iOS 4, including the FaceTime video conferencing feature. Jobs also announced the iMovie app for iPhone and iBooks with PDF support. When Jobs was showing off the iPhone 4's new Retina display, there were some technical issues due to the number of people in the hall using mobile Wi-Fi hotspots. It was a slightly embarrassing -- and awkward -- moment for Jobs, but as you can see from the keynote stream, no editing of said moment was done, and you can replay the awkwardness in all its glory. As of the time of this writing, the keynote is not yet available in the Apple Keynotes Podcast series on iTunes, but it should be added shortly. Update: It's there now.
Steve Jobs' WWDC10 keynote video is now live on Apple's site
Yeah, we liveblogged the hell out of Steve Jobs' keynote yesterday, but there are few things more charismatic than Apple's CEO in the midst of one of his ambitious product launches. And to feel it for yourself, you've either gotta be there or you have to watch the video -- fortunately, the latter is now available for consumption right now on Apple's website. [Thanks, Dilwar]
WWDC attendees: show us your apps!
Are you at WWDC? Are you a developer? Do you have some cool apps to show off? While the conference sessions themselves can't be discussed, we're always eager to see what new things the amazing app developers out there are creating. So if you'd like to treat our readers (and viewers) to a demo of your latest app, just email us at the address below. Even if your app isn't quite ready, we'd love to get a sneak peek and talk to you. Also, if you have a business success story that's due to the App Store, we'd like to talk about that as well. Just email us at the address below!
AT&T announces no-commitment / early update pricing for iPhone 4
If you're lucky enough to qualify for one of the "early upgrades" that get you out of the usual 18-month AT&T commitment period, then you pay just $199 for 16GB of joy and $299 for the 32GB model. If your upgrade date is January 1, 2011 or after, early update pricing for the iPhone 4 will be US$399 for the 16GB model or $499 for the 32GB model. Should you want a "no-commitment" contract, meaning that there's no early termination fee for dropping the phone in less than two years, the price sneaks up another $200 to $599 for the 16GB model and $699 for the 32GB unit. You can check your upgrade options via AT&T's myWireless account administration tool, or by dialing *639# (*NEW#) from your iPhone. As with any major purchase, you should consider these pricing factors before you jump into purchasing a new iPhone. Remember, there will probably be another new model coming out in June of 2011, too.
FaceTime video conferencing coming to the iPhone
At today's WWDC keynote, a new feature of the iOS 4 operating system called FaceTime was announced and demonstrated, bringing iChat like video conferencing to the iPhone. FaceTime requires no set up or configuration and will work with either the front or back facing camera on the iPhone 4, but the front facing camera has been "tuned" for FaceTime allowing you to hold the camera at arm's length to get a perfect picture. It works in both landscape and portrait orientation, and allows anyone running iOS 4, if the hardware supports it, to seamlessly video chat with anyone also running iOS 4 on another iPhone. There will be a FaceTime button in the Contacts app and on on the Phone screen. Tapping it is all you need to do to initiate a video chat, even if you're already on a voice call. The recipient will get a message saying that a FaceTime session has been requested which can be accepted or rejected. Accept it, and you are video chatting.
WWDC 2010: Beta 5 ready for download
Happy dub-dub everyone! The smell of new technology is in the air and we are practically breathless, we tell you, with happy anticipation. Already, Apple's Developer Site has begun its updates and we are just as excited as you are for the 4.0 Golden Master candidate and all the new developer goodies. Any particular changes you're looking forward to? Let us know in the comments... Update: Beta 5 (GM Release Candidate) is ready for download
WWDC 2010: Early iPhone 4 upgrades offered by AT&T
To find out when you can upgrade without a penalty you always could dial: *NEW# on your iPhone which will generate a text message telling when you can upgrade. I just did, since I bought my iPhone 3GS the day it was released last June, that and the text message that was sent to me said that I wouldn't qualify until 2/20/2011. This made very little sense in light of the new policy, so I called up AT&T to find out if I was applicable. They didn't know, telling me that since this is brand new information, it hadn't gotten to them yet. But they made a commitment to call me before the release date on the 24th. So, if you think the text message information you get is wrong, wait a few days before you call AT&T, so they can let the information filter into their system. At this point, they know less than we do.
iPhone 4: are you getting one?
Now that the dust is beginning to settle on Steve Jobs' WWDC10 keynote, we thought we'd ask the most pertinent question of all: who's buying this new hero mobile device from Apple? We know the company's loyal fan base will not disappoint, but what about you, undecided voter? Did that 960 x 640 IPS screen make you look upon Cupertino's wares with a new level of appreciation? And let us not neglect the iPhone's detractors here -- have they been placated by the inclusion of HD video recording, video chat and a meaty new A4 processor? Tick the appropriate box below, then visit us in the comments and let us know what you thought. %Poll-47657%
WWDC 2010: Bing coming to MobileSafari search
The rumor was partly true, Bing is indeed coming to the iOS search party; however, it will not be the default option as was speculated in January. During today's WWDC 2010 keynote address, Steve Jobs announced that Bing would be alongside Google and Yahoo as available search engine choices for MobileSafari. While it may seem insignificant, mobile search is a huge market that Google is currently dominating and it appears that Apple wants to put a little competition into the mix. While he wasn't gratuitous with his praise, Steve did say that he was impressed by Microsoft's implementation of their search engine in the browser. And no matter what Steve thinks, this additional option is a huge win for the Bing team at Microsoft. And hopefully a huge win for us, too -- competition in the search race will help out consumers a lot in the long run.
iPhone 4 vs. EVO 4G... fight!
If you put your ear up to the screen, you can hear these two beasts snarling at one another. Hit up the gallery for more shots, along with some iPhone 3G for good measure. Let's see how they stack up on the big stats, shall we? iPhone 4 EVO 4G Screen 960 x 640, 3.5-inch 800 x 480, 4.3-inch Thickness 0.37-inch 0.47-inch Primary camera 5 megapixel 8 megapixel Secondary camera VGA 1.3 megapixel Video chat FaceTime Qik Not enough for you? We'll have a big comparison of all the "majors" for you shortly. Now, there's a lot left to learn about Apple's FaceTime video chat service. For instance, they called it "open," but they also only mentioned a zero-configuration iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 calling setup. Meanwhile Qik can make calls between EVO 4Gs, but also stream video live to the web (while the iPhone needs to record and then upload to get "social" using its official apps). No mention was made of the FaceTime call resolution, but given the fact that the front camera is merely VGA, it's probably streaming at the same 640 x 480 that Qik is constrained to in the free service. However, a premium version of Qik for $5 a month lets you go beyond that resolution, using the EVO's higher resolution cameras. Perhaps the largest distinction is the fact that the EVO can stream video calls over 3G or 4G, while the iPhone 4 is constrained to WiFi for the time being. Naturally, we expect other video calling apps (Skype, please?) to crop up on both platforms and give these initial offerings a run for their money. %Gallery-94632%
WWDC 2010: iPhone 3GS drops to $99 on June 24
Starting June 24, the price of the iPhone 3GS, which began life at $199 (for 16GB) and $299 (for 32GB) will drop to $99 for the 16GB model. Even a hardened Apple follower like myself can't help but marvel at the fact that what was once an amazing device is now sitting on my desk looking at me dejectedly. Yes, the iPhone 3GS introduced enough power to record video, a compass, voice control and a 3-megapixel camera. But with the iPhone 4 coming soon, the price of the 3GS will drop to $99 for the 16GB model just as previous models of iPhone dropped in price when a new model came along. This appears to be the only model of 3GS that will soon be available, with the iPhone 4 available in 16GB and 32GB configurations. If you're a bargain hunter and you don't need all of the new features announced today, mark your calendar accordingly. The iPhone 3G will no longer be sold via Apple or AT&T once the iPhone 4 launches.
iPhone 4 first hands-on! (update: FaceTime video demo)
We've just gotten some face time (ha ha!) with the new iPhone 4, and let's just say this: it's incredibly sexy. We'll hand it to Apple, the phone is so thin it's kind of mind-boggling. The 3GS by comparison looks bloated. Feast your eyes on the pics below, and check out the FaceTime video demo after the break! Oh, and special thanks to hand models Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg. Some takeaways about the device: As we said, it's shockingly thin. The screen is truly outrageous -- you basically cannot see pixels on it. We're not being hyperbolic when we say it's easily the best looking mobile phone screen we've ever laid eyes on. The build quality is really solid. The home button feels much snappier, and on the whole it just feels like a tightly-packed device, but it's not heavy. The side buttons are really nice and clicky. iOS 4 is very familiar -- there's not a lot added to fit and finish. The general speed of the whole OS is way snappier. The camera app in particular is noticeably faster -- shots get snapped in an instant. Update: More pics! We've also thrown in a video demo of the iPhone 4 running its FaceTime video chat app. Check it out at the usual location.%Gallery-94611%%Gallery-94616%
iPhone 4 vs. iPhone 3GS: the tale of the tape
Apple's claiming that the iPhone 4 represents the platform's biggest advance since the original model's intro back in 2007 -- but does the argument hold water? Follow the break for a comprehensive rundown of the key differences between the newest member of the iPhone model and last year's king of the hill, the 3GS!
WWDC 2010: Second, third generation iPod touch gets free update to iOS4
Yes, iPod touch owners, your long nightmare of paying $5 or $10 for operating system upgrades would appear to be over. The next version of the system formerly known as iPhone OS will be downloadable on June 21, and this time you'll get it absolutely free, just like the iPhone users. Apple's quirky accounting for iPhone sales -- which the company cited as a reason it was able to offer free updates for those devices, but not for the all-the-profit-at-once iPod touch units -- has been left behind, so now the equal playing field includes all the iDevices. Enjoy your upgrade! Did I say "all?" Sorry -- only the 2nd & 3rd generation iPod touch need apply. The new OS won't run on the first-gen devices. Updated to include 2nd and 3rd generation devices.
WWDC 2010: iPhone OS 4 now "iOS 4"
If something's all-new, it's gotta have a snappy new name. Among the technical innovations announced today during Steve's keynote at WWDC was one branding update -- the operating system formerly known as "iPhone OS" will now be known as "iOS," with version 4 in golden master now. We hate to bring the buzzkill, Steve, but remember how the iPhone trademark was actually owned by another technology company when you introduced the product? Guess what. Cisco's router operating system... uh... well, it's already called IOS. Apparently the first new feature of iOS 4 is "pays for trademark lawyers' summer homes." Update: Our loyal reader DocRock suggests this licensing deal is already done. Update #2: Yep, Cisco PR confirms that a deal was done. photo courtesy Engadget
WWDC 2010: Farmville for iPhone coming soon
Zynga showed up on the stage at the WWDC keynote this morning to show off one of the most-awaited (and most hated) apps coming to the iPhone: Farmville. The popular Flash-based social networking game is finally making its way to the iPhone by the end of June, and it'll be bringing at least one new feature along in the form of push notifications for when your crops are done. Players will also be able to make in-app purchases for the Farmville marketplace, all of the game's information will sync with their Facebook version, and the game will come with an exclusive pet: a Snow Leopard. Cute. The assembled press in San Francisco were humdrum about the announcement, as most of them aren't Farmville players (and lots of you probably aren't either). But there are millions and millions of players of this game around the world, and when one of the biggest games in the world comes to Apple's platform, that's a big deal. We'll keep an eye out for the game on the App Store, and let you know when it's out.
