Ios4
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Pocket Universe updated with iPhone 4 gyro support
Pocket Universe has always been one of the best of the astronomy apps, and I reviewed the earlier version positively. I like the use of augmented reality to overlay a star chart on the real sky, and there are lots of features like astronomy news, a planning module for any particular night, and quick and easy guides to finding visible comets and other nighttime events. With some nice clear summer nights there are plenty of things to see and appreciate. The app has now been updated, and is one of the first science apps to use the iPhone 4 gyroscope. According to John Kennedy, who wrote the program, using the gyroscope speeds up orienting the phone position, because the internal compass is a bit slow and prone to interference. The app doesn't need internet access, except for astronomy news and linking to Wikipedia articles. All the star charts and graphics are contained in the app. Pocket Universe supports a night vision mode, which turns the stars and object labels red, keeping bright glare away from sensitive eyes. %Gallery-98596%
A new approach to iPhone panoramas
There are plenty of iPhone apps that shoot panorama photos. You take a picture. Move to the left or right, and after you have 3 or 4 images the panorama software stitches the images together. Now, Occipital is offering 360 Panorama, a different approach to getting wide, or even 360 degree images. The app is dead simple. Click on a button to start the process, then slowly turn left or right. You appear to be taking one continuous image, and as you move you can see the image filling in on a grid. You don't do any stitching, the software does it in nearly real time. You can go wide, or even shoot vertical images. Or you can do both, panning up and down, and moving left or right. The image will fill in. It's pretty cool to watch. When you tap 'save' the image goes to your camera roll. The app does a lot of processing and therefore needs to run on an iPhone 4 or 3GS. I had good luck using the app. I did have some trouble getting the edges to line up in a complete 360, but I think that is a matter of practice. Boinx released a similar app last week called You Gotta See This! %Gallery-98555%
Apple investigating issues with iOS 4 upgrade on iPhone 3G
Back when we outlined the iOS 4 features missing from iPhone 3G, we forgot one key bullet point: performance. As more and more two-year veterans of Apple's phones have taken the plunge and upgraded to the latest firmware, slowdown and battery drain issues have become a common complaint, which is even more irksome when you think of just how little the update really adds to the UI. The Wall Street Journal reports speaking to an Apple spokesperson who said the company is looking into the matter. That doesn't necessarily mean a fix is coming anytime soon, but hey, at least you can hold the darn thing however you want.
Apple 'looking into' poor iOS 4 performance on iPhone 3G
Update: Yes, the 4.1 update seems to resolve most of the performance issues for 3G owners. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is "looking into" reports of iOS 4's poor performance on the iPhone 3G. Many iPhone 3G users have noted generally slow performance and glitches after installing iOS 4 that have rendered their devices nearly unusable. An Apple spokesperson told the Journal that Apple is aware of the reports and investigating solutions. That Apple is responding to the issue at all is certainly encouraging, but their response has been anything but timely -- it's come only after a month of irate posts on Apple's support forums, parody videos on YouTube, and widespread reporting on the issue (including here at TUAW). Some blogs, including us, have noted that iOS 4.1 beta provides better performance on the iPhone 3G. I initially experienced better performance under the beta, but only for a couple days after doing a DFU restore to the beta. Around 48 hours after installing the beta, all the old bugs crept back in: slow keyboard performance, glacial application launch times, app crashes, and random system-wide freezes when using Safari. None of the suggested fixes (some of which border on voodoo) have managed to get iOS 4 working properly on my iPhone 3G. I've tried everything short of wiping the phone clean and setting it up as a new phone, mostly because I don't want to lose my application data, which includes 20+ hours of game progress in Final Fantasy and over a year of food and exercise data in Lose It. (Ed: Ouch!) (Update: a couple people have pointed out that Lose It! can restore data to an iPhone independently of iTunes, an awesome feature I had completely forgotten about. Sadly, that's a feature not present in any of the 45 games I have on my iPhone.) For now, our advice for those lucky few who haven't yet upgraded an iPhone 3G to iOS 4 remains the same: don't do it. For the rest of you iPhone 3G owners, if you're an unlucky member of the "iOS 4 turned my iPhone 3G into an iPhone POS" group, things are looking up for you at last thanks to Apple's official response. [Via Macrumors]
Grab some lemonade, sit near the pool, and watch TUAW TV Live
Today on TUAW TV Live we're going to try to beat the heat with some cool app demos, so grab a nice icy cold glass of lemonade or some other favorite beverage, prop up the iPad or MacBook under the umbrella, and join your host Steve Sande for some fun. As mentioned earlier, we'll be talking about the new Mac announcements, Safari extensions, some fun apps for iOS devices, and more. You can either just watch the show, or choose to participate through the chat tool. To join in from your Mac or PC, just go to the next page by clicking the link at the bottom of this post, and you'll find a live stream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to join in on the fun by asking questions or making comments. If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone by downloading the free Ustream Viewing Application. We haven't forgotten about iPad users, as you can tune in to TUAW TV Live on your iPad! That link will send you to a non-Flash page, although you won't have access to our chat tool.
Chopper 2 out now
We've mentioned Chopper 2 a couple of times during development, once to show off the TV out function built into the game, and again when we met up with creator David Frampton at WWDC. Now, development has finally finished, and he's released the game out on the App Store. You can pick it up for a launch sale price of $2.99. It's an excellent game, very polished, and while it starts out simply, the combat builds up well. It controls about the same as the last game (tilt to fly the chopper, and tap the screen to fire), but the firing controls have been refined. The presentation is probably the most amazing thing, actually -- the 3D world looks terrific, the music is excellent, and the titles on screen are in a kind of 3D as well, so that they seem to actually float in the game's real-world space. All in all, it's a very cool game and some excellent work by Frampton's Majic Jungle Software. The game is universal for both iPad and the iPhone, and if you install it on both, you can actually play the iPad version with the iPhone or iPod touch as a controller. It's not a huge gamechanger, but it is a fun extra feature that probably required some coding work to get going. If you've been waiting for this one like we have, it's on the App Store ready for you right now.
Developers: iOS 4.1 Beta 2 is now available
If you're a card-carrying iOS developer, trot on over to the developer page and grab the latest beta of iOS 4.1. As everyone is reporting, it's been about two weeks since 4.1 Beta 1 crash-landed, so maybe we're just a couple of weeks away from a release for the rest of us? That'd be nice, considering some iOS 4 woes on older iPhones, among other outstanding issues. If anything notable turns up, we'll let you know. [thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Apple iOS 4.1 beta 2 now available for developers
Developers, developers, developers: Apple is now seeding the second iteration of the iOS 4.1 beta your way. It's been just shy of two weeks since beta 1 hit the scene, which is about on par with the pace of revisions for previous beta releases. We haven't had a chance yet to dive in and see what changes are afoot, but we're downloading now and will be sure to let you know if we notice anything. [Thanks, Brad]
TUAW's Daily App: The Ultimate Alphabet
Today's app is going to blow your mind. Back in 1986, artist Mike Wilks published a book called The Ultimate Alphabet, which featured 26 different paintings, each filled with items that corresponded to the letters of the alphabet; the letter A painting contains airplanes, ants, an apple tree, and so on. There are more than 7,777 words represented in the book, with lots more little secrets hidden in the paintings; there are letters encoded in Morse code or semaphore, obscure symbolism, and visual gags. The book was part of a competition with a big cash prize, which was solved in 1988, when Wilks published The Annotated Ultimate Alphabet; it included descriptions and clues for each of the items hidden in the extremely detailed paintings. Now, a company named Toytek has begun to bring the book to the iPad, and it allows you to interactively explore some of Wilks' paintings and their extremely deep complexity. As you can see above, it's wild; you tap on an item, enter the actual name, and then the book will tell you whether it's right or provide clues for the word you're looking for. The app is free to try, though it's prohibitively expensive if you want to purchase everything. You can buy the letters in bundles, and the full purchase price eventually comes out to around US $45 in total. That's pricey, although it's the same cost as the printed book, and you get the interactivity for free. Still, it's a great idea, and there is a free trial if you want to check it out. Update: We're told that due to user input, the free version has been changed from a timed trial to simply having the entire letter A be completely free to play all the way through. Enjoy!
MyTown adds product check-ins
Booyah's very popular MyTown app has updated again, this time bringing some more innovation to the "check-in" idea. Instead of just checking in to locations, the app will now "check-in" to various products with the iPhone's camera. So when you use a certain product, you can use the camera to scan a barcode, and presumably, MyTown will recognize it, add it to your check-in history, and then reward points and progress as usual. Of course, this also means that Booyah will get a list of your favorite products and merchandise, which CEO Keith Lee says is "a holy grail for marketers and brands" in the press release. It seems a little unfair to take such valuable information from consumers while simply rewarding them with a few achievement points and virtual stickers, but MyTown definitely has a following, and the app's fans can't seem to get enough of their virtual collecting. The app will eventually include other types of gaming in the service, like scavenger hunt for certain items On the plus side for Booyah, this just means that marketers and brands will be even more interested in supporting the app. We can expect to see even more agreements with real-world businesses from them in the future.
Survey: 73% of iPhone users are fine with AT&T's service
If you're the kind of person who loves quoting that ".5%" number given by Jobs at the press conference a few weeks ago as proof that AT&T's reception problems are overblown, you'll love this. A new survey released by Yankee Group says that 73% of iPhone users polled are actually "very satisfied" with their cell phone service. In fact, only 69% of smartphone users in general say they're happy with their provider, so not only is AT&T's service satisfactory according to this survey, but it's actually better than other services. Why is AT&T so hated when their service is actually good? Yankee Group explains: it's not that the service is great, it's more that the phone is awesome. Customers really love their iPhones, and so even when the reception isn't very good, the overall experience scores high. AT&T says it's just a perception problem: "There's a gap between what people hear about us and what their experience is with us. We think that gap is beginning to close," according to a spokesman. I'll say this: I carried my iPhone all over San Diego at Comic-Con last week, and the reception I got was just plain terrible. My net connection barely worked, calls were dropped, and I couldn't check email even when I needed to. But I'll admit that the AT&T problems exist in a strange place -- not only does the iPhone's otherwise shining example of user experience helping to outweigh AT&T's problems, but customers' high expectations for the iPhone probably have something to do with all of the complaining as well.
Dragon Dictation updated with iOS 4 support and some new features
Dragon Dictation is one of the most popular free apps on the iPhone and iPad, and now it has been updated to support iOS 4. Nuance Communications, creators of the app, have added a pop-up toolbar that allows you to speak a status update and send it directly to Facebook or Twitter. You can also speak and send the text to the clipboard. As in the original version, you can dictate emails and text messages. Another nice to feature is the app now saves your dictated text if you are interrupted by a phone call. This latest version also supports U.K English now, as well as German. The app already supports Spanish, Italian and French. I've had an advance copy of the app for a week, and I can confirm it works as advertised, although my high school German is a bit rusty so I didn't try that feature. Someday, I hope, Apple will build complete speech recognition into the iPhone and iPad. If they do, I hope they use the Nuance speech engine, which is very accurate and easy to use. Until then, Dragon Dictation is a must download for use with email, social networking and texting. The app runs on iOS3.1 or later on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
iOS 4 and iPhone 3G is a match made in... what's the opposite of heaven?
Update: It's true -- the 4.1 update does wonders for the iPhone 3G's health and happiness on iOS 4. Do you have an iPhone 3G? Me, too. Have you updated it to iOS 4 yet? If the veins are popping out of your neck and your skin is turning green, you probably have. If your iPhone 3G hasn't been updated to iOS 4 yet, then do your iPhone, yourself, and your sanity a favor: DON'T UPDATE YOUR iPHONE 3G TO iOS 4! Apple's support forums are buzzing like an angry hornet's nest on reports that iOS 4 has all but crippled users' iPhone 3Gs. By far the most-reported problem is generalized slowness; iOS 4 runs so slowly on many people's iPhone 3Gs that the phones are almost unusable. The video above, although a parody we've posted previously, is actually a fair representation of what's been happening to the iPhone 3G under iOS 4. Click "Read More" to see some ways to fix the problem.
FacePlant brings quick FaceTime chats and video voice mail to the iPhone 4
By now, everybody who owns an iPhone 4 knows how cool FaceTime is. They're also probably frustrated with the fact that a) you need to make a call at least one time in order to verify that a friend has an iPhone 4 and can actually do FaceTime chats, b) you can't see when friends are on Wi-Fi and ready to talk, and c) you can't leave them a video message when they're off a Wi-Fi network or have their phone turned off. An upcoming free iPhone app, FacePlant, hopes to change all of that. FacePlant is from the same folks who brought you 12seconds and Rally Up, so they had the necessary savvy to supply both the video messaging piece and the social networking feel that FacePlant provides. Here's the concept: you sign up for a free FacePlant account, which consists of your name and iPhone 4 number. The app goes through your contacts list, and if there's anyone in that list who is registered with FacePlant, they show up on a list of contacts. If they're ready and willing to talk, their name shows up surrounded by a bright orange bar; if they're offline, their name is outlined in gray. Tapping an active (orange) name displays a dialog that asks if you want to make a FaceTime call, a voice call, or leave a video message.
devsugar: Accessing an iPhone camera capture session
With the imminent demise of UIGetScreenImage, a number of readers have asked me how they can use the newer AVFoundation approach to access screen data in their iPhone applications. I went ahead and built some sample code that, when I'm finished messing with it, will be part of chapter 7 of my revised cookbook. I have uploaded the current version to github. It consists of a simple helper class that allows you to start and stop a capture session. You can request an image from this helper (namely, the last captured image from the buffer), which in this example is loaded into a central image view at the end-user's request. You can also ask it for a view with an embedded preview, using the current session. The example project adds that preview to the navigation bar. I threw this example together pretty quickly, and as always, I welcome suggestions and improvements.
Skype for iPhone gets iOS4 background multitasking in version 2.1
The free Skype app received a minor update today, but the impact to iOS 4 users is going to be impressive. According to the release notes, you can now run Skype in the background on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS running iOS4. This means that Skype users can now receive Skype calls and instant messages while other apps are running or the iPhone is locked. As with the iPhone's Phone app, you can continue your call while you switch to another application. The update is free, and those who are already using the app should see an update appearing in iTunes on their iPhones soon. Thanks to Michael, Gabriel, and Gary for the tip!
Skype updated for iOS 4, background VoIP is a go (update: no plans to charge for 3G use)
Well, it's about time. Touted back in March as one of the pillar apps to benefit from the new multitasking API, Skype has finally been updated to iOS 4 compatibility. We're seeing crisper, more retina display-friendly graphics and, more importantly, background VoIP (not for iPhone 3G, naturally). A notification window will pop up when you're called or messaged, and you can use other apps while on the line chatting to international friends at reduced rates. Even on the lock screen, if you receive a call, sliding to unlock will take you immediately into the call. Video chat still isn't here -- a darn shame given the lack of other options now -- but now you've got even more of a reason to rack up those rollover minutes on AT&T's voice plan. Download away! Update: Remember when Skype was talking about charging extra for calls over 3G starting this month? Straight from the horse's mouth: "we no longer have plans to charge a supplement to make calls over 3G." [Thanks, Tyler C]
devsugar: Farewell, UIGetScreenImage()
Last December, Apple relented on the use of the otherwise private UIGetScreenImage() API. This function allows iOS developers to capture a screenshot on a device, regardless of the contents of the screen. In contrast, the standard SDK-safe approach to screen captures ([theView.layer renderInContext:context]) did not allow applications to access video layers, camera previews, or some OpenGL content. iOS developer Manfred Nerurkar writes on his blog that he was just called by his Apple Developer Relations contact and told that Apple has made an about face on this issue. Apps using UIGetScreenImage will no longer be greenlit for the App Store. Instead, developers will need to use standard Quartz methods (as mentioned aboved) or migrate their camera capture code to AVFoundation. As Nerurkar points out, this decision will force developers to refactor their code and, in doing so, limit screen capture to iOS 4.0 or later deployment. iPhone 2G users will not be able to use camera-centered utilities as iOS 4 AVFoundation functionality cannot be included on the earlier platform. Any 3G and 3GS users who have not upgraded from iOS 3.x will also be affected. That means that Nerurkar's iCamcorder and iWebcamera will lose a large part of their audience. Nerurkar's Drahtwerk firm is not the only one affected. Popular scanner apps such as Occipital 's Red Laser (now bought out by eBay) have a large early model/slow adopter iPhone user base, and if they have to be updated to use the newer methods they will be leaving those users behind. More discussions are ongoing at the Apple developer forums (behind the paid dev firewall).
Apple details location information sharing
Apple had to do some explaining recently -- after a House of Representatives probe into the company's privacy policy came up, the company sent a twelve-page letter to the members of Congress, going into detail on what all of the legalese in the company's privacy policy actually means. The biggest takeaway is that Apple does collect location data from your iPhone -- every 24 hours, an encrypted batch of locations for cell towers, Wi-Fi access points, and GPS coordinates are hooked up to a zip code and sent back to Apple. This is all true -- we've heard from customers who've noticed the daily batch of information sent out over their iPhone's data plan. Why does Apple do all of this? The company claims that it's all necessary to account for "the ever-changing physical landscape, more innovative uses of mobile technology, and the increasing number of Apple's customers." Of course, if you don't want to be a part of this system, you can shut all of the location tracking down right inside the phone's preferences -- either phone-wide, or on a per-app basis depending on what version of iOS you are using. Version 3 and below requires a visit to each app, iOS 4 allows you to shut it off at the OS level. Just go to Settings>General>Location Services and turn location data on or off. The problem then, of course, is that you won't have access to those services while you use your phone. Apple also notes that it collects the same data from Macs who use location-based services (like automatically setting your time zone), and the iAd network also sends location information every time an ad is requested. In short, Apple knows where you are, and in return, you get the benefit of location-specific information. Worth it?
MOG arrives on iPhone, Android with 8 million songs but no multitasking mode (update)
The name may sound like something out of a Final Fantasy game, but we hear it stands for Music On the Go, and today MOG is doing the name proud by bringing a wide swath of streaming music to Android and iPhone. $10 a month gives you access to over 8 million songs, and during a completely unscientific impromptu testing session, that number actually included a reasonable amount of most everything we'd want. Of course, you don't get to keep any of the 320Kbps MP3 files, merely store local copies on your phone for as long as you pony up, and even on Android (where we take task switching for granted) the merest jump to web browser stops those tracks cold. (MOG says it's working on it, at least for the iOS 4 version.) We were also disappointed to find out the MOG Radio feature is nothing like we were told -- rather than a Pandora you can tune to specific artists, the feature just seems to filter your existing queue. Playback options were also lacking in this early version (like volume and jog sliders) but at least MOG's got a slick, robust discovery mode, and with this many songs to choose from that's a very good thing. Both versions should be live immediately with three-day, no commitment trials, and there's a press release after the break if you still need more info. Update: It turns out our difficulties with MOG Radio were due to a buggy preview build; downloading a fresh version of the app this morning, the Pandora-like functionality worked just fine.
