iphoneapps
Latest
VerbalVictor app gives voice to disabled
With iTunes overrun with apps that do little more than find creative ways to promote products or otherwise suck time, it's nice to see mobile technology doing something that's, well, not so trivial. VerbalVictor, a $10 program, which should be available in the App Store next week, uses iPhone and iPad touch screens to allow people with disabilities to communicate with the outside world. Paul Pauca -- whose son suffers from Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes delays in cognitive development, motor skills, and verbal communication -- developed the app as an affordable alternative to non-verbal communication devices. It touts functionality similar to the device used by Steven Hawking, but is far more accessible than the professor's $8,200 setup. VerbalVictor allows parents and caregivers to take pictures and record accompanying audio; the entries are then turned into buttons, which the user presses when they want to communicate -- sort of like a very advanced and customizable See N' Say. The device can be used for simple expressions, like an image of a dog that speaks "dog" when pressed, or for recording commonly used phrases and complete sentences. It may never reach the popularity of, say iFart, but it's sure to win some dedicated users.
Dish Network remote access app comes to Android, your Harmony groans
Dish Network took another step towards its ambitious TV Everywhere plans -- not to be confused with Comcast's and Time Warner's TV Everywhere partnership -- by releasing the Android version of its Dish remote access app late last week. This nicely completes the provider's suite of mobile offerings, which have already been available on the iPhone, iPad and certain BlackBerry phones. The catch is that to take advantage of the app, Android users must own a Sling-enabled Dish device like the ViP 722 / 722k HD DVRs or the recently released Sling adapter. With the necessary hardware though, the app turns smartphones into a control freak's best friend, working as a remote control, a DVR manager, and a Sling-powered media streamer to view recorded or live programming over Wi-Fi or 3G. That's a pretty nifty feature set considering it costs a lovely low price of free, and it's certainly more robust than mobile offerings from Comcast, Time Warner, or DirecTV. In other words, when it comes to getting the most from your paid TV service while on the go, it appears the underdog satellite company can certainly dish it out.
Netflix CEO says consumers just aren't interested in long-form video on portable devices
We were undeniably excited about Netflix coming to the iPhone and iPad, but according to CEO Reed Hastings -- who spoke on the subject during a Web 2.0 Summit panel discussion -- that move has actually had little impact on the company's business. In his mind, these results indicate that consumers just aren't interested in streaming long-form video on mobile devices and instead prefer the experience on bigger screens. To support his conclusion, Hastings cited how Netflix integration on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Mac significantly grew its subscriber base. While we personally disagree with his judgment on mobile and grant him honorary captain obvious credentials for his bigger screen preference remarks, we'll still entertain the possibility that Hastings may know somethings we don't. That's not to say the phrase correlation does not imply causation isn't tickling the back our throat though. But what about you, reader? Are you taking advantage of the little red app on your Apple portable devices or even on your new Windows Phone 7 handset? Hit the poll on the next page to tell us what's up.
Hollaback: an iPhone app to combat harassment
This week the anti-harassment website ihollaback.org has released an iPhone app that they hope will help encourage women to stand up and report cases of harassment in public places. The Hollaback iPhone app does pretty much what you'd expect it to do. If you're being harassed or are witnessing someone being harassed, you can whip out your iPhone running Hollaback, take a photo of the violator and upload it to the Hollaback servers along with location data. A follow-up email comes back to you later, where you're asked to detail what happened. Once that's done, the scumbag's photo and your story are posted for all to see on the company's website. Though the US$0.99 app is now available in the App Store, I wasn't able to test it out because, well, I doubt I'd find volunteers to try it out on. Allowing these incidents to be reported so quickly and easily could be a great way to help authorities nail down problem-ridden locations, but I have to wonder if whipping out a cell phone rather than running away or calling for help is the answer. Maybe you're better off pretending to make a call. Also, why is there a price tag on this app, when it was reportedly paid for already with donations?
Enterprise iOS app distribution made easier by Ondeego
For consumers, unless you jailbreak your iPhone, the only effective way to get apps onto it is via Apple's own App Store. From the beginning of the App Store, Apple has offered an alternative method of distributing apps that is meant for use by businesses to their employees. Unfortunately, that approach is cumbersome. It requires setting up servers and internal "app stores" for managing who gets those apps and pulling them back from lost or stolen phones or employees who leave. Ondeego has expanded its AppCentral distribution system from its original Blackberry and Java mobile roots, and it now supports iPhones. AppCentral is essentially a hosted enterprise app store service that allows businesses to create an account, then easily open a private iPhone app distribution channel. For smaller companies or those with only a few apps, this can make a lot more sense than going through the effort of setting up and maintaining their own systems. AppCentral allows managers to see and control who gets which apps and disable them remotely if needed. Only businesses in the iPhone Developer Enterprise Program can use AppCentral, because the special security certificate provided by Apple is required. The AppCentral for iPhone program is currently open for beta testers. Read on to see a video describing the service. Thanks Rich!
Google lets you search Androi... er, make that iPhone apps from your iPhone
We'll admit, we didn't see this one coming: pull up Google on your iPhone's browser, and you'll now discover there's an "iPhone Apps" option that lets you search the App Store. Looks pretty much like any other type of Google search, but results contain apps' star ratings and the first few lines of their descriptions; tapping on a link boots you right into the App Store itself. Certainly can't fault these guys for failing to embrace non-Android platforms, can you? [Thanks, Dominic] Update: As commenters and tipsters have pointed out, this works for Android apps when on Android devices, too. Only fair, we'd say!
Orb MP-1 music player pulls Sonos-like tricks for way less than a Benjamin
Streaming music from a computer to all manner of home audio devices is an area Sonos, Logitech, and Apple have been competing in for years. The recently-released MP-1 music player from Orb, though, is a surprise contender that can perform a host of streaming duties for less than $70. Like the competition, it works by connecting to a powered audio device via an in-line jack, and can play music stored locally, on a network, or from services like Pandora when streamed over 802.11b/g/n WiFi through its companion Orb Caster media server software. To sweeten the package, the company is also throwing in their Orb Controller app for iOS devices -- which normally costs $10 -- for a low price of free, and apparently has plans to release an Android version of the remote sometime in the near future. Sure, it's a little strange for us to see a company known for their free media streaming software jump in the hardware game so abruptly, but the MP-1's mixture of functionality for the price is a pretty enticing first step. Plus, if the move ignites a price war to the bottom with the aforementioned competition, who are we to complain? [Thanks, Tom]
iPad apps: Twitter and social networking essentials
As you might've notice, either here on the site or likely elsewhere on the internet, we at Engadget have somewhat of an affinity to social networking. With a new screen sitting here saving us some screen real estate, we decided to give a number of Twitter and other pro-social apps a go for perennially staying connected to our online friends -- so long as there's a decent WiFi connection nearby. Here's the highlights from what we've toyed with, and stay tuned for even more roundups on the horizon. Twitterific for iPad (free; $4.99 for Pro account) - Definitely the best Twitter app on the iPad so far (pictured above). It works great in portrait and landscape, contextual links conveniently pop out and photos even get special format treatment. No option to upload photos when tweeting, but we're guessing with a lack of a camera, it didn't seem as necessary an addition -- we like to show off our screen captures and saved browsing images, but hey, that's just us. The only deterrent for power users is that you can only view one column at a time, but with lists, saved searches, and all other thread options easily accessible from the leftmost column, we didn't find it too inconvenient whatsoever. [See in iTunes]
Twelve iPhone apps for students
It's been a while since we were in school, but with spring break almost done with, it's time to settle back into that last long stretch of school before it warms up and summer starts. You've got your handy iPod touch or iPhone with you on campus, and of course, you'll download some games, music, and apps that help you figure out where to go Saturday night, but there are also dozens of useful apps for the college student that are sure to be beneficial to you and your education. Here's twelve good ones to check out. Chemical Touch Lite College chemistry is never easy, and students will be required to memorize the periodic table of elements and use chemistry mathematical formulas. Chemical Touch Lite will let you do exactly that -- it has a fully interactive periodic table of elements, as well as information on all of the elements and their symbols. It won't guarantee you an A, but it will help you remember Au (and all of the other elements you need to know). Eleven more after the break!
Caption contest: iPhone as a CPR device
Alright, we'll leave all the zingers for you and our mercurial staff to deliver, and just use this space to dish some info on the hardware. Ivor Kovic, an emergency physician from Croatia, has recently demoed a new iPhone cradle that turns the already multifunctional handset into a CPR assistance device. By using an app titled Pocket CPR and the built-in accelerometer, he can get audio and visual feedback to tell him if he's doing it correctly, while his basic (but awesome) cradle allows for longer CPR sessions if necessary. Check out the video after the break, then hit the comments with your finest witticisms. Paul: "Come on Luke Wilson's Career, stay with me now, you're not going to die on me!" Darren: "Man, I could really get a better look at what's going on if this thing had a 9.7-inch IPS panel..." Chris: "Everyone is either dying or staying alive these days, and we began to ask ourselves: is there room for something in the middle?" Nilay: "He then died." Vlad: "Our other cradle also measures rhythm and depth, though its purpose isn't entirely medicinal." Andy: "A rare case where a lack of multitasking is actually helpful to the task on hand." Thomas: "Can you stop dying for a second, I have to take this call." Joe: "This actually adds an intriguing level of complexity to Super Monkey Ball 2." Richard Lai: "Come on... COME ON!! Wait a tick... AT&T? No wonder it isn't working. Dammit." Tim: "Looks like this guy's heart (puts on sunglasses)... has dropped its last call." Yeeeaaaaaahhhh...
Dear Apple: What we want to see in iPhone 4.0, part 3
Even with rumors swirling that iPhone OS 4.0 will be previewed on Wednesday (along with some tablet thingy), chances are the OS won't be finalized until early summer, so there's still plenty of time for Apple to take your suggestions.
Buy software, aid Haiti relief efforts
Last week we pointed out the American Red Cross donation page that's been added to the iTunes Store. This week, several independent Mac/iPhone software (and hardware) developers have come together to aid the relief efforts. Check out Indie+Relief, a site listing a huge number of applications for you to buy. All proceeds from purchases made on January 20, 2010 will go to emergency workers in Haiti. Who receives the money? That depends on the app. For example, purchase Acorn and Flying Meat will donate $49.95 to Doctors Without Borders. Buy MarsEdit 2 and Red Sweater will make a donation to Partners in Health. It's a great way to go and starts tomorrow. I asked Marketcircle's Ryan Cash about his company's participation. "Billings has been in the spotlight this month – Billings Mac is featured on the Apple Downloads homepage, and we're also featured in the iTunes App Store under 'New and Noteworthy'. All proceeds from Billings Mac sales on Jan. 20th will be donated to the Doctors Without Borders charity. With Billings in the spotlight we're thinking tomorrow will be a great success." In related news, a team of developers calling themselves Mobile Applications for Crisis Response have come together to develop just that -- iPhone apps that will aid emergency personnel as they do their jobs. There are four developers on the team now, and the wiki lists the projects they're currently working on. If you'd like to donate your skills to their efforts, please let them know.
Unauthorized iPhone news readers raise eyebrows
Here's an interesting little new media legal dilemma for you: apparently there are several paid apps in the iPhone App Store that bill themselves as "readers" for publications like the New York Times, CNET, and the BBC, but aren't actually licensed or official in anyway -- they're just pulling RSS feeds. That means people paying for an app like The New York Times Mobile Reader aren't actually getting an app from the Times -- and, perhaps more importantly, the Times isn't getting anything from anyone. Seems like Apple should probably just shut these apps down, but that's the interesting part: all these apps are pretty much just custom-built feed readers, and you can generally access all of the same content using Safari. Now, there's obviously a trademark issue involved here, especially if these apps are confusing people into thinking they're official, but we're curious to see how these pubs and Apple handle the situation in the next few weeks, since it's relatively uncharted territory. P.S.- Let's not even get into the fact that Apple's rated the NYT Mobile Reader app "12+" for "Infrequent / Mild Mature / Suggestive Themes." Oh, the App Store.
Six iPhone productivity applications for busy people
The iPhone has taken the mobile world by storm, allowing users to browse the full web, send pictures, converse, instant message and much more! While there are over 100,000 apps available for Apple's flagship phone, I've focused in on the Top 6 iPhone Apps that can help increase productivity. This list includes both personal productivity applications and business productivity programs. Best iPhone Note Taking Application Awesome Note [iTunes Link] $3.99 - If you're constantly forgetting important tasks this is a must have program. The application allows users to setup various and unlimited folders and even color code those options for the users own personal preferences. I personally use a red folder for "Important Notes" a blue folder for "Personal Notes" and a Green folder for "Business reminders" which makes sorting out my personal and business life simple. The app also offers the ability to rename, delete and add new folders on the fly. Awesome Note also provides a "quick note" option that allows users to quickly start a note and then fill in the blank spaces at a later time. With full customizations, transfers to Evernote and an easy to use interface, it's a must have program for compulsive note takers and it's a huge step above the standard iPhone note program. Quick Tip: iPhone 3.0 OS Users and higher only! One drawback: it does not record audio notes. Best iPhone "Sync" Application Air Sharing [iTunes Link] $2.99 - Air Sharing is the best way to connect your iPhone or even your iPod Touch to your Mac. The program uses WiFi to connect both devices and then relies on drag and drop functionality to share files both to and from your Mac. I particularly like the ability to use pinch zooming for photos and documents along with the large number of file types supported by the program (any file type supported by Apple). The program also offers both landscape and portrait sharing for ease of use. Mac users will also love that the interface for Air Sharing is very similar to the Mac Finder Application, a fact that will make most Apple users feel very comfortable the moment they begin using the program. With no cables to carry around or to find a plugin for, this app will definitely help with your business productivity, while providing easy access to personal files of various types. Best iPhone "Personal Information" Application eWallet [iTunes Link] $9.99 - If you're a busy business person or an active stay at home parent, there's a good chance you carry around a lot of information that you need quick access to. At the same time you probably want that information (credit cards, drivers license number, important business notes) to be protected at all times. eWallet is the perfect solution for this requirement. The program provides 256-bit encryption with user created categories so any information can be entered. Users can also create their own data fields so their most important data can quickly be pulled up and used. I particularly found this application of great use for field technicians who need to access various passwords for different networks and for travelers who need access to various forms of personal information. Best iPhone Scheduling And Calendar Applications Built-In Calendar With MobileMe Access - This is actually two programs. The first option is the built-in Calendar found on all iPhones. I really like the ease of use found on the calendar, including the ability to quickly search for and add new important dates, meetings, etc. While MobileMe allows users to enter in appointments and dates on their iPhone or Mac computers and that information is then shared between all of their connected Apple products via the Apple "cloud" computing network. If you want a simple way to run your small business while tracking important appointments and dates this is a much cheaper option at $99/year than setting up an Exchange server. Users also receive An 20GB for email and file storage and 200MB of monthly data transfers. MobileMe also provides contacts and email pushing which adds to the MobileMe appeal. Best iPhone "Billable Timer" Application TimeLogger [iTunes Link] $3.99 - Why spend hours logging all of your billable time to clients when you can download the TimeLogger application and have your phone do most of the work for you. TimeLogger lets users setup various clients and then start a timer when they are completing work for those clients. Simply press "Start" to begin the timing process and then "Stop" to end your billable time. The program also lets users "alter" times in case they forget to start or stop a timer. I also really appreciated the "notes" function which made it simple to add important facts about what I was doing during each billable sequence. The program also offers an "export" feature which provides easy to read output for .CSV files. Exported files can even been focused in on for the category you're billing, a specific client you want to email and even for a certain job or date range. Best iPhone "Travel" Application FlightTrack [iTunes Link] $4.99 - This is a must-have program for frequent travelers. Simply enter in an airline and flight number and you'll receive information about arrival and departure times, you can even track flights from around the world. The information found on FlightTrack is offered in real time and can even provide information that includes the baggage claim areas for luggage and the gate number for any flight. My favorite part of this program however was the ability to create up to 11 different flight itineraries, allowing me to plan trips months in advance and then follow any changes that might occur with those flights. If you're traveling on a regular basis this is a much more productivity way to follow flights than pulling out your computer constantly. Those are my Top 6 iPhone productivity applications. Whether you need to take notes, bill clients or sync files, there are literally thousands of applications that iPhone users can download and use. These are 6 applications I couldn't live without thanks to the time they shave off my day by offering quick to access and simple to use options for daily, monthly and even yearly tasks. Give them a try today, you won't be disappointed.
Molinker is no more on the App Store -- ratings scam results in expulsion
Well, here's the happy side to the police state known as Apple's App Store. One of the more prolific app makers out there, Molinker, has been recently unceremoniously expelled from the Apple orchard due to its manipulation of app ratings and reviews. As it turns out, Molinker has been massaging the truth by pumping out false five star reviews for its wares, and now Phil Schiller himself has stepped in and pulled the company's whole catalog -- consisting of more than 1,000 apps -- seemingly permanently: Yes, this developer's apps have been removed from the App Store and their ratings no longer appear either. So the App Store is now a bunch of travel guides lighter and Mr. Schiller gets a "good boy" badge from the blog brigade. Good news all around then.
iPhone orchestra at the vanguard of smartphone music-making push
The relationship between cellphones and music has almost always been a quirky one, producing bouts of the surreal punctuated by an occasional flourish of the sublime. Latest to join the melodic fray are Georg Essl from the University of Michigan and his "mobile phone ensemble." Each of the participating students has designed a noise-making app for his or her iPhone, which is used in conjunction with the built-in accelerometer and touchscreen to make (hopefully beautiful) music. Though we may consider this a gimmick for now, Professor Essl is most enthusiastic about the future prospects of utilizing smartphones to make music with legitimate aspirations. The debut performance of this newfangled orchestra is on December 9, or you can check out a preview in the video after the break. [Thanks, Ry]
'Endless Racing Game' iPhone demo video isn't endless, is endlessly entertaining
We're not going to bore you with details, but we are going to tell you that it's more than worth your while to watch this demo video for the iPhone title "Endless Racing Game." We can't attest to how fun (or not fun) the game is to play, but the clip is certainly worth your 90 seconds of attention. Check it out after the break. [Thanks, Lena]
Jibbigo iPhone app translates from English to Spanish and back again
Jibbigo is a recently released iPhone app which promises to help you out the next time you're desperately trying to make yourself understood by your Spanish-speaking compadres. The app is capable of recording a sentence and translating it -- essentially in real time -- back to you. As you can see in the screencap above, you can speak either Spanish or English, and the translator will do its work, displaying both your original and a translation into the other language. The dictionary contains about 40,000 words, and the app is aimed at travelers. Jibbigo also requires the iPhone 3GS to make use of the bi-directional translation tools, and the app also reportedly functions a heck of a lot slower on anything other than the 3G. The app is available now for $24.99. [Via, iPodnn]
Free iPhone apps can now include in-app purchases
One of Apple's many curious restrictions on iPhone apps has now been lifted. It used to be that, in order for developers to have microtransactions / in-app purchases, they had to charge something upfront for the software, essentially requiring consumers to pay at least twice, or not at all. Well, all that's changed, as the company has sent word to its developer community that the restriction has been lifted, meaning those annoying "Lite" and "Full" versions cluttering the app store can now be one and the same, with folks downloading the demo and paying to upgrade from within the app itself, a model that's worked to success in other software ecosystems like Xbox Live. Sure, there's gonna be developers out there that abuse the newly-minted business model, but it's not like anything was stopping them before when they charged $2 upfront only to get you again later. The mass email announcement is reprinted after the break. [Warning: read link requires iPhone developer account] [Via Daring Fireball]
David Hockney paints with his iPhone, results not typical
Artist David Hockney isn't afraid of picking up new media -- over the years, he's used Polaroids, photocollages, and even fax machines to create his art -- in addition to regular, old-fashioned painting. Now, he's taken to using his iPhone to create new works of art. The resultant "paintings" have been exhibited at the Tate Gallery and Royal Academy in London, as well as galleries in Los Angeles and Germany. Like artist Jorge Colombo (whose iPhone fingerpainting was featured on the cover of The New Yorker), Hockney uses the iPhone app Brushes to create his works. In an interview with the New York Review of Books, Hockney notes that he prefers and still uses the original version of the app, not the more recent updates. Hmm... maybe the reason our own Brushes paintings stink is because we're using the update! [Via All Things D]
